Killing the Two Witnesses

 

The work and influence of God’s law and the Holy Spirit can be killed. In fact, Lucifer and his angels killed their work and influence in Heaven. The plumb line of God’s law testified that Lucifer’s actions were sinful and the Holy Spirit testified that Lucifer and his followers had hardened their hearts to the point that further communication with God was impossible. The same thing will happen on Earth. Near the end of the 1,260 days, the devil will use his deceptive miracles, as well as torture, to kill the work and influence of God’s Two Witnesses. Of course, the devil cannot kill the Holy Spirit or abolish God’s law, but the devil can lead people into rebellion through sin. The devil can kill the influence of the Holy Spirit in any heart if we cooperate with him! The devil has made the law of God irrelevant in the world today. Look around. People do evil things without shame or guilt. The devil works through arrogance and ignorance to shut out the Word of God. The devil also works through human passions. He aggrandizes sex, money, fame, power, and greed to lead us away from God. (2 Peter 1:4) Once we grieve away the Holy Spirit with persistent defiance, our blasphemy becomes permanent and therefore, unpardonable. (Matthew 12:31,32)

 

One day, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ ‘You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.’ And he said to them: ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!’” (Mark 7:7-9) The Pharisees killed the influence of God’s law by setting aside the law of God with rules (laws) made by man!

 

When a law is proposed in the U.S. Congress, it is called a “bill” and given a reference number. Legislators know very well that bills frequently “die in committee” because a bill can be killed. Relationships can die and affection can be killed. Ask any divorce lawyer. The Boston Tea Party in the United States demonstrates that even a king’s decree can be killed. So, yes the work and influence of God’s law and d the Holy Spirit can be killed (made to no effect). False religion terminates the influence of God’s law when it usurps the commands of God with rules made by men. Blasphemy is far more important topic than most people realize! The devil’s ultimate deception occurs when people believe that right is wrong and wrong is right. Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19,20)

 

Human beings have the power of choice. We can choose to listen to God’s Two Witnesses or we can blaspheme them. Paul wrote, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that comes from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

(1 Corinthians 2:14) One last point – the antediluvians killed the Two Witnesses before the flood. “Then the Lord said [to Noah], ‘My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3)

The world rejected God’s law (Genesis 6:5) and they terminated the influence of the Holy Spirit through defiant rebellion. This is why God destroyed them – they could not be saved! Paul wrote, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance….” (Hebrew 6:4-6, italics mine)

 

I hope these introductory remarks have been helpful. Of course, many questions still need to be answered and we will eventually get to them. At this point, though, I hope your curiosity has been engaged because the story of the Two Witnesses is extremely fascinating.

 

Witnesses Are Needed

 

Remember that when a conflict develops between two parties and they appear before a judge, two or more witnesses are required to establish a legal fact; otherwise, the claims of the plaintiff are cancelled by the claims of the defendant. This cancellation explains God’s command to Moses, “One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime of offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15)

 

From the previous studies on Daniel 7, Daniel 8, and the seven seals, we have determined that the judgment for the dead began in 1844. Because each dead person’s life is unique, because each person’s knowledge of God and His Word is unique, and because each person’s response to the Holy Spirit is unique, three witnesses are necessary in the judgment of the dead. After the testimony of these three witnesses has been corroborated, Jesus passes judgment on each dead person.

 

The first witness to speak in the judgment of the dead is the life record of each dead person. The second witness to speak is the law of God (the plumb line) and the third witness is the Holy Spirit. God allows His own law in the judgment of the dead. “One Witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) Notice how these three witnesses operate. First, Jesus reviews a flawless recording of the dead person’s actions. This is the first witness. Then, the second witness speaks: Jesus considers the level of knowledge the dead person had regarding God’s law. Finally, Jesus listens to the Holy Spirit’s report about the dead person. The Spirit intimately knows the heart and mind of every person. (Romans 8:27) and His testimony is infallible. It is important to understand that the judgment of every dead person is unique, but completely fair. Every dead person is judged in the same way even though there are differences in actions, knowledge base, and responses to the Holy Spirit.

 

For example, those living in one age will have different understanding of God and His law than those in another age. Paul wrote, “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have [knowledge of] the law, do by nature these things required by the law, they are a law for [unto] themselves, even though they do not have [knowledge of] the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness [that they acted in good faith], and their thoughts now accusing [having known some guilt], now even defending them [by doing what was thought to be right].” (Romans 2:14,15, insertions mine) Children and people with mental disabilities are held harmless, that is, God’s grace covers those who are not accountable for their sins. This makes the testimony of the Spirit very important because the Spirit intimately knows each of us. He knows our response to His promptings. He knows how willing or unwilling we have been when it comes to fellowship and communication with God. After Jesus assembles the facts presented by the three witnesses, He passes judgment. Those declared righteous will be resurrected at the Second Coming. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17) Those found to be evil will not be resurrected until the 1,000 years have ended. (Revelation 20:5)

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