I am feeling hopeless and lonely and needing any advice that Christians will give.

I'm going through a divorce right now, I'm not enjoying work, i barely enjoy food. This has been since February of this year and I have moved past the anxiety of not wanting to eat but just haven't been able to find joy in life. I don't watch tv or play video games i don't have many friends and i just life is not fun.

i really am struggling just writing this right now on the verge of tears. I spent like 5 minutes trying to figure out if this is even the right place to put this thread, hopefully i don't get told this is the wrong place.

Anyways, I need advice. What do you do when you're feeling hopeless. I know about Jesus He's my reason for living but i don't feel close to Him. I struggle with sin and I hate even admitting that. It started when I was going through divorce. I really just need help. What should I do, life has no meaning any more i'm tired of putting one foot in front of the other. I'm just tired. Advice prayer encouragement kind words i'll take any of it. Please be nice to me, I don't want responses that are brash or harsh because I feel fragile. I just want someone to come along side me and just be there for me. It's tough not having a car and struggling with housing. Being a mod means nothing other than I just help make sure CF is good but i'm just like anyone else, i'm no better or less. I just need encouragement and advice. Has anyone been where i am? I know you could probably think of a bunch of places where this post could go but please just respond to me as if your friend were talking to you. If this needs to be moved it will be.

So yeah, this should be fun. Let me preface this by stating under no circumstances am I trying to come across as a subject matter expert here, just wanting to contribute in a meaningful way. I will quote mostly from the Berean Study Bible, annotations when something else is being used! I will try my best to be fairly consistent with my updates to this, but for certain each new post I will try to make no later than a week apart.

So I won't follow a standard, verse by verse format for this. Reason being is Paul begins the book with intertwining thoughts. He begins with a pretty typical Pauline style introduction and then jumps right into this statement, "I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ." But then he kind of diverts his thoughts back to a different area before picking back up again with this idea of a false gospel.

So let's table this initial thought of what is this false gospel and why does Paul pronounce a curse on anyone who preach it, and let's begin with the introduction.

"Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead— and all the brothers with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Paul identifies himself and provides a foundation for his legitimacy as an Apostle.

So who was Paul?

We first meet Paul in scriptures in Acts 7:58 and not long after he had a radical encounter with the risen Lord on his way to persecute more followers in Damascus. We know from other books that Paul was born in Tarsus (Acts 22:3) in the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5), he studied under the famed teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).

We also know that Paul once was known as Saul. Saul, meaning "prayed for", changed his name to Paul, meaning "small or humble", after converting to Christianity.

It's this aspect I'd like to focus on for my thoughts on this passage. That Jesus takes who we are at the moment we believe, and makes it who we were. Those former things do not need to be anymore. He gives us a new name, and sets us on a new path.

Philippians 3:13, "one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead"
Revelation 2:17, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it."
Ezekiel 36:26, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

More to come in my next post as we walk through the book of Galatians together.

Some things to think about:

1) In what ways has God made you new? What areas did you feel enslaved to that God has granted you freedom from? Take a minute to thank Him for that!

2) Meditate on the poem below, it's very popular Christian literature. What's in your life story? Looking back over the journey God has brought you on, can you see the journey and how God has led you through the good and the bad?

"Footprints"
One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

Discussion thread here: Peanut Gallery - The Book of Galatians Study

Peanut Gallery and Discussion thread for the Book Study I'm doing on the Book of Galatians, found here:


Share your thoughts! Contribute! Love ya in Christ!

Hello! This is a great bible verse and one that is very useful for us in the Last Days, to avoid all sorts of errors and extremes. There's a lot in it we can perhaps discuss?

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”

"Do not treat prophecies with contempt"- the cessationist position that would reject prophecies out of hand is by default mistaken

"Test them all"- whenever someone shares a prophecy it must be tested. Not testing a prophecy is dangerous. How should it be tested?

"hold on to what is good"- A good prophecy, don't forget about it, keep it in your heart. Remind the church.

"reject every kind of evil"- speaking of prophecy, how do we reject evil prophecy in the church? Notice it does not say 'mistaken' prophecy, it says evil.

God Bless

“Fraudulent acts like this erode faith in our government and the rule of law, and there must be consequences,” New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Executive Director Thomas Eicher said in a release.
Our nation needs to take election fraud seriously and stop it from happening in the future.

Hello, I'm writing diploma now and the theme is connected with Christianity. I'm not very deep at that but really interested and that is why I need help in some terms.
So, could you explain what does "angelage" means?
I've searched some definition on the Internet but it was like "existance or state of angels". But I can't understand it. Is it about concept of existance of angels in common or what?
English is not my native language and I will be pleased If your explanation is very detailed.
Thank you all from very hot region of very cold country.
and...
...sorry for my english.

Anthems you like to hear​

Here is a selection:

1. Star Spangled Banner
2. America the Beautiful
3. God save the Queen
4. God save the King
5. Flower of Scotland
6. the Marseillaise, the French anthem
7. O Canada!
8. Advance Australia Fair!

Which would you chose?

or others - or none

"Stand back and stand by", and now please stand aside and watch your toes was we close this cell door.

St. PAUL, Minn. (TND) — A new bill in the Minnesota Legislature strikes language from the state’s definition of “sexual orientation,” for the purposes of discrimination and other state laws, that excluded sexual attraction to a child as a protected category.

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So it appears that some democrats are trying to make pedophiles a protected class. Why else would they strike the language if not to normalize pedophilia? Further down the slippery slope they go.

A judge in New York dismissed former President Donald Trump's lawsuit against The New York Times and three of the paper's reporters on Wednesday over a 2018 article that alleged Trump engaged in "suspect tax schemes." The three authors of the article — David Barstow, Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner — later won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting for the piece.

New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed dismissed Trump's lawsuit against the paper and its journalists, and held him financially responsible for their attorneys fees and additional costs incurred as well, writing in his opinion that Mr. Trump's claims "fail as a matter of constitutional law."

This is not the first time Trump has been unsuccessful in suing The New York Times. In 2020, the former president filed a libel lawsuit against the paper, claiming it inaccurately reported "as fact a conspiracy with Russia" in a 2019 opinion piece. The suit was dismissed in 2021.

In the video below, Catholic apologist Trent Horn reveals and refutes the theological errors riddled throughout Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, The Universal Christ. He points out that Rohr’s attempts to divide the person of Jesus Christ is simply a new version of the old heresy of gnosticism. Moreover, Rohr claims that God became incarnate for the first time at creation–which downplays the Incarnation and slides into a form of pantheism.

Unfortunately, Rohr has been confusing Catholics for a long time. For more clarification about his writings, see my former posts Can I Trust Fr. Richard Rohr Part I Can I Trust Fr. Richard Rohr? Part I Can I Trust Fr. Richard Rohr? Part I and Part II. Can I Trust Fr. Richard Rohr? Pt II Book Review: "Everything Belongs" Can I Trust Fr. Richard Rohr? Pt II Book Review: "Everything Belongs"

Continued below.

THAT NAGGING FEELING

Tom pulled off the gloves. It had been a cold ride, the temperature just reaching 15 degrees if the weather forecast was correct - cold but satisfying. The gloves had been handy though – his hands would have been blocks of ice by now if he'd left them behind.

The biker group had ridden hard along the Brisbane Valley Highway, and had pulled up at Esk, to take a break, and wait for the late comers. They weren't a gang, just a group of older blokes and some women who enjoyed riding motor bikes, usually the larger type.. They called themselves the 'The Grey Angels”. It was a bit of a word play on the 'Hell's Angels', which was a club of an altogether different stripe.

Some of the other members said the rumour was that, oddly enough, the businesses located next to or nearby the Hell's Angels didn't mind them being there. The reason was that the crime rate in the immediate vicinity of the bikie gang's headquarters was non-existent. Not one break and entry was on the books within a hundred meter radius. The cynical joke was “I wonder why?”

“Hey Tom” called one of the others, a joker by the name of Dennis, “Have you forgotten anything?” Tom was perplexed, but he knew something was afoot. He thought he could hear a few muttered jokes and some subdued laughter, more like snickers.

Truth to tell, he did have this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He'd done a pretty thorough job on his check list before he left home, and he was quite sure he hadn't missed anything.

Still, the feeling was there.

Whatever it was, he seemed to be the only one not in on the joke.

But that was bikers for you – always taking the mickey out of you.

He looked over his machine with a fond eye. He wasn't a fan of Harley Davidsons himself, and had a shaft drive Yamaha. He would have preferred a BMW, but that was out of his price range. He thought Harleys were overrated, and a status symbol. He preferred reliability, and better handling.

He touched the pannier bags. Hard plastic with a metal frame, they kept the goods dry and clean inside. He was tempted to open them and go through the contents just to make sure everything was there, but that would just be playing into the other jokers' hands. If they saw him checking his side panniers, they'd know they had him worried.

So he left them alone.

He cast his mind back – toolbox – check. Wallet – check. Mobile phone – check. And he went through the list as far as he could remember. Nothing – nothing – was missing as far as he was concerned. He'd even put in a torch in case they got held up and needed some light at night.

One of the biker's lady friends walked up. “Tom” she giggled, “we're not sure, but we still think you've forgotten something.”

He eyed her warily. “Look” he said, “I don't know what this joke is about, but I've just been through the list in my mind, and I can't think of anything. So far the bike ride has gone without a hitch, and if anyone has had a problem, it hasn't been me!”

And he stalked off to the gents, watched by a group of grinning comrades.

He finished there, and walked a couple of blocks to the bakery. It was pretty good, and he didn't mind a pie or two, especially in the cool weather they'd had today. It was going to get colder too, as the sun started to go down later. The pies would warm him up, and give him something to enjoy instead of worrying about this nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something.

“Enjoying the meal?” came the well known voice. It was the club captain, Miko, and he sat down at the next table, pushing the chair back a long way to accommodate his bulk. He smirked. “We still think you might have left something behind though.”

“What the hell...” snapped Tom, “if you're all so damned sure that I've forgotten something, why don't you just say what it is!”

“Ah, nah, we'd rather let it speak for itself”. Miko laughed, and pointed to the support vehicle which had just drawn up in front of the bakery.

To Tom's acute embarassment, the rear door opened, and out hopped one livid little lady, dressed in bike leathers, and carrying a helmet.

She crossed over to Tom who was frozen to the spot with a pie halfway to his mouth.

“You idiot!” she snarled, “You forgot me!! I'm your wife! You left me sitting in the park at flaming Ipswich, like a leather clad shag on a rock! If the rally car hadn't picked me up, I'd still be there.”

Tom rode home alone.

Researcher Sabawoon Samim interviewed five jihadists who had spent several years of their lives fighting for the Taliban. “They ranged in age from 24 to 32 and had spent between six and 11 years in the Taliban, at different ranks: a Taliban commander, a sniper, a deputy commander and two fighters,” Samim wrote in his report. “Broadly speaking, all of our interviewees preferred their time as fighters in what they considered a jihad.” Now, the men find themselves shackled with the bureaucracy of running a country as they work civilian jobs and security positions, spend too much time in traffic and on Twitter, and yearn for the tranquility of village life.

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Is it a sign of emotional weakness or instability when a man cries? Is that what the scriptures teach?

Matthew 8:18-22 ESV


So, what’s the central message here? I believe it has to do with people making professions with their lips which they are truly not ready in their hearts to make the full commitment to. Jesus could see inside the hearts of both of these men, and he could see that they were not fully committed to doing what their lips were saying. They were giving lip service only to the Lord but they were not really ready to go the distance and to do what it would involve for them to truly do what their lips professed.

With the first man Jesus was definitely letting him know that there is a cost to following him with our lives. There will be sacrifices to make and comfort to give up. And he knew the man was not ready to do that, at least that is the impression I get from what this says. And the way the gospel is being taught here in America today, for the most part, they are not teaching that there is a cost to following Jesus, and that following him requires full surrender and leaving our former lives of comfort and sin behind us.

But Jesus made it very clear over and again that following him involves us denying self and dying to sin and walking in obedience to his commands daily. For, in essence, he said that if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self that we will lose them for eternity. But if we forsake our old lives of sin and follow Jesus in obedience, then we have eternal life in him. And he also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one obeying the will of God the Father.

[Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23; 1 John 3:4-10]

And the second man showed his lack of commitment by saying that he wanted to first go and bury his father. And this doesn’t mean his father was already dead and that this would just take a day or two. From what I have read, the sense is that he wasn’t ready to make that full commitment to follow Jesus in obedience and in surrender of his life to him, but he just wanted to sound as though he was, and his father may have had many years yet to live before he died and was buried.

But the point here is that many people are giving lip service to the Lord but they are not truly sincere in what they are professing with their lips, for their actions do not follow what their lips confess. Some people always have an excuse for why they are still living in sin, and for why they are not yet free from their addiction to sin, although some of them have known the truth for a while, and some of them for a very long time. But there is always some delay, some reason they give for why they have not surrendered to Christ.

But, according to Romans 1, there are not any acceptable excuses for why we can’t forsake our lives of sin and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and for why we can’t live morally pure, honest, upright, godly, and faithful lives to our Lord. For Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. In his death he put our sin to death with him so that we can die with him to sin and now walk with him in obedience.


So, it is not good to make promises we know we are likely not going to be able to keep, especially if based on a bad track record and the condition of one’s heart, if that condition is spiritually not good. And it is good if we do not make verbal commitments to anything without first praying about it, and without first considering what it is going to cost us. And it is definitely not good to give lip service to God and then not to follow it up with action. And it is good if we understand that following Jesus does come with a cost.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Martin Luther thought anyone could read the Bible, interpret it, and understand it teachings. But there’s a YouTube video that proves him wrong.

Kristin Saylor and Jim O’Hanlon are the presenters in the subject video. Saylor is a female Episcopalian ‘priest’ and O’Hanlon is an Evangelical Lutheran Church Pastor. They’ve disproven Luther’s thesis because they clearly do not understand what the Bible teaches in regard to homosexuality.

Before going any further let me make this clear. This is not a personal attack against Saylor and O’Hanlon. They are most likely very nice, kind, caring human beings. But their interpretation of what Scripture says about homosexuality is anything but orthodox. And this is a problem because both are leaders of congregations that profess to believe in God’s truths. What’s more, they may be leading many others astray with their heterodox interpretations.

In 2015 Saylor and O’Hanlon made a “TEDx Talk” entitled “What the Bible says about homosexuality.” To date the video has over 2.4 million views and over 20,000 comments. And even though the talk is eight years old, quite a few of the comments are very recent. So it is still being viewed.

According to these two individuals, the Bible does not say sexual relations between two men or two women is sinful. The explanations and interpretations of Bible verses they offer to prove their contention are, however, incorrect and irrational. To put it politely, their interpretation of Scripture is way out there.

Continued below.

Hiring at private companies unexpectedly swelled in April, countering expectations for a cooling job market ahead, payroll processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.

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Private payrolls rose by 296,000 for the month, above the downwardly revised 142,000 the previous month and well ahead of the Dow Jones estimate for 133,000. The gain was the highest monthly increase since July 2022.

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I think it's a good question to ask if the Father is still greater than the Son and if Jesus knowledge is still limited. When Jesus was walking here on Earth, he mentioned one thing he didn't know. Why would Jesus knowledge be limited on Earth but not now in heaven? What would be the point of limiting Jesus knowledge for a few years and then have his knowledge restored? And if Jesus doesn't know everything, will that idea bring harm to the teaching of the Trinity?

Anyone know what the Early Church taught in these matters?

You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
— John 14:28

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
— Matthew 24:36

I asked ChatGPT what percentage of the universe is made up of Dark Energy. By the answer I received (which I included below) it sure seems to me that "reality", the one we live in, amounts to only 5% of the Universe.

The AI's answer...
According to the latest measurements and observations, it is estimated that about 68% of the total energy density in the observable universe is made up of dark energy. Dark energy is a mysterious force that appears to be causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. The remaining 32% is made up of dark matter (27%) and ordinary matter (5%). However, it's important to note that these estimates are subject to revision as our understanding of the universe improves through new observations and measurements.

Emmett

ELIJAH AND ZERUBBABEL ARE THE TWO WITNESSES

Jesus told us that Elijah will be one of the two witnesses in Mal 4:5-6 when He told Malachi He is going to send Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord, which takes place at Armageddon when Jesus throws the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the lake of fire alive and destroys his armies.
Mal 4:5-6 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 "And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse."

According to Mat 17:10-12 and Mark 9:12 John the Baptist was not the returning Elijah. After John the Baptist had already been beheaded Jesus stated that Elijah is still coming I Mat 17:11 and Mark 9:12.
Matt. 17:10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
Mark 9:11-12 And they asked Him, saying, "Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 12 And He said to them, "Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

The answer to why Jesus said that Elijah had already come and that he will come in the future is found when we compare the effect that John was having at the time and the effect that Elijah will have when he comes, which as is stated in Luke 1:13-17 and Mal 4:5-6 is that both caused the hearts of fathers to turn back to the children.
Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “ Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 “And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 “And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Mal 4:5-6 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 "And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse."

John himself said he was not Elijah who is to come.
John 1:19-21 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said^, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

If anybody has an ear, another correlation pointing out Elijah as one of the two witnesses is found in the number 3 ½ years, which is the number of years that He will prophesy during the time the antichrist rules over Jerusalem.
James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
Rev 11:3-4 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are he two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
Rev. 11:6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

After Elijah had been taken to heaven the prophet Malachi prophesied in Mal 4:5-6 that Elijah would be sent in the future before the great and terrible day of the Lord or the time when Jesus throws the antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire and destroy his armies.
Mal 4:5-6 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 "And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse."

1Kings 17:1 and James 5:17 correlate with Rev 11:3 & 6 in two ways that point out that Elijah is one of the two witnesses. During the time of King Ahab Elijah was given the power to shut up the rain (1King 17:1), which according to Rev 11:6 the same power is given to the two witnesses. The length of time that Elijah shut up the rain during the reign of King Ahab was 3 ½ years (James 5:17), which according to Rev 11:3 is the same length of time that the two witnesses are given the same power.
1Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
Rev 11:3 “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Rev 11:6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

Jesus tells us that Zerubbabel is be one of the two witnesses in Hag 2:21-23 when He says that He will make Zerubbabel a signet ring at the time He shakes the heavens and the earth.
Hag. 2:21 “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 ‘And I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.’ 23 ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’” declares the LORD of hosts.

Zech 4:6 tells us that Zerubbabel will be one of the two witnesses when after referring to him as one of the two olive trees beside the lamp stand in Zech 4:3 it states that the deeds described in Zech 4: 7 represent the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel.
Zech. 4:1 Then the angel who was speaking with me returned, and roused me as a man who is awakened from his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “ What do you see?” And I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it; 3 also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side.” 4 Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, “What are these, my lord?” 5 So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, “ Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he answered and said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘ Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. 7 ‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” 8 Also the word of the LORD came to me saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 10 “For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel — these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth.” 11 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left?” 12 And I answered the second time and said to him, “What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?” 13 So he answered me saying, “ Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Zec 4:14 and Rev 11:3-4 point out that Zerubbabel is one of the two witnesses when they both refer to him as one the two olive trees that stand before the Lord.
Zec 4:12-14 And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?" 13 So he answered me saying, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." 14 Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth."
Rev 11:3-4 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Regardless of what denomination, only the Russian Orthodox have it right. Pews promote division among members, laziness, inactivity, etc. Does anyone else see this as big a deal as me? If Lutheranism is to really reclaim Orthodoxy as it was trying to with their dialogues with Constantinople and separating from Rome, how can the modern divine service overlook such an obvious thing....