The Pretribulational Rapture Theory - Part 7

W. The sealed 144,000 from Israel.

As long as the church is on the earth - all who are saved are saved into the body of Christ. This is seen in the following verses:

Col 1:26 {that is,} the mystery which has been hidden from the {past} ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,
Col 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Eph 2:12 {remember} that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both {groups into} one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
Eph 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, {which is} the Law of commandments {contained} in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, {thus} establishing peace,

According to Rev 7:14, God calls out 12,000 from each tribe of Israel to be His messengers to the nations. There is no mention of these witnesses being incorporated into the body of Christ - the church. God is using Israel as His messenger thus precluding the church from being present on earth during this time.

Y. The great object of satanic attack.

Rev 12:1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
Rev 12:2 and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
Rev 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads {were} seven diadems.
Rev 12:4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
Rev 12:5 And she gave birth to a son, a male {child,} who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Rev 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Child is none other than Christ - who alone has the right to rule the nations with a rod of iron (Psa 2:7). The woman is Israel (the crown of 12 stars represent the 12 tribes). Notice that the devil goes after Israel

 Rev 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male {child.}

If the church were present on earth during this time, would not the devil go after her?

Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.}

AA. The promises to the true church.

1 Thess 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, {that is} Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

We are to wait for Jesus not the wrath to come. This verse can only be true if Jesus is revealed first before the Day of the Lord. Notice also that Jesus rescues, saves, delivers us from the wrath to come - not through it.

1 Thess 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
1 Thess 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The entire context is here is of the end times of which Paul says specifically that we are not destined for wrath but our hope is salvation, rescue, deliverance through Jesus. No other perspective of the rapture gives the believer hope than the pretribulational position.

Rev 3:10 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that {hour} which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

The true church of Jesus Christ (as opposed to the apostate church described as a harlot) is promised to be kept from the hour of testing. It is clear, according to Scripture, that the church will not be present during the Tribulation.

Maranatha, even so, come Lord Jesus!