Verse 2: „The court, the outer court, is the hardened sinners and heretics outside the church. Throw them out is excommunicate them. Pay no attention to their false pleading.‟ „Do not measure it.‟ „But the court which is without the temple, cast out and measure it not.‟ Measure it not; pay no attention to their false pleading. „Because it is given unto the gentiles and the holy city, they shall tread under foot two and 40 months.‟

False Christians will join the enemy in the time of trial. They hand it over to the gentiles, the pagans. These people who are supposedly inside the temple, the outer courtyard, which is part of the temple, is handed over to the gentiles. That is to say that the false Christians are part of the enemy in the time of trial. „And they will trample upon the holy city for 42 months.‟ They will trample on the church for the duration of the reign of the Antichrist. The Antichrist is going to reign three and a half years, which is 42 months. They will trample upon the city for 42 months, the reign of the Antichrist. The false Christians and the heretics will join forces to trample upon the holy church.

So tradition says that one of these two witnesses will be Elias, who is presently in a quasi-Eden, a quasi-paradise garden. The original paradise garden was shut; men were excluded from it with Adam. The children of men stood at the gates with a flaming sword. But this is like a paradise garden, says Saint Gregory. Matthew Chapter 17, Verse 11: „Jesus answering said to them, ‚Elias indeed shall come and restore all things.’‟ So Malachi 4:5 and Matthew 17:11, and the other quotations concerning the return of Elias. I remember Archbishop Lefebvre saying at one stage, „When is Elias coming?‟ He was anxious for Elias to put in an appearance because, he said, „When are all things going to be restored?‟ Because, of course, all the way up until the Archbishop died, they were still disintegrating, and some people think that they’ve been disintegrating ever since, too, since 1991. So the Archbishop was impatient for Elias to appear and restore all things. Notice that expression by the Lord, „Elias indeed shall come and restore all things.‟ It’s an interesting prophecy, our Lord himself speaking.

Tradition says that one of these two witnesses is Elias, because of course he didn’t die when he departed from Elisha in a chariot of fire, as Elisha saw him disappearing. Nobody ever saw Elias die.

Secondly, Enoch. Genesis Chapter 5, Verse 22. The other witness is a Gentile. So you’ve got a Jew and a Gentile to preach in this terrible trial to the Jews and the Gentiles. Genesis Chapter 5, Verse 22: „And Enoch walked with God… Enoch lived 65 years and begot Methuselah and Enoch walked with God and lived after he begot Methuselah 300 years and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And he walked with God and was seen no more because God took him.‟ He walked and was seen no more because God took him. It’s suggestive of not necessarily being death.

Ecclesiasticus Chapter 44, Verse 16: „Enoch pleased God and was translated into paradise that he may give repentance to the nations.‟ That’s fairly clear. He pleased God, he was „translated into paradise,‟ meaning transferred. Transfero, transferre, transtuli, translatum. Translated, translation, or transference. Transfer or translation, same Latin word. „He was translated into paradise that he may give repentance to the nations.‟ That suggests exactly this. Elias will restore all things. Enoch will give repentance to the nations. The two of them will be the source of a great renewal in the church, or a great counterattack of the church, the last gasp of the church under the Antichrist. It won’t be the very last gasp because the church will still be there at the very end of the world, but under the Antichrist, in an unparalleled distress, the church will have unparalleled support from these two great figures of its ancient past. Genesis 5:22 and Ecclesiasticus 44:16, referring to Enoch.

The difference is: anyone who harms them (nŏcere) will be confounded by the fire of their charity, and anyone who physically hurts them (nocēre) will be condemned to death. So, anyone who harms them will be confounded by the fire of their charity. If anyone hits them, punches them, slugs them, he will die the death. Anyone physically hurting them will be condemned to death. So the two witnesses are going to enjoy the protection of God.

Verse 6: „These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will.‟ The two olive branches, the two candlesticks, evoke Zachary Chapter 4, the vision of the golden candlesticks. „And the angel that spoke… came again, he waked me as a man that is waken out of his sleep and he said to me, ‚What seest thou?’ And I said, ‚I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold and its lamp upon the top of it, and there’s seven lights… and seven funnels for the lights… And two olive trees over it, one upon the right side of the lamp and the other upon the left side.‚ … And the angel said… ’This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. Not with an army nor by might but by my spirit,‚ saith the Lord of Hosts.‟ And I asked, „What were the two olive trees…?‟ Verse 14, he said, „These are two sons of oil who stand before the Lord of the whole earth.‟ These are two great figures of the restoration: Jesus the high priest (not Jesus the Messiah) and Zerubbabel the prince. It’s church and state, the two anointed ones of the Lord, for the salvation of Israel. So there’s an evocation in Zachary Chapter 4; the two witnesses are a little like the two olive trees in Zachary.

These will have the power of shutting heaven, lest it rain for the days of their prophecy, and they have the power over the waters of turning them into blood, and of shaking the earth with every torment. „And strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will.‟

Either literally, Elias and Enoch will control the rain and plagues. Compare 3 Kings Chapter 17, Verse 1 (Elias stopping the rain) and Exodus Chapter 7 onwards (Moses bringing plagues upon the Egyptians). James in his epistle speaks of Elias’ power of prayer. James Chapter 5, Verse 17: „Elias was a man passible like unto us. And with prayer he prayed that it might not rain upon the earth, and it rained not for three years and six months.‟ The reference is to 3 Kings 17:1. So you have 3 Kings 17:1 and James 5:17 both referring to Elias’ power to prevent rain.

There’s a story about the Grasshopper Chapel in Minnesota. There was a plague of grasshoppers in the 19th century, and Catholics began praying. They may have promised to build a chapel if the grasshoppers stopped. The grasshoppers stopped, so they built a chapel. It’s strange how these little creatures can get out of control, multiplying by the million and eating everything. When they die on roads, they make such a slush it’s like pouring oil, very dangerous.

So, either they’re going to cause plagues literally, or figuratively they will shut the mouths of heretics and demonstrate the heretics’ teaching to be bloody. The teaching of heretics ends up in blood. Luther is the classic example. Luther revolts in 1517. In 1525, you have the Peasants’ Revolt, which the princes put down in blood. Figuratively, they will impress on men the plagues of God’s chastisements.

Verse 9: „And they of the tribes and peoples and tongues and nations shall see their bodies for three days and a half, and they shall not suffer their bodies to be laid in sepulchers.‟ In other words, the Antichrist has a kind of universal reign, like Christ had. Three and a half days, the Church commentators say, may be longer for everybody to be able to see. Three and a half days may again be a non-literal figure: a day, and two days, and half a day. It may be longer than 84 hours for all people to enjoy the sight of the two great witnesses of God struck down. They will not allow their bodies to be buried, wanting to exult over their defeat. Once again, it’s going to look pretty bad for the church. Catholics are going to be in a rough way at that point in time.

Verse 10: „And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry and shall send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth.‟ So the wicked people under the Antichrist are happy to have got rid of the two witnesses. Obviously, the two witnesses have given Catholics very necessary and much-needed support in those terrible moments. But the people are exulting in the destruction of the two witnesses.

Those inhabiting the earth, the earthly men, materialistic men who have no thought of Heaven, rejoice. As St. Paul says (Colossians Chapter 3, Verse 1-2): Quae sursum sunt sapite, non quae super terram. „Savor the things of Heaven, not the things of earth.‟ These are the people who are savoring the things of earth, whom we would call today materialists. They are delighted that the two witnesses are dead, who kept talking of the things of Heaven.

Some people want to say that Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop de Castro Mayer were the two witnesses. That’s a classic example. Maybe the pattern fits, yes. But it’s certainly not limited to those two. Obviously not. Even if you might fit the two bishops under this heading, the pattern is obviously much wider. Everything indicates it’s a literal prophecy for the times of the Antichrist. That’s certainly how Church commentators and Catholic tradition take it, and there are other verses of scripture.

„The spirit of God entered into them, they stood up on their feet, and a great fear.‟ People are frightened rigid, scared stiff that the two witnesses told the truth. The fact that they are resurrected makes all of those who persecuted and killed them afraid that the two witnesses were telling the truth. They’re absolutely scared of the hell that the two witnesses said was awaiting them. It must be a bit frustrating to take all the trouble to put somebody to death and then they come to life again.

Verse 12: „And they heard a great voice from heaven saying to them, ‚Arise hither.’ And they arose to heaven on a cloud and their enemies saw them.‟ Their mission is fulfilled; they go to heaven. We’re still not at the end of the world.

„And the tenth part of the city fell.‟ Souls in heaven fill nine ranks, left empty by the fallen angels. Into none of those nine ranks enters the tenth part of the city, who are then the souls damned. The nine ranks of angels are: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Archangels, and Angels. You find these listed, for example, in St. Paul’s epistles (Ephesians Chapter 1, Verse 21 and Colossians Chapter 1, Verse 16). Seraphim and Cherubim are in many places in the Old Testament; Angels and Archangels are everywhere. The others are found in these lists in St. Paul. So, nine ranks are being filled by the souls of the saved. The tenth part is those who don’t make it into any of the nine ranks – in other words, the souls of the damned. Of these damned souls, 7,000 representatives, servants of the Antichrist, perish here in this earthquake, a little comparable to the earthquake after the death of our Lord. Many servants of the Antichrist die on the spot.

„And the rest were cast into a fear, and gave glory to the God of heaven.‟ Those who weren’t killed by the earthquake at least momentarily converted. They were filled with the fear of God.

Where do you go in Scripture to see the power of God frightening men out of their wits? Exodus. Turn to Exodus. „Oh, Moses, keep him away!‟ They’re shaking in their shoes. It’s the thunder and lightning. Exodus Chapter 19, Verses 16-18: „And all Mount Sinai was on a smoke because the Lord was come down upon it in fire and the smoke arose from it as out of a furnace and all the mount was terrible. And the sound of the trumpet grew by degrees louder and louder…‟ Moses spoke and God answered him.

Then, Chapter 20, Verse 19 (actually verses 18-19): „And all the people saw the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking, and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off saying to Moses, ‚Speak thou to us and we will hear. Let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die.’‟ „And Moses said to the people, ‚Fear not, for God has come to prove you…’‟ „And the people stood afar off.‟ They’re scared. Any of us would have been when the Lord God has been shaking mountains.

The world today needs that. Oh, man, does it need it. But in His infinite wisdom, God is abstaining from manifestations of His power. But He’s going to show His power again, sometime, somehow, someway. I don’t know how it might work, but it’s going to be frightening when He does.