“looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing”, our blessed hope IS his glorious appearing and this is simply talking about the same event.
This is the same as saying “the God and Father” found in several verses. Here is an article that shows other examples plus several other rules regarding translation/interpretation:
http://www.pfrs.org/sharp.html
Note the date of the original article for how long these rules have been around. This isn’t something new to spring on anyone :)
“and I know from experience that I won’t change your mind if you are not a pre-trib person”
Isn’t the reverse also true? I can show you passage after passage clearly supporting a post-trib rapture which is not even in dispute but there isn’t one clear verse/passage supporting a pre-trib. To see a pre-trib the reader must read it into the text as shown here and 1 Thessalonians 4.
Many very devout Christians tell me after I bring up a discussion of the end times (just for discussion purposes only), that they don’t really care because they wont be here (pre-trib rapture). We are told throughout scripture to watch, be ready, that we will know the signs yet the pre-trib doctrine opposes that because if we’re going to be gone when all the ‘bad stuff’ starts happening what’s the point in watching?
JB
The pre-tribulational rapture goes hand in hand with the dispensational notion of the Church and Israel. Darby had to invent the pre-trib rapture to fit with his radical views on Israel. According to his theory, the Church needs to be raptured out of the way so God can once again begin dealing (pouring out His wrath) directly with national Israel. Since the Church does not share in anything belonging to Israel, including wrath, they must be removed. This is all their theory.
And so they needed to search the Scripture to find something that would fit these views. Their eyes landed on 1 Thess. 4:16,17 as justification, even thought it plainly says nothing about a pre-trib rapture. The system comes first.