Eric:
So it seems that if one believes the saved cannot experience God's wrath, why would those saved during the tribulation be subject to it, while those saved before are not
That's a good question, and my belief is that there is not a separate "left behind" group and "tribulation" group of Christians. I believe that the Bible teaches the Rapture and the Second Coming occur at the same time, and all Christians will go through the Great tribulation.
It is true that Christians are not subject to the wrath of God like I said below, however the Great tribulation is
not the wrath of God. It is the wrath of Satan (Rev 12). Christians and Jews are the ones targeted by the Great tribulation, not unbelievers.
Nick:
Daniel 9:27 says: "And he (the Antichrist) 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..."
One "week" here is referring to 7 years. In the middle of these 7 years, the Antichrist does something called the "abomination of desolation" where he stands in the Temple of God, claiming to be God (2Thes. 2:4). This event marks the start of the Great Tribulation (the last 3 1/2 years)
The
covenant spoken of in Daniel 9:27 is what most people consider to be a peace treaty. It might simply be the affirming of Israel's right to exist. There's a document in the Israeli Knesset called the Jerusalem Covenant, which states that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. This might be the covenant being confirmed, however its not certain yet.
Also where does it mention Israel and Palestine becoming peaceful towards each other?
It doesn't, but most people interpret that covenant as a peace treaty. We know that somehow the Temple will be rebuilt, but the palestinians will still be allowed on the Temple mount (Revelation Chp 11). So, we can conclude that there will be some sort of agreement, but there will not be genuine peace.
As for the Rapture, I believe that the Rapture and Second Coming are at the same time. There aren't any verses which say the Rapture is before the Great tribulation, it is wishful thinking (after all, who
wants to go through it?)
Hope that helps.