The Two Witnesses and the144,000

The Old Testament required two witnesses to testify against
another who was accused of a crime. One witness shall not rise
against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by
the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.1
The two witnesses in Revelation will accuse Israel of its sins against
God. Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel
stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and
those who worship there. But leave out the court, which is outside the
temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.
And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And
I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one
thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are
the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of
the earth.2
They will have the power to stop it from raining over the entire
earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their
mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them,
he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so
that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power
over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all
plagues, as often as they desire.3 Imagine for a moment what a
drought of this magnitude would mean to the people of earth. I have
seen it not rain in my area for two-and-a-half months. Wells ran dry,
reservoirs were so low people had to ration their water, crops died,
and livestock suffered greatly. Now multiply that times forty-two
months and the devastation would be catastrophic. Imagine the hatred
people would have for these two witnesses.
When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the
bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill
them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was
crucified.4 The great city of Jerusalem has fallen to be nothing more
than a haven for illicit behavior. Israel is one of the most inclusive
countries in the world for homosexual activity. Same sex couples
have been permitted to live freely in Israeli society since 1960. Tel
Aviv is considered the gay capital of the Middle East and
homosexuals have been permitted to serve openly in the military since 1993. The first annual gay parade was held in Tel Aviv in 1998 and
since 2002 the Gay Pride Parade has been celebrated in Jerusalem.
Religion is the central feature of this progressive country, but it is not
what you would think. Anti-Christian religious activities are
predominant, and Judaism, Islam, Druidism, and Baha’i form 98
percent of the religious spectrum. Understand that Jesus Christ is the
One who gives power to the two witnesses to punish those who do not
believe that He is the Son of God.
They are killed and there is a great celebration on earth.
Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see
their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead
bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will
rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because
these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.5 It is such
a big deal that they treat their death like Christmas, exchanging
presents with one another; but there is a catch!
Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God
entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those
who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to
them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and
their enemies saw them. In the same hour there was a great
earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven
thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory
to the God of heaven.6 Many have speculated who these two
witnesses may be. Through the power of God, Elijah stopped the rain
in Kings 18, and Moses in one of the plagues against Egypt turned
water into blood. These were the two at the transfiguration with Jesus,
but I believe there is another possibility for one of the witnesses, and
that is Enoch. He, along with Elijah, never died and were both taken
up to heaven by God.
This marks the blowing of the seventh trumpet and ends the
dispensation of grace. We now reenter into the proclamation of the
kingdom. Remember John the Baptist proclaiming in the wilderness
of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”7
Unfortunately for the Jews, and a great blessing for those of us
who have surrendered our life to Jesus Christ, when they rejected
their King, the kingdom was set aside, and the church age was
ushered in. For two thousand years we have been living in the
dispensation of grace, and Christ has called a bride to Himself that
during the period of the two witnesses is residing in heaven safe from
all the horrible things on earth.
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and
who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great
power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has
come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that
You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and
those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those
who destroy the earth.”8
Right after the church is reunited with Christ in heaven, the
144,000 witnesses will roam the earth proclaiming as John the Baptist
did, “Behold, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” They also
proclaim as John did, “to behold the Lamb of God which takes away
the sin of the world.”9 After these things I saw four angels standing at
the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that
the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.10
During the same time period as the two witnesses we have no rain and
no wind. We have another angel ascending from the east to seal the
144,000 so that no harm can come to them while they testify of
Christ.
There are twelve thousand from every tribe except the tribe of
Dan and the tribe of Ephraim
(the tribe of Joseph is another name for the tribe of Ephraim). In
Genesis 46 we read where the twelve sons of Jacob (later named
Israel) moved to Egypt and he was reunited with his long-lost
youngest son, Joseph. He adopted Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim, as his own thus elevating them to the same position as their
eleven uncles. This explains why at the time of the Exodus there was
a total of thirteen tribes.
When Moses was on Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments
from God, many Israelites fell into idolatry. When Moses returned to
the camp, he asked for volunteers to kill those who worshiped the
golden calf, and the Levites stepped forward and killed some three
thousand people. When God saw that the Levites were willing to
uphold the covenant, He exalted them above every tribe by making
them priests. They were given the authority to perform the rituals at
the temple and to conduct the daily sacrifices. When God made them
the priests of Israel, He removed them from the inheritance of the
Promised Land, giving the Levites a portion of the bounty of the tithes
and offerings. The tribe of Dan was not included in the twelve tribes.
Their allotment of land was the farthest north and more than likely
they were all killed when Assyria invaded the northern kingdom, so
the tribe of the Levites was sealed instead. The existence of each tribe
will be interesting because no one knows the identity or whereabouts
of each tribe. All the records were lost when Titus, the Roman
general, destroyed Jerusalem.
Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and
with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s
name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from
heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud
thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They
sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living
creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the
hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are
virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
These were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God and
to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are
without fault before the throne of God.11
Many have become confused as to the position and location of the
church and the 144,000. Please take note that the 144,000 were called
servants, servants the prophets, and servants of God, while the church
is described as saints. Then a white robe was given to each of them;
and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until
both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who
would be killed as they were, was completed.12 In Revelation 7:3 we
see the 144,000 being called servants, and in Revelation 16: 6 we
read, “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You
have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” John
distinguishes between saints, which is the church, and servants, which
is the 144,000 as prophets. The 144,000 servants are the prophets
being slain in Revelation 16. And again, we look in Revelation 11:18
and read, “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the
time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should
reward Your servants the prophets and the saints.”

1.) Deuteronomy 19:15
2.) Revelation 11:1-4
3.) Revelation 11:5-6
4.) Revelation 11:7-8
5.) Revelation 11:9-10
5.) Revelation 11:11-13
6.) Matthew 3:2
7.) Revelation 11:17-18

8.) Revelation 11:18
9.) John 1:29
10.) Revelation 7:1
11.) Revelation 14:1-5
12.) Revelation 6:11