I gotta tell you it's very gratifying to see that there is someone that reads the scriptures the way they were intended. God uses the language of symbols to teach the deeper layers of knowledge. For example, why do we baptize by immersion? It is symbolic of Jesus' death and resurrection.Hogmeister wrote:Something to consider. There is a lot of symbolism going on in revelation chapter 11. Could the 2 witnesses (olive trees often represent peoples or nations rather than individuals) be referring not to individuals but to powerful nations that will subject the rest of the world by their power (there is a lot of resources spent to conduct wars, economic wars, weather wars and biological wars previously and in the future as an example). I do not have in vision Elder Bednar tormenting/oppressing the world (read the whole chapter to see the kind of witnesses they are/will be). When these "nations" die the rest of the world will rejoice. The "nations" will be resurrected but on a more righteous level (taken from Sodom and Egypt to heaven/Zion symbolically). I believe USA (and russia/soviet? England?) has had this power over the nations of the earth (even to keep the state of Israel mostly safe) but it is waning. Perhaps we should not take 1260 days or 3,5 days literally. The beast out of the bottomless pit (the great conspiracy fact or the "NWO" - fiat money is a bottomless mine/resource to make war/oppress with) will overcome these powerful and lately oppressive (due to the NWO agenda) end time witnesses/nations and the deceived world will rejoice with their realized "NWO" (beast) for a short time.
I can't say I agree with everything you have said but we do seem to be on parallel paths. As you indicate the 2 witnesses are 2 nations or tribes, etc but it's doubtful that they are 2 members of The 15 imho. In fact, I think cpt 11 of Revelations is the most enigmatic of the entire book. I have all the puzzle pieces but I just haven't quite put them all together yet:
“Great City” = Rev 17:18, 14:8
"Temple" = 1 Cor 6:19
Eph 2: 19-22
1 Peter 2: 5-6
All of the scriptures I've found that have to do wiht the "2 Witnesses" =
Zech 4:1-14
Isa 51:19-21, 52 (2Ne 8:17-25)
Ezk 37
3 Ne 21:24-26
Isa 11:11-13
Jacob 5 / Rom 11
Jer 11:16
Isa 44:1-4
Orson Hyde Dedicatory Prayer
Rev 1:12
D&C 77:15
Dan 12: 5-7
Isa 19:18-22
Dan 12:2