What confuses folks the most is coming at the thing from the wrong perspective. To do so would be like tightening a flat head screw with a butter knife, or to chisel a piece of wood with a hammer and flat head screw driver... it doesn't get the job done right. And there's a lot of damage.
We must remember that the end times are about the Jewish people. Getting them to finally, officially believe in Jesus as their Messiah will take the Great Tribulation culminating with their outcry to Jesus as a last of the last resorts (since nothing else will have worked) to save them from the Armageddon scenario of the world coming down on them to annihilate them.
Some may reason this that or the other, but when it comes right down to it, no other reason for the Great Tribulation fits the benevolent nature of God. Why have a Great Tribulation if it's just to whip up on the devil and the people who oppose Christ? That's what hell is for.
You put the Jewish people back into the equation and the answers start to come clear and make sense.
The three (major) eschatology camps believe and can quote scripture to support their view that the rapture will take place PRE, MID, or POST Tribulation. This never made sense to me how three opposing / contradictory camps of prophetic future events could all quote scripture... since scripture does not contradict itself...
The Spirit showed how all three camps are essentially correct, it is the setting that all three got wrong. The setting is the 70th Week of Daniel. What they get wrong is this 7-year period is not one tribulation period but two 3 1/2 year tribulation periods. This is why it is divided in so many ways in scripture:
1260 days (3.5 years)
42 months (3.5 years)
time, times, plus half a time (3.5 years).
The tribulation in the first half of the 70th Week of Daniel will be the persecution of the believers in Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:14-17 (KJV)
14 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.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And
the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This would seem to say Messianic Jews... but harkening back to the study on Genesis 3:15 speaking about the same woman, "her seed" is not a thing of nature. Man has seed women do not. This is a reference to Christians (all who believe).
Revelation 13:5-10 (KJV)
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And
it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
The woman of Genesis 3 and Revelation 12 is Israel. Verify the description in Revelation 12 with Genesis 37:9-10. We who believe in the Jewish Messiah are her seed (whether or not we were born Jewish). Not knowing or accepting this is also what clouds the waters of our understanding these doctrines. Suffice it to say a Gentile born believer in Jesus is not a physical Jew. But he or she is a Spirit Jew of the Spiritual House of Israel (Romans 2:28-29, Romans 9:6, Galatians 6:13-16, Galatians 4:19-26, Philippians 3:3 etc.). I will do a post on this in the Bible study area.
Christians and Messianics will be the global personas non grata. The beast will come in on a wave of global acceptance and adoration and all humanity has to do is pledge their allegiance to him by accepting the mark 666. All will accept it except for Christians and Messianics. And since none can buy or sell without it, it is used as a tracking device to hunt down these refuseniks.
The Bible does give a very strong set of clues as to whom the beast will be, and if this is correct, he will be able to prove scientifically something miraculous about himself... and this is how the skeptics and atheists and people from other religions will be won over to the religion the beast will purport is truth.
Old Testament Judaism.
Daniel 9:27 (KJV)
27 And he shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Jesus said to the Jews:
John 5:43 (KJV)
43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
"If" in the Greek (ean) can be translated "though" and would make the passage clearer...
I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not:
though another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
In Daniel 11:36-37 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 the beast clearly exalts himself (echoed in Isaiah 14:9-20).
But while the Christians remain to hunt down, the beast will plow with the Lord's heifer. There are many clues about this in scripture, for example why would Jesus warn about the abomination of desolation desecrating the temple praying it will not be on a sabbath day? Keeping sabbath has never taken precedent over fight or flight in all Jewish history. On the sabbath at war with Jericho the marched around the city six more times than they did daily the six days prior.
And fought the battle on sabbath.
The only way Jesus' comment in Matthew 24:20 would make sense is the Jews who would enforce sabbath law would be in power and see no harm in the beast approaching the temple to park his carcase on the mercy seat in the holy of holies and claim to be God above every god...
A misunderstood prophecy about the ten kings who give the beast their power is in:
Zechariah 8:37 (KJV)
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
And when the beast perceives Christians are wiped out, that is when he reneges on his covenant with the Jews. According to Daniel 12:11-12, the Christians who survive to that point will not be raptured for another 105 days... but they will be so deep in hiding that they will be believed annihilated already.
The beast makes his ascent to the temple and from there reneges on his covenant with the Jews and puts an end to temple sacrifice...
There is a prophecy about this too.
Zechariah 5:5-11 (KJV)
5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.
7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.
This is the only mention of female angels. Their wings are those of a unclean bird.
The origin of their cargo flight is temple mount Jerusalem. Their destination the plains of Babylon. The cargo... the woman who once rode the beast.
Then the Jews will become the refuseniks the Christians once were and this is what culminates in the worlds' armies drawing down on Israel in the valley of Megiddo...
Daniel 9:27 (KJV)
27 And he shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 12:11-12 (KJV)
11 And from the time that
the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
1290 days from the end of history
1335 days into the 70th Week of Daniel (2520 days long).
This is not date setting. There will be no actual way to determine what day the 70th Week of Daniel began until the middle of it on day 1230 when the beast desecrates the temple.
Click on to enlarge:
View attachment 3369
So...
the rapture will take place
PRE- Great Tribulation
MID- 70th Week of Daniel (which is not traditional mid trib since that view teaches the 70th week of Daniel is one 7-year tribulation period)
POST- believer's tribulation / time of the faith and patience of the saints
All three camps were correct only they misunderstood the setting of the 70th Week of Daniel.