The two witnesses are raised from the dead after three and a half days and ascend into heaven in a cloud — and in the same hour, a great earthquake strikes Jerusalem.
After their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three days and an half, the Spirit of life from God enters them and they stand on their feet (Revelation 11:11). A great voice from heaven says, 'Come up hither,' and they ascend into heaven in a cloud while their enemies watch (Revelation 11:12). In the same hour, a great earthquake strikes Jerusalem, a tenth of the city falls, and 7,000 people are killed (Revelation 11:13). Les Feldick places all of this at the midpoint of the tribulation, seen by the whole world via satellite television.
Revelation 11:11-13 — These verses directly describe the resurrection of the two witnesses, their ascension into heaven in a cloud, and the earthquake that follows at the same hour.
Revelation 11:7-10 shows that after the two witnesses finish their testimony, 'the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.' Their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, 'which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.' People of every kindred, tongue, and nation see their dead bodies 'three days and an half' and refuse to allow them to be put in graves, while the earth-dwellers rejoice over their deaths and send gifts one to another. Then Revelation 11:11 records: '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.' In verse 12, they hear '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.' Verse 13 continues: 'And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.'
Les Feldick places the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses precisely at the midpoint of the tribulation — the end of their 1,260-day ministry in Jerusalem. He explains that after the two witnesses are killed, their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem, and 'the whole world will see' the events unfold through satellite television, something he says was 'almost hard to swallow' fifty or sixty years ago but is now 'as commonplace as anything can be.' Les emphasizes the supernatural nature of these events: 'God isn't going to hide it in the slightest.' When the two witnesses are 'suddenly made alive,' they ascend 'right out of the midst of Jerusalem,' with the great voice from heaven saying, 'Come up hither,' and 'right in view of the cameras, there they go.' He connects the 'same hour' earthquake of Revelation 11:13 with the midpoint, noting Jerusalem sits on a fault line, and that the 7,000 slain are 'predominantly Jews in the area of Jerusalem.' Les also points beyond the ascension: after the two witnesses are resurrected and ascend, the Antichrist comes to the temple, defiles it, and forces the Jew to stop temple worship, triggering the awful persecution of the final three and a half years. He notes the debate over the witnesses' identity (Enoch vs. Elijah vs. Moses) 'isn't all that basic to our doctrine'; what matters is that the sovereign God brings these two men to Jerusalem at the very onset of the seven years.
Revelation 11:9 says that '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.' Then Revelation 11:11 records that 'after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet.' Les Feldick speaks of this as 'three days later' in one clip and 'after three days and a half' in another, emphasizing that the whole world watches the event on television.
Revelation 11:11 says 'great fear fell upon them which saw them,' and verse 12 says 'their enemies beheld them' as they ascended. Les Feldick stresses that this is not limited to people physically present in Jerusalem — the whole world witnesses it, 'right in view of the cameras.' He explains that satellite television and the evening news make it possible for the world to watch the resurrection and ascension.
Revelation 11:13 says, 'And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.' Les points out that this earthquake strikes at the midpoint of the tribulation and notes that Jerusalem sits on a fault line. He adds that the 7,000 slain are 'predominantly Jews in the area of Jerusalem.'
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that the ascension and earthquake happen at the midpoint of the tribulation — 'that's the end of the twelve hundred and sixty days.' He says 'that is not the end of the tribulation, that's the middle.' After these events, the Antichrist comes to the temple and defiles it, forcing the Jews to stop their temple worship and beginning the final three and a half years.
Two Witnesses Sent at the Start of the Seven Years
Les sets the timing: God sends the two witnesses to Jerusalem at the very onset of the seven-year tribulation, where they will minister to the nation of Israel.
Resurrection, Ascension, and the Midpoint Earthquake
Les teaches that after being put to death, the two witnesses are suddenly made alive and ascend out of Jerusalem before the whole world, and that the earthquake in verse 13 comes 'in the same hour' at the midpoint of the tribulation.
The World Watches the Ascension on the News
Les describes how the whole world will see the two dead bodies in Jerusalem's streets and their sudden ascent on the evening news, fulfilling Revelation 11:12 — 'Come up hither' — right in view of the cameras.
The Ascension Ends the First 1,260 Days
Les explains that the two witnesses minister in Jerusalem for the first 1,260 days (3 1/2 years), and that their ascension and the earthquake mark the middle of the tribulation, not the end.
Resurrection, Ascension, and 7,000 Slain
Les walks through Revelation 11:11-13: three days later the Spirit of life enters them, they stand on their feet, hear 'Come up hither,' ascend in a cloud, and in the same hour a great earthquake slays 7,000 — predominantly Jews — at the midpoint.
The Beast Kills the Two Witnesses
Les notes that when the two witnesses finish their testimony, the beast out of the bottomless pit kills them, and says the debate over whether they are Moses or Enoch is not basic to doctrine.
After the Ascension: The Antichrist Defiles the Temple
Les connects the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses to the next midpoint event — the Antichrist defiling the temple and triggering the final three and a half years of persecution.
The Whole World Sees the Resurrection
Les emphasizes that 'after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet,' and that the whole world sees this on television — something hard to imagine a generation ago but commonplace now.
Revelation 11:7: 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.
Shows that the two witnesses are killed by the beast, setting up the question of what happens next.
Revelation 11:9: 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.
Establishes that the whole world sees the dead bodies for three and a half days.
Revelation 11:11: 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.
Records the resurrection of the two witnesses after their bodies lay in the street.
Revelation 11:12: 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.
Describes their ascension into heaven in a cloud, witnessed by their enemies.
Revelation 11:13: And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Records the earthquake that strikes at the same hour the two witnesses ascend.
Revelation 11:9 says the people of every kindred, tongue, and nation see their dead bodies 'three days and an half.' Then, in verse 11, the Spirit of life from God enters them and they stand on their feet. Les Feldick notes that the whole world watches this by satellite television.
Yes. Revelation 11:12 says they heard a great voice from heaven saying, 'Come up hither,' and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them. Les Feldick emphasizes that this happens in full view of the world's cameras.
In the same hour a great earthquake strikes Jerusalem: a tenth of the city falls, 7,000 people are killed, and the remnant gives glory to God (Revelation 11:13). Les Feldick places this at the midpoint of the tribulation, after which the Antichrist defiles the temple.
Watch the Teaching: The Antichrist's 7-Year Treaty & Israel's Great Escape