The wheat and the tares refers to those believers and non believers who will be on the earth when Christ returns to end the age. This gathering is not in reference to the gathering of the church, but those who will have made it alive until Christ returns. According to Matt.13, the weeds are collected first. After that the angels collect the wheat. Those who will be gathered will be those unbelievers, those who will have worshiped the beast, his image and received his mark. And the wheat will be those who became believers during the time of God's wrath. The ready and watching church, will have already been removed prior to the time of God's wrath.
What you need to understand, is there are different groups that will experience different events.
The church - will be removed according to the Lord's promise prior to God's wrath, because we are not appointed to suffer God's wrath and that because Jesus already suffered it for us.
Israel - Has a decree of seventy 'sevens' sixty-nine of which have been fulfilled and therefore one 'seven' remains and will be fulfilled in conjunction with Christ's return to end the age. Unbelieving Israel will be on the earth during the time of God's wrath in fulfillment of that last seven years.
The great tribulation saints - These are those who become believers (the wheat) during the time of God's wrath and who will not love their lives so much as to shrink away from death by keeping their testimony of Jesus and by not worshiping the beast, his image and not receiving his mark. This group will be on the earth during the time of God's wrath. These are those introduced in Rev.7:9-17
The 144,000 - This will be a select group, the first fruits to God who come out of unbelieving Israel, who will most likely be preaching the good news in force. The great tribulation saints may be the result of their efforts. This group will be on the earth during the time of God's wrath.
The two witness - They will be prophesying and bringing plagues upon the earth during the first 3 1/2 years of that seven year period. They will also be on the earth during the time of God's wrath.
Unbelievers and those who worship the beast - These people names will have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world and will worship the beast, his image and receive his mark. They will be on the earth during the time of God's wrath.
The birth pains that a woman has start of mild and far apart and get more intense and closer together as it comes time for her to give birth. It will be the same why during that last seven years. Like the birth pains of a woman, the plagues of God's wrath will become closer together and more intense as the time of Christ's return to the earth to end the age nears. As I said, "sudden destruction" does not infer immediate annihilation, but is referring to the destruction of God's wrath that will be coming upon the earth. As an example, the 5th trumpet alone is five months in duration.
The problem is incomplete exegesis on yours and others part.
The ready and watching Church to use your phrase is supposed to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit when the rapture
happens according to the teaching and its because of this that the Antichrist is allowed to show himself. How may I ask
do the Trib Saints become Sanctified without him? The Rapture is according to those who believe this Scenario happens
when the Church is completed. Taking this literally means that when the very last person is saved before it happens the
Church is whisked away. In that case what status do the said tribulation Saints have? They cant be Jews and they cant belong to the Church. In my last post I asked you where the Church (Bride) is in Johns vision of Heaven if the millions he sees are a separate group.
The Jews pose a problem as well. There are many believing Jews in the here and now. Which neat group do they belong to? Do they stay behind or are they Raptured with the Church? They appear to have a foot in both camps at present if your beliefs about them are true. You say that God protects the believing Jews for three and a half years from all the wrath that you seem to increase with each telling. You insist that the Church must be Raptured before it all starts because they wouldnt survive. How come the believing Jews manage it? The following passage tells another story:
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
aspirit of compassion and supplication, so that when they look on him whom
they pierced they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and weep
bitterly over him as one weeps over a first born. On that day the mourning in
Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hahadrim in the plain of Meddigo
Zechariah 12:10-11
On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives
which lies before Jerusalem on the East and the Mount of Olives
shall split in two from East to West
Zechariah 14:4
Men of Galilee why do you stand looking to Heaven?
This Jesus who was taken up from you into Heaven
will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven
Acts 1:10
From what I read in Zechariah I see the salvation of the Jews happening at the second coming
It would be difficult to look on him who they pierced before he arrived. much of Zechariah deals
with the second coming.
The Acts quotation clearly states that Jesus will return in exactly the same place and way he left
If the much quoted passage about many mansions really supported a Pre Trib rapture the Angels
and Zechariah were lying. That passage refers to the millions of dead Christians who are with
Christ in Heaven that will come back with him and receive glorified bodies. They will include the
Apostles.