Preaching the gospel to the nations

[Guest man]

Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Rev. 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Do these two verses have anything to do with one another?

[Guest]

Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Rev. 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Do these two verses have anything to do with one another?

Wow brother!

Is The Spirit telling you what is going on in the little mind of your brother in Fresno?

A month ago I could have answered without hesitation, No!

Now, I don't know but it sure looks like there is!

I do know these verses are chiseled into eternal living Granite whatever my understanding!

Now I strongly doubt I have anything but the most surface understanding of the wonders and the depths contained within these two windows opening into the near (?) future.

I think there maybe is another 3 1/2 years of time after the two are raptured up and before Jesus puts His foot down!

Maybe not, God knows!

Also, I understand that The Gospel is continually preached, even be Angels, during this period of astonishing persecution of God's people!

Whatever I get right or wrong, God's got it under control!

Ain't God Great!

[AnotherTraveler]

My opinion is no. MAt 24:14 is speaking of the rapture of the Church which is the ending of the age of grace. Rev 11:3 is referencing tribulation period wihtesses preaching to Jews.

That's quite a stretch. Mat 24:14 says nothing about the rapture (a non-biblical word to begin with) Jesus said then the end would come. If He meant rapture, He would have said rapture.

http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d760201.htm

(the following is a quote from the link)

"It may come as a surprise to many Christians, but the doctrine of the Rapture is not mentioned in any Christian writings, of which we have knowledge, until after the year 1830 A.D. Whether the early writers were Greek or Latin, Armenian or Coptic, Syrian or Ethiopian, English or German, orthodox or heretic, no one mentioned a syllable about it."

As for the witnesses...

Rev 11:10-15

10And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

11And 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.

12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

13And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

15And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Notice that they that dwelt on the earth shall rejoice (these two are certainly far more than just a witness to the Jews)

Also notice verse 15 This is the seventh trump sounding (the last trump recorded in Revelations)

The following verses explain what occurs at the LAST TRUMP

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (King James Version)

51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Rev 11:15 (last part) saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

This verse shows clearly that the sounding of the last trump (the 7th) is very important. The assumption that the church will see no tribulation is inconsistant with Jesus own words in Matt 24:21-23 and Mark 13:23-27

Notice the timeline Jesus gives....

Mark 13:23-27

23But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

24But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,

25And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

26And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

...after that tribulation, sun darkened (Revelation 8:11-13)

....stars of heaven fall (Rev 8:10)

....see the Son of man coming....gather his elect

So who is the elect? We are

Colossians 3:12

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Romans 8:33

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

As to the thread here, do the posted two verses have anything to do with one another, certainly.

The two witnesses are the LAST TWO WITNESSES. As soon as they go up, the 7th trump sounds (the last trump)

[Guest man]

Rev 11:3 is referencing tribulation period wihtesses preaching to Jews.

But you might want to give this some thought.

They're going to be witnessing for 3 1/2 years. Every news organization in the world is going to be there. They're voice's will be heard in every corner of the world. The eyes and ears of the world will be glued to these 2 witnesses because of the supernatural things they will be doing. The gospel will be preached to them whether they want it or not.

Man has preached the Gospel for close to 2,000 years and there are still parts of this world that haven't heard it. These two witnesses will accomplish more in the 3 1/2 years they are with us then we have in all the years since the death of Christ.

[AnotherTraveler]

There are various opinions on the witnesses. (Can you believe that? ) Anyway, it is suggected that they might be individuals, and also that they might represent two companies of witnesses. They are slain NOT in Jesusalem (at least not by that name), but "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." Interestingly, it says called Sodom and Egypt SPIRITUALLY.

The witnesses will have a dramatic ministry, I'm sure, but as to their level of success (as in souls turning to the Lord) they might not have much success. I am not so sure that TV coverage is very effective either. Certainly the remaining people all over the world have a gift giving reaction to the death of the witnesses (which also lends to the idea that they are 2 individuals).

I believe that all of us should do what Jesus is saying to each of us individually, and the gospel will be preached to all nations.

[Guest man]

The witnesses will have a dramatic ministry, I'm sure, but as to their level of success (as in souls turning to the Lord) they might not have much success. I am not so sure that TV coverage is very effective either. Certainly the remaining people all over the world have a gift giving reaction to the death of the witnesses (which also lends to the idea that they are 2 individuals).

I think the main goal of the 2 witnesses is to spread the Word. The media will play a large part in projecting that Word around the world. Anyone with a radio or TV will be able to hear the message as it comes from the mouths of the witnesses. Whether anyone is saved or not is up to the Lord, the mission of the witnesses is to witness.

Anyway....it's just something to think about. I'm not saying this is how it's going to be....it's just one of the available options.

[Guest yod]

Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

the verse in Matthew simply says that the gospel will cross and cover the Earth someday. It has done that. Yeah, various "pockets" of geological locations may be currently lacking but the gospel went from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the Earth already a few times..

Rev. 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

This is speaking of a literal event concerning 2 prophets. I think it will be Jerusalem but I suppose the Bible doesn't actually name the city. Why not New York or Bagdad?

Do these two verses have anything to do with one another?

Except for some overlapping parts of the message, I doubt it. The good news is that we can be forgiven of sin and made right with God but the 2 witnesses are likely announcing the coming Judgement. Not necessarily "good news" to the audience which is why everyone celebrates when they are dead.

I also doubt either of these verse have anything to do with a "rapture"

"The Great Escape" as is being taught in western churches is a strong delusion. I believe we should stick with only what is actually said in the Word and He has hidden the time for a reason. Is it possible? Hey...a donkey having a conversation is possible...I just think it is wiser to understand the difference between scripture and theological deduction. The Rapture is not scripture. It is an assumption of God's plan based on a verse here joined to another verse over there and twisted just a bit...

There will be a "catching away" of His people someday. He, Himself, tells us that we don't know when and it will be a big surprise for everyone. I think we should leave it at that and work like He is going to stand on the Mount of Olives tomorrow.

For the evil day approaches....

[GeneV]

I also doubt either of these verse have anything to do with a "rapture"

For the evil day approaches....

AND only He knows the hour......

[Guest man]

I also doubt either of these verse have anything to do with a "rapture"

Yeah I agree.

From what I can see....the OP makes no mention of it either....funny how words and ideas get twisted.

[Guest man]

Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

the verse in Matthew simply says that the gospel will cross and cover the Earth someday. It has done that. Yeah, various "pockets" of geological locations may be currently lacking but the gospel went from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the Earth already a few times..

I personally don't believe the Gospel has been preached to every corner of the world.

If everyone has heard the Gospel, why the need for missionaries? There are people right here in the United States that have never heard the Gospel. Yeah they may have heard the name Christ thrown around but have no idea who or what He stands for.

The 2 Witnesses are going to see to it that everyone hears the Word of God. They're going to accomplish in days what we've been trying to do for centuries.

Like I said.....this isn't etched in stone, but it is what I believe....everyone else is free to believe what they will.