From The Alpha and the Omega - Chapter Eight
by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © 1995, all rights reserved "TRIBULATION"
    This file is attached to http://www.mazzaroth.com/ChapterEight/2014-2017.htm from “Astronomical Events To Appear Between 2014 Through 2017 A.D.” - Chapter Eight by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © 1995, all rights reserved.

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TRIBULATION     The Greek Word for tribulation is ‘thlipsis’ which means pressure or squeezing (as in a winepress); in Rom. 8:35-37 it is referred to as ‘anagke’ (force or violence); ‘diogmos’ (persecution Acts 11:19; ‘stenochoria’ (narrowness of place, space; metaphorically means the distress arising from that condition, anguish).    The non-technical view -- tribulation an individual may go through.    From a technical view--a seven-year period after the translation of the church.
    Tribulation ‘Thlipsis’ affliction, called “the great tribulation,” a period preceding the Lord’s Second Advent, and a period in which the Jewish nation, restored to Palestine in unbelief by Gentile instrumentality, will suffer an unprecedented outburst of fury on the part of the antichristian powers confederate under the Man of Sin (2 Thess. 2:10-12; Rev. 12:13-17).    It will be distinctly “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7).    Its beginning is signalized by the setting up of the “abomination of desolation: (Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14, with Dan. 11:31; 12:11).
    (Also see Joel 2:11, 31; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:14).    Also in Dan. 12:1 “a time of trouble,” a downfall prefiguring the downfall of mystical Babylon in Rev. 18:19.
    To some the Seals are events of the ‘last week’ or ‘hebdomad’ a group of seven in Dan. 9:23-27, where Seventy weeks are determined to finish and seal up the vision and anoint the most Holy.    Seventy weeks of years equals 490 years, thus in verse 25 the restoration of Jerusalem 483 B.C. till the Messiah comes is Sixty-nine weeks (483 years).    In verse 26 after Sixty-two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off (33 years old), and the city and sanctuary shall be destroyed and the end shall be with a flood.    In verse 27 he (Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant (make a covenant) for one week (seven years); and in the middle of that week he will break the covenant.

   Rev. 6:1-2 1950-1962 The First group of Twelve years.    Rev. 6:3-4 1963-1974 The Second group of Twelve years.     Revelation Chapter 4 briefly states, with 11 verses, "which starts with a door opened in heaven, with a trumpet voice showing what is coming, then a description of heavenly entity on a throne, with 24 elders with crowns seated, and seven spirits of God and four beasts full of eyes, like a lion, calf, face as a man, and eagle, each with six wings, full of eyes, do not rest day and night, praising the Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come, who created all things.
    Many Tribulation predictors claim that all Christians will be raptured before the tribulations in Revelation Chapter 4, which I cannot claim to be true in just mind as you see in the above statement, Chapter Four does not mention a rapture in that anywhere.
    John was called by God to heaven to see what things were going to happen.

• Rev. 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. [Comment: After the letters to the seven churches (Rev. 2-3), John saw a door opened to heaven and was taken in the spirit to witness things that would occur in the future.]
• Rev. 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
• Rev. 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper (like a diamond) and a sardine stone rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald, green or rainbow, a sign of covenant. [Comment: John first saw God sitting on the throne.]
• Rev. 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. [Comment: God was surrounded by 24 elders, probably representing the universal church.    It was brought to my attention that a conflict exists here in that John is one of the elders seen in the vision.    How could he be in both places as viewer and seated around the throne?    It is obvious that John was viewing himself in a future state.    These thrones, elderss, crowns, white robes stand for those who are righteous, faithful and will get their victory and may represent the church in heaven.    Hal Lindsey claims this is proof of a Rapture, well as John Hagee, but still does not say when this will happen but will happen at some point.]
• Rev. 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. [Comment: In this verse a menorah is seen before the throne as a set of seven lamps of fire before the throne, which are seven Spirits of God.    Lindsey claims this is the rapture, The Great Snatch.]
• Rev. 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
• Rev. 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
• Rev. 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
• Rev. 4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, [Comment: Four beasts were also present, perhaps representing all living creatures.]
• Rev. 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
• Rev. 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. [Comment: The symbolism is that all the created order worships God the Creator.]

    In that through my studies I could see that the 6 seals of Chapter 6 were being opened when Israel became a nation again and as I show above that in Matthew 24:6 Jesus himself said they will begin to occur, "these must come, but the end is not yet, or not the signal of the end-time, or the end won't follow immediately."    So from this point of view the seals are being opened and the Rapture has not occurred yet, and if you have read my site, it was still not opened even at the end of the Sixth Seal, but we now have the statement at the end of Revelation 6:17 "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"    Before that we heard about several horrific natural disasters that wreak havoc on the earth, a great earthquake, the sun darkened an eclipse, the moon turned blood red four of them, the stars falling which are leaders and denial of Christianity and their eartly pursuits and sinful lives all of this igniting God’s wrath.    These great occurrences reveal to the lost world that God’s wrath will shortly take place (seal 7) which causes them to desire death, hoping to escape the final judgment of God for their sins
    True believers should disappear at this time in “The Rapture,” if it is true that they are taken before the Tribulation begins.    As you know this subject is of great controversy.    Every soul on earth will face their own tribulation when this period encompasses the earth.
    The combining of the major religions becomes a tool for the False Prophet who aids the antichrist’s rise to world power.    Eventually the Antichrist will come and destroy the established Church and demand worship as world dictator.
    Our hope is in the following if we follow the Word Of God is seen in Revelation 3:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
    So if we follow the word of Jesus he will protect us from the hour of temptation, but it does not claim a rapture, but we hope that is what will happen.

The Persecution Begins
    Believers of this period will suffer intense persecution and are martyred by the thousands as the world dictates for change or desecrates the things which are holy.    If by chance the Temple has been built during this period and this desecration occurs to it then the Jews will recognize the real Messiah at this point (see Rev. 11:10-11).
Rev. 6:9-10 (Fifth Seal)     Rev. 6:9 And when He opened the fifth seal ( One source claims that the last three seals relate to the invisible, as the first four to the visible world; the fifth, to the martyrs who have died as believers; the sixth, to those who have died, or will be found as unbelievers as Christ’s coming),
I saw (in spirit) under the altar the souls of those who had been slain (‘Sphazo or Sphatto’ to slay as victims for sacrifice, of Christ as the Lamb, persecuted and martyred possibly during the Great Tribulation) because of the word of God, and because of their testimony which they had held (pp. for being faithful in their witnessing).    Rev. 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying.
    "How long, O Lord, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
   (These passages are not specific to some particular martyrdom’s, but have occurred, and are occurring, and shall occur until the fulfillment before the second coming. This verse states "Until when the Lord, Greek master, the holy one, will avenge the blood from them, the ungodly, that dwell on the earth, which speculates that the Church is now in its heavenly place.)
    Therefore, the early Christians had a document circulating with symbolic predictions of the overthrow of their persecutors.    Symbolism was required in order to preserve the text through Roman scrutiny.
    Rev. 6:11-17 (Sixth Seal)
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE THREE VIEWPOINTS FROM SCHOLARS OF THE TRIBULATION     Before the Seventh Seal     God will provide an opportunity for the whole world to hear the gospel of Christ (Matt. 24:14).
    This is the evangelistic activity of the Tribulation period, possibly at its beginning.    The Jews are the “chosen people” who will evangelize the world with 144,000 throughout the pagan world.    As in Romans 11:25 “For I don’t want you, brothers, to be ignorant concerning this mystery [kept secret, and now fully disclosed], lest you should become wise in your own eyes [to see in all time coming to be the family of God], that a partial blinding has come upon Israel [a portion of Israel] until the fullness of the Gentiles [not the general conversion of the world of Christ, as many take it; possibly a point when the Church is removed, Rapture] has been brought in.”    Thus, signaling the Jews to take their message to the world.    This same group is seen in Revelation 14:1-5 standing on Mount Zion with Jesus at the end of the Tribulation.

Rev. 7:13-17
Great Tribulation From The View Of The Six World Views     In Matt. 24:21 Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be.”
    In Matt. 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.”

    7:12 Saying, Amen: (1) Blessing, and (2) glory, and (3) wisdom, and (4) thanksgiving, and (5) honour, and (6) power, and (7) might, (Seven items given, totality and completeness) be unto our God for ever and ever.    Amen.
    7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me (one elder is interpreter of visions of the glorified Church), What are these which are arrayed (‘Periballo’ to cast around or about, to put on, array, to cloth oneself) in white robes (‘Leukos’ symbolically bright clothing, righteousness and purity; soiled robes washed in the blood of Jesus)? and whence came they?
    7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
    And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation (‘Thlipsis’ the tribulation, the great one, spoken of by the Lord in Matt. 24:21,29 and Mark 13:19,24 where the time mentioned as preceding His Second Advent, and as a period in which the Jewish nation, restored to Palestine in unbelief by Gentile instrumentality, will suffer an unprecedented outburst of fury on the part of the antichristian powers confederate under the Man of Sin (2 Thess. 2:10-12 and Rev. 12:13-17); some claim this tribulation is the same as the martyrs were exposed under the fifth seal, and followed by the same signs as the sixth seal, and this includes all the tribulations of all saints in all ages.    Here their number is completed and taken out of the earth before the judgments on the Antichristian apostasy.),
and have washed (‘Pluno’ washing of garments, figuratively) their robes,
and made them white (‘Leukaino’ to make white figuratively) in the blood of the Lamb.
    REVELATION 8
    Rev. 8:1 opening the seventh seal a scene in heaven with seven angels and trumpets.    Then an eighth angel arrives with a golden censer to cast to earth.    Through prayer man can transcend the limitations of physical existence.
    Did Revelation 6 and 7 describe the Tribulation period, the seven-year reign of terror on earth?    The first seal the antichrist, the second seal takes peace from the earth, the third results in economic collapse, the fourth is an outbreak of famines, epidemics, civil violence and spiritual death.    The fifth seal marks the beginning of great persecution.    The sixth unleashes political, moral, economic, spiritual upheavals of every aspect of humanity as has never been seen before.    General view is the seals are events of the last ‘week’ or ‘hebdomad’ of Daniel 9:23-27, this is a group of seven.    Some believe Revelation 7 reviews the beginning of the Tribulation shortly after the Rapture.    The ‘trumpets’ refer to judgments of an extended period destined to fall upon the apostate world.

    If you would like you could continue to the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? (pp. who can survive it?    The sixth seal brings us to the verge of the Lord’s coming.    The ungodly tremble at the signs of His immediate approach.)"

    This page created on 7/22/2018, and updated on 8/12/2018, 7/10/2019 and 8/20/2019.
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