Why Pre-Tribulation Rapture Seems More Plausible

I have always wondered why the Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah over the centuries.  That is because they believe in only one coming in the advent of the Messiah to establish His glorious reign on earth which is prophesied.  But Christians believe in 2 comings – the First Advent and the Second Coming – so that all prophecies of the initial suffering and the eventual glorious reign of the Messiah on earth are not contradicted.

Similarly, can the post-tribulation position be holding out zealously that the Rapture and the Second Coming is one single event instead of 2 separate events ?

As I studied the different positions, I separated common argument tricks such as red herring, argumentum ad hominem, straw man and weak analogy argument from each position.

I have noticed the evidence supporting the arguments against pre-tribulation rapture in favor of post-tribulation are mostly Scriptural references that clearly state that Jesus our Lord will return after the Tribulation and that belief is also held by the pre-tribulation rapture believers since they believe in the 2 event scenario,  and interpreting into the Greek text of the verses.  Interpretation into the Greek text of verses should only be the last evidence as it is not as weighty as clear Scriptural references on the possibility of the 2 event scenario.

The pre-tribulation rapture seems more plausible to me after weighing the evidence, considering the main arguments against each position, and taking the position that best include all Scriptural references with the “least” contradiction.    I now believe in 2 separate events – the Rapture and the Second Coming – instead of one so that all prophecies concerning these events are not contradicted.

1 Thess 4:16-17 and 1 Cor 15:51-52 clearly refer to a Rapture in the future.

I will start from the weaker evidence to the stronger evidence to explain my position in a pre-tribulation rapture.

1. The first evidence is based on imminency.  Many Scriptural verses exhort that Christians should be looking for the Lord to come at any time.  If the church has to go through the tribulation, then we cannot be looking at Christ our Lord coming at any moment.  He cannot come for at least 7 years, since we are not in the Tribulation now, and when it comes, it will last for 7 years first.
2. The Church is not mentioned in Rev 6 to Rev 19 as being on earth. It is strange that Apostle John did not mention the church as he described the tribulation of Daniel’s 70 weeks and the church’s role.  Instead the 144,000 Jews from the 12 tribes were mentioned.
3. The Epistles have no specific warning and advice for the church to prepare for the kind of tribulation found in Rev 6 to 18. They have vigorous warning on spiritual apostasy, calamities and present persecution unlike that of the Tribulation but strangely silent on such traumatic event.
4. Several verses promising believers that they will be kept out of God’s wrath will be contradicted as many martyrs die during the Tribulation. Rev 3:10; 1 Thess 1:10.
5. (2 Thess 2: 7-9. the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders…)   The Holy Spirit who now restrains lawlessness will be out of the way before the Lawless One is revealed.  That implies the true church in which the Holy Spirit indwells has to be out of the way as well.
6. If the Rapture and the post-tribulation coming of our Lord is one event just prior to the start of the Millennium, coinciding with all the goats being removed and all sheep given glorified bodies in the judgment of sheep and goats,  then who will populate the earth and rebel with Satan against our Lord at the end of the Millennium ?  It only make sense if the Rapture happens before the Tribulation and there are new believers during the Tribulation who survive it when the Lord returns with His saints with glorified bodies to reign at the start of the Millennium, and their future descendants are still capable of sin during the Millennium. (Isa 65:20; Rev 20:7-10).
7. The events at Christ’s post-tribulation coming differs completely from that of the Rapture. The most detailed texts in Matt 24 and Rev 19 do not mention Rapture at all.

*Evidence is mostly gleaned from the article “Why A Pretribulation Rapture ?” by Richard Mayhue and the Believers’ Bible Commentary on 2 Thess 3.

Regardless of holding whichever position, it is inconsequential to our common salvation.   Our Lord only wants us to stay watchful, eagerly await His Return and care for His people meanwhile.

The 7 Year Tribulation period will be unprecedented in terms of terrible distress.  Escaping this wrath does not mean we will not face many lesser tribulations, which will increase exponentially in intensity, from the beginning of birth pains to the arrival of Antichrist on center stage.

Postscript 1 :  For further reading

https://faith.edu/faith-news/the-inhabitants-of-the-millennium-and-the-timing-of-the-rapture-part-1/

Postscript 2 :  Another piece of evidence supporting the pre tribulation rapture.

In Rev 6:9,  we read that the martyred saints are still souls and in Rev 4:4 and 4:10, we read that there are 24 elders before the throne of God.  It is only after rapture do saints have glorified bodies.  The plausible explanation is that the elders, who are resurrected saints,  will be able to appear before the throne with glorified bodies while the martyred saints during the Great Tribulation are still souls waiting for the second coming of our Lord to avenge them.

Postscript 3 :   More explanation by eminent professors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANUhVvtW08k