The Great Tribulation

So far we have studied the events leading up to the First Rapture of the Church and to the coming of antichrist and his false prophet. When those two world-leaders are on the scene, and when military forces are sent to Jerusalem, then we are in the period of time known as the "Great Tribulation".
There will be six groups of people remaining here during that time. There will also be a Second Rapture, the Apocalyptic Hope for this period of time.

We will begin by talking about the Remnant.

THE REMNANT.... ONE THIRD

When the Foreign Force--the Abomination of Desolation-- is seen standing in the Holy Place
(Temple Area of Jerusalem), then the Great Tribulation Countdown begins.... 1, 278 days
(365.25 days times 3. 5 years = 1, 278 days)
until Jesus of Nazareth returns to earth. Many will flee for their lives, when they realize that a
Double-Cross has taken place. Some will escape and survive the next 42 months against all odds.
That will be ‘The Remnant’ spoken of in Zechariah 13 : 8, 9.
"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and die; (2/3 or 66.6)
but the third part shall be left therein.(1/3)
And I shall bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined,
and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My Name, and I will hear them:
I will say,"It is My people"
and they shall say, "The LORD (Jehovah) is my God."

The Jewish Remnant aren’t the only ones here during the time of the Great Tribulation.

OTHERS LEFT BEHIND
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:
and there shall be a time of trouble, since there never was since there was a nation even to that same time:
and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found, written in the book"
Daniel 12:1

Here are the 7 groups of people remaining:

1. the 144,000 Messianic Missionary ("sent") Jews of Rev. Ch. 7 The"Jonahs and Elishas"
2. the protected Israeli-Jews of Rev.12:14 and Daniel 12:1.....Remnant in Jerusalem
3. the Jews protected world-wide of Rev.12:6 .....Remnant world-wide
http://www.lionlamb.net/yavoh/2001/June 2001.html
http://www.lionlamb.net/yavoh/index.html

4. Those destined for the next Rapture: Rev. 14:14, 15 ; Rev. 16:15 . Please see
www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/rev2.html concerning Chapter Sixteen of Revelation.
and also www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/ch5sheaves.html

Then,
"Write,'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth':
'Yea,' saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them'.....Rev. 14:13
5. the martyred multitude of Revelation 7: 9-17 they made it! Alleluia!!
6. the surviving seekers of Matthew 25: 31-40...Millennial-Kingdom population [scarce]
7. the unrepentant; eventually damned.....Matthew 25: 41--46 they loved not the truth

Let’s take a closer look at these six groups of people living during history’s darkest hour.

1.THE 144,000 "JONAHS"
THE FIRSTFRUITS

Revelation 7: 3-8 and Rev. 14: 1-5 speak of 144,000 Jews who have accepted Jesus of Nazareth as their promised Messiah...Yeshua H’Mashiach. They are sealed, or set apart, by the Father to accomplish His will in the Final Dispensation. They are called "the Firstfruits" (Rev. 14:4) for they are given a Double Portion (144,000 "Elishas") of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost (Joel 2:28,29).

Rev. 14 also refers to them as "virgins without guile"..."they were not defiled with women (religious systems). These each have a personal relationship with Yeshua Jesus that is not tainted with false teachings, cultural compromise or embellishments of any kind...just open, honest, up-front -Yeshua. Their hearts are sincere and transparent before God, hence their"song" is unique and their witness is exceptional in history.

Daniel 11: 32,33 refers to them as "the people that do know their God." (They) shall be strong and do exploits. (like Elisha... 1st and 2nd KINGS
"And they that understand among the people shall instruct many."

2. ISRAELI REMNANT

Rev. 12:14-16 says:
"And to the woman (Israel) were given two wings of a great eagle (great haste) that she might fly into the wilderness, INTO HER PLACE. This place reserved for her is known only by God . Many think this will be Petra, but given the few seconds needed for cover, Petra is too far.
No, most likely this will be under Jerusalem, " where she (Remnant) is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time ( last 3 1/2 yrs.), from the face of the serpent"(Satan). God will be their Light and their Sustenance and their Teacher. Psalm 27

See virtual tour of the tunnel under Jerusalem
www.aish.edu/seminars/tunneltour/tunnel.htm

But Satan will seek to drown the Remnant in their hiding place.
"And the serpent (Satan) cast out of his mouth water as a flood".
This could be literal...an inundating of the cave where the Remnant are holding out. However,
"the earth helped the woman (Israeli Remnant)
and swallowed up the flood ( a deep recess in the cave, diverting the flow)
which the dragon (Satan) cast out of his mouth."

Being unsuccessful in this endeavor, we are then told that Satan will go on to persecute the Messianic Remnant world-wide (Revelation 12:17)

3. WORLD-WIDE REMNANT

Just as there were many Jewish people protected throughout Europe during WW 2, there will also be a Remnant of world-wide protected Jews.
Daniel 11: 34 says,
"they shall be holpen (helped) with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries."
Many Christians are supportive of the Jewish people, especially as they believe in Jesus as their Messiah. However, increased persecutions will test the loyalties of many.
It is good to make a commitment...it is even better to keep it.
(Please see The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom......
"The Secret Room"...with pictures and photos
www.soon.org.uk/true_stories/holocaust.htm ... how to live through the worst of times.).

The World-wide Remnant will be aided by holy angels, just like Elijah ( I Kings 19).
Holy Angels are under the command of the Lord God Sabaoth, meaning
"Lord of the heavenly armies ". The Holy Angels are God’s heavenly host, His messengers of provision and protection.

After Armageddon, God will send His Holy Angels to gather the world-Wide Remnant together. (Mark13:27).

And the Remnant will hear Him say:
"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed.....
For thy Maker is thine Husband; the Lord of Hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel;
the God of the whole earth shall He be called.
For the Lord hath called thee as a widow forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercy will I gather thee." Isaiah 54: 4-7
From "The AntiChrist" by Arthur W. Pink ... page 174

As the Israeli-Remnant and the world-wide Jewish Remnant congregate, Zechariah 13:9 and Hosea 2:23 tell us that:
"They shall call on My Name (HaShem Yeshua),
and I WILL HEAR THEM: I will say, ‘IT IS MY PEOPLE’ :
and they shall say, ‘Thou (Yeshua) art my God (Elohim).!"

It is perhaps at this time that the Redeemed Remnant will pray aloud Isaiah 53, and Daniel 9:3-20, and
Acts 2:22-36.

The NATURAL BRANCHES (Romans Chapter 11)

The Lord speaks concerning His people:
"through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles..... now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? ...
"For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world,
what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead ? ...

How much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? " ...

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written
"There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
for this is My Covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins...
For the gifts and calling of God is without repentance." Romans 11:11-29 (various)

4. The Later Rapture ... (Cockcrowing Rapture)
Those destined for the next Rapture: Rev. 14:14, 15 ; Rev. 16:15 . Please see
www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/rev2.html concerning Chapter Sixteen of Revelation.
and also www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/ch5sheaves.html

5.THE MULTITUDE (dying during the Great Tribulation )
"Whosoever calls upon the Name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved."

Acts. 2:21

Those left behind after the Rapture are not left alone by God..."Behold I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" Matthew 28:20."I will NEVER leave thee nor forsake thee" (Hebrews13:5,6 and Joshua 1: 5, and 9).
They are referred to in Revelation 7:9-17....

"I beheld, and lo, a Great Multitude, which no man could number,
of ALL nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
stood before the Throne, and the Lamb (JESUS),
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands"............................
"These are they which came out of Great Tribulation and have washed their robes,
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb
(sought personal atonement through the Blood of Jesus Christ.)

"Therefore are they before the Throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His Temple.
And He that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them."

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;
Neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
For the Lamb (Jesus) Which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them,
And shall lead them unto Living Fountains of Waters:
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Rev. 7:9-17

God’s loving kindness endures forever, Psalm 136. These last committed-Believers are embraced in the Fellowship of God, whether martyred, or dying from hardships and deprivations, or translated at "Cockcrowing".
They all came out of the Great Tribulation...history’s darkest hour. They never took the
666 Mark of the Beast, knowing it would cost them their families, jobs and friends, and even their lives.

"He that overcometh shall inherit ALL things:
and I will be his God, and he shall be My son (or daughter)." Rev. 21: 7
"He that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." John 6: 37

This brave group of people will be from our families, our neighbors, and our co-workers. They will be from every class of people, and every walk of life.
Lamentations 4: 9 describes their plight very well,

Many in this multitude were martyred for not taking the 666 Mark of the Beast:
They had gotten "victory over the Beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name". Rev. 15:2

"Those killed by the sword are far better off
Than those who die of slow starvation."
Yet Lamentations 3: 24 encourages with these words:
"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul;
Therefore I will HOPE IN HIM."

Finally, History’s mask over the depraved heart of man will be ripped off for all to see.
No more delusions. Only Truth and consequences.
As, one by one, lives are surrendered with bold faith in God, the courage and grace of martyrdom will be passed, like a flame, from candle to candle.

"And they overcame him (satan and his system)
* by the Blood of the Lamb (applying the power thereof)
* and the word of their TESTIMONY
* And They Loved Not Their Lives Unto The Death."
Hebrews Chapter 11 tells us that they desired a better resurrection.."
of whom the world was not worthy".

"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away." Rev. 21: 4
"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."
Rev. 2: 10 b

* * * * * * * * * * *
Here is an excerpt from"Raptured"(page 214) by Ernest Angley concerning the martyrdom of individuals........

"Amid her glorious bliss she lost sight of those who had gathered to watch her die.
The guards shouted for her to hush, but as one in a trance she sang on
("Nothing but the Blood of Jesus"). Great fear seized those that stood by.
'Quick! Put her to death! She has gone insane!' the captain shouted.

They laid her down on the block, but she did not feel their rough hands at all; she sang on.
The singing was so beautiful that even the angels in heaven set aside their harps and hushed their singing to listen.
The sword-man drew back his weapon, bringing it down with mighty force,
but Mary did not feel the pain.

On the shore of sweet deliverance she lifted her eyes, and an angel put a shining white robe on her. She picked up a palm and stood before the throne, praising God and shouting, 'Holy, holy,holy, Lord God Almighty."

* * * * * * * * * * *
Ascension of the Multitude.....The Good Harvest

This Martyred Multitude will ascend at the "Cockcrowing Rapture",
along with the recently converted-Believers, who had remained in the Great Tribulation (scarce few).....

A. Cockcrowing Rapture:
"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,
lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."Rev.16:15
This Cockcrowing Rapture is sometimes referred to as "the pre-wrath Rapture",
for it is immediately before the vials of wrath are poured out at the very end of the Great Tribulation period.
"I will show mercy unto whom I will show mercy." Ex.33:19 ; Rom. 9:15 ; Rom. 9:18.
More quotes on MERCY at end of article***

B. Ascension of the Multitude
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud,
"Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for Thee to reap;
for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped."
Revelation/Apocalypse 14:14-16
"gather the wheat into My barn"........Matthew 13:30

6. THE SURVIVING SEEKERS (SCARCE)

The wait-and-see crowd still remain....They are very righteous, helping many to survive. The Patriotic Act outlaws giving anyone branded a "terrorist" ( those who do not go along with the NWO and the 666 economic system ) even so much as a drink of water. But the surviving seekers will assist one another regardless, and thus they are counted among the righteous sheep in Matthew 25.
"A clause in the USA Patriot Act known as the "material support rule" considers support for terrorism to include any type of aid, no matter how minimal -- even a glass of water. There are no exceptions, not even for those who are threatened by terrorists or who provide assistance unwittingly.
Refugee rights advocates say the law's narrow interpretation punishes tens of thousands of people fleeing violence in Latin America, Asia and Africa for abuse suffered at the hands of terrorist groups"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/08/20/MNG3OKLEI11.DTL&type=politics

Matthew 25:34-40,

These survivors are determined to see the outcome, before becoming Believers..
"You believe in God, believe also in Me" John 14:1

Against all odds, there will be a group of survivors who successfully entrench themselves for the last 3 1/2 years subsisting on nature. These are the Millennials. These Millennials belong to the Brotherhood of Survival,
outside the System of 666.
Their lives consist of :
"Doing Justly...loving Mercy...and walking humbly with God." Micah 6: 8
They aided and assisted one another, and they helped the Jews, in each wilderness area,
survive too.... (despite infra-red searching devices, and all monitoring satellites and
technology...Echelon, GPS, Iridium, Galileo....spies in the skies)

Solar Flares disrupt GPS -- Oct. 2, 2006 ( God is greater than technology )
Fiery discharges from the sun could disrupt Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, according to new research
Since solar flares are somewhat unpredictable, the scientist said such disruptions could cause problems for “safety-of-line” operations, including navigating passenger jets, stabilizing oil rigs and locating mobile phone distress calls.
The researchers suggested the reason the flares cause signal loss is due to the accompanying solar radio bursts. These bursts occur over the same frequency bands at which the GPS satellites transmit, so they can cause receivers to become confused and lose their signal
http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/060927_solarflare_gps.html

Website for "survivors" http://outlands.tripod.com/

Our Lord will well reward them, at His return, for their acts of compassion under dire conditions:
"Come ye blessed of My Father, and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34-40
Then Our Lord will tell them how they fed and clothed and visited Him.
The Millennials will be surprised, and ask when they did that.
(since these are not Born-again Believers in Jesus; and it is not certain that they believe in God. They still have that choice to make).
And our Lord will say, "When you did it unto the least of My brethren (the Jews and all Godly people), you did it unto Me." Matthew 25: 31-40.
Truly, the meek shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

The very fact that these survivors made it against the System proves that the gates of hell shall not prevail. Antichrist never was over these people. Manipulative Science and Technology were never over these people. Wicked Commercialism and Idolatrous Religion were never over these people.
Godly Common Sense and Godly Wisdom guided them, and God Himself brought them through. (Matt. 6: 25-34)

These surviving Millennials will have their unique testimony: that God can provide no matter what!
(Jehovah Jireh)
During the Kingdom Age they will have the option to be under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, or not. Zechariah 14
Secular Humanists --- Jan. 16, 2006
Humanists are still a small group. But the number of Americans who say they don't belong to any religious group doubled between 1990 and 2001 to 29.4 million, according to a survey by the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. That was about 14 percent of the population. Other faith-based pollsters have found a similar secularization. Wooden's CFI group has about 50 dues-paying members and a contact list of some 350 people. She plans to start a family group that would be like a secular Sunday school
Even so, the group added more than 30 people to its contact list since June, when it officially became affiliated with the Center for Inquiry Transnational, a 30-year-old organization that bills itself as the largest humanist organization in the world

To her, humanism means basing one's life on science and reason. Science hasn't yet discovered what caused life and the universe to come together, so she is content to live with the question marks. Some believe in miracles, but Wooden believes there is a natural explanation for everything if you look long enough.
Rather than prayer, she values action. Many cling to the hope of heaven. Wooden believes life ends at death. The only afterlife she sees are the memories one leaves behind and the way society has changed by your passing through. Rather than quoting sacred scriptures, Wooden quotes philosophers Paul Kurtz and Robert Ingersoll and scientists Abraham Maslow and Carl Sagan.

[ Reba] Wooden said most people fail to realize that humanists share many of the same values -- honesty, personal integrity and tolerance -- that people of faith hold dear.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060114/LIVING/601140305
Ed: If science and reason could explain everything, then God would be our size.
If harmonious-mystery still prevails, then God truly is a God beyond our nature and understanding.
Let God be God. Let God be bigger than us. www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/power.html

* * * * * * * * *
Father, daughter survive very well for 4 years in the wilderness -- May 20, 2004
"Out of the woods Police rescue father, girl who say Forest Park was their home for four years"
The man and girl told police they had lived in the park for four years. Police were amazed to find them clean, well-fed and healthy. They said the 12-year-old girl was well-spoken beyond her years. ....
They grew vegetables and used the nearby creek to keep clean. They stored perishable foods in a small pool of water at the creek's edge...."she had no cavities".
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/108505469029050.xml

For more testimonies of miraculous provision, please see www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/ps91.html

7. THE WOE GROUP--HOPELESSLY DAMNED
"Hell is Truth seen too late." H.G. Adam
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards
http://douglass.speech.nwu.edu/edwa_a45.htm

Unfortunately, there will be many, MANY people who will take the 666 Mark of the Beast in order to survive for a season. Some will be our neighbors, co-workers, friends and relatives:
(sisters, brothers, Moms, Dads, uncles, aunts, cousins, little children,"religious" leaders, respected elders, church-goers and some of the "nicest" people we know.)
It will even be people we least expect, and it will be shocking.
(It is good to have unshakable Faith, for such a time as this).

The ‘HAVES’ will NOT be "have-nots’. In their lack of Common Sense and Wisdom, they will trade the Eternal for the temporal... they will trade tomorrow for today...they will trade Heaven for Hell. They will gamble all...and loose all.
http://www.jonathanedwards.com/sermons/future.htm

These are the Woe-Group...politically-correct; pushed about by every worldly wind and opinion poll. Their main attributes are Horde and Greed. They would NOT share, while others around them were dying. Cowardly, they would not come against the System, just like the many cowards during the Third Reich.
http://www.jonathanedwards.com/sermons.htm

"But the fearful,and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore- mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and All Liars, shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the SECOND DEATH." Rev. 21: 8

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" (written over the doorpost of hell)...... from Dante's Inferno

MY WAY
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God" Hebrews 10:31

The Woe Group shall be severely judged for their cold, black hearts. Our Lord will indite them for never caring, to which they will self-righteously claim was not so. They were blind. They did not see God in their fellow-man. (Matthew 25:41-46)
Some of the last words they will hear from the Beautiful Christ is,
"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 25: 41

Hell was never intended for man. It was for the destination of Satan and company as the result of his infamous rebellion (Isaiah14:12-17). But if man chooses to follow the Pied Piper Dragon, then his destiny is sealed. It seems strange that the False Prophet, the anti-Christ and the Woe Group all precede Satan into hell
by 1,000 years, but that is the case. (Rev. 20: 7-10 and Matthew 25: 41 and 46). They always had a choice.
They are without excuse.
http://www.jonathanedwards.com/sermons/justice.htm

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."Galatians 6:7

Well, that sums up the 7 groups that will be here during the Great Tribulation.
Six of these groups will rally around Psalm 42....they will have HOPE,
Apocalyptic Hope:

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, OGod.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the LIVING GOD:
When shall I come and appear before God?

"My tears have been my meat, day and night, while they continually say unto me,
‘Where is thy God’ ? ........
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? and why art thou disquieted in me ?

HOPE THOU IN GOD:
for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance "(look of approval)

"O my God, my soul is cast down within me............
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water spouts
(wells within...John7: 37-39)
All Thy waves and thy billows are gone over me." ( See Jonah Chapter 2)

"Yet the LORD will command His loving kindness in the day time,
And in the night His song shall be with me, (also Psalms)
And my prayer unto The GOD OF MY LIFE...my ROCK...........

***********************************************************************

Additional quotes on MERCY:

"showing MERCY unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments" Deuteronomy 5:10

"For Thou art good, and ready to forgive,
and plenteous in MERCY unto all them that call upon Thee" Psalm 86:5

"turn unto the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness" Joel 2:13

"For I know that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness" Jonah 4:2

See also.... Ex. 34: 6,7; Ex. 33:19; Deuteronomy 4:31; 2 Chron. 30:9;
Nehemiah 9: 17 + 31; Psalm 37:26 ; Ps. 103:8 ; Ps. 136; Ps. 145:8 ;
Daniel 9:4; Romans 9:15 + 18; James 5:11

The Hebrew word for MERCY is "hesed" or "Chesed"
?