These Are My Witnesses

            And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints.  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him  ( Jude 14-15 ).

We have in our text what is called, “The law of progressive fulfillment.”
In the Old Testament, there were types and shadows that pointed to Christ, and were fulfilled in Christ.

We believe that our text will be fulfilled, when Jesus Christ comes again to this earth at the battle of Armageddon.  This is an execution of judgment upon the nations.
Our text was also applied in shadows and types for judgment upon certain generations.

The Lord coming with ten thousands of His saints, was also applied to the generation of Enoch.

In reading Deuteronomy 33:2, we find that Moses mentions the Lord coming with ten thousands of His saints on Mt. Sinai.  This is introduced, as a poetical image, to convey the idea of almighty power.  The Lord did not literally come with ten thousands of His    saints    on     Mt.  Sinai.      Moses    used    this     to    demonstrate    the     mighty power of God, as He descended on Mt. Sinai.

Before God brings judgment upon our world, He has His witnesses.  I am not referring to the Jehovah Witnesses, but the witnesses God has placed on earth, as a sign, for that generation.

God always gives man a chance to repent before He brings judgment.  He uses His witnesses for this purpose.

Let us look at the witnesses in the days of Noah, before the flood.

The first witness in the days of Noah and his generation, was Enoch.  When Enoch walked this earth, he preached and warned of the coming judgment of God, on the ungodly.  The Bible does not tell us how long Enoch preached and prophesied.
When God was finished with Enoch as a witness, Enoch was raptured into Heaven.

The second witness in the days of Noah, was Methuselah.  The name, Methuselah means, “When he dies, the end will come.”  This was the reason God allowed him to live longer than any other man on earth.  God did not want to destroy the generation of Noah, He wanted to save them.

God, in His extreme mercy, allowed Methuselah to live 969 years.  Methuselah was a sign to his wicked generation.  The people knew what his name meant, but they didn’t care.  Every time the people looked at Methuselah, they were looking at a sign, a sign of coming judgment.

The very year Methuselah died, the flood came.  The flood came within 30 days, after his death.

Before God sent the flood; however, He used the third messenger as a witness to the people.  Noah was the third witness to his wicked generation.

Noah was a preacher of righteousness.  He began to preach and warn the people of God’s coming judgment.  He preached for about 120 years to his wicked generation.  His text and sermon was the same everyday, “Repent or perish.”

The people would not listen to the witnesses of God.  They were content in their pleasures of sin.  They were content in destroying themselves.

God felt that these three witnesses was enough, to that generation.  The flood came and destroyed them all, except Noah and his family.  Their end of the world had come.  God came with ten thousands of His saints, and executed judgment.  This was not a literal coming, but a coming in might and power, in the execution of judgment.

Was God just, in sending the flood?  Yes!

Did God give them a chance to repent?  Yes!

Did God give them witnesses?  Yes!

For the record, let us look at these witnesses again:

 

Before the flood

Enoch ———————————————————- Prophesied  ( Raptured )
Methuselah ————————————————– Died   ( A sign )

Noah ———————————————————– Preacher  ( Last witness )

In the days of the Roman empire,  God also had His witnesses in the land of Israel.
The first witness to Israel, was John the Baptist.

In Malachi 4:5, God said, “Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord.”

When was Elijah supposed to come?  Before the coming of the Day of the Lord?  In literal fulfillment, at the end of the world.  Elijah will come during the Great Tribulation period.

Listen to what Jesus said of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:14, “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.”  John the Baptist, was not Elijah in person, but he was in type and power.  This is also the law of progressive fulfillment.
The early church knew they were living at the end of their age, the end of their world.  Listen to Peter in,  I  Peter 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand.”

Since Jesus said, “John the Baptist, was Elias, which was to come,” the people were looking forward to the dreadful Day of the Lord.

John the Baptist was a sign to that generation.  John came preaching and baptizing the people.  He warned them of the coming judgment of God.

John the Baptist, was similar to Methuselah, in that they both died.

The second witness to the nation of Israel, was Jesus Christ.  Many came to Him one day, and were seeking for a sign from Heaven.  The only sign Jesus gave unto them, was His death, burial, and resurrection.

Jesus preached, prophesied, and warned, His generation many times, about the coming judgments of God.

After His resurrection, He was  raptured  into  the  Heavens,  the  same  as  Enoch.
The third sign given unto the nation of Israel, was the Apostles.  They were the witnesses of Jesus Christ.  Everywhere they went, they preached the gospel of Jesus, and warned the people of the coming judgments of God.

These three witnesses were used by God, to warn that generation of the coming judgment against them.

In 70 A.D., Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem to the ground.  The Jews died by the millions, and just a few escaped to the mountains.

Was God just, in allowing this to happen?  Yes!

Did God give them a chance to repent?  Yes!

Did God give them witnesses?  Yes!

For the record also, let us look at these three witnesses:

 

Jewish age

John the Baptist ———————————————- Died  ( A sign )

Jesus Christ —————————————————- Prophesied  ( Raptured )

The Apostles ————————————————– Preachers  ( Last witnesses )

We today, can look back into time, and ask why the people didn’t listen to Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah?

We can look back to the Jewish age and ask, why didn’t the people listen to John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles?

God has His witnesses in our day.  Our generation  is  as  wicked  as  all  the  other generations who were destroyed.  God is trying to save people today.

Our generation will not see types and shadows.  They will see the literal fulfillment in substance.  Our generation will see Elijah before the end of the world.  Our generation will see Jesus Christ, and all the saints, coming to execute judgment upon this world.
Our first witness to our generation is the church.  The church stands as a witness to our evil generation.  The church is trying to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The church is soon to be raptured out of this world.  Just as Enoch and Jesus were caught up, so the church will be caught up.

The second witness to our generation, will be the two witnesses who will appear during the Tribulation period.

Some say they are, Enoch and Elijah.

Some say they are, Moses and Elijah.

You can take your choice; I personally, don’t want to be here during the Tribulation when they appear.  I want to be with Jesus, in Heaven.

The Biblical evidence, seems to favor; Enoch and Elijah, however.

These two witnesses will preach and prophesy, during the Tribulation period.  They will die at the hands of the Antichrist.  The whole world will see their dead bodies lie in the streets for 3½ days.  After 3½ days, they will rise into the Heavens.

The third witness to our wicked generation, will be the 144,000, mentioned in Revelation.  Sorry, these are not the Jehovah Witnesses, or any other political or religious organizations.

These will be 12,000 from all the tribes of Israel.  According to Bible prophecy, the ten lost tribes of Israel, must be united again with the other two tribes.

When this happens, seemingly during the first part of the Tribulation period, God will gather 12,000 from each tribe, as the first-fruits unto Him.  These 144,000, are not the whole nation of Israel, but only 12,000 from each tribe, as the first-fruits of the re-gathering.

These 144,000 will preach, and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, to the nation of Israel, and seemingly to the nations in the millennial.

They will be the last sign, the last witness to our evil generation.  Jesus Christ, and all the saints of God, will come with the clouds of glory, at the Battle of Armageddon ( Revelation 19:11 ).

Many people will die, and be destroyed, by the hail, and fire and brimstone, falling from Heaven.

Is God just, in allowing this to happen?  Yes!

Is God giving the people a chance to repent?  Yes!

Is God giving us witnesses?  Yes!

For the record, let us look at these witnesses to our generation:

Our days

The church ——————————————– Preach & prophesy  ( Raptured )

The two witnesses ——————————————————– Died ( A sign )
The 144,000 ———————————————– Preachers  ( Last witnesses )

We can rest assured today, God has given His witnesses prior, to the destruction of man.

God has not, and will not, tolerate sin.  Sin must be judged, and punishment meted out.  God is a just God.

We have our witnesses today, what are we going to do?

Before God brought judgments upon the generation of Noah; eight people were saved.

Before judgment fell on Jerusalem, a few were saved.

Before judgment falls upon our generation, how many will be saved?  Those who are in the church, and in Christ, shall be saved.

We must take heed today, of our witnesses, God has given unto us.

These are my witnesses, saith the Lord of Hosts.