Unpacking Prophecy: The Rapture, The Two Witnesses, The 144K
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Benjamin Franklin once quipped that nothing is certain “except death and taxes." While his point is well taken, the Bible says that at least two people have escaped the certainty of death. In the book of Hebrews we read,
By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.
And then there was the spectacular departure of the prophet Elijah,
As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.
Just imagine being busy with your daily tasks one moment, then suddenly being taken directly into Heaven the next, bypassing all the infirmities of old age and even death itself! Jesus associated just such a scenario with His own return when He said
As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.
The Apostle Paul added yet another important detail in his epistle to the Thessalonians when he wrote,
For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The Apostle Paul’s description of believers being “caught up … to meet the Lord in the air” has famously been called “The Rapture.”
Among the scholars, there are four popular views of the rapture of the church.
(l) Rapture has happened Theory. In this view the issue is not the timing, but the subjects of the Rapture. Some believe that it has already happened and no were found worthy.
(2) Post-tribulation Rapture. The majority of those holding this view believe the Church will enter the seven-year tribulation and be raptured and return immediately to the earth with the Lord. Some post tribulationists view the entire present age as the tribulation, although the majority accept the literal interpretation of the tribulation period as a portrayal of actual events preceding Christ’s second coming.
(3) Mid-tribulation Rapture. The mid-tribulation rapture theory seems to be a compromise between the pretribulation and the post-tribulation views. According to this view the seven-year tribulation is divided into two halves; the first half described as the wrath of man, and the last half as the wrath of God. The Rapture of the Church will take place at the middle of the tribulation period three-and-one-half years and will come when the two witnesses are taken up which we will discuss in a few minutes.
(4) Pre-tribulation Rapture. According to the pretribulation view of the Rapture, the Church will be translated prior to the seventieth week of Daniel and return with the Lord to the earth at the Second Advent. Hand in hand with this view is the doctrine of imminency, which emphasizes that the Lord can return any moment without regard to signs.
So which one do I believe to be true? I see merit in only two of these views. The pre tribulation and mid-tribulation. What we do know is that when Christ calls His bride home, it is the end of the church age.
For the pre-trib believers, they hold to the verses that appear in
After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it.
From this point on, the church is no longer mentioned in the bible. In all honesty, I pray that this will be what will happen. We went over the seal judgments, I personally do not want to go through any of that. There is evidence in the bible of mid-trib point of view and we also know that our faith must be tested
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
We also have seen in 1 Thess that the dead in Christ shall rise. This seg-ways nicely to the two witnesses and their significance and who they might be. To see their significance we must go first to Zechariah in the OT.
I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” And I questioned him further, “What are the two streams of the olive trees, from which the golden oil is pouring through the two golden conduits?”
Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.
“These are the two anointed ones,” he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Here we see a veiled reference to the two witnesses as they are referred to as olive trees, lampstands, and the anointed ones. Which is a direct correlation with
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
We are told that they will prophecy for 1260 days, which comes out to be 3.5 years using the Jewish calendar. And they will be able to destroy people with fire and all sorts of plagues
If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
Who could these witnesses be? Majority of scholars believe it is Moses and Elijah because they are the ones that were with Christ at the transfiguration. In the book of Nicodemus, it is said that it is Elijah and Enoch, which makes since because both have never tasted death. We are pretty confident that one is Elijah because he is mentioned in Malachi
Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
We also know that at the end of the 3.5 years they will be killed by the Antichrist.
When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. Their dead bodies will lie in the main street of the great city, which figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.
It is here that many believe that the rapture will happen because
Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.
We will not know if it will be pre trib or mid, who the two witnesses will be, but what we do know is their purpose, and that is to preach the gospel to millions. And especially to the 144K Jews who will turn to Christ as their Savior.
We see in Revelation 7, we are introduced to these new characters. John sees that the 4 angels will hold off any destruction so that the 5th angel can seal the 144K., which will be 12k from each tribe.They will be sealed with a mark of there forehead
“Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Which is also prophesied in Ezekiel.
“Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the Lord said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
He spoke to the others in my hearing: “Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare them! Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the children and older women, but do not come near anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.
Here those that are sealed, which can mean branded or marked, will have the protection of God upon them. The ministry of the two witnesses and the 144k will save millions of people.
After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.
Now, there are some religions that teach that their members are part of the 144,000 but we know that they misinterpret these passages.
What is heartbreaking is that believing in pre trib, those that will be saved during this time will be killed because of their faith. Because they will refuse to worship the one world religion of the beast and worship the one true sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. Still we see God as a merciful and gracious God who still gives the opportunity for people to come to Him.