"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: ".... Rev 6:9

"..Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." - Rev 7:3,4

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;.......These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." - Rev 7:9..14,15

"And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. " - Mat 12:26-27

The topic of the rapture of the Church is one that is always guaranteed to provide fertile grounds for heated debate and division - however it need not be this way if we keep in mind a few things...

1. 99.9% of the Church has already been "raptured"... - If you consider that the Church has been around since 33 AD, we are in the year 2018 AD, and assuming for simplicity that the average lifespan of a Christian is seventy years... millions upon millions of christians in every century have ALREADY gone on to be with the Lord!

The instruments that have taken them there are old age, disease, the sword, famine, pestilences, natural disasters, accidents etc. While these may be the means of judgement for non-believers, they also act as a mechanism of release from our trials - as the apostle Paul says, Death where is your sting? Grave where is your victory?... and encourages us not to grieve as those who have no hope.

All the heated rapture debate - is about the .1% (or less!) of believers that are living in the years prior to the period of the Great Tribulation and whether that .1% (or less) go through it or are taken up prior..

2. The servants of the Lord have many destinations... 

Some become elders that sit around the throne.

Those slain for the word of God find a place under His altar... 
"Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. " - Hebrews 11:35-40 These are the people we see in Rev 6:9 under the altar! - our first text this week.

3. Most other Christians, like the thief on the cross(Luke 23:43), and Lazarus in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), go to be with Christ in Paradise (also called Abrahams bosom)... and we see them in Rev 7:9..14,15. - our third text this week.

Now, does this great multitude that no one can number represent the 99.9% of Christians from all ages, the .1% of saints that have just gone through the great tribulation, or a 100% of the entire church - before tribulation is kicked off?

Interesting question isn't it?

We submit that this multitude that we see, represents Christians from all ages that are joint heirs with Christ (please note that they ALL have washed their robes in His blood) , and hence they are given the privilege of serving in His temple, before God's throne, and are inheritors of the promise that God will be their God, and dwell among them.

4. However, there -is- a group on earth that we see sealed, that will still go through the great tribulation. We -cannot- deny this group "church membership" (!) just because they happen to be from Israel, or dodge the issue by calling them "Tribulation saints". All those that are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and bear witness to His resurrection have the right to call themselves His church, His Bride. If this is true for people that have gone through tribulation (from AD 33 till today), how much more for people that go through truly Great Tribulation! These people give their all for Him in the face of terrible persecution and we say, Hallelujah brothers and sisters... take the places of honor in the Church that are reserved for you... and our Lord agrees. "And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." : Rev 20:4

Which brings us to text #2 of this week - the 144,000 that are sealed prior to the opening of the 7th seal, and the Trumpet judgements. The book of Ezekiel (Chap 9) shows us a picture of this ...
"And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and - set a mark upon the foreheads of the men - that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but - come not near any man upon whom is the mark - ; and begin at my sanctuary." - Eze 9:4-6

We have an exact parallel in the book of Revelation. This group will be going through the period of the Trumpet judgements, but will not be affected by them. (They will be persecuted by the beast). Here they are -- referenced at the time of the Fifth Trumpet. "And the fifth angel sounded....And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have -not- the seal of God in their foreheads." Rev 9:1...3,4

The 144,000 and 2 great witnesses that will arise to witness in the last human Temple to be built, have a unique ministry during one of the darkest periods in human history. They will cling to Christ and testify with their lives to the people around them... and who knows how many will be saved becaause of their work?This group is taken up (either by being killed) or finally caught up, when the Son of Man comes in the clouds with His sickle in Rev 14:14... and that concludes the trials of the elect forever!

Which brings us the last text we opened with. The elect are given life by our God... Father, Spirit & Son. This life can never be taken away from them... though their earthly existence may end, their souls live forever in Gods presence... which is why our Lord says -- He is not the God of the dead, but the Living. It is enough for us servants to be like our Lord, to be rejected of men and partakers of His suffering, so that we will also be glorified with Him! Nothing and no one can take that away from us.... though the night be dark and full of terrors the Sun of Righteousness WILL rise.. and that is our blessed hope. 
So though He comes in our lifetimes, or should He tarry - should we have to endure the wrath of the enemy, the Book of Revelation shows us (as does all scripture) that the Lord knows and preserves those that are His! Hallelujah!