The Rapture

The Rapture is definitely one of those topics that gets some heated discussion. When studying prophesy, the key point to always keep at the front is "Are you living your all for Christ today?" God gives us prophesy so we have plenty of time to repent before He delivers judgment, and so those who obey Him have a promise to hold on to.

So is the Tribulation a time of pure judgment, or a final rallying cry before the gates of Heaven are closed? I like Jerry Jenkins' perspective in the Left Behind series, where God is trying to use these plagues to remind people that He is still involved and still loves them if they would only turn to Him, much like the plagues in Egypt. This is an important question, because it provides a prerequisite for the Rapture. But it's not a simple or quick question to answer, and can easily become the topic of a Doctoral thesis. It drove the professors at PBU nuts when I said this, but we have to be willing to admit that we just don't have enough information to know for certain what some of God's plans are from the prophecies we are given. But there are other things that we can know absolutely for certain. This is where my end times focus has been.

Here is a pretty thorough list of Biblical references about the Rapture: http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/a/whatisrapture_2.htm. The passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is usually the "go to" verse to prove a pre-tribulational rapture; but as I read it, the context does not demand that.
In fact, because both this and the passage in 1 Corinthians 15 talk about the resurrection of the redeemed coming before the Rapture, I believe this cannot happen until after the tribulation.

However, there are some significant Biblical principles that affect how we understand the Rapture as well.
1. There is no mention of the church on Earth after Revelation 4.
2. If the Tribulation is purely a time of judgment, God's people have no judgment waiting for them.
3. The evil of the Antichrist would be restrained by the Holy Spirit's influence.

But even these principles don't demand a pre-tribulational rapture. In regards to point 2, most proponents point to the Flood as an example of where God preserves His people from His wrath; but we can also look to the Exile as an example where even the righteous were taken up in the consequences of the nation's sins.

Again, this is a topic that can easily turn into a whole thesis. But to keep it short, I would say that as Christians, our focus on Heaven and the Rapture are somewhat misplaced. The early church had their hope in the Resurrection, and that's where ours should be. Every Scripture in the Bible that suggests a Rapture can easily be applied to Christ's triumphant return at the end of the Tribulation. However, no Scripture adequately prevents God from pulling out His Church before the beginning of these judgments. Our faith needs to be squarely on Him, whatever ends up happening. And that's the big point we need to hang our hats on, not the when.