▼11:4 lord of the earth The expression ‘lord of the earth’ does not, in this context, refer to God, for it is not informative or necessary to say that God’s two prophets are in the sight of Him who sees all. Instead, it refers to the Antichrist or Satan. According to this interpretation, which is also found in the Fathers of the Church (Saint Victorinius, Commentary on the Apocalypse of Blessed John), these two prophets can stand even in view of the Antichrist and Satan, and yet neither the Antichrist nor Satan nor anyone else can do anything against these two prophets, until the time appointed by God for their deaths. It is uncertain whether these two prophets are Enoch and Elijah themselves, or two men who prophesy in their spirit and power. My opinion is that they are literally Enoch and Elijah, for Christ himself said: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied, even until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah, who is to come.” (Mt 11:13-14). “Elijah, when he will arrive first, shall restore all things. And in the manner that it has been written about the Son of man, so must he suffer many things and be condemned. But I say to you, that Elijah also has arrived, (and they have done to him whatever they wanted) just as it has been written about him.” (Mk 9:11-12). John the Baptist arrived “with the spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk 1:17). So, in one sense, John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come. But notice the use of the future tense in Mt 11:14 and in Mk 9:11. Elijah, in another sense, is still to arrive, so as to precede Christ’s Return in the distant future, just as John preceded Him. Also, John the Baptist did not restore all things, but Elijah and Enoch precede the Return of Christ, which shall restore all and establish the kingdom of God on earth. During that future time, Enoch will testify as one who lived before formal religion to those who have no formal religion, and Elijah will testify as one who was a devout adherent of formal religion, Judaism. Also, at that time, there will be the First Fruits on earth: Christians born in that time period who have original sin, but no personal sins whatsoever. These will be more like John the Baptist than Enoch and Elijah, for John the Baptist had original sin, but no personal sins whatsoever. The First Fruits will assist their fellow members of the Church during this persecution, being witnesses within the Church to the faithful. But Enoch and Elijah are the witnesses to those outside of the Church, and to those who were once members of the Church and yet abandoned the Faith. The lord of the earth is the Antichrist, who presents himself as if he were a god over the earth. The two prophets prophesy openly, in his sight, yet he can do nothing against them. This powerlessness over the two prophets is a sign to the people of the world that the Antichrist is a false god.(Conte)