Puzzle Pieces 31, 32 & 33
OK, so let’s first take a look at these 2 witnesses in Revelation and allow the Scripture to interpret itself. Revelation 11 says, “I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”
This is a very clear reference to Zechariah 4: Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?”
Revelation 11 tells us that these 2 witnesses will be clothed in sackcloth. In the Scriptures, sackcloth represents repentance. Someone wanting to show his repentant heart would often wear sackcloth, sit in ashes, and put ashes on top of his head. Esther 4:1, for instance, describes Mordecai tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth and ashes, and walking out into the city “wailing loudly and bitterly.” This was Mordecai’s reaction to King Xerxes’ declaration giving the wicked Haman authority to destroy the Jews. Mordecai was not the only one who grieved. Esther 4:3 tells us that, “In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.” The Jews responded to the devastating news concerning their race with sackcloth and ashes, showing their intense grief and distress.
Revelation 11: I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
The 1260 days of repentance, symbolized by the sackcloth worn by the 2 witnesses, have been shortened to just over a year. The judgment has been delayed against America and against the world because of the world-wide 3-day prayer and fasting that took place between April 30th and May 2nd in 2013, at the end of the 40-day period of probation that started on March 22, 2013, when the abomination was set up. Just as the Lord delayed His judgment against Ninevah after a 40-day wait because they repented, so also He has delayed His judgment again because of the nationwide and worldwide repentance that took place between April 30th and May 2nd 2013.
“They stand before the Lord of the earth”. This is another big clue to us of who these 2 witnesses are. Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who may ascend to the mountain of the Lord, who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” At the opening of the 6th seal, the leaders of the world cry out, “The day of his wrath has come and who can stand?” Jesus said to pray that you be found worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man. The Bride of Christ, the church, the pure in heart are those who stand before the Lord. “These are those who stand before the Lord of the earth.”
“If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.”
Even though Satan will have total freedom to do as he pleases during the Day of the Lord as Jesus is no longer restraining him, the Church of Jesus Christ will never be overcome or defeated.
“They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.”
The Lord is encouraging His left-behind church that after they repent and return to the Lord that they still carry His authority and the Lord will do amazing miracles through them.
The Lord wants His people who are alive on earth during the Day of the Lord, the foolish virgins who were left behind, to know that once they repent and get their hearts pure before Him, He intends to use them to do great things and bring many souls into His Kingdom. Sackcloth was one way in the Old Testament of showing repentance. Another sign of repentance in the Bible was when people would tear their clothes or rend their garments. We see this happen when Elijah is taken to heaven in a chariot and Elisha is left behind to witness this event.
In 2 Kings chapter 2 we read, “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.”
This is symbolic of the repentance that will take place for those who are left behind after the rapture happens. I believe that the 2 witnesses in Revelation 11 are the left behind church, both Jewish and Gentile, those believers who need to repent and those who come to faith in Christ during the great and dreadful day of the Lord. They were to have worn sackcloth for 1260 days, but this has been shortened to just over a year. We see how that Elisha was given a double anointing from the Lord after Elijah was taken to heaven. The left-behind church will be anointed by God to do incredible things and see great miracles take place through their ministry during the final day of the Lord before Satan is bound for 1000 years and the New Millennium begins.
Revelation 11: Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
In the book of Revelation, we read that there are 3 woes. We are told that right after these 2 witnesses go up to heaven, that the second woe has passed. If we look back in Revelation 9, we see the first woe takes place at the time of an alien invasion. I believe the first woe happens in the fall of 2015, during the first rapture event. The second woe happens in the fall of 2016, at the second rapture event. Revelation does not mention to us when the third woe takes place, but I believe that it will take place at the Second Coming of Christ to the earth during Hanukkah in 2016.
there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they
come from?”
I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
Revelation 21: One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.
The New Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ, the Church. It’s wall is 144 cubits, a representation of the 144,000 pureheart virgins that are redeemed from the earth. The Gentile believers have been grafted into the olive tree and we are part of the 12 tribes of Israel. The unbelieving Jews who have rejected their Messiah have been cut off from the olive tree and are no longer a part of the true tribes of Israel, the household of faith.
Matthew 19:28 says, Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Revelation 12:14 says, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Did the apostles understand this concept and did they teach this through their writings? Absolutely! Look at who James addresses his letter to: (James 1) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
In Galatians 4, we read: These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
than of her who has a husband.”
Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.
according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit . It is now. But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
In Isaiah 62, we read: For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,
and your land Beulah;
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your Builder marry you;
I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest,
and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.
