If Israel would have repented at that time then it would mean that Jesus would not have been crucified and all of the prophesies regarding Him such as Psalms 16:10 "They pierced My hands and My feet" would not have been fulfilled and we would all still be in our sins, because there would be no blood covering our sins. Just sayin.
Two things could have and probably would have happened differently, but God can Prophecy about the KNOWN FUTURE, but could have still reacted differently IF the known future had of went another way. (Catch my drift? )
1. The Jewish peoples could have rejected Jesus and then accepted him before 70 AD, and Jesus thus could have saved the Jewish people and the City from getting sacked before 70 AD. All God/Jesus required was repentance.
2.) The Jews could have accepted Jesus and the Romans could have Sacrificed the Innocent, he died for all of our sins.
Of course, God knew they would reject Israel and that they would not accept him as the Messiah. In truth, I think if the Romans had not sacked Jerusalem, the Gospel getting off the ground would have been much, much harder, I think Judaism would have eventually tried to swallow up Christianity with a sorta Jewish Roots-type movement. I personally think this is why God had to forsake them for nigh 2000 years and gave the mantle unto the Gentiles. But if Israel had wholeheartedly accepted Jesus, he would have brought the kingdom in 70 AD. We see a hint of that truth in the last few verses of Matt. 23 where Jesus says, O Israel, O Israel, how often would I have gathered thee up like little chicks but ye would not. (I'm not looking it up, it's close to that)
I think this is why the Romans are the End Time Beast also, there is a Fourth Beast either way, from Europe that is taken out by Jesus with his Second Coming. Thus either way Jesus was coming whilst the Fourth Beast was in power. But of course, God knows all things.
Your error here is that you are pigeonholing the word 'Tribulation.' The trials and tribulation that Jesus said believers would have as a result of our faith in Him, is what believers have been experiencing for 2000 years up to this present day. These tribulations come at the hands of men and the powers of darkness.
In opposition, the tribulation during that last seven years will be God's tribulation, His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world. This is also the time that He will deal with Israel and Jerusalem in fulfillment of the decree that was made regarding the 70 sevens "to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place." That said, the church will not be exposed to that seven years of God's tribulation/wrath, because Jesus already suffered God's wrath on behalf of every believer within the church, satisfying it completely.
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5
I see it as others pigeonholing the word(s) GREAT TRIBULATION to preclude God from being able to describe the 2000 year Church Age tribulation as GREAT just because the 3.5 years of God's Wrath is the Greatest Ever Severity of troubles. Both can be GREAT TRIBULATION, this we cant lock it down to only being the 70th week via the 3.5 years because the passage has to fit the prophecy, and nothing fits in Rev. 7:9-17 except those people coming out of the 2000 some odd year Church Age Tribulation period, John is describing ot as GREAT and it is GREAT in that 2000 is much greater than 7 or 3.5. The reason they can't come out of the 70th week is Jesus' own words say they can't. In the 5th Seal, he says they have to wait until all the brothers have died just like they did before they get vengeance. And in Rev. 20:4 we see that those who died refusing the Mark of the Best get raised after Jesus' Second Coming (really Second Advent, not Second Coming) thus it can't be them in Rev. 7:9-17. Thus it can only be the Raptured Church who come out of the Church Age tribulation period.
You do the same thing in your last sentence of the first paragraph, IMHO, you fall back on what we were all taught as truths and just accepted them as the norm. But when I explain why it can not be them via the Scriptures, then you should understand why I had to not accept those answers. They did not fit, gleefully I understood this ft my Pre Trib understanding, so I dug deeper. And it hit me while reading the Gospel of John, ALL TIME on this earth is tribulation, so could John have been talking about those coming out of the Pre Trib Church Age I asked myself? Then I understood, of course, they came out of the GREAT as in 2000 is greater than 7 or 3.5. As in millions of our brothers were killed, as in Rev. 4 and 5 shows the Church in Heaven BEFORE the Seals are ever opened as in Rev. 4:4 shows we have all the promises Jesus made to the 7 Churches who overcame via the Rev. 2:10, Rev. 3:5 and 3:21 CROWNS, White Raiment, and us sitting at Gods THRONE. Thus the Church is already on Heaven before the Seals are even opened. And those in the 5th Seal are told they have to WAIT, and those in Rev. 20:4 PROVE that the 70th-week Martyrs are raised AFTER Jesus REturn, so those spoken about in Rev. 7:9-17 can only be the Rapyured Church which comes out of the GREAT Church Age Tribulation Period.
What I actually do is just the opposite, I do not hamstring God's ability to describe more than ONE THING as Great.
I kinda misread your answer so I will reformulate a wee bit here. (I thought you were saying the 70th-week troubles come at the hand of Demons and men in your last sentence of the first paragraph)
OK, here the Wrath of God only starts at the exact mid-point. There are still troubles by the Wicked Anti-Christ. God doesn't kill all his Martyrs and Political prisoners, he kills 1.5 to 2 billion people himself during his 1260 day rule as the Beast, which is TROUBLES to me. God's Judgment pretty much hits 1/3 of the World, God doesn't want to level the world in ruin per se, this is why I see the Apophis Asteroid hitting off the California Coastline. Now, the 200 Million Angelic Army on horses does kill 1/3 of all those who took the Mark of the Beast. Thus we have TROUBLES via God's Wrath AND troubles via the Anti-Christ's 42-month rule, both are troubles to this world, of course.
Israel repents BEFORE the Day of the Lord (God's Wrath), that is why they know to Flee Judea, the Two-witnesses tell them that and they have read Matt. 24:15-17. Malachi 4:5-6 and Zechariah 13:8-9 prove tHey repent BEFORE the coming DOTL. I agree with your overall concept, via the Church does not go through the Tribulation, but the 70th week is troubles because all time is troubles, but the Wrath of God has a specific starting point, at the exact mid-point of the 70th week. The Anti-Christ CLOAKS this timeline going forth, he conquers amidst the CHAOS of God's Wrath (Asteroid Impact).
That group that no one can count from every nation, people, tribe and language (Gentiles), are those who will become believers in Christ after the church has been gathered and during the time of God's wrath.'
These people are IN HEAVEN in Rev. 7:9-17, we saw in Rev, chapters 4 and 5 that the bride or Church is seen there with the promises promised to those who overcome. What I don't get if you are a Pre Trib guy, why are you doubting this is the Church in Heaven? As I point out, the CAN NOT be from the 70th week. We saw the Church in Rev. 4:4 with a CROWN, Robe, and a THRONE, which were promised in Rev. chapters 2 and 3 to those who overcame. In Rev. 5:9 we see they are REDEEMED by God. The Great Multitude is the Rapyured Church because this is AFTER Jesus Raptures the Church in Rev. 4:1, so what would you not call it THe Church/Bride? I don't get that tbh. Maybe I am missing something, its like you are arguing against your own Pre Trib belief. (MYSTERY)
CONTINUED
ROFL
