Hi Ed,
Ed:
BTW, all the tribes shall morn when Jesus returns in power and glory. When Jesus comes to get us that belong to Him we WILL NOT be morning. Thus there is a great divide between verse 30 (right after the tribulation period) and verse 31 (some other time).
The Bible:
(ASV) Matthew 24:30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
(ASV) Acts 23:6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. 7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
(ASV) Acts 26:6 And now I stand [here] to be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; 7 unto which [promise] our twelve tribes, earnestly serving [God] night and day, hope to attain. And concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! 8 Why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead?
(ASV) Revelation 5:9 And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood [men] of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
(ASV) Revelation 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8 And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, [every one] whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.
Jim:
“All the tribes” does not mean every person. Paul says that all twelve tribes hope to attain to the resurrection, but this doesn’t include the Sadducees. Likewise, Jesus says that all the tribes of the earth will mourn His coming, but this doesn’t include those who are purchased with His blood out of every tribe.
Bible:
(ASV) Matthew 5:24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, AND THEN come and offer thy gift.
(ASV) Matthew 7:5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; AND THEN shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
(ASV) Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23 AND THEN will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
(ASV) Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, AND THEN will they fast.
(ASV) Matthew 12:29 Or how can one enter into the house of the strong [man,] and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong [man]? AND THEN he will spoil his house.
(ASV) Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; AND THEN shall he render unto every man according to his deeds.
(ASV) Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. 8 But all these things are the beginning of travail. 9 THEN shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. 10 AND THEN shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
(ASV) Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; AND THEN shall the end come.
(ASV) Matthew 24:29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 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: 30 AND THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: AND THEN shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(ASV) Mark 2:20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, AND THEN will they fast in that day.
(ASV) Mark 3:27 But no one can enter into the house of the strong [man], and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong [man]; AND THEN he will spoil his house.
(ASV) Mark 13:19 For those days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be. 20 And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 AND THEN if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; or, Lo, there; believe [it] not: 22 for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect.
(ASV) Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken. 26 AND THEN shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 AND THEN shall he send forth the angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
(ASV) Luke 6:42 Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, AND THEN shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
(ASV) Luke 14:9 and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; AND THEN thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place.
(ASV) Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 27 AND THEN shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
(ASV) Acts 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed of Paul at Beroea also, they came thither likewise, stirring up and troubling the multitudes. 14 AND THEN immediately the brethren sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there still.
(ASV) 1 Corinthians 4:5 Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; AND THEN shall each man have his praise from God.
(ASV) Galatians 6:4 But let each man prove his own work, AND THEN shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.
(ASV) 2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only [there is] one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. 8 AND THEN shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;
(ASV) Hebrews 7:2 to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, King of righteousness, AND THEN also King of Salem, which is King of peace;
(ASV) Hebrews 7:27 who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, AND THEN for the [sins] of the people: for this he did once for all, when he offered up himself.
(ASV) James 4:14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, AND THEN vanisheth away.
Jim:
The above quoted passages are all of the New Testament examples in which the phrase “and then” appears. Can you show me in which of these examples you think that that which is expressed in the text that is introduced by the phrase “and then” precedes that which is expressed in the text that immediately precedes this phrase? And can you explain why you think that the language indicates this?
Jim