Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 11:3

"And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." — Revelation 11:3 (ASV)

Perhaps a greater diversity of interpretation surrounds these two personages than even the temple in the previous verses. They are called “two witnesses” (v.3), “two prophets” (v.10), and, more figuratively, “two olive trees and the two lampstands who stand before the Lord of the earth” (v.4). Interpretative suggestions are: two historic figures such as Moses and Elijah (already taught in Jewish tradition) or the apostles Peter and Paul, the church in its witness, Christian martyrs, all the prophets, and the two groups of the Jewish believers and Gentile believers in the church. Since opinion varies so greatly at this point, it may be wise not to be dogmatic about any one view.

Perhaps the best view is the one which sees the two witnesses as representing those in the church who are specially called, like John, to bear a prophetic witness to Christ during the whole age of the church. They also represent those prophets who will be martyred by the beast. Indications that they represent many individuals and not just two are: (1) they are never seen as individuals but do everything together—they prophesy together, suffer together, are killed together, are raised together, and ascend together—and all this is hardly possible for two individuals; (2) the beast makes war on them (v.7), which is strange if they are merely two individuals; (3) people throughout the whole world view their ignominious deaths (v.9)— something unlikely if only two individuals are involved; (4) their description as two “lamps” is applied in chs. 1–2 to local churches comprised of many individuals. They are “clothed in sackcloth” because they are prophets (cf. Isaiah 20:2; Zechariah 13:4) who call for repentance and humility (Jeremiah 6:26; Jeremiah 49:3; Matthew 11:21); this was the most suitable garb for times of distress, grief, danger, crisis, and self-humbling.