As a former agnostic who came to faith and was born again 5 years ago, I dug into scripture - old and new testament - for the basics, then I moved into eschatology. Having had no preconceived notions on end times theology, I started watching debates after my studies on the Books of Zechariah, Daniel, Matthew, 1 & 2 Thessalonians and Revelation. Here's what my initial impression was (and still is)... the dispensationalists and pre-trib proponents seem to base almost all of their positions on chunks of scripture (one or two verses) from here and there. That's always intuitively been a red flag for me. And after my studies, I just don't understand how one could read, for instance, the ENTIRE book of Galatians, and come away from that thinking that Israel and the Church are dealt with by God in two entirely different ways. It seems simple to me that there is ONE Olive Tree. The often referred to verse, Romans 11:26 "all Israel will be saved", would have to be one of the greatest contradictions in the bible if we're to take a dispensationalist stance. If we're to believe that If God says that, in the very last days, that 1/3 of those remaining alive will pass through the refining fires, while the other 2/3 will parish (Zech 13:8-9 and Romans 9:27), then obviously "ALL" of the descendants of the tribes of Israel are not saved. So it certainly seems to me that the only sensible explanation is that in Romans 11:26, "Israel" is the Church... all those who are grafted in and re-grafted in. In other words, "God's Chosen People" are those who confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord. There's only ONE olive tree. And, BTW, I take umbrage with the use of the term "replacement" as a broad brushed and deceptive pejorative to describe those of us who are of the new covenant position. Nothing has been replaced. Rather, the new covenant under Jesus is the glorious culmination of all God's covenants.