Before God pours out His wrath upon the Earth He always warns the people in advance: Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2: 5), was a witness before the judgment of the flood; Lot was as a witness to Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2: 6-7); and again, Jonah witnessed to Nineveh (John 1: 2). So too, it will be when Mystery Babylon’s “sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18: 5). Therefore, when God decides it is time, God will send His Two Witnesses/Prophets to the world to witness with signs and wonders of what is coming.
When Moses and Aaron gave witness of God’s intentions to Pharaoh’s court, their powerful message was not heeded because Satan had previously installed his counterfeits; He is the great deceiver. Today, the idea of directed panspermia, the thousands of UFO sightings, alien abductions, etc. are the modern equivalent to Pharaoh’s court, installed beforehand so the world will not heed the message of the Two Witnesses. Children have been bombarded with movies and video games that feature aliens.
Mankind will hate the Two because even now the world bows down to the harlot’s (Mystery Babylon) cosmopolitan charm, full of pride, gossip, slander, lust of power, rebellion, hatred and denial of the Creator, vengeance against God, military might, social influence, atheism and humanism. The world loves her seductive consumerism, gluttony, covetousness, and greed of the bull-god of Wall Street. The world lauds her for her progressive ideals of harlotry, pornography, fornication, women with women, men with men, transvestitism, transgenderism, and baby-killing.
The Two Witnesses will be commissioned “before the decree is issued… Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes” (Zephaniah 2: 2), and will exhort the world: “Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zephaniah 2: 3). Just as Moses came with power to authenticate God’s message, so will the Two.
While I am persuaded the Two Witnesses will actually be Moses and Elijah, it is impossible to prove conclusively. Nevertheless, what matters is that these two individuals will, at the very least, operate in the spirit of Moses and Elijah, even if they are not those two in person.
When will the two witnesses begin their ministry? We know their ministry lasts 3 and 1/2 years. For me the most appropriate times is when Jesus opens the first seal. If this is the case they would be killed at the midpoint of the seven years before Jesus returns first time to rapture the Saints. It is the time when Jesus warns the Jews that they need to get out of Jerusalem so this maybe the appropriate time for the two witnesses ministry to end. It is also the time when the Antichrist declares He is God (Abomination of Desolation). Being able to kill the two witnesses would confirm his claim. The fact they are resurrected would put a dampener on it but at least they are gone. The other option is they start their ministry during the year of the third seal being opened (the rider of the black horse) and finish their ministry at the end of the sixth seal when they are raptured with the Saints. God then begins to pour out His wrath with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements.