Moses' body had to have been raised. Michael wouldn't have 'contended' for a dead body and then give it up and leave it in the grave.

The Lord's rebuke made Satan flee!

Satan, who has the power of death, wanted to keep Moses' body in death. Hebrews 2:14 "he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;"

In Jude 9, Moses' body didn't stay in the grave; even though the devil try his hardest to keep it there. God sent Michael the archangel to see to it that Moses' body was raised.

"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee." Jude 9

But what about the most important thing of all, the Lord's death and resurrection?

Was Moses buried by God, and then on the third day raised again?

In many ways, Moses was a type of Christ. He, himself, knew it and said in a prophecy, "The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;" Deuteronomy 18:15

"For Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord you God raise up unto you of your brethern, like unto me, him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you." Acts 3:22

God did something for Moses that He didn't do for anyone else. He buried Moses, Himself!

"So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." Deuteronomy 34:5-6

The state of Moses' health and body when
he died, is a factor that it's possible he was
raised from the dead [not resurrected].

If he was raised from the dead with his
physical body, the event must have had to
happen shortly after his death.

This couldn't have been done if the people
of Israel had buried Moses. They would
have embalmed him like the others before
him. (Genesis 50:26) they would have had
his body before them mourning him for
thirty days. They would have taken his
body with them into Canaan where God
had told Moses he could not go.
(Deuteronomy 34:8

There seems to be further proof that some
thing significant happened to Moses because
from that time on his body didn't seem to
age.

Moses lived without the natural deterior-
ation of age. At 120 years, his eyesight was
still good and there was no change in his
natural strength. "And Moses was an
hundred and twenty years old when he
died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural
force abated." Deuteronomy 34:7

Moses body received great power on Mount
Sinai so that his face shone God's glory.

"Moses wist not that
the skin of his face
shone while he
talked with him. . . .
and they were afraid
to come nigh to him."
Exodus 34:29-30

This experience may
have had something
to do with what God
was going to do for him later.

Just as Elijah was translated, Moses had
received a transfiguation of some kind.

If Moses was just physically raised from
the dead, it's possible that he could be the
other of the Two Witnesses.

Though Moses died and was buried as
explained in the Bible, it could be that he
was raised again in his physical body and
not a glorified body.

He had to have a physical body like Elijah
to appear with him on the Mount of Trans-
figuration. He couldn't have a glorified
body because Jesus hadn't been raised yet,
and He is the 'first-fruits' of them that
slept' (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Moses had to have been raised physically
from the dead and taken to heaven like
Elijah because his spirit surely couldn't
come back to earth on the Mount of
Transfiguration like the spiritualists
and spiritism claim. The Bible strongly
condemns that.

One reson that seems to disqualify Moses
is that he died.

It doesn't seem right with scriptural teach-
ing that a believer should die twice and be
resurrected twice.

Was Moses really resurrected, or was he
just raised from the dead like other Old
Testament people were?

Like Elijah raised the widow's son. Was
Moses raised in a physical body rather
than a glorified body?

Moses was with Elijah on the Mount of
Transfiguration.

"And it came to pass about an eight days
after these
sayings,
he
took Peter
and John
and James,
and went
up into a
mountain
to pray.
And as he prayed, the fashion of his
countenance was altered, and his
raiment was white and glistering.
And, behold, there talked with him two
men, which were Moses and Elias:"
Luke 9:28-30

It's possible Moses is the other Witness.

"And if any man will hurt them, fire pro-
ceedeth 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 11:5-6

Part of this prophecy is directed to Elijah's
ministry. He had the power to shut up the
heavens so that it didn't rain and he had
the power to kill his enemies with fire.

The other part of the prophecy speaks of
Moses smiting with the plagues. If this
prophecy points to anyone, it is to Moses
as the other Witness.

Moses' ministry in the Book of Exodus,
started when God sent him to pronounce
the great plagues on Egypt.

It is said of the Witnesses that they have
the same power that Moses had.

The main reason Enoch is favored as the
second Witness is because the Word says,
"It is appointed unto men once to die and
after that the judgment". Hebrew 9:27

Elijah never died and Enoch never died.

But Moses died. Is it possible that he
would die again?

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2011

Some believe that the second Witness is
Enoch. This is a good assumption but there
were circumstances that didn't seem to fit.

For one thing, Enoch came from another
age altogether.

But most important, the description in
Revelation 11, seemed to fit Moses ministry
far more than it did Enoch's. So much so
that many have felt that Moses is the second
Witness.

John the Baptist was positively not Elijah.

The Jews asked him if he was Elijah. Now
if anyone would know John's identity, it
would be John himself. He denied it.
John 1:21 "And they asked him, What
then: Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am
not. Art thou that prophet? And he answ-
ered, No."

This settles the fact that John was not
Elijah in person. But he did, come in the
'Spirit of Elijah'.

John the Baptist was a fulfillment of the
prophecy. The angel spoke to Zacharias,
the father of John the Baptist, saying,
"And he shall go before him in the spirit
and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Luke 1:17

This is a definite reference to the prophecy
in Malachi 3:4-5, but it also tells us that
John the Baptist was not Elijah personally,
but would come in the 'spirit and power of
Elias'.

If John the Baptist was only a partial ful-
fillment of the coming of Elijah, there has
to be another fulfillment, since Jesus said
that Elijah would come and restore all
things.

It is evident that when Jesus spoke this,
'all things' hadn't been restored.

John the Baptist, fulfilled the prophecy of
the coming of Elijah in a sense but only as
a type.

This is certain, for after John the Baptist
was dead, Jesus said that Elijah was yet
to come. "Elias truly shall first come, and
restore all things" Matthew 17:11

In the last verses of the Old Testament,
God makes a definite promise the He will
send Elijah back to Israel just before the
Day of the Lord.

If Elijah isn't one of the Two Witnesses,
we would have to find someone else who
would fulfill the description better. This
would be difficult to do.

Elijah must be one of the Two Witnesses,
in order for the prophecy in Malachi can
be fulilled.

The last words of the Old Testament tells
of Elijah's returning to earth just before
the Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord.

Malachi 4:5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah
the prophet before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the LORD:"

This is the time of the Great Tribulation,
the very time when the Two Witnesses
prophecy!

Elijah defyed Jezebel and her 450 prophets.

He

challenged

the religion

of Baal on

Mt. Carmel.

Elijah, being Israel's greatest witness,

would be one of the most likely to be a

witness in the days of the Great Tribulation.

Elijah, in the Old Testament, was a great
witness to Israel.

He lived in evil times and witnessed before
wicked Ahab, before the prophets of Baal,
and before the people of Israel who got
caught up in Baal worship by Ahab's wife,
Jezebel.

It is possible that one of the two witnesses
could be Elijah. He never died and he is one
of the most noted prophets.

The only other prophet of that time that
ranks with Elijah is Moses. They both ful-
fill the discription of the Witnesses.

Revelation 11 takes us to Zechariah 4 where
the two olive trees and candlesticks are first
mentioned in the Bible.

The words, "They are the two anointed ones
that stand by the Lord of the whole earth"
shows that these were persons in existence
at that time. Who are these witnesses that
were alive 2500 years ago, and today are
evidently still alive, and will be ministering
in Jerusalem at the end of the age?

"And I will give power unto my two
witnesses, and they shall prophecy a
thousand, two hundred and three-score
days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the
two olive
trees,
and the
two
candlesticks
standing
before
the God of
the earth."
Revelation 11:3-4

two candles

The Two

Witnesses

of

Revelation

always
catches the imagination of those reading
it.

Two men of mysterious origin appear
in the city of Jerusalem, just at the time
when the Antichrist forces his mark on
the people.

The Beast has to reckon with these two
antagonists. But they boldly proclaim
the truth and expose him without fear.

They turn the hearts of multitudes to
the living God.

Zechariah 14:4, tells of a great earthquake
that splits the Mount of Olives in two,
causing a great valley.

As the Mosque of Omar and the Tribulation
Temple would be near the center of this
earthquake, it would seem that they would
be destroyed.

The split in the earth might indicate that
the earth swallwed them up. It would
cleanse the sanctuary and clear the way for
the building of the New Millennial Temple.

In the middle of the week [ the Tribulation
Period], the Antichrist breaks his covenant
with the Jews and interrupts their Temple
worship.

This is the sign for the godly Jews to flee to
the mountains.

It is also the time when the Two Witnesses
begin their 1260 days of witnessing.