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Revelation 11 · a question people ask

"I will give power to my two witnesses" (11:3). Who are the two witnesses?

In the text

Here is some of what the chapter says of them. The voice says, "I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth" (11:3), and then, "These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth" (11:4). Of what they can do, 11:6 says, "These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy." The chapter doesn't say who they are, and these notes don't either.

The verses

“I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth.”
Revelation 11:3-4 · World English Bible
“These have the power to shut up the sky, that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.”
Revelation 11:6 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Revelation 11

Revelation 11: My two witnesses

In the elders' words, the nations' anger and God's wrath stand side by side: "The nations were angry, and your wrath came" (11:18).

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Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions