Revelation 11:11 (KJV)
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
I won't pretend to understand all the arguments of those who hold to the mid-Tribulation or pre-wrath rapture positions. I have not studied those views, nor do I intend to do so.
I am convinced that the Bible promises that Christians are removed from the earth before the Tribulation begins, that the purpose of the Tribulation does not include church age Christians, and that the judgments that will try the earth during that time have already been borne by Christ on behalf of believers at the cross. To place church age Christians in any part of the Great Tribulation is, in my view, to diminish the sufficiency of the work of our Lord. I refuse to have any part in that, including the study of arguments that would lead me in that direction.
I have heard that one argument used by some is connected to the two witnesses, their resurrection, and their ascension at the midpoint of the Tribulation after being dead for three and one-half days.
I will confess that the phrase "Come up hither" in verse 12 sounds similar to John's call in Revelation 4. I will also admit that the three and one-half days seem to fit the pattern of events surrounding the middle of the Tribulation.
But these witnesses are Jews—or at least I believe that is almost certainly the case.
- They have a specific period of ministry, whereas Christians know not the day nor the hour.
- They die in Jerusalem, the city where our Lord was crucified, which cannot be said of church age Christians.
- Their bodies remain unburied in the street, which likewise cannot be said of church age Christians.
The two witnesses are not symbolic of church age Christians.
Similar language is not the equivalent of equal identification.
#TwoWitnesses #PreTribRapture #Revelation11 #BibleProphecy #RightlyDividingTruth
The Two Witnesses, the Rapture, and a Prophecy Confusion: Does "Come Up Hither" Prove a Mid-Trib Rapture?
What do you think? Are the two witnesses symbolic of church age Christians, or does Revelation 11 describe two literal witnesses with a unique ministry during the Tribulation?
Leave a comment below and join the conversation. I enjoy hearing how others understand these passages of Scripture.
For more Bible studies, prophecy lessons, articles, books, and resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org. I'd be honored to have you stop by and explore the growing library of biblical content.
For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
No comments:
Post a Comment