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The descriptions of these witnesses sound a lot like Moses ('they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues') and Elijah ('these have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy' Revelation 11:6). We also know that Moses and Elijah were the two men who appeared together with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3). In addition to that, we know that Malachi prophesied, 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord' (Malachi 4:5). During the days of John the Baptist, some wondered if John was Elijah. On one occasion Jesus suggested that he was indeed John (Mark 9:13). But the angel who prophesied to John's father explained that John would come 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17). Our conclusion is therefore that the two witnesses may not be Moses and Elijah literally, but will be two men who oparate in the spirit and power of Moses and Elijah. We also believe that the spirit and power of Moses and Elijah is descriptive of the anointing that will be upon all faithful believers, especially men, in the final days before the coming of the Lord.
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