But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of the Lord should be finished, as he has declared to his servants the prophets. Rev 10:7 The Mystery Of The Lord is His Plan to produce children who are born of His Holy Spirit and Word and so are gods.

There are seven trumpets in Rev chapters 8-10 which are blown after the seventh seal is opened.   The rapture occurs at the last trump which is at the end of the tribulation period.   

People who believe they will be gone during the tribulation will likely not recognize the False Prophet, the beast or his mark/name/number.   

The Rapture takes place at the return of Christ.   
Here is what happens when He returns:
1.   The last trump sounds
2.   We will see Jesus in the air and be translated to Him.   
3.   Once we are in the air with Him the Dayof Wrath occurs.   
4.   He destroys the wicked with the Word of His mouth.   
5.   He then sets foot on the Mount of Olives.   
6.   Then the Millennial Kingdom is established

Christians will die during the tribulation and people are saved during the Tribulation:

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Rev 13:7 The people of the earth will enable and encourage him to come against Christianity.     He will overcome Christianity in the sense that he makes it illegal, confiscates church properties and denies the right of Christian to participate in the world financial system.      In coming against religion and overcoming Christianity he will effectively exercise power over everyone and every nation.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, says the Holy Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Rev 14:13 With the Spirit Of Antichrist on the rise and Christians unprepared to deal with Satan's final push before Christ returns, physical death is not a bad thing.     It is a release from the struggle and entrance into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.      Do not begrudge 'untimely deaths' for those who are in Christ.

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of the Lord. Rev 15:2 This is a glorious vision of our total redemption - in perfect bodies with perfect minds in the presence of the Lord.      Is this sea of glass the air to where the living and dead In Christ have been caught up?

Some teachers infer there are two events when it is actually one.   The rapture occurs at His return.   

If they happen to be right, we will all be gone before the antichrist comes.   
If they happen to be wrong, many Christians will be unaware they are in the tribulation and will take the mark/name/number of the beast because they do not see it for what it is.   

In Matthew 24:29-31 Jesus says this:
After the tribulation there is darkness on earth.   He appears in the sky.   The earth mourns.   They see Him coming in power and glory.   A trumpet sounds as the angels gather the elect ( Christians).   
Why did He not mention a rapture happening before the tribulation?   

Jesus is coming again!   We will be translated from corruptible to incorruptible and we will never leave His side.   

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 I did my own Bible study on the subject and have concluded that the Bible teaches an exclusively post-trib resurrection/rapture.   

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.   

Of Particular interest are three different interpretations.   

1.   The Partial rapture Theory
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.   

2.   The Pre-Trib rapture Theory
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...   

A.   Are Raptured at the Lord`s "third" coming

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

C.   Are martyred in the tribulation and are resurrected at the Lord`s "third" coming and reign with Christ 1000 years.   

3.   The Post-Trib rapture Theory
Here the whole church get`s Raptured at the Lord`s second coming which occurs post-trib.   

While the Partial rapture Theory conflicts with a number of verses, perhaps it`s easiest to eliminate this possiblity with one set of verses.   

1Thessalonians 4:16,17

A.    the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of the Lord,

B.    the dead in Christ will rise first.   

C.    After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.    (The rapture)

This logically eliminates the partial rapture theory - if we believe what Paul says.   

Mat 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation , such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.   

Rev 7:14 "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb."

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.   

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.   

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.   

First it seems reasonable logical that Mat 24:21 and Rev 7:14 are referring to the same event.   

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.   

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.   

According to Mt 24, what happens after the great tribulation?   What is the order of events.   And let`s compare it with Thess.   

Post-Trib Events

Mt 24:29 immediately after the tribulation 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.    Mt 24:30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn , and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.    Mt 24:31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.    Mt 24:33 When You see all these things, know that it is near at the doors!    Mt 24:36 of that day and hour no one knows , not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.    Mt 24:43,44 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief 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.    Mt 24:39,40 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.   Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

Correlation

Rev 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him .   So shall it be!   amen.    1Thessalonians 4:16,17 the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of the Lord, the dead in Christ will rise first.    After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air .    1Thess 5:1-4 1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night .    3 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.    4 But You, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise You like a thief.    1 Corinthians 15:51,52 "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, at the Last trumpet .   For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." Rev 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet , 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." 2 Thess 2:1-4 1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him , we ask You, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.    3 Don`t let anyone deceive You in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed , the man doomed to destruction.    4 He will oppose and will exalt Himself over everything that is called the Lord or is worshiped, so that he sets Himself up in the Lord`s temple, proclaiming himself to be the Lord.    2 Thess 1:9,10 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.    This includes you , because You believed our testimony to you.

Proof #1:
Mat 24:43,44 associates " Thief in the Night" with the post-trib coming of the Lord

1Thess chapters 4 and 5 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.   

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.   

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.   

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

Proof #2:
1 Cor 15:51,52 Indicates that there will be a resurrection and a rapture at the last trumpet.   

Paul uses the Word "we" indicating that resurrection and rapture will be that which he and the Corinthians would partake.   

The last trumpet in revelation is the 7th trumpet of Rev 11:15, which is post-trib.   

This disproves the pre-trib rapture, unless we are to believe that the resurrection corresponding to that rapture would not include the early church

Proof #3:
2Thess 2 refers to the coming of the Lord in which Paul believed he and the early church would be "gathered to him".   notice the phrase " our being gathered to him" .   

He indicates that their being gathered to the Lord would not occur until after the Anti Christ is revealed and after the apostacy (yes it`s literally "apostasia" in the Greek) Jesus alluded to the apostacy in Mat 24:10

"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other."

And consistent with 2Thess, Jesus continues in Mt 24 by speaking about the Anti Christ, all of which constitute elements of the great tribulation.   

Then Jesus speaks of the gathering in Mat 24:31 " And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."

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.   

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

Proof #4:
The rapture is associated with " the day of the Lord ".   ( 1 Thess 5:2 "for You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." for example which corresponds to the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 4:16,17 ).   

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.   

notice Joel 2:31 says,
"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD ." (Peter quotes this in Acts 2 as applying to the church)

And 2 Thess 2:2,3
"not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.   

Don`t let anyone deceive You in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed."

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 Anti Christ, the sun turned to darkness - this disproves the idea of a pre-trib rapture.   

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:

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 1Th 5:2 The return will be unexpected.     There will be a false sense of peace in the earth.

But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Mat 24:36 The return of Christ is dependent on how the church affects the world for Christ.     The Father is watching and will respond to what the church allows to happen in the earth by sending Christ Jesus back.

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.   

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.   

notice the context of Mat 24:36

And then shall appear the sign of the Son Of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son Of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Mat 24:30

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Mat 24:31 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of the Lord: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.     - 1Th 4:16,17

So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Mat 24:33 We ought to recognize the signs of the times from what Christ has just told us.

But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Mat 24:36 The return of Christ is dependent on how the church affects the world for Christ.     The Father is watching and will respond to what the church allows to happen in the earth by sending Christ Jesus back.

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Mat 24:43 The thief is the enemy (not Christ).     We need to be vigilant so that we see the enemy coming and can thwart his efforts to deceive us.

Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son Of Man comes. Mat 24:44 Christ will come when there is a false sense of security (peace) on the earth.

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son Of Man be. Mat 24:39 A conviction that things will continue on as they always have will cause the world to be in shock at His appearing.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Mat 24:40 The Lord will rapture individuals - no families or churches or denominations.

Here we clearly see that the day which Jesus is referring to occurs after the great tribulation mention in Mt 24:29 , 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.   

Secondly notice that while Paul describes the day of the Lord as a thief in the night, he also says, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise You like a thief.    "

But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1Th 5:4 Paul fully expects the believers to be on earth at the time of christs return.      Furthermore, they should be aware that the return is near.

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.   

But how can it be a surprise?   First of all is the strong delusion which the Lord sends, " God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie." 2 Thess 2:11

Secondly Jesus mentions in Luke 21:34 "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."

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 the Lord`s wrath, and since believers are not subject to the Lord`s wrath, therefore the rapture must occur prior to the tribulation.   

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.   

There have been Christians tortured to death for their faith.   And there have been Christians who have died in natural disasters, which the Lord may have been brought about because of the sinfulness of a society.   

So it has already been proven as historical fact that Christians may in fact suffer as innocent victims things which are associated with the Lord`s wrath, as well as of course being subject to persecution.   

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.   

But this disproves their very contention - that genuine believers don`t live through the tribulation.   If believers are not subject to the Lord`s wrath, then neither are those who become believers during the tribulation subject to the Lord`s wrath.