I agree MHGinTN.
I think an important part of understanding prophecy is deciphering who the message is intended. We need to take into account that Paul is the Apostle unto the Gentiles. Without Pauls Epistles, we would be hard pressed to understand the Word of God.
To the Jew first, then to the Gentile. And since Israel, as a nation has yet to receive Jesus as their Savior, the Jews will go through Great Tribulation. The time of Jacobs troubles. Especially specified as Jews is the 144,000 written in Revelations. 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Hence, Johns recipients in the Book of Revelation for the most part.
The church is described in Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, and then in 4:1 “Come up hither” (referenced to the Rapture.) From that point on, the church is rarely referenced but for returning with Jesus at the end of the tribulation period.
Then there are also those that are beheaded and washed in the Blood of the Lamb, having come out of the Tribulation. This speaks of those which were not Born Again prior to the beginning of the Tribulation (and the time of the rapture) but when faced with receiving the mark of the beast and receiving his mark, they chose eternal life instead.
Note, in Thessalonians 5, Paul is speaking to the church (Believers) and he states:
5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
“Cometh upon them”-those left behind-”as travail upon a woman with child”-an obvious reference to the Jews.
Again, Paul speaking to the Church writes:
1 Thessalonians 5
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
That Trumpet is about to sound!
Take a look at 1Thess 1:10. The Greek verb tense is has delivered us ... from the wrath to come.
In a manuscript I’m working on the scene with Lazarus stands out to me as an example of what will happen to those ‘in Christ’ yet in the grave. Lazarus was brought from Sheol to struggle out of the tomb. But The Lord had cleansed his body else the soul would not have been put back in the body! And that cleansing happened in a twinkling of an eye at the Loud command of Jesus to come forth.
When Jesus was speaking in the Gospels, He was yet fulfilling His mission so to speak.
In a way, the New Testament had not yet come into effect until the shedding of Blood.
Hebrews 9:16-18 King James Version (KJV)
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Again, this brings context to whom Jesus was speaking to and whom Paul was speaking to.
It was further decided that Peter would continue preaching to the circumcised (Jews) and Paul to the uncircumcised (Gentile and converted Jewish believers)