Two Witnesses and 144,000 Servants

OK, this part isn't quite as weird as the Rapture of the Church, but it's not far off. The Bible predicts that during the Tribulation period, two men will be preaching, probably in Jerusalem and quite possibly near the rebuilt temple. The Bible doesn't go into what they will be preaching about specifically, but "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" would not be a bad guess. They also may be warning people to not follow the new world leader, which will be a pretty good message to heed. No doubt some will, and no doubt a lot won't. Now here's where it gets weird.

These guys have the power to shut up the sky so it won't rain, and they have the power to fry anyone who tries to shut them up. They have the power to send plagues on the land as well. Sound familiar? That's right, many Biblical scholars feel that these Two Witnesses as they are called, will be literal Moses and literal Elijah, come back to earth. The belief in reincarnation could be so strong during this time period that many people may not bat an eyelash at this possibility.

What will cause some heads to turn is that three and a half years into their preaching, the Antichrist will either have them killed or maybe even kill them himself. Because most of society will consider these two a menace, there will be great joy throughout the land. In fact the Bible says that people will give each other gifts because these two guys are now dead. It's the only time the Bible depicts any celebrating, joy, or gift giving during the Tribulation, and no wonder, as Christmas may be a faint memory by then.

Well, if their killing caused a stir, then what will happen three and half days later will send shockwaves. The Bible predicts that the Two Witnesses will be raised up into heaven by God, and as if that wasn't enough, a strong earthquake will hit killing 7000 people. Could you imagine living during that time, seeing all of these things happening, just as predicted in the Bible, and still not believing in God?

There will be another group, a much larger group, that will also be ministering to people during the Tribulation period, and they are known as the 144,000. These are Jewish men, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, who probably won't know what tribe they're from, but God will! They will also be delivering the Word of God during this time, along with the Two Witnessess. Many people will come to know Christ as their Savior during the Tribulation, thanks in large part to these faithful servants.

As we near the mid-way point of the Tribulation, perhaps we sense the Antichrist getting a little nervous about how many people are accepting Jesus as not only Messiah, but as God. Perhaps it is time to do something about that.