Why are the two witnesses in Revelation resurrected?

The two witnesses in Revelation are resurrected to demonstrate God’s absolute power over death, to vindicate their prophetic ministry, and to signal the nearing of final judgment. Their resurrection publicly defies the world’s rejection of truth and confirms that God’s servants will ultimately triumph over their enemies.

Revelation 11:3 introduces them:

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Their ministry spans 1,260 days (three and a half years) during which they prophesy with boldness and authority. They are described as:

“These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.”
(Revelation 11:4)

This imagery is drawn from Zechariah 4 and symbolizes their Spirit-empowered testimony and constant supply of divine truth. During their time, they are divinely protected:

“If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies.”
(Revelation 11:5)

But after their mission is complete, God permits them to be killed:

“When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.”
(Revelation 11:7)

Their bodies lie in the street of the great city, symbolically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified (Revelation 11:8). The world rejoices over their death:

“And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”
(Revelation 11:10)

But this apparent victory is short-lived. After three and a half days, God reverses it:

“Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.”
(Revelation 11:11)

This resurrection is public, visible, and terrifying to the watching world. It mirrors the resurrection of Christ, and its timing parallels His three days in the grave. God’s breath reanimates them, just as in Ezekiel 37 when the Spirit revived dry bones.

Then comes their ascension:

“And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.”
(Revelation 11:12)

This moment confirms their divine approval and testifies that their mission was ordained by heaven. Their resurrection is not just personal vindication, it is a sign of God’s imminent judgment.

Immediately after their ascension:

“In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed…”
(Revelation 11:13)

The resurrection of the two witnesses declares that God’s truth cannot be silenced and that death cannot hold those whom He has sent. It prefigures the resurrection of all believers and underscores that God’s messengers are never ultimately defeated.

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