SPELLING EDITED J-22. Part 2 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-Tribulation Rapture! Here are the reasons for a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church which I will show the error of interpretation of the verse used to try and prove a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church. DO NOT CONFUSE ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH! #29. There’s a DISTINCTION between the Church and Israel. Acts 15:14-15. Romans 11:25-27. Yes, I agree, the Bible does teach us that there is a difference between Israel and the church. But this does NOT prove a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The post-tribulation teaching makes this clear distinction as well. It should also be noted that God is making ONE people of Israel and the Gentiles, which is the church, and that the church is also called the ELECT or chosen of God. So then, Israel is the ELECT of God, but so ALSO is the CHURCH called the ELECT of God. There is no more Jew or Gentile or male or female among those of us who are saved. In truth, the CHURCH is spoken of as being the ELECT and Israel as God's chosen PEOPLE, but that is a study in and of itself. #30. To suggest that the Church will remain on earth for the tribulation CONFUSES the message of Daniel’s 70th week, and causes the Church TO RECEIVE what was APPOINTED to Israel and their Holy City. No, what CONFUSES the message of the 70th week spoken of in Daniel 9:24-27 is the INTERPRETATION given by those who teach the pre-tribulation point of view. It is the WRATH of God that the church is NOT appointed to and NOT the time of great tribulation, more on this later. Again, I will just give a brief reason why I oppose each argument and then later I will give the Scriptures to prove the sound Biblical POST-tribulation rapture of the church. #31. The UNITY of Daniel’s 70th week is MAINTAINED by the Pre-Trib view. By contrast, the Mid-Trib and Pre-Wrath views DESTROY that unity and confuse God’s PROGRAM for Israel with that of the Church. Again, nothing is being confused by the teaching of the POST tribulation timing of the rapture of the church and in no way does it destroy God's program or plans for his people Israel. God did NOT remove Israel from the earth while he turned to the GENTILES, who were added to the CHURCH or to the ELECT or the CHOSEN to be saved IN Jesus Christ. God is still yet dealing with his CHOSEN people Israel while the CHURCH is still here on the earth. But no Jew will be saved OUTSIDE of accepting Jesus as their MESSIAH. Jesus is the ONLY name under heaven that has been given among men whereby we all MUST be saved. The thing is that the word of God also teaches us that judgment must BEGIN at the HOUSE of God, speaking of the CHURCH and part of that judgment or TESTING is the time of great tribulation. #32. The Post-Trib view denies the clear teaching of the 70th week by subjecting the literal prophecy to one form or another of allegory. It gives Israel’s destiny to the Church! The church going through the great tribulation period does not assign the prophecies related ONLY to Israel to relate the church, which you, the reader and seeker of the truth, will clearly see as you continue to read this study in God's word to come to the knowledge of the TRUTH. There will be NO Jew that will be saved in this present world apart from accepting Jesus as their savior. And then, any Jew that accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior becomes a part of the CHURCH or the ELECT of God and they no longer are a JEW. It is ONLY those who are IN Jesus Christ faithful unto the end who will be rewarded with ETERNAL LIFE at the second coming of Jesus at the time of the rapture of the church. ANY other person, Jew or Gentile, who calls upon the name of the Lord AT his coming will be saved ALIVE in their MORTAL bodies to go into the Millennium to be taught of the Lord and if so be that they die being IN Jesus Christ during the 1000 year reign of Jesus they will be raised at the END of the Millennium to receive eternal life. But if so be that they die in SIN during the 1000 year reign of Jesus they will be raised to face the judgment of the lake of fire along with ALL the other WICKED who have died in wickedness since Adam. #33. In the 70th week (during the “tribulation”) as prophesied in Zechariah 13:8-9--TWO-THIRDS of Israel will NOT SURVIVE but will PERISH. The THIRD part of them will come through THE FIRE of that time, REFINED like silver and gold, and will SAY that the Lord is their God. It’s NOT the Church who will be refined by that terrible judgment! Here is what Zechariah 13:8-9 actually teaches us. “And it shall come to pass, that in ALL the LAND, says the LORD, two parts THEREIN (Speaking of two-thirds of ALL the LAND and NOT in all the EARTH) shall be cut off and DIE, but the third shall be left THEREIN. (Speaking of one third be left alive and not cut off in ALL the LAND speaking of the Middle East. The antichrist system will ONLY be given the power to kill in ONE-FOURTH part of the earth. Please read the study “COULD ISLAM BE THE MARK OF THE BEAST?”) 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire (Or one third that is left alive and not cut off will be brought through the fire), and WILL refine them as silver is refined (Referring to the yet FUTURE refining that will take place during the 1000 year reign of Jesus where they will be TAUGHT of the Lord), 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: (Speaking of ALL who call upon the Lord to be saved speaking of CHRISTIANS who have already called upon Jesus to be saved, and speaking of BOTH those Gentiles left of the nations and the Jews who call upon the name of the Lord to be saved) and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” So then, the question arises, are the TWO THIRDS who are cut off and killed during this time speaking of ONLY ISRAEL, or is it referring to ALL the people in the LAND? In other words, during the great tribulation and the WRATH of God, is TWO-THIRDS of ISRAEL the ONLY portion of ALL the people in ALL the LAND who are going to be affected? Absolutely NOT! So, therefore, the ONE-THIRD that is brought through the fire is NOT referring to JUST ISRAEL, but rather it is speaking of one-third of ALL the people in ALL the LAND. Now, it may work out mathematically that one-third of ALL the land will also be one-third of the children of Israel as well. But it is certain that BOTH Jews AND Gentiles will enter into the Millennium in their mortal bodies to be taught of the Lord and salvation through Jesus ONLY. There will be a REMNANT of the Jews and a REMNANT of the Gentile nations that will be saved alive in their mortal bodies through the first of God's WRATH right before the 1000 year reign of Jesus. Part 2 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-tribulation Rapture! Here are the reasons for a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church which I will show the error of interpretation of the verse used to try and prove a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church. DO NOT CONFUSE ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH! #29. There’s a DISTINCTION between the Church and Israel. Acts 15:14-15. Romans 11:25-27. Yes, I agree, the Bible does teach us that there is a difference between Israel and the church. But this does NOT prove a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The post-tribulation teaching makes this clear distinction as well. It should also be noted that God is making ONE people of Israel and the Gentiles, which is the church, and that the church is also called the ELECT or chosen of God. So then, Israel is the ELECT of God, but so ALSO is the CHURCH called the ELECT of God. The is no more Jew or Gentile or male or female among those of us who are saved. In truth, the CHURCH is spoken of as being the ELECT and Israel as God's chosen PEOPLE, but that is a study in and of itself. #30. To suggest that the Church will remain on earth for the tribulation CONFUSES the message of Daniel’s 70th week, and causes the Church TO RECEIVE what was APPOINTED to Israel and their Holy City. No, what CONFUSES the message of the 70th week spoken of in Daniel 9:24-27 is the INTERPRETATION given by those who teach the pre-tribulation point of view. It is the WRATH of God that the church is NOT appointed to and NOT the time of great tribulation. More on this later. Again, I will just give a brief reason why I oppose each argument and then later I will give the Scriptures to prove the sound Biblical POST-tribulation rapture of the church. #31. The UNITY of Daniel’s 70th week is MAINTAINED by the Pre-Trib view. By contrast, the Mid-Trib and Pre-Wrath views DESTROY that unity and confuse God’s PROGRAM for Israel with that of the Church. Again, nothing is being confused by the teaching of the POST tribulation timing of the rapture of the church and in no way does it destroy God's program or plans for his people Israel. God did NOT remove Israel from the earth while he turned to the GENTILES, who were added to the CHURCH or to the ELECT or the CHOSEN to be saved IN Jesus Christ. God is still yet dealing with his CHOSEN people Israel while the CHURCH is still here on the earth. But no Jew will be saved OUTSIDE of accepting Jesus as their MESSIAH. Jesus is the ONLY name under heaven that has been given among men whereby we all MUST be saved. The thing is that the word of God also teaches us the judgment must BEGIN at the HOUSE of God, speaking of the CHURCH and part of that judgment or TESTING is the time of great tribulation. #32. The Post-Trib view denies the clear teaching of the 70th week by subjecting the literal prophecy to one form or another of allegory. It gives Israel’s destiny to the Church! The church going through the great tribulation period does not assign the prophecies related ONLY to Israel to relate the church, which you, the reader and seeker of the truth, will clearly see as you continue to read this study in God's word to come to the knowledge of the TRUTH. There will be NO Jew that will be saved in this present world apart from accepting Jesus as their savior. And then, any Jew that accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior becomes a part of the CHURCH or the ELECT of God and they no longer are a JEW. It is ONLY those who are IN Jesus Christ faithful unto the end who will be rewarded with ETERNAL LIFE at the second coming of Jesus at the time of the rapture of the church. ANY other person, Jew or Gentile, who calls upon the name of the Lord AT his coming will be saved ALIVE in their MORTAL bodies to go into the Millennium to be taught of the Lord and if so be that they die being IN Jesus Christ during the 1000 year reign of Jesus they will be raised at the END of the Millennium to receive eternal life. But if so be that they die in SIN during the 1000 year reign of Jesus they will be raised to face the judgment of the lake of fire along with ALL the other WICKED who have died in wickedness since Adam. #33. In the 70th week (during the “tribulation”) as prophesied in Zechariah 13:8-9--TWO-THIRDS of Israel will NOT SURVIVE but will PERISH. The THIRD part of them will come through THE FIRE of that time, REFINED like silver and gold, and will SAY that the Lord is their God. It’s NOT the Church who will be refined by that terrible judgment! Here is what Zechariah 13:8-9 actually teaches us. “And it shall come to pass, that in ALL the LAND, says the LORD, two parts THEREIN (Speaking of two-thirds of ALL the LAND and NOT in all the EARTH) shall be cut off and DIE, but the third shall be left THEREIN. (Speaking of one third be left alive and not cut off in ALL the LAND speaking of the Middle East. The antichrist system will ONLY be given the power to kill is ONE-FOURTH part of the earth. Please read the study “COULD ISLAM BE THE MARK OF THE BEAST?”) 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire (Or one third that is left alive and not cut off will be brought through the fire), and WILL refine them as silver is refined (Referring to the yet FUTURE refining that will take place during the 1000 year reign of Jesus where they will be TAUGHT of the Lord), 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: (Speaking of ALL who call upon the Lord to be saved speaking of CHRISTIANS who have already called upon Jesus to be saved, and speaking of BOTH the Gentiles left of the nations and the Jews who call upon the name of the Lord to be saved) and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” So then, the question arises, are the TWO THIRDS who are cut off and killed during this time speaking of ONLY ISRAEL, or is it referring to ALL the people in the LAND? In other words, during the great tribulation and the WRATH of God is TWO-THIRDS of ISRAEL the ONLY portion of ALL the people in ALL the LAND who are going to be affected? Absolutely NOT! So, therefore, the ONE-THIRD that is brought through the fire is NOT referring to JUST ISRAEL, but rather it is speaking of one-third of ALL the people in ALL the LAND. Now, it may work out mathematically that one-third of ALL the land will also be one-third of the children of Israel as well. But it is certain that BOTH Jews AND Gentile will enter into the Millennium in the mortal bodies to be taught of the Lord and salvation through Jesus ONLY. There will be a REMNANT of the Jews and a REMENT of the Gentile names save lives through the first half of God's WARTH right before the 1000 year reign of Jesus. #34. The PROPHECY for ISRAEL clearly says, “Seventy weeks are DETERMINED upon your people (Daniel’s people--Israel) and upon your Holy City (Jerusalem).” Daniel 9:24. There is NO MENTION of the Church. There is no question or argument that the seventy weeks are determined upon Israel, but this does NOT prove that the church will NOT be present here on the Earth during the time of great tribulation. God did NOT take Israel out of the earth when he turned to the Gentiles so there is absolutely NO SOUND BIBLICAL reason to dogmatically demand that the CHURCH be taken out of the earth while God turns back again to deal with the Jews. #35. The Church Age fits into a PARENTHESIS that happens between Daniel’s 69th and 70th week. The disciples who followed Jesus during his ministry, who where the first disciples of the CHURCH that Jesus was building, were present during the 69th week, So then, one cannot put a clear dividing line that separates PEOPLE, who fit on BOTH SIDES of this imaginary line. When the timeline of PEOPLE is involved there is an OVERLAPPING transition of dispensations. Likewise in the last days, there will be an OVERLAPPING of the church being present while God will once again deal with Israel. #36. God STOPPED Israel’s CLOCK in order for the Church Age to happen. God won’t RESTART Israel’s CLOCK until the after Church Age is finished. Again, this is an ERROR in the line of reasoning by those that teach the pre-tribulation point of view because, CLEARLY, ISRAEL did NOT need to be REMOVED from the Earth in order for God to speak to a people who did not seek him. You see, Israel is STILL here on the Earth while God has directed his focus on the church in order to provoke Israel to jealousy. In the SAME manner, the CHURCH will be here ON the Earth DURING the time of GREAT TRIBULATION showing our rock-solid faith to die for the sake of the TRUTH that Jesus IS the MESSIAH. Also, the clock is not totally stopped because some of Israel have and are still coming to saving faith in Jesus. so the lines are NOT so cut and dry as those who teach the PRE-tribulation rapture will like them to be. #37. The dispensation of Israel (under the law) was INTERRUPTED by the dispensation of God’s Grace through the Church. When the dispensation of GRACE in the Church is complete, then God will RESUME and FINISH the INTERRUPTED dispensation of His law in Israel. Clearly shown by the GAP between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel 9:24-27. I agree that there are different “DISPENSATIONS” or different periods of time where God seems to change the way in which he is dealing with mankind in order to reconcile mankind back to himself. And yes, there is a gap between the 69th and the 70th week, but this does NOT prove that the church will NOT go through the time of great tribulation. Again God does not ABRUPTLY end one dispensation that CUTS people in HALF, so to speak. Even the giving of the LAW took forty days of Moses being on the mountain top just to receive the law. So then, if clear cut lines are to be drawn where there is NO OVERLAPPING whatsoever, then you will need to ADD many more DISPENSATIONS in the mix and then support them with scripture. And by the way the is NO MORE sacrifice for sins so the law will NOT RESUME, but rather the teaching of JESUS will continue with the Jews AND those left alive of the nations who repent at the coming of Jesus. #38. Yes, there are DISPENSATIONS in God’s dealing with mankind during the millenniums. (I mention this because many people OBJECT to the idea of God having separate programs, especially for the Church and Israel.) A “dispensation” is defined as God’s MANNER OF WORKING as He performs His ADMINISTRATION, overseeing various groups of people throughout the scripture. He has dealt with VARIOUS groups in DIFFERING means of ADMINISTRATION. We can SEE it by paying CAREFUL attention to what’s recorded in the whole Bible. Dispensations are CLEARLY mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:17, Ephesians 1:10, Ephesians 3:2 and Colossians 1:25-26. Again, there is no dispute or argument against there being different dispensations of God in working with mankind. But having different dispensations does NOT prove that the church will NOT go through the period of the great tribulation. #39. The tribulation (all 7 years of it) is distinctly JEWISH in nature. I totally DISAGREE. The Bible teaches that the time of great tribulation is a 3 1/2 year period of time. And the WHOLE word of Almighty God CLEARLY teaches that the CHURCH will go THROUGH the ENTIRE period of GREAT TRIBULATION as you will PLAINLY see as you CONTINUE this study in God's word if you are truly seeking the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God. #40. In the Church, there is NEITHER Jew or Gentile, but ALL are ONE in Christ’s BODY. Ephesians 2:11-22. Galatians 3:28. Yes, I totally agree, IN the CHURCH there is neither Jew, nor Gentile, but DURING the time of great tribulation there will be BOTH Jews and the CHURCH, right along with Gentile nations, just as there is BOTH Jews and Christians today. However, at ANY time ANY Jew or Gentile may accept Jesus as their savior and BECOME part of the CHURCH both now and during the time of great tribulation. Please keep in mind that the time of great tribulation is NOT the WRATH of Almighty God. Please see the study “WRATH OF GOD VERSUS THE GREAT TRIBULATION!” #41. Yet in the tribulation, there IS a distinction. Revelation 7:1-17--144,000 sealed servants from the twelve tribes of Israel. Jeremiah 30:7 --which speaks of the tribulation as “Jacob’s trouble.” Yes, Revelation 7:1-17 makes a clear distinction between the sealing of the 144,000 servants of Israel and the CHURCH that is seen before the throne of God that has come OUT of GREAT TRIBULATION as described to us in Revelation 7:9-17. The rapture of the church happens first and then the 144,000 are sealed right before the WRATH of God is poured out by Jesus. Revelation 7:9-17. “AFTER this (Or after the sealing of the 144,000) I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of ALL nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, 12. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. 13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence (Or from WHERE) came they? 14. And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came OUT of GREAT TRIBULATION, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15. Therefore, are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sits on the throne shall dwell among them. 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sunlight on them, nor any heat. 17. For the Lamb 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.” Now, IF this great multitude is NOT the CHURCH that came OUT of GREAT TRIBULATION who are now standing before the throne of God, then WHO are they? Well, those who teach the pre-tribulation point of view CLAIM that this great multitude from ALL nations and people of the world are the “SO-CALLED” tribulations saints and NOT he CHURCH. But IF this were TRUE, then WHY the NEED to SEAL JUST the 144,000 of the tribes of Israel? And WHY does the word of TRUTH, the Holy Bible, clearly identify these saints as being washed in the BLOOD of JESUS? Only Christians, the body of Christ, the CHURCH, the BRIDE of Jesus are washed in the BLOOD of JESUS. The TRUTH of the matter is that BOTH the CHURCH and these 144,000 sealed of the twelve tribes of Israel have ALREADY gone THROUGH the time of GREAT TRIBULATION and the CHURCH is now before the throne of God. The 144,000 JEWS are being sealed to guarantee a remnant of God's people to remain alive during the WRATH that is about to be poured out upon ALL people both Jews and Gentile EXCEPT for the CHURCH that is NOT appointed to the WRATH of God and these 144,000 SEALED of the twelve tribes of Israel. #42. During the chapters of Revelation which gives DETAILS about the tribulation, the Church is not mentioned--not even ONCE. From Revelation 6 through Revelation 18. This statement is very misleading and very DECEPTIVE! Yes, it is absolutely TRUE that the WORD “CHURCH” is NOT found in the above-mentioned chapters, but this does NOT prove that the church itself, as in, the body of BELIEVERS and FOLLOWERS of Jesus Christ are not found mentioned in these chapters of Revelation 6 through Revelation 18. The TRUTH of the matter is that the word “CHURCH” is NOT found in even ONE TIME in the gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, and it is ONLY found three times in the gospel of Matthew, once in Matthew 16:18 and two other times in Matthew 18:17. So does this mean that Mark, Luke, and John have NOTHING whatsoever to do with the CHURCH just because the WORD “CHURCH” is NOT found in them? How ABSOLUTELY ABSURD would that be to arrive at such a foolish conclusion as that? And yet this is exactly the SAME kind of LOGIC that is used by some Christians, who teach the FALSE doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Furthermore, the WORD “CHURCH” is also NOT found in 2 Peter, Jude, 2 John, and is ONLY found in Chapter 16 of the book of Romans, and TWICE in the book of Hebrews, ONE time in the beginning and ONE time at the END, very similar to the book of Revelation. Very DECEIVING indeed to try and use this kind of argument in order to TRY to make your own personal INTERPRETATION of a PRE-tribulation rapture make sense. Can you not see my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, that IF this kind of ILLOGICAL reasoning is used consistently, then it would have to be concluded that MOST of the New Testament have NOTHING whatsoever to do with the CHURCH, simply because the WORD, “CHURCH” is NOT found in most of the New Testament. Now, I am certain that those who teach the pre-tribulation are not INTENTIONALLY deceiving the body of Christ but rather it is just that they have NOT thought this line of reasoning through before using it. #43. The Church is the KEY player (sharing the Gospel) from Acts to Jude. Yes, most certainly she is, but as I have shown above the WORD “CHURCH” does NOT appear in MOST of the New Testament but yet the church is still PRESENT and mentioned THROUGHOUT the entire New Testament. The church is SEEN and RECOGNIZED by other words such as SAINTS, SERVANTS, PRIESTS, BRETHREN, believers, followers, witnesses for Jesus and so forth. And the SAME types of wording that REPRESENT the church throughout the other New Testament books are ALSO found throughout the ENTIRE book of Revelation. #44. The Church is a KEY player in Revelation 1 to 5 AND is seen again in Revelation 19 to 22. Again, my point has already been made that there is NO RELEVANCE to the fact that the WORD, “CHURCH” which is ONLY found in Revelation chapters 1 through 4 and ONCE as “CHURCHES” in the very LAST book of Revelation chapter 22 and verse 16. But to make my point even further the WORD, “CHURCH” is NOT found in Revelation chapter 5 which is one of the primary chapters that is USED to show that the CHURCH has ALREADY been RAPTURE up into heaven. How CONVENIENT is that to HAND PICK what verses they want to use or NOT use to show that the church is present or NOT present! Even in Revelation chapter 19 where, the CHURCH is definitely seen the WORD, “church” is NOT found. Again, HOW CONVENIENT to be able to hand-select when the church can be SEEN and when the church CANNOT be seen even when the word “CHURCH” is not present! The TRUTH of the matter is that the CHURCH, that is to say, BELIEVERS or SERVANTS of our Lord Jesus Christ can be SEEN DURING the time of GREAT TRIBULATION in the book of Revelation. #45. There’s an ABSENCE of TEACHING about the TRIBULATION in KEY “Church-related” Bible passages. That’s why there is NO INSTRUCTION given to the Church on how to LIVE THROUGH the tribulation. BECAUSE the Church will NOT need to know HOW TO SURVIVE the tribulation. The Church will NOT be in it! What about throughout most of the New Testament? Matthew chapter 24 for example. All the verses that teach us to WATCH and PRAY, to HOLD FAST, to ENDURE and not cast away our confidence. Why even the very first four chapters of the book of Revelation that specifically address the CHURCH are filled with WARNING of HOW the CHURCH is to LIVE in order to OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come. There are WARNINGS in the book of Revelation for Christians to NOT take the mark of the beast! The teachings of Jesus warned us to NOT fear what man can do to us, but rather fear God. There are many verses of Scripture in the New Testament teaching us, the CHURCH, to be FAITHFUL unto death. Even right there in the passages of Scriptures that teach us about the Rapture of the church we are taught that whether we live or whether we die we KNOW that we shall live with Jesus. #46. When ISRAEL was CENTRAL in the Old Testament, the Church was a MYSTERY. Well, in TRUTH, the church is in PROPHECY but yes it was not recognized by the religious leaders in the Old Testament. So I would have to agree that the church was, in essence, a mystery to many in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, we are told that the PROPHETS desired to look into what these prophecies meant. So there was at least some understanding that God was going to do something NEW but they just did not understand what those verses meant. But this does NOT prove a PRE-tribulation rapture. #47. When Israel was the CENTRAL FOCUS in the Gospels, the Church is virtually unmentioned. Yes, perhaps virtually UNRECOGNIZED, but none the less prophesied to be a people who were not a people seeking God. It is true that Jesus was sent to his people the JEWS, but Jesus was sent to the Jews to preach the GOSPEL, and to reveal the FATHER to the Jew first. In truth, the central focus of the gospels is the NEW COVENANT and that Jesus was to suffer and die on the cross shedding his blood to ESTABLISH the NEW COVENANT in his blood. So in truth, the CHURCH was indeed the focus in the gospels to the Jew FIRST and then when they rejected this so great a salvation God turned to the Gentile, but the mindset of the early church was to preach the gospel to the Jew FIRST and then to the Gentiles if so be that the Jews rejected the Gospel. Somehow this mindset has faded in the church today and some Christians never even THINK to preach the gospel to a Jew. But this does NOT prove a PRE-tribulation rapture. #48. When the CHURCH is the FOCUS in Acts through Jude, ISRAEL is NOT mentioned (EXCEPT when the Apostles told THE CHURCH to NOT to deem themselves better--ISRAEL will be grafted back in. PLUS there is neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile) in the CHURCH, but ALL are the BODY OF CHRIST). The fact that Israel or the Jewish people are not mentioned as much as the church is because God is changing the way that he is working with mankind. This proves nothing but the fact that ALL who are SAVED must be saved THROUGH Jesus Christ the standard of righteousness. So the fact remains that the JEWS of ISRAEL were and are STILL ON the Earth WHILE God is doing a NEW WORK called the CHURCH. And God still expects the church to preach the gospel to the Jews and to the Gentiles all trough the time of great tribulation. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to remove the church and they replace the church with a NEW set of believers called the “tribulation saints” as if they are not part of the church or the bride of Jesus Christ. What Scriptural PROOF is there for such illogical teaching that God is supposedly going to remove the church to ESCAPE the time of great tribulation and then raise up a NEW group of believers to PREACH the gospel during the time of great tribulation. How is that fair to those saints who must go through the time of great tribulation to supposedly take over the job of the church the preach the gospel for the last 3 1/2 years? And then, supposedly, according to those who teach a pre-trib rapture, these tribulation saints are not a part of the church or the bride of Jesus. So the question arises, is the CHURCH not worthy enough to continue on for 3 1/2 more years to finish the job started by Jesus to preach the gospel to the Jew first and then to the Gentile nearly 2000 years ago? #49. The Church is CENTRAL in Revelation 1 to 3 (mentioned 19 times) and is also seen in Revelation 4 and 5 in the description of the 24 elders. Israel is NOT mentioned in those first chapters. This statement is FALSE according to the LOGIC or those who teach a pre-tribulation rapture saying that the church is not mentioned past Revelation 4:1 simply because the WORD “church” is not found! So following that SAME ridiculous logic the WORD “Israel” is, in fact, mentioned in Revelation 2:14 which is the letters to the CHURCHES. Revelation 2:14. “I have a few things against you because you have there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of ISRAEL, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” So, therefore, according to this nonsensical logic that Israel is, indeed, mentioned, simply because the WORD “Israel” appears in the second chapter of Revelation does this prove that Israel is there? NO! At least not with this verse because this verse is talking about Israel during the Old Testament times. Of course, the church is central in the first three chapters because these chapters contain the LETTERS to the seven CHURCHES that are in Asia. But just because the WORD “church” does not appear in Revelation chapter 4 through the end of the book of Revelation does NOT mean that the church is no longer the CENTRAL focus of the ENTIRE book of Revelation. Now, this particular PRE-trib writer does concede a little and admits that even though the WORD “church” does not appear in Revelation chapters 4, 5, 19, 20, 21, and 22 the church is still yet the focus in these chapters as well. But she still yet stands firm even dogmatically demanding that the church is nowhere to be found in Revelation chapter 6 through the end of Revelation chapter 18 in point # 42. Now, I myself have to strongly disagree with this line of REASONING that the church is NOT found in Revelation chapter 6-18! I will explain why in a moment, but first lets us examine the reasons why this pre-trib writer concedes to saying YES the church is seen past Revelation 4:1 even though the word church is not found. This PRE-trib writer mentions the 24 elders and being PROOF for the church being seen in Revelation chapter 4. Now, for ME personally, I believe that the 24 elders are a representation of the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel totaling to 24 elders. Just like the 12 foundations represent the apostles and the 12 gates represent the 12 tribes of Israel in Revelation 21:9-14, which teaches us this TRUTH. Revelation 22:9-14. “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will SHOW you the BRIDE, the Lamb's WIFE. (Wait a minute, according to the PRE-tribulation rapture doctrine the CHURCH is NOT mentioned until Revelation chapters 18- 22 but yet the WORD church is not found in any of these chapters either. So the Lambs BRIDE must be the so-called “TRIBULATION SAINTS” and NOT the church. Can you not see how ridiculous this PRE-trib argument truly is when you examine the Scriptures for yourself? What right doe PRE-tribulation Christians have to pick and chose which words to refer to only the church and which words refer to the so-called tribulation saints when words, like the SAINTS and the BRETHREN, always refer to the CHURCH in the other books of the New Testament?) 10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and SHOWED me that GREAT CITY, (Which I believe represents the BRIDE or who is now the WIFE of Jesus) the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11. Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12. And had a wall great and high, and had TWELVE gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and NAMES written thereon, (Or the NAME on these TWELVE gates) which are the NAMES of the TWELVE TRIBES of the children of ISRAEL. 13. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14. And the wall of the city had TWELVE foundations, and IN them (Or IN these TWELVE foundations) the NAMES of the TWELVE APOSTLES of the Lamb.” COINCIDENCE? Perhaps, But since this verse CLEARLY describes the BRIDE or WIFE of Jesus as being comprised of BOTH the CHURCH and the twelve tribes of Israel, then for ME, I do not think it to be much of a stretch to INTERPRET the 24 ELDERS as being comprised of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb along with the 12 tribes of Israel. So then, in the light of this interpretation BOTH the church AND Israel are seen in Revelation chapter 4. So then what about chapters 6-18? I mean if the word “ELDERS” can prove that the church is seen in Revelation chapter 4, then what about the word “SAINT”? Are we as Christians not called SAINTS in the New Testament? Yes, indeed, we as Christians, the CHURCH, the BRIDE of Jesus are called “SAINTS” throughout the New Testament. AND Christians are continued to be called “SAINTS” throughout the book of Revelation but I will only point out the times that the CHURCH is mention in Revelation chapters 6-18 by the word “SAINTS”. Revelation 8:3. “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of ALL the SAINTS upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” Revelation 8:4. “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the SAINTS, ASCENDED UP before God out of the angel's hand.” Revelation 11:18. “And the nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should give reward unto your SERVANTS the prophets, and to the SAINTS, and them that fear your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth. (Speaking of pouring out the WRATH of God upon them which are destroying the earth.)” Revelation 13:7. “And it was given unto him to make war with the SAINTS, and to overcome them: and power was given him over ALL kindred, and tongues, and nations.” Now COMPARE Revelation 13:7 with Daniel 7:18-22. “But the SAINTS of the most-High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. 19. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20. And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. (Which horn we all agree is the antichrist during the time of the great tribulation) 21. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most-High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Revelation 13:10. “He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the SAINTS.” Revelation 14:12. “Here is the patience of the SAINTS: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 15:3. “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, you King of SAINTS.” Revelation 16:6. “For they have shed the blood of SAINTS and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” Revelation 17:6. “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the SAINTS, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” Revelation 18:24. “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of SAINTS, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” So that leaves chapters 6,7,9,10, and 12 in the book of Revelation where the word SAINTS is not used. So then, since the word “church” and the word “saints” are NOT found in these 5 chapters of the book of Revelation does this mean, without fail, that the body of Jesus Christ, the church, is NOT mentioned in these 5 chapters? What about the WORD “BRETHREN”? are not Christians called the BRETHREN throughout the New Testament. Is ISRAEL ever called the BRETHREN without being a true born-again believer in Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Revelation 6:11. “And white robes were given unto every one of them; (Referring to the saints who have died IN Jesus Christ who are now up in heaven under the altar awaiting the first resurrection of the dead IN Jesus Christ) and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until THEIR FELLOW SERVANTS ALSO and THEIR BRETHREN, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” How can you be the FELLOW SERVANTS and the BRETHREN of Christians and NOT be a part of the same CHURCH? This verse alone proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the PRE-tribulation rapture doctrine is a FALSE teaching. The CHURCH is, “indeed” found throughout the entire book of Revelation. Revelation 12:10,11. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of OUR BRETHREN is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11. And they (Speaking of the BRETHREN, the CHURCH) overcame him BY the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Does Israel overcome Satan by the blood of the LAMB? No, dear children of God, ONLY Christians overcome Satan BY the blood of Jesus Christ. ALL of these verses you just read are speaking of the CHURCH, the dear saints and brethren who will be going THROUGH the time of the 3 ½ years of the great tribulation. Now this leaves chapters 7,9 and 10 in the book of Revelation which I have already proved my point that the CHURCH is indeed the focus in these chapters as well along WITH Israel as the ONLY TWO groups of people who stand for the TRUE God in all the earth. Revelation 7:9-14 clearly teaches us the church came out of great tribulation so therefore the church had to go THROUGH the great tribulation in order to come out of great tribulation. Also, please notice the WORD “ELDER” in Revelation chapter 7, which was used to PROVE that the CHURCH was indeed seen in Revelation chapter 5 by those who teach the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Revelation 7:9-14. “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of ALL nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (This great multitude that came out of great tribulation is NOT speaking of ONLY ISRAEL as those who teach the false PRE-tribulation rapture would have us believe.) 10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, 12. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. 13. And one of the ELDERS answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14. And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which CAME OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” In Revelation 10:7 we read where the mystery of God speaking about the RAPTURE of the church in 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 will be accomplished, finished or completed AT the LAST TRUMPET. This is the time of the rapture of the church taking place AT the time of the LAST TRUMPET in Revelation chapter 10:7. Revelation 10:7. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” This only leaves Revelation chapter 9 where the church is not clearly and plainly mentioned but neither is Israel clearly and plainly mentioned in this chapter either. However, we do see FAITHFUL believers who have the SEAL of God in their foreheads and later these faithful believers do NOT take the Mark of the beast, so to ME, this is speaking of the CHURCH and ISRAEL. Revelation 9:4 “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the SEAL of God in their foreheads.” But even if the church is not specifically found in the ONE single chapter in the entire book of Revelation this does not prove that the church does NOT go through the entire period of the great tribulation. My point is made perfectly clear that the church is, indeed, found throughout the entire book of Revelation. #50. When Israel is in FOCUS IN Revelation 6 to 18, the Church is NOT mentioned. Again, HOW DECEIVING and misleading this ILLOGICAL line of REASONING is in the light of the whole word of Almighty God. As I have already clearly shown the church is, INDEED, found in Revelation chapter 6. Lets us read Revelation 6:11 again because this verse PROVES that the church is found throughout the book of Revelation. Revelation 6:11. “And white robes were given unto every one of them; (Referring to the saints who have died IN Jesus Christ who are now up in heaven under the altar awaiting the first resurrection of the dead IN Jesus Christ) and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until THEIR FELLOW SERVANTS ALSO and THEIR BRETHREN, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” How can you be the FELLOW SERVANTS and the BRETHREN of Christians and NOT be a part of the CHURCH? This verse alone proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the PRE-tribulation rapture doctrine is a FALSE teaching. The CHURCH is, “indeed” found throughout the entire book of Revelation. #51. Only when God’s PURPOSE for BOTH the Church and Israel is finished--then God SPEAKS of them TOGETHER. Revelation 19 to 22. The TRUTH of the matter is that BOTH the CHURCH and ISRAEL are the ONLY TWO WITNESS that stand for the ONE TRUE GOD in all the Earth, both NOW and DURING the time of GREAT TRIBULATION. I will explain this in greater detail later on in this study in God's word. #52. There are NO passages in either the Old or New Testament which SPECIFICALLY SAYS that the Church will go through the tribulation. (Try to find where it SPECIFICALLY SAYS that the Church will be IN the tribulation--it can’t be found!) Perhaps not SPECIFICALLY, as in, PLAINLY STATING “the CHURCH WILL GO THROUGH the time of GREAT TRIBULATION” but Jesus teaches us in Matthew chapter 24 that the ELECT will have much TRIBULATION. And TRIBULATION and persecution have always been appointed to the CHURCH. Then in Revelation chapter 7, which we have already seen in point #41 that believers washed in the blood of the Lamb, which to ME is definitely speaking of the CHURCH is clearly and plainly said to have come OUT of GREAT TRIBULATION. Then again, on the same line of WEAK reasoning, there are NO verses that SPECIFICALLY STATE that the CHURCH will NOT go through the time of GREAT TRIBULATION, Jesus specifically states in Matthew 24 that his coming will be IMMEDIATELY AFTER the TRIBULATION of those days. So, in reality, this argument or so-called REASON is pointless. Matthew 24:29-31. “ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31. And he shall send 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.” So, in reality, this argument or so-called REASON is pointless. Christians who do not believe in ANY rapture make the same pointless argument that nowhere in the Bible does it SPECIFICALLY STATE that there will be a rapture of the church. And the argument could also be made that nowhere in the Bible does it specifically state that the church will be raptured BEFORE the time of great tribulation. Use your brain and THINK things through for yourself my dear brothers and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ. We all agree that our CHANGE from mortal to immortality will take place AT the LAST trumpet, according to 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. And here in Matthew 24, we see a great sound of a TRUMPET which we all agree is speaking of the SECOND coming of Jesus when he will execute the WRATH of Almighty God. Now, IF SO BE that our CHANGE takes place BEFORE the great tribulation then THAT TRUMPET at the rapture of the church MUST, without fail be the LAST trumpet. But yet, the Bible ITSELF clearly teaches us that the LAST trumpet will be AT the time of the SECOND coming when Jesus will send his angels to GATHER the ELECT. So then, either Jesus is a liar or the PRE-tribulation rapture teachers have ERRORED in their understanding of the Scriptures because, according to the words of Jesus, there WILL be a TRUMPET sounding AT his COMING in Matthew 24:29-31. #53. The tribulation is called THE TIME of “Jacob’s Trouble” Jeremiah 30:7. The tribulation is NEVER called the time of “The Church’s Trouble.” Here is what Jeremiah 30:7 actually says. “Alas! for THAT DAY is GREAT (Speaking of that GREAT and NOTABLE DAY of the Lord wherein the WRATH of Almighty God is poured out and NOT the time of great tribulation spoken of in Matthew 24 by Jesus), so that NONE is like it: IT (Speaking of the DAY of the Lord, or the GREAT DAY of God as described to us in Revelation 16:14, IT, the DAY of God's WRATH) is even the TIME of Jacob's TROUBLE; but he shall be SAVED out of it.” This great day that is called the TIME of Jacob's TROUBLE is NOT to be CONFUSED with the 3 1/2 years of tribulation that Jesus describes in Matthew chapter 24:15-22. Jesus is teaching us that beginning with the time of the abomination of desolation spoken by the prophet Daniel there will be GREAT TRIBULATION such as there has never been before since men were on the Earth to this same time and shall never be again. Satan will know that his time is SHORT so Satan’s wrath will be great against God’s people, BOTH the Christians and the Jews. And I believe that the greatest persecution and killing of the Christians and the Jews will be primarily in Islamic Muslim dominated countries in the Middle. I believe that ISLAM IS the MARK of the beast. That is one reason why some things in these verses seem to be speaking about Israel. For you see, the antichrist system if ONLY given the power to kill in ONE-FOURTH part of the earth. And the Islamic Muslim countries covering about ONE-FOURTH part of the earth. And none hates the Jews and Christians more than the radical Islamic Muslims who will seek to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. But God will deliver a REMNANT of his people, the children of Israel. I pray that it will be more than just the 144,000 sealed Jews but I do not know for sure. Matthew 24:15-22. “When YOU, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (WHOSOEVER reads, let him understand:) 16. Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: (Speaking of BOTH the Christians and the Jews who UNDERSTAND that Jerusalem is just about to be made a desolation by the surrounding Islamic Muslim armies) 17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: 18. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20. But pray YOU that YOUR flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: (Christians will be in Israel and the surrounding countries doing their best to try and persuade the Jews to FLEE Jerusalem and their homeland, And IF the fleeing should happen to be on a Sabbath day it will be even more difficult to persuade the Jews to flee their land on a Sabbath day) 21. For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the ELECT'S (Speaking of BOTH the CHURCH and Israel) sake those days shall be shortened.” Now, I can see how the TIME of Jacob's TROUBLE can be confused with the time of GREAT TRIBULATION because of the phase, “such as was NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” when it is compared to the phrase in Jeremiah 30:7 which says, “so that NONE is like it.” Perhaps, if I explain the TIMELINE, you will be able to see that while both verses are, in essence, speaking of the same time in HISTORY, they are NOT speaking of the EXACT SAME EVENTS that occur in the SAME time in HISTORY. Although, it is not actually technically HISTORY yet. This TIME is still yet in the future at the writing of this study. Let me explain what I mean. First comes the ABOMINATION of DESOLATION which begins the period of GREAT TRIBULATION for BOTH the CHURCH and ISRAEL. This period of GREAT TRIBULATION in which BOTH the CHURCH and ISRAEL will be PRESENT ON the Earth while it is taking place, will last for 3 1/2 years or 1260 days. Then IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS PARTICULAR TIME of GREAT TRIBULATION, there will be SIGNS in the SUN and in the MOON and in the STARS, and the POWERS of heaven shall be SHAKEN. And THEN after these signs in the sun, moon, and stars, we all see the SIGN of the Son of man COMING again to the Earth, which is what the Bible calls the SECOND coming. Now to this ORDER of events or to this timeline of events most every Christians agrees as being the truth of the whole word of God. It is only in whether or not the church is present on the earth DURING these events that the disagreement arises. Now, I myself firmly believe beyond any shadow of a doubt that is AT this TIME of the SECOND coming of Jesus that the RAPTURE of the CHURCH occurs where the DEAD in Christ rise from the dead, which is called the FIRST resurrection, and then we who have REMAINED ALIVE and have SURVIVED this 3 1/2 years of GREAT TRIBULATION shall be CAUGHT UP of RAPTURE UP in the AIR TOGETHER with the now RESURRECTED dead in Christ, and then we will all be GATHERED TOGETHER by the angels of Jesus from all over the world and taken to a place called in the Hebrew tongue ARMAGEDDON to MEET our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ in the AIR. Then after we are safe in the chariots of God to be with Jesus when he executes the wrath of God upon those who are seeking to destroy Israel by literally wiping them off the face of the earth. To ME, this speaks of the Muslim nations who hate Israel with a passion and want even today to see Israel completely made desolate. However, not ALL of mankind will be slain in the WRATH of Almighty God as some falsely teach. You see dear child of God, some of the Jews or Israel, as well as SOME of those in all the nations of the world, will CALL upon the NAME of the Lord to be SAVED. Now they will not be saved in the same sense that Christians are saved at the rapture of the church and given eternal life, but rather those saved AFTER the rapture has taken place saved ALIVE. In other words, they will be RESCUED or SAVED in the sense that they will NOT be KILLED, but they will NOT be SAVED in the sense that the will RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE at this point in time. BUT RATHER those who CALL upon the Lord when they SEE him coming will go into the 1000 year reign of Jesus in their MORTAL bodies to be TAUGHT of the Lord. It is THIS period of TIME that IMMEDIATELY follows the RAPTURE of the CHURCH at the TIME of the SECOND coming of Jesus that is called of known as the TIME of JACOB'S trouble because the CHURCH will have just been RAPTURE. You see the TIME of JACOB'S trouble is the WRATH of Almighty God and NOT the time of GREAT TRIBULATION. I will PROVE WITHOUT a DOUBT that the TIME of GREAT TRIBULATION is NOT the WRATH of Almighty God a little later on in this study of God's word. But for now, let us continue to look at the next four reasons in this section of the church NOT being confused with Israel. #54. The Church has NO PART in the first 69 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy, and it will have NO PART in the final 70th week either! If the time of great tribulation is, in fact, part of the 70th week then the CHURCH going THROUGH the great tribulation does NOT mean that they are TAKING PART of the 70th week. Noah was present on the Earth and went THROUGH the flood but they did NOT TAKE PART in the FLOOD in the SAME way as the rest of the world was destroyed by the same flood. The same is true of Lot. The same is true of the plagues in Egypt. So why is it so hard to see that it will be the same during the time of GREAT TRIBULATION? Those who take the mark of the beast are effected by the plagues when the saints and servants of God are NOT affected by the plagues. To ME, this proves that the church is without a doubt going to go THROUGH the time of great tribulation, but this does NOT mean that ALL things written in the book of Revelation will come upon the CHURCH. The church has already REPENTED and is serving God in righteousness. These judgments are NOT for the church, but rather for the ungodly and wicked people as well as for Israel to provoke them to call upon the name of the Lord. Now, the church will be heavily persecuted during this time of great tribulation like never before nor ever shall be again. And SOME Christians may fall into the snare of the devil and suffer things like storms, earthquakes, and even famine, while other Christians stand upon the promises of God to be protected and have their needs met. Also, all places on the earth will not suffer the same things. For example, the children of Israel are flown to a place called the wilderness to be fed and nourished by the church. Please read revelation 12:6. “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” Now, I myself, INTERPRET this place called the wilderness to be the USA and the THEY as godly people in this country, namely the CHURCH. Now, initially when Israel sees herself surrounded by Muslim ARMIES with no escape some will flee to the mountain where they will be airlifted to the USA to safety. Revelation chapter 12 basically repeats this same verse 6 again in verse 12 saying that Israel will be carried on two wings of an EAGLE and I myself INTERPRET this to mean that John SAW an emblem of the American bald eagle on a cargo plane loaded with God's people being lifted up and carried to what the bible calls the wilderness. Please read Revelation 12:12. “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” #55. The GODLY REMNANT of the tribulation has descriptions and attributes upon them--THE SAME as seen upon Old Testament ISRAEL. The Church is NOT present during that time--there are NO “Church-related descriptions” upon tribulation saints. The only REMNANT that we are told about in the book of Revelation other than the remnant of the nations that are slain is the remnant of those of that I see as REPENTING when they see the WRATH of God coming upon the world. Please read Revelation 11:13. “And the SAME HOUR was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the REMNANT was frightened, and GAVE GLORY to the God of heaven.” The SAME HOUR I believe refers to the WRATH of God that occurs immediately AFTER the RAPTURE of the CHURCH. I believe that this REMNANT here is speaking NOT ONLY of a REMNANT of ISRAEL but also a REMNANT of those in all nations of the Earth that REPENT and give glory to God by CALLING on his name. #56. The Pre-Trib view (UNLIKE Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, and Pre-Wrath), does NOT CONFUSE terms like “elect” and “saints” OF THE TRIBULATION with the Church. Terms like CHURCH and IN CHRIST apply ONLY to those who are IN the BODY OF CHRIST in THIS AGE, and these terms are NEVER found in passages that relate to the tribulation. It is those who teach this FALSE doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture who CONFUSE terms like the “ELECT” because CLEARLY the WHOLE word of God uses this term ELECT to describe the CHURCH. But I personally believe this term can ALSO refer to ISRAEL because the word “ELECT” simply means CHOSEN. And BOTH Israel and the church have been CHOSEN by God. Also, I have already clearly shown that other terms that refer to the CHURCH like SAINTS and BRETHREN and the blood of the LAMB do, indeed, appear all through the book of Revelation. The ONLY reason that the PRE-trib view argues this point so much is that they NEED the church to NOT be found in any part of the book of Revelation that the GREAT tribulation is found. For you see, if they admit that the church is found in the same passage of Scripture that things that will take place during the great tribulation then their whole THEORY of a PRE-tribulation ESCAPE rapture will fall apart. #57. Israel is NOT cut-off from the COVENANTS that God gave them. But blindness (in part) will be their destiny UNTIL the Church is complete. Acts 15:14-16. Romans 11:1 and Romans 11:25-27. Here is Acts 15:14-17 which says, “Simeon has declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to TAKE OUT of them a people for his name. (This simply means that only SOME of all the Gentiles will BELIEVE the gospel and be saved. This verse is not saying that God is literally taking the GENTILE church only out of the earth. The church is made up of both the JEWS and the Gentile believers. This verse is just talking about the GENTILES who were not a people as yet. 15. And to this, agree, the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16. AFTER THIS I will return, and will build AGAIN the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the RUINS thereof, and I will set it up: 17. That the RESIDUE of men might SEEK after the Lord, and ALL the GENTILES, upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, who does all these things.” The phrase “TAKE OUT of them a people for his name” could be speaking of the rapture of the church but as I said before the church is comprised of BOTH Jews AND Gentiles who BELIEVE in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And the context of this verse is speaking of ONLY Gentiles. So then, more likely this verse is referring to the Gentiles who CALL upon the Lord AFTER the rapture of the church has taken place AT the SECOND coming of Jesus when they SEE the WRATH of God beginning to be poured out upon the world. Notice that Jesus himself will REBUILD the TEMPLE or tabernacle of David so that the RESIDUE of MEN and ALL the GENTILES might SEEK after the Lord. So yes, definitely God will STILL be working with mankind AFTER the RAPTURE of the CHURCH has taken place. And the ONLY people who will receive ETERNAL LIFE at the second coming of Jesus are the faithful CHURCH. I personally do not believe that the remnant of Jews who REPENT at the second coming of Jesus will receive eternal life at that time, but rather they will go into the Millennium in their MORTAL bodies to be taught of the Lord. Also, those who will be left of the nations, speaking of the GENTILE nations will go into the Millennium as well in their MORTAL bodies to be taught of the Lord. The age of mortal human beings will be 100 years of age so there will be many generations being born and dying during this 1000 year reign of Jesus. Here is Romans 11:25-27. “For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part has happened to Israel, UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles have come in. 26. 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: 27. For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.” So then, WHEN or at WHAT TIME will the FULLNESS of the GENTILES be come in? In other words, WHEN is the AGE, the TIME or the DISPENSATION of the Gentiles going to be FULFILLED? For the SOUND Biblical ANSWER to this question please read Luke 21:24-28 which CLEARLY teaches us that the TIME of the Gentiles will be FULFILLED at the SECOND coming of Jesus immediately AFTER we see the SIGNS in the SUN and in the MOON, and in the STARS, and the POWERS of heaven SHAKEN, which is clearly AFTER the time of great tribulation. Luke 2:24-28. “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. 25. And there shall be SIGNS in the SUN, and in the MOON, and in the STARS; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26. Men's hearts failing them for FEAR, and for looking after those things which are COMING on the earth: FOR (Or BECAUSE of) the POWERS of heaven shall be SHAKEN. 27. And THEN shall they SEE the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28. And WHEN these things begin to come to pass, then LOOK UP, and lift up your heads; for YOUR redemption draws nigh.” So then, the FULLNESS of the Gentiles does not come in UNTIL the SECOND COMING of Jesus, WHEN there shall be SIGNS in the SUN and in the MOON, and in the STARS. We will take a closer look a little later on in this study to see just EXACTLY when the SIGNS shall appear in relation to the time of great tribulation and the WRATH of Almighty God, which will CLEARLY and PLAINLY show anyone seeking the TRUTH of God's word that the time of GREAT TRIBULATION is NOT the SAME event as the WRATH of God. But for now, let us continue with reasons 58-62 of the so-called 250 reasons for the pre-tribulation rapture where many of these numbers reasons are not really and truly reasons being alone by themselves. The reader can see that I have sectioned these groups of reasons off to show that it takes several of these numbered points to make up ONE argument or reason. I will continue to show the ERRORS of interpretation made by the PRE-tribulation rapture prophecy teachers in Part 3 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-tribulation Rapture! If you have not read Part 1 through Part 6 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture or you would like to reread one or more parts then please click on one of the following links. “Part 1 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture!” “Part 2 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture!” “Part 3 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture!” “Part 4 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture!” “Part 5 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture!” “Part 6 of 250 Reasons for NO PRE-trib Rapture!” And for ALL my studies on the rapture of the church and end time prophecy please click of the heading >>>PROPHECY-THE COMING OF JESUS<<< Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Again, this a six-part series of in-depth Bible studies covering all 250 so-called reasons FOR a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church. I also have many other more SPECIFIC studies on WHEN the rapture of the church will take place but I wanted to be absolutely SURE that I did not MISS any verses of Scripture that are used to try and prove a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church. So please read all the studies under the heading >>>PROPHECY-THE COMING OF JESUS<<< Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |