Jacob’s Trouble
In the pre-trib view, are the great multitude of us Christians in the tribulation "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" (Revelation 7:9, 14) all Jacob? Are there Christians outside of the church (Ephesians 4:4-5)?
Does the Bible say or require that the time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7-8) will be the entire tribulation?
I believe that Jeremiah 30:7's "time of Jacob's trouble" is the same as Daniel 12:1's "time of trouble," and Jeremiah 30:7's "so that none is like it" is the same as Daniel 12:1's "such as never was," and Jeremiah 30:7's "he shall be saved out of it" is the same as Daniel 12:1's "at that time thy people shall be delivered," so that Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 12:1 will occur after all of the tribulation events of Daniel 11, and will be right before the resurrection at the 2nd coming of Daniel 12:2, just as Jeremiah 30:7 will be right before the deliverance at the 2nd coming of Jeremiah 30:8.
So "Jacob's trouble" doesn't refer to the entire tribulation, but only to the very end of it. I believe the time of Jacob's trouble and his saving out of it (Jeremiah 30:7-8) will be when all nations will gather against Jerusalem and take it (Zechariah 14:2, Zechariah 12:9) right before Jesus comes to save him by defeating the nations gathered against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:3-5; Zechariah 12:7-10; Romans 11:26) and "breaking the yoke" off of him (Jeremiah 30:8; Nahum 1:13, 15).
Regarding the day of the Lord (the 2nd coming) itself, it is said "Great shall be the day of Jezreel" (Hosea 1:11). The valley of Jezreel is the valley of Megiddo, or Armageddon, where the nations will gather their armies for "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14) at the 2nd coming (Revelation 19:19). So the tribulation will be great (Matthew 24:21), the time of Jacob's trouble at the very end of the tribulation will be great (Jeremiah 30:7), and the 2nd coming after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-30) will be great (Revelation 16:14).
Note that Jesus said the great tribulation would begin at the AOD (Matthew 24:15, 21), not the time of Jacob's trouble.
Note that no verse says the time of Jacob's trouble is the day of the Lord.
See DayLord.html
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"The First 69 Weeks" and "The 70th Week"
Some say that "just as the first 69 weeks were for Israel only, so the 70th week will be for Israel only."
But if they’re referring to OT times and to the future tribulation, note that the church couldn't have possibly been part of OT events along with Israel because the church didn't exist yet, but the church does now exist along with Israel and will continue to exist during the coming tribulation along with Israel.
Note that there will be a great multitude of us Christians in the tribulation "of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" (Revelation 7:9, 14), not just Israel. And we Christians who will be in the tribulation are Christians after the cross and after Pentecost (i.e. not OT) who have washed our "robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14) and have "the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12) and are "in the Lord" (Revelation 14:13), so we must be in his body (Ephesians 4:4-5), which body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23) and the bride (Ephesians 5:30-32), and we must have the Spirit, for "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).
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Temple Sacrifices
Some say that "the church can't be in the tribulation because there will be a Jewish temple and sacrifices."
But note that the church can be in the tribulation even though there will be a Jewish temple and sacrifices just as the church could be in the 1st century even though there was a Jewish temple and sacrifices, for the temple was not destroyed until 70 A.D. Indeed the Bible even refers to the 1st century church "continuing daily with one accord in the temple" (Acts 2:46), and to Peter and John going up "into the temple at the hour of prayer" (Acts 3:1), and it says that Paul "prayed in the temple" (Acts 22:17) and was found "purified in the temple" (Acts 24:18) when he "took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them" (Acts 21:26).
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Matthew 24 For Christians
In the pre-trib view, in Matthew 24:36-44, isn't Jesus speaking about the rapture to us Christians, whether Jew or Gentile? Note that he is speaking to the same believers, the same "ye," in Matthew 24:15 that he is speaking to in Matthew 24:42.
And note that in Matthew 24:36-44 Jesus is referring to the same "coming of the Son of man" as when he says "immediately after the tribulation of those days... they shall see the Son of man coming" (Matthew 24:29-30). Jesus isn't teaching a 3rd coming.
Note that Jesus tells them: "Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake" (Matthew 24:9). Would non-Christians be hated for Christ's name's sake? Are there Christians outside of the church (Ephesians 4:4-5)?
Note that while Jesus described his coming and the rapture and resurrection of believers in John 14:3, Matthew 24:29-31, and John 6:40, before the church had been formed, this in no way requires that the events he described won't happen to the church which now exists, just as his describing of salvation in John 3:16 before the church had been formed in no way requires that the salvation he described doesn't now happen to the church.
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The Elect
How are the elect of the church and the elect of Israel mutually exclusive? "For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin" (Romans 11:1).
I also believe the gathering together of Matthew 24:31 is for believing Jews, and for believing Gentiles -- indeed for everyone in the church: "In the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ" (Ephesians 1:10).
I believe the sounding of the trumpet and our resurrection and gathering together in Matthew 24:29-31 will be the "last trump" in that it will be the last fulfillment of Numbers 10:7: "When the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow," and it will also fulfill Isaiah 27:12-13: "Ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown," and Zechariah 9:14: "And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet," and 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise," and Ezekiel 37:12: "O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel," and 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 52: "Even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming... at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised."
Some say only unbelieving Jews will be gathered in Matthew 24:31. But are they saying there will be no believing Gentiles alive at the 2nd coming, and that unbelieving Jews will see Jesus coming in the clouds and remain unbelievers? Would any such incorrigible unbelievers be called "the elect"?
I believe Isaiah 11:12 may be the same gathering together as Mark 13:27, in which I believe all of us believers -- whether Jew or Gentile -- will be raptured physically in our immortal physical bodies.
WORST TIME EVER
I believe Jesus said the tribulation will be cut short because we the elect will still be here: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's (eklektos) sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22).
I believe we in the church are the elect, and need to put on longsuffering: "Put on therefore, as the elect (eklektos) of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering" (Colossians 3:12).
Note that at the 2nd coming some of us elect will still be "alive and remain" (1 Thessalonians 4:15) on the earth: "And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect (eklektos) from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven" (Mark 13:27).
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Judaea
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16). Note that there are churches in Judaea even today, containing both Jewish and Gentile Christians. And because we are elsewhere commanded to flee persecution wherever it happens to us: "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another" (Matthew 10:23), I believe we should all be ready to flee to "a place prepared" in the mountains or "the wilderness" (Revelation 12:6, 14) when we see the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15-20), for at that time the Antichrist will be given power not only in Judaea, but in all nations, to begin to persecute and kill any Christians he can find (Revelation 13:5-10, 15; 14:12-13). I believe Jesus mentions Judaea specifically in Matthew 24:16 because that may be where the Antichrist will begin to persecute those who will not worship him. But if we wait around for the Antichrist's persecution to actually reach our city it may then be too late to flee without getting caught. "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself" (Proverbs 22:3, 27:12); "When the wicked rise, men hide themselves" (Proverbs 28:28, 28:12); "Then shall that Wicked be revealed" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
I believe we should build a hiding place beforehand in the mountains or the wilderness only if the Lord shows us personally that this is what he wants us to do, for our families and any others, for "except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Psalm 127:1).
One of the worst traps we can fall into is the spirit of survivalism, which is based on fear. I believe we all must begin now, in these days, to face and get free of any fear of the tribulation and death (Revelation 2:10, 1 Peter 4:12-13, Hebrews 2:15, Luke 12:4, Philippians 1:21-23), so that if the Lord doesn't call us to make any physical preparations beforehand and doesn't call anyone we know to make them for us, we can face any suffering he has called us to with "patience and faith" (Revelation 13:10, 14:12-13).
Just as I believe the singular "woman" in Revelation 12 symbolizes many people, whether Jew or Gentile, because Gentiles have been joined to Israel: "At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise... Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints" (Ephesians 2:12, 19); "Some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree" (Romans 11:17); so I believe the singular "place" that the woman flees to in Revelation 12 could symbolize many places to which people will flee in the tribulation, because Isaiah 26:20 refers to multiple "chambers" in which people will hide themselves.
I believe Jesus' command to flee a city when persecution arises (Matthew 10:23), while applicable to those he was immediately addressing, is a general truth applicable to all believers in all times and places, just as his subsequent command to "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28), while applicable to those he was immediately addressing, is a general truth applicable to all believers in all times and places.
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Sabbath
Regarding Matthew 24:20, note that the parallel verse in Mark 13:18 doesn't mention the Sabbath, which means it is not the sine qua non part of the teaching: some Christians do keep the Sabbath, others do not; we're not to make an issue of it either way (Romans 14:5-8).
Some Christians even believe in Sabbath travel restrictions: "Now travel distances exceeding 2000 cubits (approx half-mile) were forbidden on the Sabbath (referenced in Acts 1:12), so Sha'ul is planning to travel (to 'depart on the morrow,') on Sunday morning. Sha'ul would never make travel plans for Shabbat because he observed the Torah (Acts 24:14; 25:8; 28:17). This passage does not show Shabbat was changed to Sunday, it merely shows that the post-Sabbath observance of Havdalah was observed by the disciples" (from http://www.lightofmashiach.org/shabbat.html ).
"If you play a home game on Saturday night, you are requiring the other team to travel on Sabbath. What about the 4th commandment..." (from Southwestern Adventist University, at http://cosmic.swau.edu/~bsather/administration/athletics.htm )
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Temple
Note that the abomination of desolation Jesus refers to in Matthew 24:15 is the same event Paul refers to: "So that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?" (2 Thessalonians 2:4-5)
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Beaten In The Synagogues
Why would they be beaten in synagogues (Mark 13:9) unless they were Christians trying to bring the gospel to non-believing Jews? Note that Jesus tells them: "Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake" (Matthew 24:9). Would non-Christians be hated for Christ's name's sake? Are there Christians outside of the church (Ephesians 4:4-5)?
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The Holy Place
Jesus' reference to "the holy place" in Matthew 24:15 doesn't require he not be addressing Christians, just as Paul's reference to "the temple" in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 doesn't require he not be addressing Christians.
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Messiah
Some say Jesus refers to "Messiah" in Matthew 24, so it must be for the Jews. But the Greek word for "Christ" in Matthew 24:23 is "Christos." Almost every translation says "Christ." It is the same Greek word used in Romans 3:22 and in 568 other places throughout the New Testament to refer to "Christ."
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"Thy People"
Does "thy people" in Daniel 12:1 necessarily exclude Gentiles? Is "thy God" in Daniel 10:12 exclusive to Jews? Couldn't all Gentile believers say to Daniel as Ruth said to Naomi: "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" (Ruth 1:16)? "There is one body, and... one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4, 6); "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles" (1 Corinthians 12:13).