Believe me I wish pre-trib was real, but its not.
Oh but it is real. Pretrib as it is taught is incorrect but that doesn't mean there won't be a pretribulation rapture.
Here are two questions I would like you to answer:
1. 1 Thes. 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
I know you asked another to answer but you seem fully capable of answering more than one.
Why didn't those who "are alive and remain" go up with those 7 years earlier in the rapture?
Most of those that believe in a pretrib rapture would answer you something like this. The alive that remain go up at the same time as dead in Christ, its just that the dead Christ rise first and then alive are caught up together with them in the clouds. They would see it as one rapture.
Let me say that I am impressed that you understand that the alive remain on earth for a time after the dead in Christ rise and are raptured. Here's what really happens.
The dead in Christ rise first as the Word says. This is the barley harvest, a Passover harvest feast. These go to heaven as they are united with their souls. Then the Lord will return for the wheat harvest. These are the alive that remain. He does not come 7 years later, He comes in the next season. The barley harvest is a spring harvest and the wheat harvest is a summer harvest. Both of these harvests are the grain harvest of the Church. The Feast of Pentecost is when the wave offering is presented to the Lord. However, the true Pentecost is actually 50 days later on the Feast of New Wine which is the celebration of the wheat harvest. This is the time that the Holy Spirit came to the Church. Remember Peter telling people that those speaking in tongues were not drunk on new wine. Anyway the Feast of New Wine is actually a 7 day feast that culminates on Tu B'Av. If you look that up you will find it is about the taking of brides which is of interest. Here is the barley harvest, rapture in the Old Testament.
Song of Solomon
8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold,
he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
10 My beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11 For, lo,
the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Here is the wheat harvest in the Old Testament at the time of New Wine.
Song of Solomon
13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
That also goes for those who sleep. I thought pre-tribbers believed the dead in Christ go in the Rapture? And the "alive and remain" are not new Christians because of the strong delusion on Gentiles. The only newly saved are Jews.
Pretrib thinks the dead in Christ rise first and then after that the alive are caught up, bang, bang.
There will be delusion on those that have rejected God. These are obviously non believers. They will believe that the aliens have come. There are also foolish virgins on earth, that were not watching and ready for the coming of the Lord. He says watch and pray that we are worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass in the tribulation.
And you are correct that there are newly saved Jews.
2. Revelation 12: 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:23-24
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
John wrote Revelation too. John in Revelation is not talking about the Ten Commandments. He is talking about the commandments of the Church. The Church is not a Gentile Church as some believe in the Replacement theory. The first Christians were Jews. Gentiles were grafted in as wild olive branches. But the natural Church are Jews. Gentile Christians are the "rest of her offspring."
The rest of her offspring I believe are not Gentiles but are of the 12 tribes across the earth. When the dragon cannot get to the woman, Israel as she is in her place of protection, he goes after the Jews (12 tribes) all over the world.
The Great Tribulation is the time for all Israel to now come into the Church. There are not two churches.
I am actually amazed at your level of understanding. As you say, the Great Tribulation is the time for all Israel to come into the Body of Christ. The tribulation is the time of Jacobs trouble.
Since you understand that tribulation is not the wrath of God and you say you are post trib to me that means you understand that there is a harvest at the 6th seal. Is this correct?
And if you understand that the great tribulation is about Israel you should understand that the harvest at the 6th seal is about Israel. The reason there are 144,000 first fruits is because the grain harvest of the Church is over and the 144,000 are the firstfruits of the next harvest.
Conclusion. There is a pretrib rapture of the Church and then God turns His attention to Israel. There is a post trib rapture of Israel. There are two raptures, one pretrib and one post trib. Jacob had two brides, Leah and the chosen bride Rachel.