What does Revelation 11:5 mean?
In this verse we read about the remarkable power the two witnesses possess. No foe can stand against them. We learn that fire issues from their mouth and destroys anyone who dares to harm them.This judgment is reminiscent of what happened when the king of Samaria sent three groups of fifty soldiers to the prophet Elijah. In each situation Elijah called down fire on the fifty soldiers and their captain (2 Kings 1:9–14). Perhaps Jesus' disciples James and John recalled Elijah's fiery response to the king of Samaria's soldiers when a village of Samaria refused to receive Jesus. They asked, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9:54). Jesus responded to their question by rebuking them (Luke 9:55). The tribulation, however, is a period of retribution for those who adamantly oppose the Lord. Those who endeavor to harm the two witnesses are "doomed to be killed" (Revelation 11:5).