Is it possible that, of the "two witnesses", one is of that-there fleamale persuasion?
I had always thought that there was something peculiar about Joshua and Zerubbabel in the OT books of the bible. Recently, while watching a "Revelation Seminar" program on T.V. and it was noted by a Christian college professor named Stephenovich (may be misspelled), that in Rev.11:8 the original GREEK word translated as the two English words "dead bodies" (in the KJV), is actually SINGULAR. To me, this rang a bell. To help verify it I looked at both the "Companion Bible" edited by E.W. Bullinger (with its extensive notes and structures), and the "Commentary on Revelation", also written by Bullinger. These two indeed confirmed that in verse 8 the Greek word is singular. Also, according to Bullinger, of the two occurrences in verse 9, ONLY ONE of them was plural. I thought to myself: "Somethings afoot here Watson!". To further confirm these curiosities I checked the Interlinear version text on my PCStudy Bible, and sure enough, in verse 8 the Greek word is "ptoma". In verse 9, the first is "ptoma", but the second is "ptomata" (plural, I ass-u-me, not being a Greek scholar).
In Revelation 11 the "two witnesses" are equated with the "two olive trees, and the two candlesticks", as given in the book of Zechariah. After they have finished their testimony, the beast from the bottomless pit kills them (Rev. 11:7). But with the "corrections" to the words in verses 8 and 9, you would have the effect of:
8 And their DEAD BODY [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their DEAD BODY three days and an half, and shall not suffer their DEAD BODIES to be put in graves.
In two of the instances, it is as if they are considered, by God, as ONE PERSON. Don't you find that peculiar? How about: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be ONE FLESH." (Gen. 2:24 KJV). Though I don't believe that, as translated, to be the precise meaning of the verse, it did make me recall the passages concerning Joshua and Zerubbabel. In Zechariah, Joshua and Zerubbabel seem to be almost force-tied to one-another. Some examples include:
"... unto Joshua ... my servant the BRANCH ... I will give thee PLACES TO WALK among THESE THAT STAND BY." (Zech. 3:6-9 KJV), and "For behold THE STONE that I have laid before Joshua; upon ONE STONE [shall be] SEVEN EYES: behold I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, ..." (Zech. 3:9 KJV).
"Zerubbabel ... shall bring forth THE HEADSTONE ..." (Zech. 4:7 KJV), and "For who hath despised the day of small things ? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel [with] THOSE SEVEN; they [are] THE EYES of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth." (Zech. 4:10 KJV).
Question: Are there two stones, two SETS of sevens, and two SETS of similar eyes, OR, are the stones, the sevens, and the eyes THE SAME?
And note how the bible MIGHT be smoothly intermixing the two persons in Zech. 6:12-13 (KJV): [[Let me insert here that some scholars believe that Joshua was intended to receive the Priest's crown, and Zerubbabel was INTENDED to receive the King's crown..]]
"And speak unto him (SINGULAR), saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he (JOSHUA) shall grow up OUT OF HIS PLACE (JOSHUA), and he (ZERUBBABEL) shall build the temple of the LORD:" "Even he (ZERUBBABEL) shall build the temple of the LORD; and he (JOSHUA) shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne (JOSHUA [AS Zerubbabel]); and he (JOSHUA) shall be a priest upon his throne (JOSHUA [AS Zerubbabel]): and the COUNSEL OF PEACE shall be between them both (JOSHUA & ZERUBBABEL)."
NOTE: MY ADDITIONS ARE SIMPLY FOR TRACKING PURPOSES, AND ARE IN PARENTHESIS.
Now, tentatively accepting such insanity, you might ask: "Well; which might be which?" "Then take silver and gold, and make crowns ("crowns" plural), and set [them] upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;" (Zech. 6:11 KJV). Joshua got the crowns, Zerubbabel got zip. Now wouldn't that be just like one of them-there fleamale types; "What's mine, IS MINE, and what's his, IS MINE !"
Now we get to another thing, which would tie to the above . . . "And THE CROWNS shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, FOR A MEMORIAL in the temple of the LORD." (Zech. 6:14 KJV). Why would you need, the crowns, to be "for a memorial"? Well, lets ignore the prophetic, Messianic "King and Priest", aspects for a moment . . . "crown" < Heb. "atarah", Stg. #5850 = "crown" or "wreath" < "atar" #5849 = "to encircle", "to crown", "to surround". If we tried, and without too much effort, we could get "the rings" instead of "the crowns", from those. "Wedding rings"? Modern concept? Not so! Rings have been A SIGN of possession since time immemorial. And how about: "In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O ZERUBBABEL, MY SERVANT, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as A SIGNET: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts." (Hagg. 2:23 KJV)? "Signet" = "sign". Lets see: "the rings" . . . "a memorial" . . . "a signet".
To conclude, I'm not saying that JOSHUA was one of them-there fleamale types. But, in that, the passages concerning two Witnesses in Revelation references BACK TO the two Olive Trees (etc.), MAYBE, just MAYBE, Zechariah is FORWARD referencing, symbolically, the two Witnesses.
Well, it WAS just a passing thought . . .
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