the two witnesses, Daniel and John.

There are only two people in the Scriptures that are given in depth and expanded revelation concerning end time events. Not so coincidently, these same two men are specifically told that they are to play key role in end time events.

Let me reiterate that. Only two men in Scripture are specifically stated to have a role in end time events. All of the other candidates we hear about (Elijah, Moses, Enoch, etc.) cannot be conclusively stated to have a role in end times. One must use their powers of imagination, speculation and finite human logic to match any of the others to the two witnesses’ role.

As was the case with Saul the King, we humans have a tendency to base our choices on things that seem the most credible and logical to us. But YAHWEH’s sovereign choices often have no relationship to human methods of choice.

We may never know why. In fact, it doesn’t matter why, but let’s look at the Scripture and see whom it is that YAHWEH has given the burden/privilege of being the two end time witnesses.

We will begin in Revelation, chapter 10. Before we do, here is a little background to the context of this chapter:

John has been given a vision of the scenarios of what will happen concerning the opening of the seven seals, the sounding of the seven trumpets, and the pouring out of the seven vials. Before we get to chapter 10, John has already been shown “six” of the seven, seals, trumpets and vials.

There is a pause between the revelations of the sixth and seventh events because the seventh one is the worst and most significant event of them all. After the seventh seal, trumpet and vial are completed, time will be no more. All of the wicked will have been destroyed; the earth in ruins and the people of YAHWEH will be almost wiped out.

But YAHWEH’s mercy endures forever! And before He executes this final judgment upon the earth, He offers “two” final “olive branches” to the inhabitants of earth that they might repent and be saved from this final wrath to come. However, we see that the people do no such thing because of the deception of Satan.

Revelation, chapter 10 sets the stage for the final wrath of YAHWEH:

Revelation 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

This “mighty angel” is dressed in his heavenly “battle gear”. His purpose for coming down is to orchestrate the final wrath of YAHWEH. We will see shortly who this angel is.

This angel will execute this wrath from the spiritual realm, but YAHWEH will use someone on earth to make manifest this wrath in this realm.

10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

Remember that this angel was standing on the water, with his right foot. We will address this again later.

10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

Notice also that the “voice from heaven” is different from the angel’s voice.

Whatever the angel says here is not for us to know at this time. But it is evident that at the end time, we will know what he is saying. But notice that John DID get to hear what was said, but was told to “seal it” and “write it not”.

The “book” that the angel was holding contained his message. What the angel “thundered” were the words contained in the book. This will become clear in a moment.

Remember that what’s in the book is what the angel will be doing in the spirit realm to effect the wrath of YAHWEH. Someone will be chosen by YAHWEH to effect the wrath in this realm.

John now is the only human being on earth who knows the message of the “mighty angel” at the end. Or is he? No, he is not. This message was previously revealed to another long before John. We will see whom below.

10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
10:6 And swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

This is it! When the next set of events is complete (the seventh seal, trumpet and vial) that will be the end. The “mighty angel” has been commissioned to execute the final judgment and because the earth has not repented, he now “swears” to make it so.

10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of YAHWEH should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth.
10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

John was told to retrieve the book for a reason! Why? The reason is because the message in the book, which is to be executed by the mighty angel in the spirit realm, was given to John to execute in the earth realm.

Why was the book “sweet” in his mouth and “bitter” in his stomach? It was “sweet” because he has been given the honor and privilege of being YAHWEH’s witness at the end time. It then gets “bitter” because this task will not be a pleasant one, nor will be his fate at the end of the task. Revelation, chapter 11 records:

11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Master was crucified.
11:9 And they of the people and kindred’s and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

An unpleasant task with an unpleasant end, a most “bitter” feel in the stomach indeed. Back to chapter 10:

10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

When? When is John to prophesy (or speak words) before many peoples? It is John who will prophecy at the end time as one of the two witnesses, just as the very next chapter explains! He is then given the vision of what will happen to the two witnesses as a result of their mission in chapter 11 of Revelation.

11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Remember that the witnesses are clothed in sackcloth. Sackcloth represents an attitude of repentance. This is the underlying goal of the two witnesses, hoping that the earth will repent of their sins in order to avoid the final wrath to come.

11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the Elohim of the earth.

This is what Zechariah saw in chapter 4, in a vision, proving that YAHWEH was indeed behind the temple rebuilding in Zechariah’s time just as He is behind the rebuilding of His house in the end time.

11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Master was crucified.
11:9 And they of the people and kindred’s and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

These are the same “people” and “tongues” and “nations” that John was told he would prophesy before. The “bitter” end of his testimonies to the people is laid out here.

11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from YAHWEH entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Here is “clear” evidence that John is one of the two witnesses from a direct inference of Scripture rather than a “circumstantial” one. But who is the other one? The identity of the other one should be made from an inference as clear and direct as the ones that indicate John. And in fact, it does just that.

We now go to Daniel, chapter 12.

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Chapter 11 and verse 40, which begins the context for chapter 12, shows us that the phrase, “at that time” is referring to “the end time”. It is at the end time that Michael will stand up!

Who is Michael the great prince? Without going into another lengthy study, it should be understood that Michael is the chief “war angel” in the host of YAHWEH. Whenever the host of YAHWEH has fought a battle for Israel or any other, it is Michael who leads the fight from the spirit realm. This is why the angel in Revelation 10 is called “mighty”.

Michael is the same “mighty angel” revealed to John in his vision of Revelation 10:1. Michael is the “mighty angel” who STANDS UP and COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN. It is Michael who cries the “thunderous war cry” right before the seventh seal is broken.

12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

There is a gap of events between verses 1 and 2, but Revelation, chapter 10, is describing the exact same event we are seeing here. The only difference is that the book of Revelation gives significantly more details and vividly fills in the gaps.

12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

What book is being referred to here? And why is Daniel told to “shut up” and “seal” it?

The “book” is the one Michael is holding in his hand. Obviously, this book has been given to Daniel for him to know its contents.

This is exactly what John was told to do regarding his vision. Why is it that Daniel and John are not allowed to reveal the words of the “book”? Because the message is to be held until the “end time”.

Daniel now, as far as he knows, is the only person who ever lived to know the message of Michael. But then Daniel is given a special “treat” in his vision. He is given to know that he is not alone.

12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

Who are the “two” that Daniel saw? They are not the two witnesses, but who they are was astounding to me when I first saw this.

12:6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

In Daniel’s vision, one of them was clothed in “fine linen”. So what was the other one wearing? Could it be “sackcloth”? Instead of speculating, let’s see if we can identify who these two are.

Remember that we are looking at the same event happening to John in Revelation, chapter 10. The man in “fine linen” was standing “on the waters of the river”, just as described in Revelation, chapter 10. The man in “fine linen” is being asked a question. Continuing on:

12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by him that lives for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

The “mighty angel”, Michael, “lifts up his hands to heaven and swore” just as described in John’s vision. So, we can now conclusively state that the one in the “fine linen” is the “mighty angel” in John’s vision, who has been identified as Michael here!

Why does John give such a “heavenly” description of Michael’s clothing while Daniel only sees “fine linen”? I don’t know. What does it matter? What we do clearly see here is that they are one and the same. The “cloud”, the “rainbow” and the “fine linen” are all symbolic of clothing. The angel will not literally be wearing ANY of these things. And no one on earth will actually “see” him anyway. The name, Michael, means “like unto EL” or “Like God”. The description of the clothing by John is clearly intended to describe one who is “like EL”. And Daniel flat out uses his name, so there is no need for an inference through the description of his appearance.

But who is the OTHER person Daniel “saw” talking to the angel Michael? The answer is simple. All we have to do is look at Revelation’s corresponding vision and see that it was John who was talking to the “mighty angel” in this event.

10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Daniel actually “saw”, by prophetic vision, John the disciple of Yahushua, talking to Michael the mighty angel almost 700 years before John was even born!! How’s that for divine inspiration?

Brethren, if you aren’t sure of YAHWEH’s omniscience and divine authority over the earth, time and space, these passages should open your eyes. There is absolutely NO WAY that Daniel and John could have conspired to produce prophetic visions, approximately 700 years apart, that match one another in exact detail.

This is proof positive that YAHWEH’s word is divine. And that His commandments are real.

So, now we know that John is one of the witnesses. This is proven in both revelation and in Daniel. But who is the other one?

12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my master, what shall be the end of these things?
12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Understand what? What is being referred to is the end time message of the two witnesses that will be “prophesied” to the world at the end time. The wise will understand, and the wicked will continue to do wickedly.

In fact, the world will rejoice at their death for having interfered in their wickedness.

12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12:12 Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. .

This “lot” is something specifically commissioned to Daniel at the end time. What is Daniels “lot”? The answer should be obvious:

Just like John, Daniel is given to know the “secret’ message of the “book” in the hand of the angel.

Just like John, Daniel has spoken to the “mighty angel”, Michael, about the end time event.

And just like John, YAHWEH has given Daniel a specific work to do at the end time.

As was aforementioned, these two men are the only two men who are specifically mentioned to have an appearance at the end of days. These are also the only two men that have been given in-depth, detailed and even “secret” knowledge of end time events.

Short of a statement that declares, “John and Daniel are the two witnesses”; this is the most conclusive and direct evidence we have from Scripture regarding the two witnesses.

There you have them, the two witnesses, Daniel and John.