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12 And [kai] they heard [akouo] a great [megas] voice [phone] from [ek] heaven [ouranos] saying [lego] unto them, [autos] Come up [anabaino] hither. [hode] And [kai] they ascended up [anabaino] to [eis] heaven [ouranos] in [en] a cloud; [nephele] and [kai] their [autos] enemies [echthros] beheld [theoreo] them. [autos] KJV-Interlinear
12 And they
heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And
they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. NASB
They, is an immediate reference
to the two witnesses.
The two witnesses heard
a voice, not directed to them only, but a voice from heaven, a voice which could
be heard by everyone.
The two were killed just
three-and-a-half days earlier, in full public view. We can reasonably presume
that they would or may be killed with some form of firearm, being shot with
bullets and such. So there would be bullet holes and blood and everything that
you would expect in a public killing.
A large audience will view
this event, and a similarly large audience will witness their being raised from
the dead, back to life.
Note one important
thing, this is not a resurrection, but a resuscitation. There is a big
difference between the two.
Resuscitation means
bringing life back into a biological body, where it resumes life as it was
before. A resuscitated body is subject to death again, in the normal sense of
physical death.
Resurrection is the
replacement of the physical body with a new and perfect body which will not and
cannot ever die.
Throughout history there
are many examples of people who have presumably died, and then came back to
life, to live their life and then die a physical death in due course.
Lazarus died, and
remained dead for several days, then Jesus brought him back to life. Lazarus
was resuscitated, lived his normal life and then died a natural death as
everyone does.
These two witnesses, if
indeed they are Elijah and Moses, will have already lived their lives thousands
of years ago, and were taken from this world in the manner in which we have
already studied, and kept by God until the Tribulation. Then, God will bring
them back in a manner which is not disclosed to us, then they will conduct
their ministry, and then be killed in a very public event.
Their death will be
violent enough that everyone can clearly see that they are indeed dead, and not
faking it.
God will again, restore
them to their physical bodies. They will stand up so that all can clearly see
that they are alive, and then God (Christ), will call them (for all to hear) up
to heaven, and up they will be lifted out of the sight of all of humanity, and
whisked off to heaven.
They will not be
resurrected, because their resurrection is with those believers from the Age of
Israel, which will occur at the end of the Tribulation, following the Second
Advent. This is the third resurrection.
Jesus was the first
(first of the first fruits).
Church Age believers are
the second resurrection (the rest of the first fruits) which will occur at the
Rapture.
Old Testament believers
will be resurrected in the third resurrection which will occur after the Second
Advent. This also includes all Tribulation believers.
The fourth and final
resurrection will be for believers from the Millennium, which will occur at the
end of the Millennium.
Each group of believers will
receive their Judgment Seat of Christ evaluation immediately following their
resurrection.
Both awe and fear and
terror will strike the hearts of all who witness their ascension. This
combination of emotions will be caused by uncertainty, wonder, and second
guessing if they, the public, have not made some big mistake.
But note, this emotional
reaction is not followed with faith in Christ. At least not immediately. Yet
another big event is required before some (not all) will actually believe in
Christ.