by Bill SalusRapture Ready recently posted an excellent article entitled, The Rapture and the Timing of the Two Witnesses by Paul K. (click link to read entire article). I agree with most everything written in this article by the author. I think he did a spectacular job pinpointing the timing of the two witnesses of Revelation 11. However, I would take minor issue with his specific comment highlighted in red below.
"However, with the Pre-Trib Rapture happening, billions of people will suddenly have no one to tell them about Jesus. The Christians will all be gone. However, with the time of the Two Witnesses’ ministry beginning on Day 1 of the Trib, people will be hearing about Jesus despite the disappearance of Christians in the Rapture. I believe it is the ministry of the Two Witnesses that brings to faith the 144,000 male Jews of Revelation 7:1-8. These Jewish men finally believe in Jesus, and realize that the time is short, and while the Two Witnesses minister to Israel, the 144,000 spread out over all the Gentile nations to share Jesus Christ. Someone has compared it to 144,000 Billy Graham’s let loose on the world at once!"
This comment implies that the Rapture is the trigger point of the 7 year Tribulation period. It could correlate with that time frame; however, it is the confirmation of the false covenant crafted by the Antichrist that is commonly understood to be the trigger point of the Tribulation clock.
Furthermore we are told in Revelation 7 that an angel seems to participate in the gospel enlightenment of the 144,000 Jews for Jesus. (click link) to read my article, The Message of the 144,000 future Jews for Jesus
Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal (sphragis) (1) of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed (sphragizo) (2) the (144,000) servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Rev. 7:2-3)
The Greek words for seal and sealed, strongly suggest that this specific angel plays an active part in the sealing process of the 144,000 witnesses.
We are also told in Rev. 14:4 “These (144,000) were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” If the Rev. 11 two witnesses come before the sealing of the 144,000 future Jews for Jesus, then they could be considered the firstfruits of the Post-Rapture period.
I suggest the possibility that the evangelical ministry of the 144,000 commences promptly after the Rapture, but prior to the commencement point of the 7 year Tribulation period.
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(1) sphragis; a prim. word; a seal, a signet:—seal, seals.
(2) sphragizoô; from sphragis; to seal:—put...seal on, seal, sealed,
set a seal on, set...seal to.
