Hello everyone! I have never posted before but have been following the sign since the eclipse and have been on the same roller coaster as y'all with getting excited and a bit disappointed over each new feast date. However I was never able to fully rejoice or be completely at peace as I was consumed with sadness over the thought of leaving a world that doesn't know Him. I hated knowing what was coming for my friends and neighbors, yet I was plagued with inactivity from not knowing what to do. I begged God to pour out His spirit and give me boldness and wisdom... my own efforts have been so feeble. It was a roller coaster of emotions which I won't belabor, but I do want to share what I think the Lord has led me to through this time. I find it interesting that it seems to fit with the dreams of
cwood85 . I offer this for discussion and collaboration and welcome your thoughts. This has been a really hard week for me as these thoughts are very difficult, and I would appreciate some feedback.
In short, I am wondering whether we are called to be the 2 witnesses in Revelation 11. "These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands..." (Rev 11:4) Revelation 1:20: "The seven lampstands are the seven churches." Are 2 of the 7 churches called to this special task? A lampstand lit up the room in
cwood85 's dream.
The 2 witnesses are protected from the evil one for 1260 days with the power to pour fire from their mouths. (This fits with the evil one's gun not being effective in the dream.) The witnesses prophesy while the holy city suffers trampling and Israel is nourished in the wilderness. At the end of the 1260 days, they are killed and come back to life. God says, "Come up here" and they go up to heaven in a cloud. It is the only mention in Revelation of anyone being taken up to heaven. Then there is an earthquake and the 7th trumpet. The last trumpet of Revelation. I think it makes sense that this could be "the last trump" instead of a trumpet connected to a feast date. I understand that this ascension to heaven is a different word than harpazo, but the witness' ascension is on God's power and not their own.
I wonder, as living sacrifices and a royal priesthood, if we could be the priest to make atonement for Israel's sin in Lev 12. I'm not sure about this since I know Christ is the only one who can atone for sin, but I wonder if we are called to sacrifice our living bodies and witness to Israel. I wonder if the abomination putting an end to the daily sacrifice happens when the witnesses are killed... their daily sacrifice is over. I find it interesting that I "happen" to be teaching 1 Peter to a group of college students... the theme is joy in suffering and how that connects to being living stones, a royal priesthood, and spiritual sacrifices.
I arrived at this position of us perhaps being the 2 witnesses through praying that the Lord would give more of His spirit to do great things in the last days. Then I saw that the witnesses did indeed do great things. I believe Israel could be provoked to jealousy when she sees Gentiles performing the signs of her prophets (Moses and Elijah). Also, I believe the sign on Sept 23 was pointing us to where we are in the book of Revelation. It seems to me that we are in Rev 12:7-17. The devil is about to make war with the woman, find that she is protected, and then turn to make war with her offspring, "those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus". (Rev 12:17)
Revelation 10... the little scroll... seems to fit with this theory. My stomach has indeed been bitter this week even though the thought of being His witnesses tastes like honey at first. Verses 5-7 especially caught my attention: "And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." Is this the mystery of 1 Corinthians 15:51? "Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."
Following are the verses the Lord has brought to mind this week. I have put parts in bold and different colors so you can perhaps see my string of thought.
Acts 1:6-8 "So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the end of the earth."
Matthew 24:8 "All of these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and
you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake... and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed
throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, then the end will come." (I'm thinking the end of the earth/throughout the whole world make sense together. Christian missionaries have long connected these verses. My husband's seminary had a huge map where they charted which people are unreached by the Gospel. He doesn't believe that the Gospel has gone forth to all nations yet, even though much progress has been made. I wonder whether this will finally happen through persecution in the end.)
hated by all nations: Revelation 11:10 those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over (their dead bodies) and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth."
The theme of food in the Olivet Discourse and elsewhere:
Matthew 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their
food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes."
Matthew 25:35 "I was hungry and you gave me
food... as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (One commentary says "my brothers" refer to scattered Israel.)
John 4:34 "Jesus said to them, 'My
food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.'"
We thought we would be harvested at Tabernacles, but is He saying that the time to reap is only just beginning?
Hosea 2:2-23 "
Plead with your mother; plead- for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband- that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts... Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her... and in that day... I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'"
I do not understand the bulk of Hosea, but 6:1-2 caught my eye: "Come let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him."
As Hillary pointed out in her post today, Joseph, a type of the church, nourished his brothers during the famine. Joseph was safe, but he was still on earth. Are we called to nourish Israel with the food of the Gospel? And let's not forget the suffering Joseph endured before he got to this place.
John 21:17-19 "He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, '
Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.' (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, 'Follow me.'"
The Great Sign promises us that we will be taken to the throne. It tells us that we are Israel's children. It tells us which chapter of Revelation we are in now. Is the thread between all of these that we are called to be the two witnesses? In the end, the Holy Spirit will make it clear if we are called to this. Please tell me what you think of my theory. I know it's a hard one.