In
Revelation there is a mention of two witness who will come before the final Judgment
Day. A few candidates who probably pop up are Enoch form the pre flood era,
Moses and Elijah. But no one thinks that John might be the candidate for that.
Elijah never tasted death as he was taken to heaven in whirlwind. Jesus once
quoted to Peter ‘If I want him alive until I return what is that to you?, (sighting
John and he was Jesus beloved disciple).
This article discuss Percepts pertaining to the fact that John could be the
other withness.
Apostle John
may still be alive walking the earth
John 21:18-22) 18 I tell you the truth,
when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when
you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go." 19 Jesus said this to indicate
the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him,
"Follow me!" 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus
loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus
at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21
When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" 22 Jesus
answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to
you? You must follow me."
There are 2 conclusions that can be drawn from this passage of the book of John in chapter 21. The first conclusion could be that Jesus' second coming has already taken place as John may have died and Jesus said he would not taste of death until Jesus' second coming
The second conclusion is that Jesus' second
coming has not yet taken place and that would mean that Apostle John still
walks this earth, possibly guiding the church from the shadows, since Jesus
again said that he should not taste of death until Jesus' second coming.
So in regards to scripture it is entirely possible that John lives to this day,
watching over us. Jesus holds the keys of death and hell, no one dies or goes
to hell unless it is his will, hence "If i want him to remain until i
return, what is that to you? You must follow me". Jesus was telling Peter
that he had to be crucified, but he did not say that of John. This passage
supports that if the second coming has not already taken place, that it is
entirely possible John could be walking this earth 2000 years later, and we
know that in the days of Adam men lived for centuries. Could John still
be alive?
THE TWO WITNESSES -- Revelation Chapter 11
Who are the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3 ....... ? "
"And I [God] will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall
prophesy 1,260 days."
We all know that the prophet Elijah is one of the two witnesses, for he
is named specifically in Malachi 4: 5, 6...
God speaking:
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet BEFORE the coming of the
Great and dreadful DAY OF THE LORD.
"And he [Elijah] shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite
the earth with a curse." See also 1 John 2: 12--14.
Jesus also referred to Elijah's return in Matthew 17:11: "Elias truly
shall first come, and restore all things."
We see then that Elijah ["Eliyahu" in Hebrew ] comes to the Israeli
people BEFORE the Day of the LORD .
We interpret the meaning of "The day of the Lord" to mean the
beginning of the Great Tribulation Period, the last 3 and 1/2 years of this
age.
THE OTHER WITNESS
Now, the other witness is also very easy to identify, for Scripture tells
us plainly who he is.
Yes, in Rev. 10:11 it clearly states (KJV Authorized Version):
Yes, in Rev. 10:11 it clearly states (KJV Authorized Version):
"And He [God...God's Voice heard from heaven Rev.10:8 ] said unto
me:
'Thou' [ meaning JOHN, writer of the Apocalypse/ Revelation ]
'must prophesy AGAIN before many peoples, and nations, and tongues and kings."
'Thou' [ meaning JOHN, writer of the Apocalypse/ Revelation ]
'must prophesy AGAIN before many peoples, and nations, and tongues and kings."
That's sounds pretty clear to us that God is referring to John the
Revelator for a FUTURE mission.
So then, John the Apostle ("Boanerges, son of thunder" Mark 3:17) is the other witness.
We must remember that the Apostle John was on the isle of Patmos at the time of
his writing of the Book of Revelation, and that he was about 90 years of age.
There is no evidence or documentation anywhere that John ever had a traveling
ministry again. So when God commanded John to prophesy AGAIN before many
peoples, nations, tongues and kings, we realize that that command has yet to be
fulfilled.
John will thus be the main witness to the Gentile nations (Hamitic and
Japhetic)....to "many nations and kings" (the 'goyem').
Elijah will be the witness for the Israeli and World Wide Remnant Jews.
That is how we see it. And of course there will be the 144,00 who will also
witness in the end of days. Rev. 7:4 ............ Rev. 14:1- 5 and Dan. 11: 32b – 35
These two witnesses both come together at a time of war and peril,
( Arab war, Magog War ?) for they are
dressed in"sackcloth and ashes", denoting a time of great mourning.
These two prophets of God:
- Will be greatly anointed for their work -- Rev.11:4 and Zechariah 4:14]
- Will have deadly fiery power over their enemies -- Rev. 11:5
- Will
be able to withhold rain from those nations opposing God-- Rev.
11:6. Those who rebel during the Great Tribulation will thus cause economic disaster and famine for their own nations.
- Will have power over lakes, rivers etc. wherein pollution already exists, which will wipe out all life within them, turning the waters into blood. Thus there will be no drinking water for some nations--especially those nations that fear not the Lord.
- Will have power to smite the earth with plagues as often as they deem necessary. (for those rebelling against God) Rev. 11:6. "Plagues" means any evil disaster, especially fatal diseases.
(I would
just like to note here, that even though the articles presented about the
144,000 being the witnesses was interesting and thought provoking, I do not see
it as a possibility. I still believe that the two witnesses will be two
of the Lord’s chosen prophets that will literally be in the street of
Jerusalem.)
I believe
that God has these two witnesses preaching with one representing Israel and the
other represents the Bride of Christ. One represents the Old Testament, and the
other the New, and they both stand as one witness to the Word of God and the
Testimony of Jesus. These two witnesses define God’s purpose for all time.
Most will
agree that Elijah is definitely one of the witnesses and will represent Israel
and the Old Testament. These two witnesses are, namely, "the word of
God" and "the testimony of Jesus Christ," or what we today would
call the OT prophetic message and the NT apostolic witness.
The
candlestick in Zechariah 4:2 represents the nation of Israel while the
candlestick in Revelation 1:12-13, 20 represent the church of Jesus Christ.
Both John and Zechariah receive the same answer regarding their question as to “what
are the two olive trees”. The answer was that “these are the two
anointed ones that strand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
The Olive
Tree in the NT represents the en-grafted wild branches of the Gentiles into the
natural Olive Tree.
Rom.11:17. “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,”
Both the
Olive tree and Candlesticks represent the Two Witnesses. The two "peoples
of God" will be joined in one Olive Tree.
As for
the witness that will represent the Church of Christ I believe it will be the
Apostle John and here is why.
The
introductory remarks to the Revelation make evident that in writing this book
John bears witness "to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus
Christ" (1:2). In fact, his very exile on Patmos is also because of these
two entities-"the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (1:9).
The
following are several more reasons why John was chosen by Jesus to be one of
His Two Witnesses, in Jerusalem, during the first half of the Tribulation. He
was a witness to every aspect of Christ’s life and ministry, on top of being a
witnesses and recorder of end time events.
12 MORE REASONS WHY JOHN IS ONE OF
THE TWO WITNESSES
1. WAS A FOLLOWER
OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
John is
the perfect person from the New Testament to be one of the Two Witnesses in
Jerusalem. He believed in Christ, via John the Baptist’s teachings, before he
met Christ.
2. PRESENT AT THE
OLIVET DISCOURSE
Matt. 24:3 “And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the
sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
3. WAS A WITNESS
AT CHRIST’S TRANSFIGURATION
Mark 9:2 “And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John,
and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: and he was
transfigured before them.”
4. WAS WITH CHRIST
IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
Matt. 26:37 “And he took with him Peter and the two sons
of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.”
5. MOST BELOVED OF
CHRIST’S APOSTLES
John 13:23 “There was at the table reclining in Jesus' bosom one of his
disciples, whom Jesus loved.”
6. WAS THE ONLY
ONE OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES TO WITNESS THE CRUCIFIXION
John 19:26 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by,
whom he loved, he said unto his mother, Woman, behold your son!”
7. HE WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST, OF THE TWELVE, TO SEE THE EMPTY TOMB
John 20:1-2 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary
Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the
entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other
disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the
tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
8. WAS A WITNESS
AT CHRIST ASCENSION
Matthew 17:1-2 ”And after six days Jesus taketh Peter,
James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
raiment was white as the light.”
9. WAS CAUGHT UP TO HEAVEN
Rev. 4:1 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and
the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me;
which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be
hereafter.”
10. WAS TOLD HE WOULD WITNESS AGAIN
DURING THE TRIBULATION
Rev.10:11 “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples,
and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
11. THE ONLY APOSTLE THAT WAS NOT
MARTYRED.
12. LIVED THE LONGEST OF ALL THE
APOSTLES AND HIS DEATH IS NEVER RECORDED
*The
Orthodox Church has always believed that John never died. John returned to
Ephesus and stayed in the house of Domnus. He converted many and performed
miracles. One morning, before dawn, he took some of his followers to a place to
pray. Then he ordered them to dig a grave as deep as his height in the form of
a cross. He had them cover him with earth to the neck. They kissed him for the
last time and placed a napkin over his face, wept bitterly and then covered him
entirely. Others soon after, on hearing about this, dug up his grave and found
nothing.
The legend is found in "The Great Collection of The Lives of the
Saints," translated from the Slavonic edition published by the Christian
Print Shop of the Transfiguration Alms House in Moscow in 1914. It was
translated into English by the Chrysostom Press, P.O. Box 536, House Springs,
Mo. 63051 in 1994. P.441.
############
Upon
learning that the two witnesses represent both the Old and New Testaments;the
Word of God and the testimony of Jesus, led me to see what was so obvious to
begin with. John is totally the most likely candidate to represent the
Church,having been a witness to Christ's life and ministry in all aspects of
it, the author of the Book of Revelation, and was even told, by the Lord, that
he would testify again. For me, another important puzzle piece has been
fit into place. I would be interested to hear feedback on this concept, if
anyone is so inclined.
Sources
I represent a group of people who are very much interested in Apocalypse 11 and the Two Witnesses. We have found what we believe to be references to the activities of these Witnesses in other parts of the Book of Apocalypse. For instance, the two wings of a great eagle in Apocalypse 12 and in Apocalypse 14, not so much the 144,000 (those with whom the covenant of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross is being confirmed), but in verse 6, an angel flying in the midst of Heaven, the description of which matches Apocalypse 10:11; and, verse 8 matches up with Apocalypse 18 which had another angel that came down from Heaven. We also firmly believe that Daniel 9:27 about confirming the covenant also refers to one of the Witnesses along with Apocalypse 14:9~12. All these activities certainly have to do with confirming God's covenant with man and are consistent with the mandate given to the Two Witnesses. Apocalypse 10:1 talks about: "And I saw another mighty angel come down from Heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was on his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." This seems to match up with Apocalypse 14:9~12.
ReplyDeleteWe are in possession of a Treatise written by an Anonymous Priest entitled: "The Witnesses Are Coming!" https://sites.google.com/view/thewitnessesarehere
We are currently awaiting the addition of three more segments to add to the five already in this document, all entitled: "Blood Moons Over Fatima" (BMOF). We would imagine that your interests would take you first to BMOF-III & BMOF-V, as they specifically have to do with the Witnesses, and then flesh that out with the other BMOF Treatises.
We were greatly encouraged and emboldened in seeing that you were quoting from the Orthodox Catholics concerning St. John. In your writing, you seem to be a seeker of Truth wherever it is to be found. We consider ourselves also as seekers of Truth wherever it is to be found. Believe it or not, we are pre- Vatican II traditionalist Catholics who study the Bible every single day as a part of our spirituality. We only yesterday, in fact, found the Orthodox tract of the biography of St. John and this is what led us to your site. With the help of God's Grace we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to help our brothers and sisters in these last times of the first 6,000 years referred to in 2 Peter 3:8~13.
Please do study this material and please do acknowledge receipt of this comment to johnjohnii@yahoo.com. You may also be interested in gleaning what you can from John John II's profile on Disqus. You may also be interested in our sister's profile on Disqus, "Fatima Revisited".
I believe the apostle John is still alive. A friend and I were discussing the event in the Garden of Gethsemane and he said the events did not happen as described in the Bible and was actually much quicker. I asked him how he knew and he responded from someone who was there. I knew of John possibly still being alive and I asked,"John?" He said, "I'll never tell." That event was supposed to have happened in a room adjacent to the one they used for the last supper and was not the Garden.
ReplyDeleteI have only shared this with a few people over the last 20 years.
ReplyDeleteI had a dream just over 20 years ago...and in that dream a young man I knew from High School said "there will be 20 more years of elections".
That dream would not have been profound, were it not for the next event. I woke up and could see my bedroom...but I could not move. I felt something take a hold of me and I was terrified. I heard a voice say "aderat". My body soon relaxed and I jumped up and wrote this down.
I didn't know what to think about that dream at the time and my wife used to laugh at me when I brought it up. It was during a time of a deep spiritual awakening and prayer for me.
I have become convinced that it was more than a dream as we approach some foreboding event this year. Maybe it was nothing more than a dream and it was meaningless...or maybe it was prophetic?
I share this with you because you also profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ. I don't know what it means but my hope is that it is a sign I can be used to lead many brothers and sisters to Christ.
Thanks for reading and be blessed.
As I read the passage in Revelation about John prophesying again it hit me. I have read that passage dozens of times and this time it literally leapt off the pages at me. I believe he will be one of the witnesses along with Elijah. John may have been taken to heaven the same way Enoch and Elijah were. He does not have to still be walking the earth to come back to prophesy. Thank you for this article as it just solidifies my thoughts on the matter. Blessings in JESUS!
ReplyDelete