Self-Appointed Two Witnesses

Artist’s depicition of a man in black

Both today and yesterday I received information from different people claiming to be the two witnesses (the first one was a man and his daughter, and the second one was someone else who did not specify who the other witness supposedly was). I have gotten so many emails informing me of such things that I tend to ignore them.

Of course, I do believe that God will raise up the two witnesses, and I believe that they are alive now. However, I believe that they are very likely to be part of the Living Church of God, so when I get emails from people outside of the COG who make such claims (and who never have any real proof, just assertions) I feel that they can safely be eliminated from consideration.

Probably the most well known person who was ever part of a COG (and he was a minister in the old WCG as well as UCG) was Ronald Weinland. Ronald Weinland is a self-appointed prophet and claimer to be one of the two witness. Here is what he sent me in an email on January 20, 2006:

Yes I do make the claim. I am one of the witnesses.

It should be noted that the Bible shows that there will be false prophets (2 Peter 2:1-3) and Ronald Weinland has fulfilled that prophecy.

Ronald Weinland specifically “prophesied” that the USA would be nuked in 2008, that the great tribulation would begin in April 2008, and that the USA would not get a new president in 2008, all of which were proven wrong. As partial “proof” of his claim that he the Great Tribulation began on April 17, 2008, he appointed his wife Laura the other of the two witnesses on that date. Later, after the USA was not nuked, he changed the start date of the Great Tribulation to December 14, 2008, but continued to claim that his wife was still the other of the witnesses.

Perhaps I should mention that Ronald Weinland pronounced horrible curses on his critics on April 19, 2008. It was so strongly believed by a few, that on June 11, 2008, one of his supporters claimed that I was not posting as much about Ronald Weinland because I allegedly was ill from the result of the curse (see Desperation of a Weinland Follower). He wanted me to come clean publicly and admit that I was afflicted by the curse. But instead, my health, was and still, is excellent. Hence, that curse did not affect me (nor anyone else that I am aware of, and that “curse” was supposed to demonstrate the “power” that Ronald Weinland allegedly received on April 17, 2008).

Yet, Ron Weinland’s primary “power” has been his ability to persuade a few people to take him seriously–despite him repeatedly being wrong.

Notice what the Bible teaches:

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:16)

26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart (Jeremiah 23:26).

Ronald Weinland has prophesied lies–the deceits of his own heart–he should not be listened to.

Notice also the following:

3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. (Revelation 11:3-6)

Neither Ronald Weinland nor his wife has displayed any of the miraculous signs. Nor have the people who have emailed me in the past or recently done so. They are delusional. Here is part of Ron Weinland’s May 20, 2011 explanation about why we are not seeing the type of biblical signs that Jesus said would happen during the Great Tribulation:

… Jesus Christ is several years into the future. But the truth is, he is now only 53 weeks away from returning, so says the one whom God has appointed as the spokesman of these two witnesses and the one whom God has revealed that is also His final end-time apostle…In closing, rather than a full three and one-half years of great suffering from massive worldwide devastation, God’s two end-time prophets are witnesses of the mercy and patience of God.

So, he has attempted to change what the Bible says happens during the final 3 1/2 years prior to Jesus’ return. Ron and Laura Weinland should re-read Matthew 24.

Furthermore, notice the following, also from the Bible:

3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering (Isaiah 50:3).

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood (Revelation 6:12).

The implication in the above scriptures is that biblical sackcloth is black–thus it seems that the two witnesses wear some cloth that is black, hence my use of the Men in Black photo at the beginning of this article.

Anyway Ronald Weinland is also into a bit of allegory regarding the two witnesses (and although I may have misunderstood him, he apparently does not intend to wear any type of sackcloth) as he wrote:

Notice: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3). The symbolism of “sackcloth” is given because these two will be filled with humility (Weinland, Ronald. 2008 – God’s Final Witness. Copyright © 2006 by the-end.com, inc., Cincinnati. Published October, 2006, pp.21-22).

While it is remotely possible that the two witnesses will not wear actual physical sackcloth, Revelation 11:13 is not speaking of just humility, but specifically that the clothing of the two witnesses will not be fancy–probably in contrast to the beast, who is likely to be flashy/wealthy in appearance.And in particular, I also suspect that the two witnesses actually will sometimes wear some literal sackcloth, at least at times. And that they will wear at least some black while they are publicly warning the world.

But the two witnesses will also receive power from God to do miraculous signs, not one of which those that emailed me (including Ronald Weinland) claiming to be one of the two witnesses has ever demonstrated.

Two articles of related interest may include:

Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?
Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the Great Tribulation began in 2008. This article contains documented evidence of many of his false prophecies. He also has at least one other view that suggests that he is not truly part of the COG.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000?