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    The two prophets that will appear in the tribulation period. I heard some people say that it will be Elijah and Enoch. My question is can it be these two be these two since they went up into heaven. For one to enter Heaven they must be transformed (1 Cor. 15:50-54) and changed to an immortal body which is not subject to death since corruptible flesh cannot enter into Heaven. The two witnesses must die, But if Elijah and Enoch already have immortal bodies how can they die? Are the two witnesses going to appear from nowhere like sent by God or are they going to be born and grow up and then the tribulation will take place?

  Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” In the case of Enoch and Elijah, neither one died, but were taken directly to heaven. Genesis 5:18-24 says, “And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 says, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” II Kings 2:9-12 says, “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.”

Does this mean that they are in heaven in their earthly physical bodies? I Corinthians 15:50 says, “Now this I say, brethren, that FLESH AND BLOOD CANNOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” According to this passage, the answer would have to be “No.”

People who go to heaven now, are not in their physical bodies — nor have they yet received their glorified bodies. For us in this Church Age, no one receives their glorified body until the Rapture. I Thessalonians 4:15-17 says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

The bodies of the dead (who are saved) are resurrected at the same time as the catching away of those Christians who are alive. I Corinthians 15:35-53 says, “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” There are only two bodies mentioned. “It is sown a NATURAL BODY; it is raised a SPIRITUAL BODY. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” The natural body is the one that we have here upon earth. The spiritual body we will receive at the resurrection.

So what is the case with believers who have died? Are they in heaven, or still in the grave? That is one of the mistakes that Seventh Day Adventists make in their false doctrine of “soul sleep” (where they falsely teach that a person “sleeps in the grave with his/her body). They assume that a person has to have a body to “be alive.” The Bible gives us the definition of a dead body. James 2:26 says, “For as THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD.” Please notice that WHEN A PERSON IS DEAD, HIS/HER SPIRIT IS GONE. Where has it gone?

When a person dies, his/her spirit immediately goes to heaven, or to hell (Seventh Day Adventists do not believe in a literal, eternal hell for the lost). The bodies of both the saved and the lost lie in the ground for now, but that is not where either of them presently are. Luke 16:19-26 says, “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that THE BEGGAR DIED, and was CARRIED BY THE ANGELS INTO ABRAHAM’S BOSOM: THE RICH MAN ALSO DIED, and was buried; AND IN HELL HE LIFT UP HIS EYES, BEING IN TORMENTS, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

Please notice that this is not a parable (not just an illustration), but a literal story (it clearly tells the name of the beggar). They both die (the rich man and the beggar), but they do not remain with their bodies. The rich man’s body is buried, BUT HE IMMEDIATELY WAKES UP IN HELL. How can he be in hell, if his body is in the grave? Because DEATH is WHEN THE SPIRIT LEAVES THE BODY. The true consciousness of the person is in his spirit, not in his body of flesh. When the body dies, a person does not cease to exist. He is still very much alive and conscious in his spirit. And in that state, he can still feel PAIN, THIRST, and HEAT.

The bodies of the unsaved will one day be resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” The lost will be joined to their resurrected, physical bodies at this point, and will be cast into the lake of fire for all of eternity. That is why this is called the “second death” for them. Revelation 20: 6, 14 says, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the SECOND DEATH hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.” Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the SECOND DEATH.”

This is why the Bible tells of two different resurrections. John 5:28,29 says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” Daniel 12:2 says, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Back to the subject of Enoch and Elijah, they are in heaven in the spirit right now.  Malachi 4:5 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Jesus said that this prophecy was at least partially fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist. Matthew 11:11-14 says, “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” Matthew 17:10-13 says, “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”

Back to Malachi 4:5 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Notice that it is “BEFORE the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” The two witnesses in the Book of Revelation are not BEFORE that day, but DURING that day. They will prophecy DURING the Tribulation Period, NOT BEFORE it. They will prophecy for the first three and a half years of the Tribulation Period. Revelation 11:3 says, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” Based on a 30 day month, that is three and a half years. At the end of that time, they will be allowed to be overcome and killed, and then be resurrected three and a half days later. Revelation 11:5-12 says, “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. 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. 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. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”

Once again, please notice the prophecy about Elijah. Malachi 4:5,6 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Is that prophecy fulfilled in the ministry of the two witnesses? At the end of their ministry are the fathers of the earth reconciled to their children, and the children to their fathers? At the end of their ministry, is God’s wrath appeased, and so decides not to come and smite the earth with a curse? The answer is “No” to both questions.

The first question: “At the end of their ministry (in the middle of the Tribulation Period) are the fathers of the earth reconciled to their children, and the children to their fathers?” Quite the opposite is true. Speaking of the Tribulation time, Mark 13:12-14 says, “Now the brother shall BETRAY the brother to death, and THE FATHER THE SON; and CHILDREN SHALL RISE UP AGAINST THEIR PARENTS, AND SHALL CAUSE THEM TO BE PUT TO DEATH. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains.” The two witnesses do not fulfill the prophecy of Malachi 4:5 at all. During the Tribulation Period, the hearts of the fathers are not turned to their children, and the hearts of the children are not turned toward their fathers.

The second question: “At the end of their ministry, is God’s wrath appeased, and so decides not to come and smite the earth with a curse?” No, quite to the contrary, God smites the earth with many curses (judgments) both while the two witnesses are prophesying, and after they die and are taken to heaven. Revelation 11:3-6 says, “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 standing before the God of the earth. 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. 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 11:17-19 says, “Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Hence, the prophecy of Malachi 4:5 in regard to Elijah, does not really fit the two witnesses of the Book of Revelation at all.

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