Revelation and the Two Witnesses: The Implications for Understanding John's Depiction of the People of God and His Hortatory Intent

The account of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 has been the subject of much intrigue over the years. Popular theologians have attempted to identify them with two individuals--perhaps Moses and Elijah. In Revelation and the Two Witnesses Rob Dalrymple offers a thorough exegesis of Revelation 11 and concludes that the account of the two witnesses is the primary account in Revelation that depicts the people of God. Who are they? What is their commission? What was Johns message to seven churches and to us? Whoever they are we know this: they have a commission they will suffer for it and in the end they are resurrected! Scores of interpreters have exhausted gallons of ink in attempts to adjudicate the identity of the two witnesses but remarkably few have satisfactorily examined the purpose of these witnesses within the framework of Johns Apocalypse. Rob Dalrymple cuts a fresh path through the voluminous mass of past treatments to open up a new vista by examining Johns hortatory intent for depicting the people on Gods side. This monograph may easily become the standard treatment on the identity and function of the two witnesses. -Alan S. Bandy Oklahoma Baptist University This book is a valuable and thoughtful contribution to understanding the book of Revelation particularly in its treatment of the two witnesses and the role of the people of God. It skillfully reckons with the symbolic character of the visions that God gave to John the significance of the Old Testament background the centrality of Christ in Revelation and the implications for Christian living. -Vern Poythress Westminster Theological Seminary Rob Dalrymple is Director of the Bible Academy in Livermore California. He has authored several articles and writings on Revelation.