And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4
Some have called these the “tribulation saints”, but i don’t believe there’s any Scriptural basis that half the Body of Christ is raptured, and then more come into Christ after the rapture, for that would mean that Christ is divided into two bodies – the pre-rapture church and the post-rapture tribulation church. No, it can’t be.
I do believe the rapture is pre-wrath (in Rev 7, after the 6th Seal), but it’s not pre-antichrist – the reign of the Beast, as these verses show, as well as:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition... 2 Thess 2:3
Ian Vincent 
August 23, 2012 at 11:39 am
Hey Ian! How are you! I don’t necessarily have problem calling those people tribulation saints myself. I haven’t use that term in this context. But if folks would understand that tribulation has come to different Christians at different times over the past 2000 years.That’s the way I’ve understood it. They aren’t limited to just the final 7 years. Anyway, I agree we are taken up just prior to God’s wrath on the earth. Scripture says at the last trump. Also Rev. 11 tells of the two witnesses which are the saints. They are called up in a great cloud and then the last trump sounds.
August 23, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Just wanted to clarify also that Revelation 11, the Two Witnesses are the final witness in the last 7 years, but that when they are called up, so are all of humanity who are saved through His Grace and Mercy.
August 24, 2012 at 1:16 am
Ok bro, if the Two Witnesses are the Church, how is it that they curse the nations who are unrepentant, when Jesus said bless and do not curse?
August 24, 2012 at 11:03 am
Now, THAT is a hot question!
August 24, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Are you referring to verses 5 &6 in Chapter 11? IF so, I don’t know exactly what that will look like. Here’s something I wrote a while ago that explains why I beleive the two witnesses are the church and not two individuals.
http://lastdaysoftheage.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/the-two-witnesses/
Did I understand you correctly?
August 30, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Yes, Rev 11:5-6
September 5, 2012 at 7:33 pm
“if the Two Witnesses are the Church, how is it that they curse the nations who are unrepentant, when Jesus said bless and do not curse?”
Coming back to this, I never considered that the 2 witnesses were “cursing” anyone, but certainly showing the judgment side of God. Perhaps the reference to fire coming out of their mouths is the True Gospel that kills the unrepentant when they try to cause harm to God’s witness during the first half of the last 7 years. That’s just my theory at this point and not confirmed in the Lord. I’m kinda waiting to see on that one. But I do see the Two Witnesses as a corporate group and not two individuals based on how the 2 olive trees and 2 candlesticks have been interpreted by Scripture. If you have any other insite I’d be glad to hear it.
September 6, 2012 at 12:05 am
Hi brother. So far, for me, it’s easier to see this chapter as literal rather than a metaphor. That is, even though the literal reading is hard to understand, for me, a metaphorical reading is even harder to come to terms with.
I think the emphasis (in Ch 11) concerning a Temple in Jerusalem, a remnant of Jews holding onto the inner Temple, the Gentiles occupying Jerusalem and the outer court, is all literal.
I see the rapture in Rev 7, and there we see a separation between Jew and Gentile : the elect Jewish witnesses and the Gentile believers, who are taken to heaven.
Ch 11 is most probably after the rapture, in my opinion. The role of the Jewish witnesses (and the two witnesses) is to pronounce judgment, not to offer salvation, and hence they have the power to kill those who oppose them.
I think we are “waiting to see” on most of the Book of Revelation, and i think that is it’s purpose, that it is given to us to interpret the actual events as we see them unfold, more than knowing the future. It is certainly to know the future, but more for the immediate and how to live right now. There are parts of Revelation which apply to us today, and parts which are still future, which we should be prepared for.