Who are the "two witnesses" in Revelation, and why are they represented by 2 olive trees, and 2 menorahs?

Answer 1

They are the two annointed ones who stand by God and witness for Him- see Zechariah 4--here are some verses from that chapter:

11 Then I asked the angel, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"

12 Again I asked him, "What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?"

13 He replied, "Do you not know what these are?"
"No, my lord," I said.

14 So he said, "These are the two who are anointed to [b] serve the Lord of all the earth."

Answer 2

these two people are the ones who god appointed to witness against the phony Christ who will be here at that time. and they do a good job of blowing Satan's cover. And they will be killed and left in the streets for all the people to see. And people will be celebrating their deaths and giving each other gifts . After 3 day they will brought to life and stand up which will put much fear in their hearts. It is at that time that the real Christ returns.Exactly who are they? Probably Moses and Elijah. Whats up with the two olive trees I don't know it is just symbolism and don't worry about it much.

Answer 3

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the symbolic "two witnesses" of Revelation 11:3,4 represents Jehovah's Witnesses themselves between 1914 and 1919. Anointed Christians among Jehovah's Witnesses preached despite terrible persecution for three and half years, their work seemed "dead" for a brief period, and then their preaching work re-activated larger than before!


The Scriptural passage which introduces the "two witnesses" mentions the "prophesying" or preaching and teaching work they perform for 42 months, and connects the "two witnesses" with lampstands (or "menorahs") and olive trees.

(Revelation 11:2-4) [The nations] will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will cause my two witnesses to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days dressed in sackcloth.” 4 These are symbolized by the two olive trees and the two lampstands and are standing before the Lord of the earth.


Jehovah's Witnesses note strikingly similar language from the bible book of Zechariah (compare with Rev 11:2-4):

(Zechariah 4:1-3,11-14) And the angel who was speaking with me ...said to me: "What are you seeing?” So I said: "I have seen, and, look! there is a lampstand... And there are two olive trees alongside it... And I proceeded to answer and say to him: "What do these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on its left side mean?" ...Accordingly he said: "These are the two anointed ones who are standing alongside the Lord of the whole earth."

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that all (or most) Witnesses in the first few decades of their modern history were "anointed"; that is, these expected a heavenly resurrection at their deaths.


Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the 42 months is a literal length of time, because the time period is repeated in another unit of measure as "1260 days" (42 months of 30 days). Jehovah's Witnesses believe that this same 42 month period of time is discussed as 'three and half years' in Daniel 7:25. (Note that 3.5 years = 42 months = 1260 days.)

(Daniel 7:25) [The "small horn"] will speak even words against the Most High, and he will harass continually the holy ones themselves of the Supreme One. And he will intend to change times and law, and [the holy ones] will be given into [the "small horn's"] hand for a time, and times and half a time [or literally, "one year and two years and half a year"]


The book of Daniel seems to use that "small horn" to represent the Anglo-American world power which has dominated the world scene since World War I (See "Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophecy" (page 141), published by Jehovah's Witnesses).
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How did these secular governments "harass continually the holy ones" (Dan 7:25)?

As WWI heated up, persecution against Jehovah's Witnesses accelerated because the preaching work tormented the secular governments. The 42 months (Rev 11:2) seems to have begun in December 1914 when the Witnesses were moved to chose as their 1915 year-text "Are ye able to drink of my cup - Matt 20:22, KJV". Over the next three and half years and amidst the war hysteria, anointed Christians among Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned and even tortured in Canada, Britain, and the United States. Witness publications were banned, and even in the United States certain Witness publications were deemed "illegal". The 42 months of preaching in the face of persecution seems to have culminated in June 1918 when the U.S. sentenced the president and directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society to long prison terms. With the Witness "leaders" imprisoned, political entities around the world thought Jehovah's Witnesses were dead.

(Revelation 11:7-10) And when [the two witnesses] have finished their witnessing, the wild beast [representing secular governments] kill them. And their corpses will be on the broad way... nations will look at their corpses for three and a half days, and they do not let their corpses be laid in a tomb. 10 ...these two prophets tormented those


These "two witnesses" must have been "dead" long enough to stink, and to seem really dead to the observations of their enemies and other onlookers (compare John 11:39). So too all of Christendom assumed Jehovah's Witnesses were gone permanently when their "leaders" were imprisoned. Yet what does history tell us?

(Revelation 11:11) And after the three and a half days spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet

On March 25, 1919 the president, officers, and directors of the Watch Tower Society were released from federal prison. By September 1919, Jehovah's Witnesses were again publicizing the hypocrisy of Christendom and the superiority of God's Kingdom over human governments. Jehovah's Witnesses, the "two witnesses" of Revelation 11, were again alive in preaching the Kingdom message despite the feelings of "the wild beast" and false religion (see Kingdom News #37).
http://watchtower.org/e/kn37/

Answer 4

They are the real mcoy, so to speak. They have the seal of the true God on thier foreheads. They come riding out of the smoke, and the fire, on the ashy pale horse.

Answer 5

They are Cheech and Chong, and Revelation is their hallucination after they indulged in too much of the bad brown acid.