The Last Great Witness
(of the age)
Beloved ones, what stands out to me quite clearly lately as I have been meditating before the Lord about the "two witnesses," is that before the coming of Christ in the first resurrection, there will be a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon God's servants. This tremendous anointing (the "double portion" of Elijah's spirit) will then precipitate one last "end of the age," earth-shaking, prophetic witness to the truth of God, and also make bare the corruption of an ungodly world, and a lukewarm, religious, backslidden church system.
"Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD." Malachi 4:5
Most Christians today are probably aware of the prophesied appearance of Elijah the prophet before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." Many Christians are also aware that this is more than likely a people moving in "the spirit and power of Elijah" and not the actual appearance of any Old Testament prophet.
Before the first advent of Jesus Christ, Malachi's prophecy of Elijah's coming had a preliminary fulfillment in the person of John the Baptist. We read that John came in "the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17) and his mission was to prepare a people for the appearance of their promised Messiah.
What is being presented to us now though (at the end of this age) is the possibility that before another coming of Christ (a coming in which He will be glorified IN His saints - the culmination of first resurrection) there will be another outpouring of the "spirit and power of Elijah, but this time it will not only be upon an individual, but will be upon many thousands of believers who have been prepared by God for an awesome but very unusual ministry. The work of these will then be to testify to the entire planet that the Lord's righteous judgment is to be manifested, and that men everywhere should make themselves ready for "the Day of the Lord."
If the pattern for this "end time" (Elijah) ministry is found in John the Baptist, then the following characteristics will no doubt also be true of the individuals who are called ands chosen to this ministry:
*These will be quite different from the ministers of organized religion; non-conforming, and possibly even offensive to many, not received very well by the religious crowd, but rather unpopular figures with nothing to gain in this world.
*These will probably be taught and trained by God Himself completely outside of any religious organization.
*Much of the negative testimony of these will be against the hypocrisy of the ecclesiastical orders and the religious establishments of the day.
*These will be men and women who are uncompromising in their faith and their walk with God, having forsaken their appetite for all of the things of the world.
*These will not be able to be bought by anyone, having no desire for fame, fortune, or any earthly power, but will instead burn with a passion that brings glory only to the Lord of Heaven.
*These will certainly be fearless bold prophets, those who are bent upon telling people exactly what the Father wants them to hear even if the people don't want to hear it. These will be the mouthpieces of God Himself, exposing the corruption of the world and the worldly church systems, with the hope that in doing so men will turn from their folly before the tremendous judgments of the Day of the Lord.
Beloved ones, throughout the scriptures there is an unwavering principle that is taught, and that is that judgment can only be executed upon a sinning individual if at least "two witnesses" can be produced to verify the truth of any infraction. We read that, "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death" (Deut 17:6). Anything less than this is simply not acceptable to God, and so, He is preparing "witnesses" (according to the requirements of the divine law) to testify to the ungodliness of the world, and to the corruption found in the present day's systems of religion. This is all so that He might then be fully just in bringing a deluge of judgment upon the whole carnal and sordid mess.
The last great witness of the age is coming dear ones; a testimony of the Person of Christ, the will of Christ, the way of Christ, and the eternal purpose of the Father in Christ , and then the divine judgments of God will come like a flood (of fire), even as in the days of Noah.
Of course, our Father does not need anyone to tell Him what is in the hearts of men ... that is not the purpose of a witness. No, the witness is to give a TESTIMONY to the truth in the earth realm, and so fulfill the demands of the divine law which pertains to witnesses and to righteous judgment.
As I have shared with you before, it seems most probable that the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 are:
*A people who shall become one with God (and with each other) for the purpose of “witnessing” perfectly to the Father’s will on the earth. These shall be as ONE corporate witness of the Father.
*The other Witness I believe is God Himself ... That makes two.
Look at this …
“If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true [because according to the divine law a testimony must be confirmed by two witnesses]. [But] There is another that bears witness of me; and I know that the witness that He witnesses of me is true [therefore my witness is also true - for we are one in will and purpose].” (Jesus - John 5:31)
Blessings to you all in Christ Jesus...