 <font size=0>Courtesy of The Berean Christian
Bible Study Resources</font>
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<h2>
4 Proofs of a Post - Trib Rapture</h2></center>

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<h2>
The Rapture</h2></center>
<font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>It is Not an essential Doctrine , and there are many different interpretations of end Times events. 
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Many, if Not most evangelical Christian`s I`ve encountered presume that the Resurrection from the Dead and the Rapture of the Church mentioned in <b> 1Thess 4:16,17 </b> Will occur prior to the Tribulation period mentioned a number of places. 
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Of course most did Not derive that Opinion from their own Personal Bible study, but rather because other people told them that.
Being skeptical of popular Opinion 
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I did my own Bible study on the subject and have concluded that the Bible teaches an exclusively post-trib resurrection/rapture.</font>
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<font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>There are Only a few verses which Speak directly of the Rapture . However as those verses mention other events as well which would accompany it`s possible to other verses as well of which those events are spoken to narrow down the possible interpretations.
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Of Particular interest are three different interpretations.</font>
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<b><u><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>1. The Partial Rapture Theory</font></u></b>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>This Idea is that a Rapture occurs Pre-Trib in which Only an elite group of Believers get raptured while the Rest suffer through the Tribulation to be raptured at the Lord`s ~third~
coming.</font>
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<b><u><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>2. The Pre-Trib Rapture Theory</font></u></b>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>In this case the whole Church gets raptured Pre-Trib at the Lord`s second coming, but some Unbelievers get Saved during the Tribulation and...</font>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>
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A. Are Raptured at the Lord`s ~third~ coming</font>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>
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B. Are Not raptured at the Lord`s ~third~ coming, but Die sometime during the 1000 year millenial Reign , to be raised after the 1000 years</font>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>
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C. Are martyred in the Tribulation and are resurrected at the Lord`s ~third~ coming and Reign with Christ 1000 years.</font>
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<b><u><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>3. The Post-Trib Rapture Theory</font></u></b>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>Here the whole Church get`s Raptured at the Lord`s second coming which occurs post-trib.</font>
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<h2>
Eliminating the Partial Rapture Theory</h2></center>
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 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>While the Partial Rapture Theory conflicts with a number of verses, perhaps it`s easiest to eliminate this possiblity with one set of verses.</font>
<blockquote><b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~> 1Thessalonians 4:16,17 </font></b>
 <br><b>
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A. </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>the Lord Himself Will come down from Heaven , with a loud command,</font></font>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>with the voice
of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,</font></font>
 <br><b>
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B.</b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
the Dead in Christ Will rise first.</font></font>
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C.</b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
After that, <b>we</b> who are still Alive and are Left Will be caught up</font></font>
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<font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. </font></font>( The Rapture )</blockquote>
<font face=~Times New Roman,Times~>Here Paul was talking to All the Thessalonian
Christians concerning All those Christians who had died. 
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He Speaks of no exceptions here, even including Himself ( ~we~ ). The Truth in these verses therefore applies to All Christians without exception. 
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So even given the
idea of multiple raptures, this Rapture was the one which Paul Himself was anticipating for Himself and for the entire Church - no exceptions. 
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This logically eliminates the partial Rapture theory - if we Believe what
Paul says.</font>
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Pre-Trib or Post-Trib?</h2></center>
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A. What is the Tribulation?</h3></center> <br>
Attempting to interpret the Bible to distinguish between these we must first of All define what constitutes the ~Tribulation~, what verses Speak of the Tribulation . Here the verses which Speak explicitly of the great
tribulation.
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<b> Mat 24:21 </b> <font color=~#990000~>For then there Will be <u>great tribulation</u>, such as has Not been since the beginning of the world until this Time , No , nor ever shall be.</font>
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<b> Rev 7:14 <font color=~#990000~> </font></b><font color=~#990000~>~These are the ones who come out of <u>the Great tribulation</u> and washed
their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.~</font>
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Those are the Only two verses which use the term ~great Tribulation ~ and allude to the same event, thought there are other passages, like Luke 21 which pretty much parallels Matt 24, and some Old Testament passages particularly in Joel and other minor Prophets which parallel Revelation , but these are the Only two verse which use the Word in the same context.
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B. Same or Two Different?</h3></center> <br>
The main Issue of interpretation upon which the two points of view are contingent is whether verses are referring to two events or a single event. 
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The post-trib Idea could be proven Biblical if it can be conclusively shown that the verses I bring up are referring to the same event.
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First it seems reasonable logical that <b> Mat 24:21 </b> and <b> Rev 7:14 </b> are referring to the same event.
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Though Matthew 24 Speaks of ~great Tribulation ~ rather than ~THE Great tribulation~, it Says that the Tribulation it is referring to is the greatest that Will ever be. 
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That and given the context of Mt 24, it seems clear that Jesus is referring to The Great Tribulation . Thus I Believe we can conclusively Say that these verses are referring to the same event.
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According to Mt 24, what happens <u>after</u> the Great Tribulation ? What is the Order of events. And let`s compare it with Thess.
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<center><b><font size=+2>Post-Trib Events</font></b></center>
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<td><b> Mt 24:29 </b> <font color=~#990000~><b><u>immediately after the tribulation</u></b>
of those days the sun Will be Darkened , and the moon Will Not Give its Light , and the stars Will fall from the sky, and the Powers of the Heavens Will be shaken.</font>
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<b> Mt 24:30 </b> <font color=~#990000~>And then the Sign of the Son of Man Will appear in the sky, and then <u>all the tribes of the Earth Will mourn</u>, and they Will See <u>the Son of man coming on the clouds</u> of the sky with Power and Great glory.</font>
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<b> Mt 24:31 </b> <font color=~#990000~>And He Will send forth His <u>angels with a Great trumpet</u> and <u>they Will gather together His elect</u> from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.</font>
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<b> Mt 24:33 </b> <font color=~#990000~>When You See All these things, <u>know that it is near</u> at the doors!</font>
 <br><b>Mt 24:36</b> <font color=~#990000~>of that day and hour <u>no one knows</u>, Not even the Angels of Heaven , but My Father only.</font>
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<b> Mt 24:43,44 </b> <font color=~#990000~>But Know this, that
if the Master of the house had known what hour the <u>thief</u> would come, he would have watched and Not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour You do Not expect.</font>
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<b> Mt 24:39,40 </b><font color=~#990000~>so also Will <u>the coming of the Son of Man</u> be. Then two men Will be in the field: one Will be taken and the other left.</font></td>
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<center><b><font size=+2>Correlation</font></b></center>
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 <br><b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~> Rev 1:7 </font></b><font color=~#990000~>
Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every Eye Will See him, even those who pierced him; and <u>all the peoples of the Earth Will mourn because of him</u>. So shall it be! Amen.</font>
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<b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~> 1Thessalonians 4:16,17 </font></b>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>the Lord himself
will come down from Heaven , with a loud command,</font></font>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>with the voice
of the archangel and with the <u>trumpet</u> call of God , the Dead in Christ Will rise first.
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</font> <font color=~#990000~>After that, we who are still Alive and are Left Will be <u>caught up together</u></font></font>
 <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>with them
<u>in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air</u>.</font></font>
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<b> 1Thess 5:1-4 </b>
 <br><b>1 </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
Now, brothers, about Times and dates we do Not Need to write to you,</font></font>
 <br><b>2 </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>for You Know very well that <u>the day of the Lord Will come like a thief in the night</u>.</font></font>
 <br><b>3 </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
While people are saying, ~Peace and safety,~ destruction Will come on them suddenly, as labor Pains on a pregnant woman, and they Will Not escape.</font></font>
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<b>4 </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
But You , brothers, are Not in Darkness so that this day should surprise You like a thief.</font></font>
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<font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><b> 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 </b><font color=~#990000~>~Listen,
I tell You a Mystery : We Will Not All Sleep , but we Will All be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an Eye , <u>at the Last trumpet</u>. For the trumpet Will sound, the Dead Will be raised imperishable, and we Will be changed.~</font></font>
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<font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><b> Rev 11:15 </b><font color=~#990000~>
The seventh Angel sounded his <u>trumpet</u>, and there were loud voices in Heaven , which said: ~The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ , and he Will Reign for ever and ever.~</font></font>
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<b> 2 Thess 2:1-4 </b>
 <br><b>1</b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~> Concerning <u>the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ </u> and <u>our being gathered to him</u>, we Ask You , brothers,</font></font>
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<b>2</b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~> 
not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some Prophecy , report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that <u>the day of the Lord</u> has already come.</font></font>
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<b>3 </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
Don`t let anyone Deceive You in any Way , for <u>that day Will Not come
until the Rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed</u>,
the man doomed to destruction.</font></font>
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<b>4 </b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>He Will oppose and Will exalt Himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets Himself up in God`s temple, proclaiming himself
to be God.</font></font>
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<b> 2 Thess 1:9,10 </b>
 <br><b>9</b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~>
They Will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the Presence of the Lord and from the Majesty of his power</font></font>
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<b>10</b><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~><u>on the day he comes to be glorified</u> in his Holy people and to be marveled at among All those who have Believed . <u>This includes you</u>, because You Believed our Testimony to you.</font></font></td>
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<h2>
Proofs of an Exclusively Post-Trib Resurrrection/Rapture</h2></center>
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<b><u>Proof #1:</u></b>
 <br><b> Mat 24:43,44 </b> associates ~Thief in the Night~ with the <u>post-trib</u> coming of the Lord
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<b>1Thess chapters 4 and 5</b> associate the ~Thief in the night~ coming with the Day of the Lord and with the Rapture which Paul anticipated for Himself and the Thessalonians, were they to Live that long. 
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Now unless there are two ~thief in the night~ days of the Lord , this Proves Not Only that there Will be a post-trib Rapture , but also Proves that there can be no pre-trib Rapture , unless we Believe Paul and the Thessalonians
are excluded from that Resurrection and rapture.
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Besides there being no scriptural evidence of two ~thief in the night~ days of the Lord , both taking people by surprise, if there were two then the first would have already alerted people to the circumstances. 
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Thus it seems reasonable that there could Only be one such coming of the Lord . Thus since there is such a day associated with his post-trib coming in Mt 24, this disproves a pre-trib rapture.
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<b><u>Proof #2:</u></b>
 <br><b> 1 Cor 15:51,52 </b> Indicates that there Will be a Resurrection and a Rapture at the last trumpet.
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Paul uses the Word ~we~ indicating that Resurrection and Rapture Will be that which he and the Corinthians would partake.
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The last trumpet in Revelation is the 7th trumpet of Rev 11:15, which is post-trib.
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This disproves the pre-trib Rapture , unless we are to Believe that the Resurrection corresponding to that Rapture would Not include the early church.
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<b><u>Proof #3:</u></b>
 <br><b>2Thess 2</b> refers to the coming of the Lord in which Paul Believed he and the early Church would be ~gathered to him~. Notice the phrase <font color=~#990000~>~<b><u>our</u></b> being gathered to him~</font>.
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He indicates that their being gathered to the Lord would Not occur until after the AntiChrist is revealed and after the apostacy <i>( Yes it`s literally ~apostasia~ in the Greek )</i> Jesus alluded to the apostacy in <b> Mat 24:10 </b>
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<font color=~#990000~> ~At that Time many Will turn away from the Faith and Will betray and Hate each other.~</font>
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And consistent with 2Thess, Jesus continues in Mt 24 by Speaking about the AntiChrist , All of which constitute elements of the Great Tribulation . 
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Then Jesus Speaks of the gathering in <b> Mat 24:31 </b> ~<font color=~#990000~>And He Will send forth His <u>angels with a Great trumpet</u> and <u>they Will gather together His elect</u> from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.~</font> 
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But if Paul was talking about a different gathering which occurred prior to these events then he would have simply told the Thessalonians that the Reason Why they should Know that gathering hadn`t occur is because they had Not been raptured. 
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This Proves that the rapture/resurrection of which Paul anticipated for Himself and the early Church would occur after the Tribulation had started, and as such disproves a pre-trib rapture.
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<b><u>Proof #4:</u></b>
 <br>The Rapture is associated with ~<u>the day of the Lord</u>~. ( <b> 1 Thess 5:2 </b><font color=~#990000~> ~for You Know very well that <u>the day of the Lord</u> Will come like a thief in the night.~</font> for Example which corresponds to the Rapture mentioned in <b> 1 Thess 4:16,17 </b>. ) 
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But while I agree that the day referred to may extend over a period of Time , there are verses which indicate certain events to preceed the start of that day. 
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Notice <b> Joel 2:31 </b> says, <br><font color=~#990000~> ~The sun Will be turned to Darkness and the moon to Blood <b>before</b> the coming of the Great and dreadful <u>day of the LORD</u>.~</font> ( Peter Quotes this in Acts 2 as applying to the Church ) 
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And <b> 2 Thess 2:2,3 </b> <br><font color=~#990000~> ~not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some Prophecy , report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that <u>the day of the Lord</u>
has already come. 
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Don`t let anyone Deceive You in any Way , for <u>that
day Will Not come until</u> the Rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed.~</font> 
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Since the Raptures occurs on the day of the Lord , and since the day of the Lord doesn`t start until after events associated with the Great Tribulation occur - the rebellion/apostacy, the revealing
of the AntiChrist , the sun turned to Darkness - this disproves the Idea of a pre-trib rapture.
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<h2>Imminency Issues</h2></center>
One of the main alleged ~proofs~ of a pre-trib Rapture is there are verses which describe a coming of the Lord as unpredictable. That is:
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<b> 1 Thess 5:2 </b> <br><font face=~Times New Roman,Times~><font color=~#990000~> ~the day of the Lord Will come like a thief in the night~</font></font>
 <br><b> Mat 24:36 </b> <br> ~<font color=~#990000~>of that day and hour <u>no one knows</u>, Not even the Angels of Heaven , but My Father only.~</font>
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The theory is that if the Rapture occurs after the Tribulation then there would be a series of predictable events leading up to it, and therefore it would Not be a surprise. 
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But this does Not hold, first of All because there are verses which use those phrases which clearly refer to the post-trib coming of the Lord . 
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Notice the context of Mat 24:36 
<blockquote><b> Mat 24:30,31 </b> <br><font color=~#990000~> At that Time the Sign of the Son of Man Will appear in the sky, and All the Nations of the Earth Will mourn. 
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They Will See the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with Power and Great Glory . And he Will send his Angels with a loud trumpet call, and they Will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the Heavens to the other.</font>
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<b> Mat 24:33 </b> <br> <font color=~#990000~>When You See All these things, <u>know
that it is near</u> at the doors!</font>
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<b> Mat 24:36 </b> <br> <font color=~#990000~>of that day and hour <u>no one knows</u>, Not even the Angels of Heaven , but My Father only.</font>
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<b> Mat 24:43,44 </b> <br> <font color=~#990000~>But Know this, that
if the Master of the house had known what hour the <u>thief</u> would come, he would have watched and Not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore You also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour You do Not expect.</font>
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<b> Mat 24:39,40 </b> <br> <font color=~#990000~>so also Will <u>the coming of the Son of Man</u> be. Then two men Will be in the field: one Will be taken and the other left.</font></blockquote>
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Here we clearly See that the day which Jesus is referring to occurs after the Great Tribulation mention in <b>Mt 24:29</b>, and yet he uses the same Kind of phrase - Not knowing that day, and like a thief - which pre-tribbers allege Only could refer to a pre-trib day.
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 Secondly notice that while Paul
describes the day of the Lord as a thief in the night, he also says, <font color=~#990000~>~But
you, brothers, are Not in Darkness so that this day should surprise You like a thief.</font>~ 
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<b> 1 Thess 5:4 </b> <br> Therefore ~thief in the night~ aspect of the coming of the Lord Only applies to the unprepared - to those who don`t keep themselves alert.
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Despite the Fact that the Day of the Lord in which the Rapture occurs comes post-trib it Will nonetheless come as a surprise on the unprepared. 
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But how can it be a surprise? First of All is the Strong Delusion which God sends,<font color=~#990000~> ~God sends them a Powerful Delusion so that they Will Believe the lie.~<b> </b></font> <b> 2 Thess 2:11 </b> 
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Secondly Jesus mentions in <b> Luke 21:34 </b> <font color=~#990000~>~Be on guard, so that your Hearts Will Not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of Life , and that day Will Not come on You suddenly like a trap.~</font>
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<h2>Wrath Issues</h2></center>
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Another argument made by those who prefer the pre-trib Rapture theory is that since the events in the Tribulation are allegedly All associated with God`s Wrath , and since Believers are Not subject to God`s Wrath , therefore the Rapture must occur prior to the tribulation.
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First of All of course it can be pointed out that there are Christians of All generations who have been subjected to the Kinds of Suffering associated with the Great Tribulation . 
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There have been Christians tortured to Death for their Faith . And there have been Christians who have died in natural disasters, which God may have been brought about because of the sinfulness of a Society . 
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So it has already been proven as historical Fact that Christians
may in Fact suffer as Innocent victims things which are associated with God`s Wrath , as well as of course being subject to persecution.
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Secondly even the pre-trib theory acknowledges that there are genuine
believers - Yes even preachers of the Gospel - who Live through the Tribulation , who allegedly became Believers after that alleged pre-trib Rapture . 
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But this disproves their very contention - that genuine Believers don`t Live through the Tribulation . If Believers are Not subject to God`s Wrath , then neither are those who become Believers during the Tribulation subject to God`s wrath.
