Sackcloth and Ashes – Behind Blood Falls → CMADDICT.com

Men in Sackcloth

Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

– Revelation 11:1-6

The Revelation of Jesus Christ describes the Temple Mount with its temple complex and the outer court. In the vision, John was commanded to not to measure the outer court, commonly known as the Court of the Gentiles, as it wasn’t considered part of the temple. This court is prophesied to be “tread under foot” by the Gentiles for forty-two months, pointing to a future temple in Jerusalem and a future time of 3½ years during which the Anti-Christ and his cohorts will command the holy city.

We know this refers to a time not yet fulfilled because it coincides with the 3½ years of ministry of two mysterious prophets. These two men dress in sackcloth as did the prophets of old and preach in Jerusalem. Their preaching will be accompanied by signs and miracles as witness to their authority. They will be responsible for droughts and plagues during their ministry. It is likely the 144,000 Israeli men who are sealed by God during the tribulation are the fruit of the ministry of these two.

The Scarlet Thread

While we don’t know for sure what part of the tribulation constitutes those 3½ years, it makes the most sense it would be the first half of the tribulation. God never leaves humanity without a witness of His presence and power. If the two witnesses didn’t arrive until the second half of the tribulation, this planet would be left for 3½ years after the Rapture of the church with no human witness of God.

Throughout history, God has never abandoned His creation. Even in times of chastisement and judgment, He has always raised a voice to testify of His greatness and love. Throughout the Bible record is woven the so-called Scarlet Thread of salvation, offering hope and eternal life to all who call upon the Lord.1.

Crisswell, The Scarlet Thread through the Bible, (Broadman Press, 1970).

On December 31, 1961, W.A. Criswell preached a New Year’s Eve marathon sermon at the First Dallas Church in Texas. To a packed auditorium he presented the overarching theme of Joshua 6, in which a harlot helped the spies of Israel and hung a scarlet thread in her window to identify with the God Israel and be saved. Reverend Criswell made the case for a “scarlet thread” of redemption offered to mankind throughout history.