Some day soon, the two witnesses prophesied in Revelation 10-11, Malachi 3-4 and Zechariah 4, namely Elijah the Tishbite and John of Patmos, will appear in Jerusalem. There, these two men from a different time will have the task of preaching the gospel to every nation and kindred and tongue (ref. Revelation 14:6). These two prophets of God, clothed in sackcloth, will make headlines across the entire world because they will have supernatural powers.
Besides making the gospel of the kingdom of God known to all (ref. Matthew 24:14), these “two anointed ones” (ref. Zechariah 4:14) will also prepare Israel for a temple of God and an oblation to God (ref. Malachi 3:1-4, Revelation 11:1-2).
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple… And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in the former years.
Malachi 3:1-4
Once the tabernacle and temple of God is set up, God will come to his temple as a Spirit (ref. Malachi 3:1) – think the Holy Spirit, or “the Spirit” of the Son of God (ref. Galatians 4:6), also described as “the Comforter” (ref. John 16:7).
God himself will then purify the sons of Levi to serve as priests of his temple. The sons of Levi are Jews that have names such as Levi, or Levy, or Levine, and so on. Or even Cohen, Kahn, etc, names that derive from Kohanim, Hebrew for “priests”. These priests are said to descend from Aaron, himself a son of Levi who served God and Moses during the Exodus.
You might think, Jesus Christ is God, so a daily sacrifice, Jewish priests – that can’t be right?
Still, the Bible says that in these last days once the temple of God is ready and the daily sacrifice begins, which may or may not involve red heifers (ref. Numbers 19:2), the offering will be “pleasant unto the LORD” (ref. Malachi 3:1-4).
Further, it is the False Prophet of Babylon who will stop the daily sacrifice and pollute the sanctuary (ref. Daniel 11:31). His presence in the temple of God is described in the Bible as “the abomination of desolation” (ref. Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14) standing where he ought not.
And arms shall stand on his part [an army that also serves the Antichrist rather than the army of the Antichrist itself], and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
Daniel 11:31
So, at first, the temple will be holy, and then it will be defiled by Satan through the False Prophet.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isaiah 14:12-15
After that, the temple will be ruined by the Assyrian, an Islamist and the Antichrist, only to be recovered by Jesus Christ himself on the day of the LORD.
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen…
Amos 9:11
Now, in Revelation 11, Jesus Christ reveals that the two witnesses of the last days are his two witnesses, and it is he, Jesus Christ, who will give power unto them to prophesy 1260 days.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks…
Revelation 11:3-4
The two witnesses will speak the truth, and for the duration of their testimony they will be invincible.
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Revelation 11:5
These two will also have the power to smite the earth through the weather as often as they will.
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.
Revelation 11:6
To spin things into nonsense, the other side might cry “climate change” or perhaps even “aliens”.
But to Christians, it should be clear that the two witnesses have been given the power of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Holy Ghost.
For at this time of trouble, God will literally be with his two witnesses, and God will speak to the world through them.
Likewise, the Holy Spirit will be with the elect of Israel when they are persecuted by the enemy (ref. Mark 13:9-13, Luke 21:12-15).
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to the councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten; and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Mark 13:9-11
Now, having covered all that, I am going to say something that will challenge two thousand years of accepted Christian dogma.
It is widely believed, by Protestants and Catholics alike, that the Holy Spirit indwells a Christian the moment he or she becomes a Christian. According to dogma, this has been so since the Pentecost.
On many occasions, Paul wrote to his fellow Christians about holiness and the Spirit of God.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:19
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30
Prima facie, these writings suggest that the Holy Spirit is within every Christian, even today in 2023 AD.
This is not correct!
What Paul was writing about was specific to the early church, to the apostolic age. At some point after that, the Spirit of God left. How else to explain the phenomena of heresy and apostasy.
Granted, the Holy Spirit would have been among some of the learned men of the Council of Nicaea, otherwise the canon of the Bible would not have formed. But even by then, his presence among the faithful was not as it had been during the early years.
We know from scripture that during the acts of the apostles, the Holy Spirit was among the leaders and also the congregants of the church.
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:25-26
Indeed, it was this presence during the early church that made possible the explosive growth of Christianity.
By contrast, today, Christendom is in decline. What is more, the prophesied apostasy (ref. 2 Thessalonians 2:3) of the time of the end is complete.
It is noteworthy that during their ministry, the apostles were able to do the miraculous. They had actual supernatural power (ref. Acts 3:6, Acts 8:6, Acts 10:44, etc.), and they were guided by that power (ref. Acts 6:8, Acts 8:29, Acts 10:10-20, etc.).
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Luke 10:19
If the Holy Spirit indwells a Christian as a matter of principle, as is commonly thought, then a Christian today, the average congregant, should be able to do similar miracles! But this is not so.
Therefore, what was given to Israel, first to the apostles at Pentecost, and later to the congregation, was a taste or a preview of what is to come.
For now, Christians can put on the new man, and aspire to be righteous, but are not yet actually holy or God-like. No one is born again as one of the sons of God until the day that he is born again.
The Bible teaches that on the day of the LORD, Christians will be reaped by Jesus Christ (ref. Revelation 14:14-16), resurrected or translated into an immortal and an incorruptible body, a body imbued with the Holy Spirit.
Separately, before that day, the chosen remnant of Israel, a certain elect of the Jews, will also be given the Holy Spirit (ref. Zechariah 12:10, Joel 2:28-29). At that point, Israel will be saved and made holy (ref. Isaiah 4:3, Jeremiah 31:33).
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Only then will the Holy Spirit be within all of the people of Christ.
To this point, during his ministry, John the baptist preached that it will be Jesus Christ who will baptise with the Holy Ghost.
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Luke 3:16
John himself was filled with the Holy Spirit (ref. Luke 1:15), as was his mother Elisabeth while she was pregnant (ref. Luke 1:41). Yet, John baptised people with water. What he did was a symbolic rite.
To be sure, when John baptised Jesus, the Holy Spirit did visibly descend like a dove upon Jesus, and a voice from heaven was heard.
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age…
Luke 3:22-23
But even so, before his baptism, the Son of man Jesus Christ, was already one with the Holy Spirit. For starters, his mother Mary was holy while she was pregnant (ref. Matthew 1:18), and her pregnancy was a miracle of God. Then, when the Son of man was twelve, he was already able to converse with the learned doctors of the temple, and able to go about his Father’s business, knowing that God was his Father (ref. Luke 2:42-49).
And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast… And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him was astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
Luke 2:42-50
So, the rite of baptism has always been symbolic.
Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
John 12:30
Now, why is it wrong to think that the Holy Spirit is within you when he is not?
If you proclaim that the Holy Spirit indwells you when he does not, and you minister as if what you say is from God, then you are, as it were, swearing falsely by God. You have become like a false prophet. An actual false prophet would be someone who speaks the message of an angel that is against God. This transgression, though different, is possibly just as serious.
… I see a flying roll… Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
Zechariah 5:2-4
Notice that the two witnesses will be actual prophets of God. “They shall prophesy” (ref. Revelation 11:3) because the real Holy Spirit will be with them.
You see, if the Spirit of God were truly within a person, on matters of doctrine and prophecy, he would be infallible and all the time.
I myself have made mistakes while analysing prophecy. The identity of Cush, for instance. I once thought, Sudan. Turns out, it is Ethiopia.
Still, no one else has said the things that I have said about Russia and China in these last days, which have proven to be true.
Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
In my case, I know what I know because I have figured out the big picture. To see the big picture, you must have all of the pieces of the puzzle and every piece must fit into place. You cannot disregard the parts that are inconvenient or dangerous. I am able to piece together the big picture because I have been given clues, basically a means to unseal parts of Bible prophecy that have been sealed until the appointed time.
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.
Daniel 12:4
The clues have come in such as way that I know that they are from God. What I am talking about is the names of individuals.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 1:13
The Bible explains that there have been occasions in the past where an angel of the LORD appeared and said to someone, “Thou shalt call his name…”. An angel can even put thoughts into a person’s head while remaining invisible, leaving that person none the wiser. The takeaway from all this is that, sometimes, there is spiritual meaning in names.
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
Proverbs 25:2
It helps also to read from a correct version and translation of the Bible. For the Word of God equals the Holy Spirit (ref. 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16).
By contrast, the two witnesses will speak by the power of the Holy Spirit, for they are actual prophets of God.
I suppose, it is only when the Spirit of God leaves them, at the moment of their ultimate tribulation, that the beast will be able to kill them.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 11:7
Now, the way Joan of Arc responded when she was asked whether she was in a state of grace is very interesting: “If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me.”
There are two things to be said about this. First, maybe, a person can be in a state of grace and not know. Second, Joan of Arc was a Christian in the 15th century, and her view was that maybe the Holy Spirit was not within her, despite the official teaching of the church, which is precisely my point.
However, in the case of Joan of Arc, I think, God was with her because she was able to answer the learned doctors of the church well despite being illiterate, and despite the fact that the Bible was not at the time in the vernacular. Either the preaching at her church at Domrémy was superbly well done, or else she was truly under the inspiration of God.
She did, of course, succeed in her mission of lifting the siege at Orléans, and so she was instrumental in getting the Dauphin crowned at Reims. The whole dispute between England and France at the time was about who had the right to rule France. Thus, the matter was settled by God, the LORD of hosts (ref. Romans 13:1).
Joan of Arc was very sure of her mission: “Take care what you do for in truth I am sent by God!”
Eventually though, Joan misstepped by recanting. But then shortly after that, she changed her mind again, and so in the end she was burnt at the stake. Did she pass her tribulation? Maybe she did. Still, she should have remained steadfast in the faith throughout her trial.
Notice, just as it will be for the two witnesses, the Holy Spirit was not in her when her faith was ultimately tested. I think, it is supposed to be like that because it stands to reason that every individual Christian must pass the test of faith by himself or herself.
If the Holy Spirit were to indwell a person at that critical moment, it would not be a proper test of faith. This is yet another reason why the dogma that the Holy Spirit necessarily indwells a Christian and all the time cannot be correct.
Centuries after her death, the Vatican canonised her as a saint. But actually, she was a messenger of God. In fact, towards the end of her trial for heresy, she said as much: “I was the angel and there was no other.” The word “angel” derives from the Greek “angelos” which literally means “messenger”. It is quite interesting that Luc Besson’s Hollywood adaptation is faithful to this point.
Of course, if Joan was a messenger of God, and there was no other angel, then she must have been in a state of grace at least during her mission, meaning the Holy Spirit was with her and he gave her the message.
The thing that is most striking about the case of Joan of Arc is that God chose a peasant, a nobody, to serve him, to separate the nation of France from England. This was a matter of geopolitical importance and eventually involved complex theological questions. Yet, she was a person of no renown.
… God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
James 4:6
Now, concerning the saints and the Holy Spirit.
Some pastors interpret “predestination” (ref. Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:4-11) to mean Calvinism. Others disregard this part of the Bible altogether because it does not seem to agree with the concept of salvation by faith. But actually everything does make sense when you realise that on the day of Christ, there will be two groups of the saved. One will remain in heaven, and the other will return to earth along with Jesus Christ to serve as soldiers of a new army. The ones that will return to earth to serve as soldiers are saints. These individuals, which includes Christians and Jews, have been predestined by God.
Because “the saints” are literally “the holy ones” of God, sanctified or set apart from the world, one might assume that a saint is already imbued with the Holy Spirit.
Certainly, the likes of Colossians 1:26 and Ephesians 1:5-9 seem to suggest that the saints ought to know more about what is going on than ordinary Christians.
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.
Colossians 1:26
Having predestinated us [saints] unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ… Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians 1:5-9
However, the speaker in Colossians 1 and Ephesians 1 is Paul, who is not only a saint (ref. Ephesians 3:8) but also an apostle after the Pentecost.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God… Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid…
Colossians 1:1-26
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Ephesians 3:8
If every single saint were already holy, as in the Holy Spirit was in them, then there would have been no need for Paul to minister unto the saints at various points of his ministry.
But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
Romans 15:25
Paul and the other apostles, and early Christian leaders, had to do what they did because the canon of the Bible had not yet formed.
In fact, in Ephesians 4, it is said that much of evangelising and pastoring and teaching is as much for “the perfecting of the saints” as for “the edifying of the body of Christ”.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Ephesians 4:11-14
To the point that the saints are not yet perfect, notice the Bible tells that Aaron, one of the sons of Levi, was to be saint.
They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.
Psalms 106:16
However, around the time of the ten commandments, the same Aaron made the mistake of forging the golden calf.
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
Exodus 32:35
This means the Holy Spirit was definitely not with Aaron, even though he was to be a future soldier of Christ.
Another example is David. The Bible is clear that David will also be a saint.
And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince [saint] among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
Ezekiel 34:24
On one occasion, David did wrong to Uriah the Hittite to bed Bathsheba (ref. 2 Samuel 11). David did regret this thing he did after the prophet Nathan brought it up. Subsequently David was punished (ref. 2 Samuel 12), and he might even have spent time in hell because of it (ref. Psalms 16:10).
Michtam of David. Preserve me, O God… For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalms 16:1-10
Moreover, Paul, when he was Saul and not yet a Christian, stoned to death Stephen, the first Christian martyr (ref. Acts 7:58-59).
The point is, all have come short of the glory of God, for no one is yet perfect.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23
Today, with the Bible, the word of God, otherwise known as a twoedged sword, readily accessible, every saint as well as every Christian is in a position to defend himself or herself against the wiles of the Devil.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil… And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… Praying always… and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:11-18
Let the saints be joyful in glory… Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand…
Psalms 149:5-6
Concerning the saints, the Bible prophesies that in these last days, all will succeed: not one fails!
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Isaiah 40:26
Now, some of you, Christian or Jew, who are reading this might well be a saint, a future soldier of Christ, but you just don’t realise it yet.
I bring this up because of the prophecy of Isaiah 49:7, which quite possibly prophesies of a person, a member of the body of Christ, who will cause “princes” to “worship” the LORD.
Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and rise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
Isaiah 49:7
A prince that comes to worship God surely cannot be an angel because, by definition, every angel has seen God in heaven, even the angels who are with Satan. Moreover, in these last days, every angel has chosen a side and those that have chosen to rebel cannot be forgiven and welcomed back into the fold. Therefore, the phrase “princes also shall worship” must surely mean “the saints” – specifically, those Christians and Jews who are to be born again and made equal unto the angels (ref. Luke 20:36) that do not yet realise who they are.
So, what I am saying is this: individuals who have been predestined and chosen by God to be saints will one day come to realise their destiny because of the one whom God has chosen in Isaiah 49:7, described as “a servant of rulers”.
Here, I should point out that Jesus Christ is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. By contrast, a servant of rulers must be someone more along the lines of an international public servant.
Now the kicker: for a saint or a prince to suddenly come to worship God per Isaiah 49:7, it means the Holy Spirit must not indwell him, which is the very point that I am making in this article. It stands to reason that if he were already holy, he himself would know about his future, and so the prophecy of Isaiah 49:7 would not come to pass.
It might be that Isaiah 49:7 speaks to someone who is to be the first of his kind in these last days – the first to figure out what it means to be a saint, a soldier of Christ.
The Bible does draw attention to one particular saint, “a ravenous bird” (ref. Isaiah 46:11), a “man” from a country far away from Jerusalem, a country in the “east”.
Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
Isaiah 46:11
Whether I am correct or not about Isaiah 49:7, certainly, through the preaching of the two witnesses who will speak with the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the time of the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished.
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Revelation 10:7