In a topic such as this, we must proceed as we would if building a house. Before we can lay our foundation and raise our superstructure it is first of all necessary to clear the site of all useless, and often hindering debris and rubble. So in like manner before going on to make an in-depth study of our topic, let us clear the ground of all false and deceptive doctrines, and clearly state:-
A) It is not the concept popularly and widely preached and proclaimed by the Futurists, of a period of three and a half or seven years, at the end of this age, after the supposed Secret Rapture of the Christians, their one -man Anti-Christ or Beast reigns supreme. We, (by the Futurists) are given a truly nightmarish picture of this time, when horrific events will take place on an unprecedented scale; when torture, death by martyrdom, famines, plagues and natural disasters will be the order of the day.
B) It is not that period of time referred to in Scripture as Jacob's Trouble:-
"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob's Trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." Jeremiah 30:7
This is a specific period of trouble and tribulation which is to come/exclusively on the nations of Jacob/lsrael, whom modern scholars such as Yair Davidy has identified in these closing day's of time as the Celto-Anglo-Saxon and related kindred peoples of the earth.
C) It is not the era of prophecy known as the Judgement of the Nations or the Day of Vengeance of our God, when He pours out His fury on the Heathen, Gentile, Babylonish world order. This is yet to be and we read concerning it:-
"Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth, for their iniquity". Isaiah 26:20-21.
Having established what the Great Tribulation is not, let us go on to see:-
HOW CHRIST'S WORDS GIVE THE KEY TO DATE THE GREAT TRIBULATION
On the Mount of Olives, just outside the city of Jerusalem, Christ's disciples, asked Him what signs would indicate the ending of the age and His return to set up His Kingdom. Jesus' reply to these questions is generally referred to as the Olivet Discourse, and during the course of it He gave certain information which not only describes the Great Tribulation, but which helps us to date its commencement and the geographical location where it would begin. To see this clearly, let us look at the accounts given of the words of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
A) "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matthew 24:21-22.
B) "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved, but for the elect's sake whom He hath chosen. He hath shortened the days." Mark 13:19-20.
C) "For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled..... for there shall be great distress in the land and upon the people, and they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:22-24.
To summarise this harmony of the three Gospels, Jesus described the period under examination as being:
1) TRIBULATION
2) AFFLICTION
3) DISTRESS
4) NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT SINCE CREATION
5) NEVER BE ANYTHING LIKE IT AGAIN
6) UNLESS HE CUT SHORT ITS DURATION ALL FLESH WOULD PERISH
7) HE WOULD INTERVENE IN PERSON FOR THE SAKE OF HIS ELECT.
Furthermore Jesus not only described the Tribulation but also dated it and located it. He said it would begin with:-
1) DISTRESS UPON THE LAND - This being Palestine and especially the city of Jerusalem, site of the Holy Temple and scene of our Lord's Olivet Discourse, and His subsequent trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.
2) DISTRESS UPON AND CAPTIVITY OF THE PEOPLE - These were the inhabitants of the land of Palestine, generally referred to as Jews. In fact the population was a mixture of the true seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as found in the Tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi who had returned out of Babylonish captivity, together with the multitudes who embraced Judaism out of fear in the days of Esther, and the group who actually dominated the entire religious and political set-up in Judea and Jerusalem, the Edomi or Idumeans. These people were the descendants of the rejected line of Esau who had been forcibly converted to Judaism under the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus. The fate of these people finally overtook them by the hands of the Roman Legions in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was besieged, captured and destroyed by the armies of the Roman Prince Titus, just as the prophet Daniel and the Lord Jesus had predicted
As Jesus neared the end of three and a half years ministry of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing the sick and suffering He approached the city of Jerusalem. The Edomite/ldumean faction which controlled Jewry and the province of Judea at that time, had opposed the Lord at every opportunity so much so that the Scriptures declare:-
"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He would not walk in Jewry because the Jews sought to kill Him." John 7:1.
Knowing what lay ahead of Him, as He prepared to enter Jerusalem that first Sunday, Jesus looked down on Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and wept as He uttered this forecast of its forthcoming siege destruction amidst scenes of unprecedented tribulation:-
"And when He was come near, He beheld the city and wept Saying, If thou hadst known even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side. And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee: and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest of the time of thy visitation." Luke 19:41-44
After a few more days of teaching and debating with the religious leaders of Jewry, Jesus standing within the very precincts of the Temple uttered this final proclamation of judgement upon the Jews:- Matthew 23:32-39
"Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore behold I send unto you prophets, and wise men and scribes: and some of then ye shall kill and crucify: and some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias whom ye slew between the Temple and the altar. 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord".
Far from repenting of their previous sins and crimes against the messengers of God, they went on to fill their cup of iniquity to the brim, by crucifying Christ; arrogantly crying out in Pilate's judgement hall:-
"Let Him be crucified...His blood be on us, and on our children."Matthew 27:23-25
And the Apostle Peter said:-
"But ye denied the Holy One and the Just (Jesus), and desired a murderer (Barabbas) to be granted unto you. And killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead."
Acts 3:14-15.
In the persecution of the early Church the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Thessalonian Christians:-
"For ye brethren, became followers of the Churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men." I Thessalonians 2:14-15
Finally the time of their judgement came during the Jewish Revolt of 67-70 A.D. It marks the commencement of Great Tribulation and we shall now go on to see.-
Judea had always been one of the most restless and rebellious parts of the
Roman Empire, and from 60 A. D. onwards the situation began to deteriorate
rapidly. Felix the Roman governor was succeeded by Festus, Albinos and
then Cessius Florus, a brutal tyrant whose cruelty and
maladministration was bound to result in an uprising; which it soon did; Florus
was driven out of Jerusalem, the fortress of Antonio was seized by the Zealots
and the pro Roman faction in the Holy City was slaughtered. The revolt spread
like wildfire, and when Cestius Callus the Roman governor of Syria who had
advanced on Jerusalem, suddenly retreated for no apparent reason, the Jewish
Zealots went on the offensive, convinced that God was on their side.
However, over the next three years, under the command of Vespasian who
subsequently became Roman Emperor, and then of his son Titus, the Imperial
Legions systematically subdued Palestine, gradually tightening the net around
the Holy City, in which anarchy reigned as rival Jewish groups fought each other
for control. Gabara, Jotapata, Tarichaea, Gischala, and Camala all fell to the
Romans with great slaughter, as the defenders and citizens were exterminated or
engaged in mass suicide. These events are recorded for us by the Jewish
historian Josephus, who was at first a commander of the rebels in Galilee before
going over to the Romans.
The account of the Siege of Jerusalem, as given by Josephus makes gruesome
reading. Over one million Jews perished in the siege by famine and
the sword. The defenders were reduced to eating human flesh, and
chewing grass and leather for sustenance. Those who ventured outside the
walls by night in search of food, if captured were scourged,
then crucified by the Romans in full view, of the defenders.
Sometimes hundreds met their fate in this manner
during the space of one day. Perhaps some recalled the words of Jesus,
when making His way to Calvary and crucifixion. He said to the women of
Jerusalem:-
"Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but for yourselves and for your
children." Luke 23:28
Josephus writing of the conflict says.-
"Our city, of all those which have been subjected to the Romans, was advanced
to the highest felicity and was thrust down again to the extremest misery; for
if the misfortunes of all men from the beginning of the world, were compared to
those of the Jews, they would appear much inferior upon the comparison . . . to
speak in brief, no other city ever suffered such things, as no generation from
the beginning of the world was ever more fruitful of wickedness."
As the plight of those within the walls grew worse, many attempted to escape,
swallowing their money so that it would not be taken by the Romans. When this
was discovered, any subsequent deserters were ripped open and disembowelled by
the Romans in search of gold. Eventually most of the city and the Castle of
Antonio had fallen to the invaders, and the Jews took refuge within the Temple
precincts. They prepared to make a final stand there, still believing that God
would intervene and save them. Finally the Holy Temple fell to the soldiers of
the Roman Prince Titus; fire brands were used by the Roman soldiers to set the
Sanctuary ablaze, and soon the magnificent temple of Herod was a heap of smoking
ruins.
The Roman Legions now carried their standards, the Eagle and the Serpent into
the Temple and sacrificed before them in the traditional Roman manner, an ox, a
sheep and the ultimate abomination - a pig. It has been estimated that at least
one million perished in the Siege of Jerusalem, and some ninety thousand
survivors were sold into slavery, whilst seven hundred of the tallest most
handsome captives were reserved for the March of Triumph through Rome by Titus
and his Legions.
Thus were fulfilled the predictions of Jesus, a generation earlier, and also
of the prophet Daniel several hundred years before, when he had foretold
concerning Titus and the armies of Imperial Rome:-
"And the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the
war desolations are determined... and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate". Daniel 9:26-27
One of the most amazing aspects of the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was that
not one single Christian perished in the conflict, the reason for this being as
we shall see, that they heeded a warning prophecy of Jesus uttered over forty
years earlier, concerning the Abomination of Desolation. Let us trace the events
as they are outlined for us in the writings of Josephus.
Strange events and portents of doom had begun to take place in the city of
Jerusalem as early as 62 A.D. Strange sounds were heard and lights seen
shining over the Temple in the dead of night. The huge Eastern Gate which had
been barred for years with iron planks had opened at midnight and during the
Feast of Pentecost that year there had been a minor earth tremor. Then there
appeared in the city a seemingly demented prophet, the son of Ananius,
who daily cried out a message of warning and impending doom in the city
streets:-
"A voice from the East, a voice from the West, a voice from the four winds, a
voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and
the brides, a voice against this whole people. Woe, Woe to this holy house and
to this people."
Despite severe beatings, and even being brought before the Roman Procurator,
he continued to cry out his message of coming destruction.
When the Jews subsequently broke into revolt some four and a half years
later, his previously apparently insane ravings began to have a ring of truth to
them and when the Roman armies of Cestius Callus surrounded Jerusalem and
prepared to lay siege to it, the Christians recalled the warning prophecies of
Jesus, uttered a generation earlier. Here are three accounts of His message is
recorded in the Gospels.
A) "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth him understand). Then
let them which be in Judea flee into mountains. Let him which is on the housetop
not come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let
him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them
that are with child to them that give suck in those days. But pray ye that your
flight be not in winter neither on the Sabbath day for then shall be great
tribulation" Matthew 24:15-21
B) "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, standing where it ought not (let him that read understand,) then
let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the
house top not go down into the house neither enter there in to take anything out
of his house. And let him that in the field not turn back again to take up his
garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in
those days. And pray ye that your flight be not in winter. For in those days
shall be affliction." Mark 13:14-19
C) "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies then know that the
desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the
mountains and let them which are in the midst of it depart out ....for these be
the days of vengeance." Luke 21:20-22
By harmonising these three Gospel accounts we see that where Matthew and Mark
referred to the Abomination of Desolation, Luke referred to the Roman armies;
they are one and the same thing, The Christians in Jerusalem realised this, but
surrounded by the Legions of Cestius Gallus, flight seemed to be impossible.
Then by a miracle, or as Josephus puts it "for no apparent reason," the Roman
commander and his forces withdrew. The forces of the Jewish Zealots pursued the
retreating Romans, attacking them with such ferocity that they "were faced
with total destruction. The Jews believed they had won a great
victory, but the Christians knew that the Legions of Rome would return, and that
now was their chance to heed the words of Christ.
They fled the city of Jerusalem and its neighbourhood, not even taking time
to gather their possessions. They took to the mountains, and eventually
according to the historians Eusebius and Ephiphanius they reached safety at
Pella and other places beyond the River Jordan. Not one Christian perished in
the bloody siege which followed.
What became of the prophet of woe? (the son of Ananius) Josephus tells us
that after proclaiming his message for some seven and a half years, he was
killed by a stone from a Roman siege engine as he stood on the walls of the
embattled city, still proclaiming woe to it and to the Holy Temple.
Whilst there is no doubt that the conflict which took place in Judea and
Jerusalem in 70 AD was indeed a time of unprecedented affliction and tribulation
unlike anything that had been seen up to that time, yet it did not fulfil all
the statements which Jesus had made in His Olivet Discourse.
A) THERE HAVE BEEN WORSE HAPPENINGS SINCE
We estimate that at least ten million martyrs perished under Imperial Rome,
another sixty million at least, were slaughtered by Papal Rome, whilst a further
fifty million have died under atheistic Marxism since 1917. Thus the events of
70 AD, dreadful though they were by comparison to any previous tribulation
cannot fit into Jesus' words: "NOR EVER SHALL BE."
B) THE ELECT WERE ALREADY SAVED IN 70 AD. Jesus said that He would intervene
to cut short the days of tribulation for the sake of the elect. However the true
Christian Israelites as we have seen had already escaped from Jerusalem, before
the armies of Titus arrived. There was no need therefore to rescue them; the
siege ran its full course; Christ did not cut short the days in 70 AD. (We are
still here to tell the accoount-and no Christ)
C) NO FLESH SAVED
Christ stated that unless He intervened in person to end the tribulation, no
flesh would survive or be saved alive. Even if every single inhabitant of
Palestine in 70 AD had been slaughtered (and this did not happen), it would not
have constituted the destruction of all flesh. Write for our free article
"Atomic War has happened before." By 1945 man had the capacity to blow himself
of the face of the earth again with nuclear bombs.
D) CHRIST HAS YET TO RETURN
In His words addressed to the Disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus made it
clear that the Tribulation would be ended by His personal, literal, visible
return to earth in power and glory to set up His Kingdom. We are all too well
aware that Jesus did not return to earth in 70 AD.
To summarise therefore 70 AD marked the Beginning of Sorrows, or
commencement of the Great Tribulation, which has continued cyclically through
the intervening centuries, the Christian era of prophecy and which is now
nearing its end; which will be marked by the literal return of Christ to save
the world from self destruction again.
We find these outlined for us in the Olivet Discourse as recorded in the
Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The events which are described are not
confined to any period of three and a half or seven years at the end of this
age, but were already in evidence prior to 70 AD and continued until the present
time. Let us look at some of them.
1) FAMINE, EARTHQUAKE AND PESTILENCE
"There shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places."
Matthew 24:7
"There shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famine and
troubles." Mark 13:8
"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines and
pestilences." Luke 21:11
Prior to 70 AD we find these three characteristics to have been quite common.
Earthquakes were experienced in Palestine, in Crete an throughout the Aegean
area. Whilst the Scriptures speak of a famine so great that the Christians of
Antioch sent relief to their fellow believers in Judea Paul and Barnabas:-
"And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood
up one of them named Agabus and signified by the Spirit that there should be
great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of
Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples every man according to his
ability determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea, which
also they did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul". Acts
11:27-30
Just as the beginning of the Great Tribulation was marked by these signs so
also is the end being marked in similar manner. Drought and famine afflict vast
areas of North, Central and East Africa, as well as other parts of the Third
World. Earthquakes have been taking place with increasing frequency in recent
years; in Morocco, Yugoslavia, China, Mexico and most recently in the Armenian
region of Soviet Russia.
As for pestilence, it is widespread as mankind pollute their own atmosphere,
destroying the seas and rivers, the forests, the fields and now the very Ozone
Layer. Animals, birds, fish and vegetation are all under threat from
environmental pollution, often as a result of human greed. At the same time the
AIDS Plague continues spread not merely in the decadent and immoral cities of
the Western World but right across Africa, where deaths are now being numbered
in the hundreds of thousands. BUT THE END IS NOT YET.
2) WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS- Front page
"Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars... nation shall rise against
nation and kingdom against kingdom." Matthew 24:6-7; Mark 13:7-8
"Ye shall hear of wars and commotions..... nation shall rise against nation
and kingdom against kingdom." Luke 21:9-10
The 70 AD era was one of bloody conflict and violence; prior to the Siege of
Jerusalem, four Roman Emperors had come to a violent end within the space of
eighteen months. If we turn to the "Annals of Tacitus" which covers the history
of this period, we read about:- "Disturbances in Germany," "Commotions in
Africa," "Troubles in Thrace," "Insurrections in Gaul," "Wars in Britain and
Armenia." In Seleucia, 50,000 Jews were killed and another 200,000 died in
conflict between Jews and Syrians.
Wars and Rumours of Wars continued cyclically throughout the Great
Tribulation, and they have once again intensified as it draws to a close. Since
peace was taken from the earth in 1914 with the outbreak of the Great War or
World war 1, we have witnessed:-
THE ITALIAN-ABYSSINIAN WAR
THE SINO-JAPANESE WAR
THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
WORLD WAR II
THE KOREAN WAR
THE VIETNAM WAR
5 ARAB/ZIONIST WARS SINCE 1948
THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR
THE SOVIET-AFGHAN WAR
NUMEROUS CIVIL WARS, TERRORIST CAMPAIGNS AND SO-CALLED
WARS OF LIBERATION THROUGHOUT AFRICA, ASIA, CENTRAL AND SOUTH
AMERICA.
At 1994 there are currently about thirty wars being fought throughout the
world-Read the book-The trap page 47. by Goldsmith.
All of these indicate the approaching end of the Great Tribulation, the
climax of which will be the Great Battle of the Day of God Almighty, and the
personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, to set up His Kingdom of Peace upon
the earth. What we are presently witnessing are the death agonies of the old
order (New World Order) and the birth pangs of the New.
3) FALSE PROPHETS AND FALSE CHRISTS "For there shall arise false Christs and
false Prophets ... behold I have told you before ... if they say unto you behold
he is in the desert go not forth: behold he is in the secret chamber, believe it
not." Matthew 24:24. ---Write for our free article (Mr Armstrong) The False
Prophet.
Once again as with the other signs, we find upon searching the Scriptures
that the period around 70 AD had seen the rise of false prophets and false
Christs. Thus we read:-
1) "And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain
sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus." Acts 13:6
2) "And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and
Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is
past already, and overthrow the faith of some." II Timothy 2:17-18
3) "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers..... who subvert
whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucres sake." Titus
1:10-11
4) "But there were false prophets also shall be false teachers among you, who
privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them." II Peter 2:1
To be continued.
Alex Cain
The Prime Minister The Rt Hon. John Major
The House of Commons
Houses of Parliament
London
Dear Prime Minister 27 Mar 96
We hope this letter finds you well. Enclosed is correspondence which we have
sent to you before of which we thank you for the replies. Also enclosed is the
reply from the Foreign Office again of which we again thank you for the reply.
As you will see there is no mention of God in Britain's Foreign Policy in the
reply, so this would account for the reason that Britain has lost her Empire.
Has a single currency produced unprecedented prosperity for all of AMERICA?
With a national debt which is approaching $ 11 Trillion, dollars the answer is
clearly NO.
Has a single currency produced unprecedented prosperity for all of RUSSIA?
the answer is unmistakably NO.
Has a single currency produced unprecedented prosperity for all of BRITAIN?
With a national debt which is approaching 400 Billion, again the answer is NO.
Germany and Japan cannot be considered in the equation as both countries were
almost obliterated in the second world war and had massive infusions of finance
injected into them from us in the west.
This country is suffering from a massive drug problem and by reading Dope,
Inc the book that drove Kissinger crazy, the centre of the ring appears to be in
London. The book can be got from Bloomfield Books 26 Meadow Lane Sudbury
Suffolk.
If you still don't believe we are suffering from a drug problem then read
Betrayal of Trust by Dr Coleman from--European Medical Journal. PO Box 30.
Barnstaple, Devon EX32 YU.
Unfortunately Sir by signing the Maastricht Treaty you unwittingly planted
the "wind" and now You are in the process of reaping the Whirlwind. The result;
Brussels is destroying Britain faster than any effort instigated by Hitler;
Germanies intentions are still to dominate Britain and they are succeeding.
Bible prophecy shows that a short war is about to happen. Now we would strongly
suggest that-- As Sir Edward Heath is so FOR Europe, why doesn't he simply pack
his bags and go and live there. He is the most unpopular Prime Minister in
modern times. Britain including our fishermen will happily say bye bye.
A copy of this letter has been sent to President Clinton.We of course wish
you every success for the future. I am Yours Sincerely Alex Cain.
Editors comment. We have received no reply to date
Church of God P.O. Box 53. Farnborough Hants GU14 OYZ ENGLAND
The questions to be asked here are--------in the last 100 years.