In response to a comment on a group I belong to:
I grew up believing in a pre-trib rapture. However, in my mid-30's I began a study of the timing of the rapture and it was then that the Holy Spirit (I believe) directed me to create on a sheet of paper a simple chart. There were three columns: "Pre", "Mid", "Post" (now understood as "pre-wrath") .
Then I took my Strong's Concordance and found every scripture in the Bible that mentioned the rapture. Now that was a little tricky because there is nowhere in the Bible that the word "rapture" is used. So of course I was looking for evidence of the "catching away" "meeting in the air" etc.
Any scripture that fit a timing designation was placed in that column. What I ended up with was: 3 single scriptures, taken out of context in the "pre-trib" column; 1 single scripture, taken out of context in the "mid-trib" column; and entire chapters in the "post-trib/pre- wrath" column!
That was all done without the aid of the computer. Since then I have done a number of studies with the aid of a computerized study bible, and the conclusion remains the same: The pre-trib rapture is NOT biblical.
Here are some problems with the pre-trib rapture theory (aside from the fact that it was never heard of until around the early 1800's when a young Scottish girl "saw" the pre-trib rapture during a trance. The theory was brought to the US by a man named John Darby).
Problems:
No where in the Bible does it indicate that there is going to be a "secret" return of Jesus Christ...a "3rd coming" so to speak. Instead Jesus second return is described as being highly visible ("like lightening from the east to the west"), extremely noisy "at the last trumpet" "with a shout".
Mentioning the trumpet: the rapture is to occur at the "last trump"...since there's only one place in the Bible where there is a mention of more than one trumpet sounding in regards to end-time events, the "last trump" must be the 7th trumpet.
There another problem with the pre-trib rapture theory: after the rapture all believers are to partake of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb...well if there is a pre-trib rapture taking only those who are believers at the time of the rapture, but there are many who will come to believe during the tribulation. ..are they "second-class" members of the Bride? Because they are obviously left out of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb because it occurs during the tribulation on earth.
That is entirely unbiblical (the last to work is not paid any less than those who first came to work).
Those are just a few of the problems among many with the pre-trib rapture theory. It's fine to wait to see, but for many (especially in the US) or those who were raised in the church being taught a pre-trib rapture they are under the impression that once the Christians disappear that they will still have time to get right with God and are willing to go through the tribulation so they can do what they want right now.
Surprise! That isn't going to happen. Fence-sitters and those who are back-slidden, wanting to partake of the "pleasures of the world", are going to be those who will accept the anti-Christ first (God will send them strong delusion that they might believe the lie "because they loved not the truth"). There is no second chance. One must either be serving God at the time of the rapture and thus go to meet the Lord in the air or they will be forever lost and probably die during the time immediately following the rapture when God pours on His wrath on a rebellious world.
