Well, this makes no sense to me. Can you try to convince me please?
Hahahaha....
You must be reading the replies to the other poster, as I said everything, there, and I do not think for him. (But, I hope, I am wrong.)
It is part of the 'Mystery of God', however, and I do not believe that people will be able to believe, on earth, until after the dead are resurrected and the kingdoms of the world have been destroyed.
There are several reasons for this, but a major reason, certainly is, 'they do not need to believe this'. All I have any requirement to do, is to present the possibility of it happening. People are not persuaded by such things right away, often. But, if it is true, the Spirit brings it to mind. If the Lord wishes people to know.
What are these two, to many people?
Ezekiel 33
31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Zechariah 4
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”
12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”
14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.”
b -- or, anointed to bring oil to the Lord of the whole earth
Revelation 11
3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”[a]
The message in Zechariah is much about, for symbolic purposes, the rebuilding of Israel, after the return of some tens of thousands of exiles, from Babylon.
Zerubbabel is the appointed 'king' and 'Joshua' is the 'High Priest'.
The bowl with the Seven Lamps, is a menorah, and made reminiscent of Jesus appearing to John, through the Angel of Jesus, at the beginning of Revelation.
The two annointed ones produce the olives which make the golden oil, that gives light to the lamp. They also are the pipes which deliver the oil to that bowl, and lights the lamps. The lamps are 'the seven churches', while the 'seven stars' in the right hand, are said to be 'the angels of the seven churches'.
This figures back, to Zechariah, about the 'seven faceted stone', which Joshua 'sees before him', a verse which later is spoken of in Zechariah four, about the 'seven Spirits of God who roam through the earth', and 'rejoice when they see the 'chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabbel'.
Here, they are discussing the rebuilding of the Temple.
If you notice, Zerubabbel is as a king, and Joshua is as a High Priest, but, we know, in Jesus, they are One, the One King and the One High Priest.
This is not a Temple which is 'made by human hands', but the rock which is 'cut out' and smashes the Statue of Daniel.
How is it that these are the two called the Annointed, even the Messiah and the Christ, and yet deliver the oil to the Lord?
Is Jesus not the only Christ, the only Messiah, the only Annointed?
Did Jesus grow the olives and deliver the crushed down olives into olive oil to that lamp? Yes, he did, and this is why it is said of Zerubbabel, 'the one who laid the foundation is the one who completes it'.
But, we see as Jesus as the One depicted as 'he who walks among the Seven Lampstands and has the Seven Stars in his hand'. So, this is represented there, as Jesus returning.
We see of Zerubbabel, God was not speaking about that king, in the delivering of the capstone, and causing the Seven Spirits to rejoice. Because that is speaking of Jesus. Likewise, with Joshua, he was put before the Seven Sided Stone, and told 'follow my requirements, and you will judge my house'. That was not about Joshua, nor even Moses, but about Jesus.
Jesus is the King and the High Priest, so you seem them both as the Anointed, and both as identical, the two Olive Trees and the two Golden Pipes.
Yet, something new is introduced. As Jesus and the Two Witnesses have 'gone away, and you do not see them any longer', 'for righteousness sake'. These three prophesy for 3 and a half years, and are killed by Satan, and then resurrected up. These three, then, rise up to Heaven, and the world does not see them any longer.
What we see return is the Rider on the White Horse, delivering the Kingdom through Angels, and then, 'the Great King', of the 'Great City', which Jesus spoke of as 'Jerusalem'.
Finally, Jesus speaks of himself as 'the first and the last', and in terms of being 'the faithful Witness'.
Jesus did prophesy during three and a half years, which was how long his ministry was. He did not speak for himself, but as God told him to speak. God testified on his behalf, through the miracles God gave him. After those three and a half years were over, Satan entered the heart of Judas, and betrayed him. And, Satan, as 'the prince of this world', had the kingdoms of Israel and Rome kill him -- Satan was the one 'guilty of a greater crime', Jesus spoke of, when he spoke to Pontius Pilate about 'the one over your head'.
When Zechariah saw Joshua, he was dressed in poor clothing, which is as representative of that very sackcloth.
That scene is also representative of how Satan was accusing him, while he was dressed in those poor clothes.
The Two Witnesses were accused by Satan during that time. They demanded the world be given over to God, to the elect angels, and to those who 'follow the commands of God'.
After their ascension, it was 'by their blood', which enabled Michael and his angels, to finally banish Satan to earth, so that he no longer had access to God and Heaven so as to gain knowledge and accuse them. Such as how Satan was before God with Job. Now, Satan has to work through the people he is in and has control over, and as a spirit from afar against the believers.
As for the specific identity, or how these things make sense, these things, alone, are difficult enough to process, right now. Much less, identifying, specifically, the two witnesses. As God did with me, is all I ask, as I did: that is, to keep an open mind, and consider the possibility that this has already happened. It is the one verse people would tend to think has not already happened, as they will think the whole world could not have viewed these two... without the whole world being consciously aware of who they are.
Otherwise, it is not so strange, as one can try and make it. We all have different lives, and different roles. A solider who fought in Vietnam, for instance, may have then settled down, back home, and live as a businessman. Two different lives. (I am not saying it was literally so shallow, far from it, they really were killed, really were resurrected, and really were seen by people after they were resurrected. Further, they really did ascend to Heaven.)
(I am just saying, a person is who they are, even if their roles and circumstances change. )
(A change in clothes, as Zechariah was shown with Joshua, does not mean, the person wearing those clothes is a totally different person. But, a change in clothes is how people see them differently. And, with the Rider on the White Horse, you see his clothes are 'dipped in blood'.)