Kim Jong Un, the current leader of North Korea, is guilty of the imprisonment and torture of 30,000 Christians and their entire families.

This headline reminded me of something I studied regarding the word "Thlipsis".....meaning "affliction, persecution, trouble, suffering, & tribulation."  The conclusion was that 'thlipsis'  is a condition, not just a time period; but the unfortunate KJV translation of "great tribulation" in Rev. 7:14 has caused many to misunderstand the condition from which the resurrected & raptured multitude in Rev. 7:14 came out of, with the time period known as the great tribulation.  But the KJV translators COULD HAVE JUST AS ACCURATELY translated thlipsis as "These are they which came out of great affliction, trouble, suffering, persecution, & martrydom."  Today's headlines confirm that there are MANY indeed who are suffering and being afflicted and martyred even TODAY!  That situation renders Rev. 7:14 as being CORRECT.  But instead, because we know there will be a TIME of great "tribulation", people wrongly associate the multitude in Rev. 7:14 as coming out of that TIME, or the last half of the 70th Week, it confuses confusion of the direction of the chronology in the sense of understanding a particular timeline of events.  

 

Matthew 24:9 shows that during the time of birth pains leading up to the end, Believers would be "afflicted" (thlipsis), hated and killed.  The early church also experienced "persecution" (thlipsis) resulting after the stoning of Stephen the first martyr. Paul constantly referred to his sufferings and afflictions (thlipsis).  The point is, the word "tribulation" causes many to assume it is referring to a "time period", but actually the same word (thlipsis) means affliction, persecution, trouble, and suffering.  It is a condition - not just a time period.  It is a condition which Jesus warned would be common to all men in this life on this earth, and especially to believers who were in the world but not OF the world.  For them this life would constitute many trials and troubles, not least of which their faith would be the cause. 

 

Therefore, when the great multitude is seen in Rev. 7:14 (right after the 6th Seal resurrection earthquake & rapture) the understanding of who they are is mistaken for martyrs out of the great tribulation/last half of the 70th Week and it's all due to the KJV's translation of the word thlipsis used in the elder's identification as "those who came out of great tribulation."  If that is the case, it is quite odd that those who are identified as "coming out of great tribulation" because at that point, the 'great tribulation time period' has not yet even begun! 

 

Again, the truth is, the translation of the word (using acceptable definitions for thlipsis)  could have just as easily identified them as "those who came out of affliction, persecution, trouble, and suffering, instead of causing confusion of the condition they came out of as a time period of the last half of the 70th Week.

 

The point is, Matthew 24:29 could be correctly understood with the correlation to Revelation 7:14 as:  Immediately after the afflictions, troubles, sufferings and persecutions of life in those days which are PAST, and even unto today, will result in the opening of the 6th Seal/resurrection earthquake & rapture of the great multitude seen standing on the sea of glass in Rev. 7:14 who came out of life's afflictions,  troubles, sufferings and persecutions.  THEN the sun will 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 BEFORE the DAY OF THE LORD!

 

Do you SEE? >>>> THEN the sun will 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 BEFORE the DAY OF THE LORD!  THE 7th SEAL AND THE GREAT DAY OF THE LORD HAS NOT EVEN YET BEGUN WHEN THIS MULTITUDE OUT OF EVERY NATION, KINDRED, & TONGUE IS SEEN ON THE SEA OF GLASS! This is a description of the Resurrection/Rapture!!!  Those seen on the Sea of Glass with palms in their hands are in God's Throne Room before the Day of the Lord, before the period of time known as The Great Thlipsis/tribulation begins, before the opening of the 7th Seal.  This is a confirmation that we are NOT appointed unto God's wrath....that we WILL be kept from the hour of temptation that is coming upon the world.....and that we will be "taken" ('thanatos' > carried off) before that time comes.   

 

Today's headlines CONFIRM our understanding that even though WE, here in the United States have not suffered the extreme persecution and martyrdom as in other countries such as North Korea and Syria and Egypt, etc. etc......there are THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS WHO HAVE!  They are the ones seen in Rev. 7:14 coming out of 'thlipsis.'  Yes, we will be there too - lucky us who did not or will not suffer as those brethren have.  WHY?  BECAUSE THE ONLY REQUIREMENT FOR GAINING ETERNAL LIFE AND BEING TAKEN TO HEAVEN TO BE WITH GOD IS TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!  It's our FAITH in Jesus Christ as the propiation (atonement, the turning away of wrath by His offering, His sacrifice) for our sins that saves us....not works, not martyrdom, not anything we do, or suffer....it's Jesus alone --- and it is this throng of people from all over the world standing on the Sea of Glass crying with loud voices, saying, SALVATION TO OUR GOD WHICH SITTETH UPON THE THRONE AND UNTO THE LAMB, WHO JUST WERE RESURRECTED AND RAPTURED AND ARRIVED IN HEAVEN BEFORE THE DAY OF THE LORD BEGINS WITH THE 7th SEAL.  Folks, we do not have to "endure unto the end" in order to be saved....we already ARE!!!

 

Rejoice!  When will the Resurrection/Rapture take place? The last solar eclipse and blood moon tetrad will be seen on the eve of Rosh HaShanah, Sept. 13, 2015....the beginning of a new Sabbatical cycle....the third week of Jacob's Trouble (777).....the 70th Week of Daniel......Israel's Last Week to be fulfilled before Messiah comes and they (the JEWS) "see Him the second time."  Take a look around at the conditions in this world - ready & ripe for the end of this age, the completion of the church age, and the reinstatement of the Old Testament Covenant which will culminate in the redemption of God's people the Jews and establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth for 1,000 years!

Shalom, sherry~