I have visiting your website for about six months now and have learned a tremendous amount about the Bible. I have been telling friends and family about your website and your views on end times.
The family that actual lead me to the Lord about four years ago, whom I would consider to be a very strong God-fearing and Bible literate family (Whom you would also call a Futurist), says that there are scriptures for both a post Tribulation and Pre Tribulation Rapture. Their mindset is to just be ready for what ever God has. They reason that God can do anything and at anytime–We just need to “be prepared.”
In addition, they say that they have heard sermons with just as compelling scriptures as you have given but for a Post Tribulation Rapture. I know that you disagree with a post Tribulation Rapture but I am sure that you know many people who believe in it. Which scriptures seem to cause people to lean the other way? Do you think there are scriptures supporting both post Tribulation and Pre Tribulation Rapture?
I agree that being prepared for whatever God does is good advice, but not because He can do anything at any time. History has shown that God only does what He has told us in advance He would do. In fact, that’s a promise He made to us. Amos 3:7 reads, “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” We were given prophecy for two reasons, first so that God could prove Himself to us, and second so that He would never catch us unprepared. Because of that, He’s limited Himself to only doing that which He’s announced in advance. The reason we should be prepared for whatever He does is that sometimes we either fail to, or refuse to, understand His prophecies.
Since there’s only one rapture of the Church there cannot be prophecies that support both pre and post trib raptures. One of the positions has to be the result of human misunderstanding. So far in my experience, prophecies put forward to support the post trib position have either been speaking to Israel, not the Church, or speaking about the 2nd Coming, not the Rapture.