Was the rising of the witnesses based on real Biblical stories in Supernatural?

The rising of the witnesses was one of the 66 seals to break in Supernatural Season 4. It was mentioned as a story from Revelations in the Bible, but was it really based on real Biblical stories?

Supernatural Season 4 focused more on the Christian religion than ever before. Angels became real, God was missing, and the apocalypse was on its way. Lilith had to break 66 seals first and the first one we saw was the rising of the witnesses.

It was mentioned as something taken straight from Revelations, the last book in the Bible. Many fans of the series wondered whether it really was from the Christian religion. Here’s a look at the mythology, lore, and reality.

Rising of the Witnesses in Supernatural

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In the second episode of the fourth season, hunters were visited by spirits of those who had died. These spirits blamed the hunters for their deaths. Whether this was really the spirits talking or just some sort of consequence of Lilith breaking this seal is unknown, but the seal broke.

The spirits killed the hunters they visited, ending their need to be back on Earth. It took a spell from Bobby to banish the spirits, but 20 hunters died before that worked.

Biblical story of the witnesses

In Revelations, there are two witnesses mentioned in the buildup to the apocalypse.

"“When two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beat that comes up from the abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.”"

This isn’t quite what happened in Supernatural, but it’s clearly some of the inspiration. The witnesses were there as a warning of the apocalypse beginning. In the Bible, the witnesses had the power to turn water into blood, cause plagues to spread across the Earth, and prevent rain from falling in the coming days of their prophecy. They would be the beginning of the apocalypse; they certainly were in the show.

The big difference is who the witnesses were and how they were given their powers. God gave them powers in the Bible, and they would remain on Earth for 1,260 days. In Supernatural, the rising of the witnesses was one of the seals that Lilith had to break and a spell could break it.

Did you know the truth of the witnesses? Did you realize that there were witnesses in Biblical stories? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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