Bible misconception #1 about the end times

THE TWO WITNESSES OF REVELATION CHAPTER 11 WILL BE TWO PROPHETS UPON THE EARTH DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

No, the two witnesses in chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation will not be two prophets upon the earth during the tribulation period. 

All the conventional thinking and understanding of the two witnesses or two olive trees in REV 11 has been wrong. For it is taught that they are two prophets upon the earth during the end times. They do so because concerning the two witnesses, it says in REV 11:8  in our modern translations of the Book of Revelation that their “dead bodies”, bodies plural, will lie in the street. But lo and behold, a curious thing about REV 11:8 in the oldest and original Greek texts A, B, and C, and in the Coptic text. Instead of saying "dead bodies" plural, they all read the singular “dead body”, or “corpse”. In the original Greek text of John the Revelators original writing, the two witnesses in REV 11:8 are considered as one. 

NOTE: Even in our modern translations of REV 11:5, it says if anyone tries to harm the two witnesses, fire proceeds out of their “mouth”, not mouths plural. 

So in the oldest and original manuscripts of the Book of Revelation, it speaks of a single corpse lying in the street for 3 ½ days. The two are considered as one in John the Revelator’s original writing. So when REV 11 plays out on the world stage, the two witnesses will consist of one witness upon earth, the olive tree represented by Zerubbabel, and one witness in heaven, the olive tree represented by Joshua (Jesus). That is, when REV 11 plays out on the world stage, the nations of the earth will only see one person upon earth, the olive tree represented by Zerubbabel. The two witnesses will be embodied in one person upon the earth during the end times in the 1260 days of the second WOE. Within the physical body of the olive tree represented by Zerubbabel on earth in the end times will be the olive tree represented by Joshua, who is Jesus. They are truly two who are one. Jesus dwells on the inside of the olive tree represented by Zerubbabel. But that is not unique to him. For is not the great secret of Christianity this: Jesus dwells on the inside of all who believe? Do not all true believers have the witness of Jesus within themselves? Indeed! Immanuel!

As to why would modern translators change the original Greek text in REV 11:8 to refer to two bodies or corpses instead of one body or corpse, I suppose they were relying on what made sense to them. But in so doing, they do not let the Scriptures speak for themselves and they corrupt the original writing of John the Revelator. It is similar to what happened in MATT 24:28 where the King James version says “eagles” but some modern translators opted for vultures instead of eagles because vultures makes more sense to them because of course in nature, vultures—not eagles—gather around carcasses. And so they corrupt the original meaning and intent of what Jesus said by changing eagles to vultures. A similar thing happened here in REV 11:8 (and also in the first occurrence in verse 9 though not in the second occurrence) where the translators of the Book of Revelation probably did what made sense to them but nevertheless, they have corrupted what John the Revelator originally wrote and intended to convey. The two being one meshes so seamlessly and harmoniously with the rest of the Bible that the translators should have just let the Scriptures speak for themselves and left the original words and intent intact and gone with the singular “corpse” or "body", especially given the warnings in REV 22:18-19. 

THE RESTRAINER IN 2ND THESSALONIANS IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

The one commonly known as the "restrainer" in 2nd Thessalonians is not the Holy Spirit as is commonly thought.

At the heart of Satan’s deception of a pre-tribulation rapture is the misconception that the one who is commonly referred to as the “restrainer” in verse 7 below is the Holy Spirit:

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken      out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

—2nd Thessalonians 2:7-8

So after the restrainer is taken out of the way, the Antichrist will be revealed. The one commonly referred to as the restrainer cannot be the Holy Spirit. Look at the language Paul uses. He says the one holding back the mystery of iniquity will continue to do so until “he be taken out of the way”. It is not a voluntary thing. The restrainer is forcibly removed, against his will. The Holy Spirit never goes against the will of God of course, so it cannot be the Holy Spirit Paul is talking about. The “restrainer” is not the Holy Spirit, it is the unholy spirit, Satan. After Satan is forcibly removed, after he is “taken out of the way” in heaven, after he is kicked out of heaven, then the Antichrist will be revealed. You’ll see that clearly shortly. 

The Antichrist is Satan’s ultimate weapon you could say, against God’s creation. But right now, there is no need for Satan to use his last resort, his ultimate weapon. For Satan is, for the most part, having his way upon the earth. But an even more important factor than that as to why Satan wants to hold back using the Antichrist, or restrain from using the Antichrist, is this: Satan doesn’t want the Antichrist to come on the scene because Satan has read the script and he knows that he is done after that, his reign as the god of this age will come to an end and he will end up in the lake of fire. And so while Satan has no need right now to resort to using his best weapon against God’s creation, that is about to change when Christians unite and become the true Church. As the Church realizes its part in the end times and comes together in love and grows and matures and starts walking in the true power of Christianity—doing the things Jesus did and even greater things—then they will pull down demonic strongholds of the enemy all over the place, winning the victory over the Devil by the blood of Jesus and the word of their testimony, causing Satan to be kicked out of heaven in this war, to be “taken out of the way” in heaven, and then shall the Antichrist appear. Paul knew that there was coming a time when the Church would be victorious over Satan as described in REV 12:7-12. This onslaught against the powers and principalities of darkness will back Satan into a corner, forcing him to play his trump card so to speak, or use his ultimate weapon, his last resort. In REV 12, the Church wins the victory over Satan by the blood of Jesus and the word of their testimony and then Satan gets kicked out of heaven, he is “taken out of the way”. And then after that, after Satan is taken out of the way and kicked out of heaven down to the earth in REV 12, then shall the beast (the Antichrist) arise out of the sea at the beginning of REV 13. Again, this is the same order of events Paul presented in  in 2 THESS 2:7-8. 

So then, it is Satan who is the restrainer who must be taken out of the way in heaven and then the Antichrist will be revealed. Satan doesn't want the Church to know this truth because he doesn't want the Church to zero in on him, putting him in their gun sights so to speak. That is why that slippery serpent came up with the pre-tribulation rapture theory, to try and distract the Church from its glorious destiny. But lo and behold, this discourse is here to strip away from the Church this corrosive and false teaching and realign the thinking of those who have been misled by this doctrine of demons. The scenario in which the Church matures to the very stature of Christ Himself, doing the things He did and even greater things, winning the victory over Satan, causing him to be taken out of the way in heaven, can be summed up in this way: when the Church becomes one, the devil is done! This scenario is also encapsulated in MATT 24:14 when Jesus said the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness unto all the nations and then shall the end come. Presenting the gospel to all the nations of the world by the two witnesses in REV 11 is what triggers the end times. The Church's victory over the powers of darkness and Satan triggers the rise of the Antichrist for his 42 month reign.