I hope I do not come across too aggressively or as a know-it-all. I grew up and have always been part of churches where a pre-trib rapture was taught. I began to question this as I studied the Bible for myself but could never quite make sense of what I found.
The pre-trib view makes perfect sense as to its internal consistency and also has a way of explaining almost every passage. Unfortunately, I have found that outside of showing how Daniel’s seventieth week is the final seven years before God sets up His kingdom on earth, there is little systematic teaching that leads to a pre-trib view. That is, it is supported anecdotally and with proof texts. This is not how sound doctrine is arrived at.
Someone gave me a copy of a book by Marv Rosenthal who had before been a leading champion of the pre-trib view but changed his view to what he called the pre-wrath rapture. While not every single facet of his teaching on this fits perfectly for me, the overall big picture relationship between the rapture, Daniel’s seventieth week, and the Day of the Lord came into clear view for me.
My studies since then have been much more fruitful.
For what it’s worth, I believe those who come out of the great tribulation in Revelation 7 are the final generation of believers when the rapture occurs. I believe this group is made up of Christians who are alive when Christ returns. He returns when the Great Tribulation ends. (But this is NOT the same as the end of Daniel’s seventieth week or of the judgments of Revelation as the traditional pre-trib view espouses.) Every eye will see Him, and unbelieving Israel will for the first time as a nation fully turn to God with her whole heart and be saved.
I believe that the “church age” or dispensation of God’s superabounding grace will extend into Daniel’s seventieth week, past the abomination of desolation in the middle, through the Great Tribulation which will be cut short by the rapture and Israel’s national repentance, at which point Daniel’s seventieth week will continue through the period known as the Day of the Lord in which God will pour out His wrath on the world, defeat His enemies and set up His eternal kingdom. Christ will return to earth with His bride and rule from new Jerusalem for a thousand years.
The practical takeaway from this, if correct, is that Christians should anticipate going through tribulation and even the Great One before entering into the kingdom. We should expect to face the persecution of the man of sin, son of doom, Satan’s right hand man, the anti-Christ who will oppose and exalt himself against God. But we will see the Day of the Lord approaching because He gave us six specific signs that will immediately precede His return:
1) Deception, False Christs, False Peace - Matthew 24:5; Mark 13:5,6; Luke 21:8; Revelation 6:2 (1st Seal)
2) War and rumors of war - Matthew 24:6,7; Mark 13:7,8; Luke 21:9,10; Revelation 6:3,4 (2nd Seal)
3) Famine - Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:5,6 (3rd Seal)
4) Disease, troubles and natural disasters - Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:7,8 (4th Seal)
5) “Tribulation”, persecution and martyrdom of the saints - Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9; Luke 21:12; Revelation 6:9-11 (5th Seal)
6) Signs in the heavens, specifically the darkening of the sun and moon (immediately AFTER the Great Tribulation) - Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24,25; Luke 21:25,26; Revelation 6:12-14 (6th Seal)
And I will add the seventh sign which is the rapture itself:
7) Return of the Lord / beginning of Day of the Lord - Matthew 24:30,31; Mark 13:26,27; Luke 21:27,28; Revelation 6:17 (subsequent to the 6th seal, prior to 7th seal)
After this comes the End otherwise known as the Day of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:23-24
But each one [is resurrected] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
If the Rapture does not happen until midway in Daniel's seventieth week, the Church will be in opposition to the Jewish evangelists, since it has been the job of the Church during this pause in the weeks of Daniel to evangelize humankind. Jesus assured His disciples on the Upper Room occasion that He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father's House and would come to get them so that they could be THERE with Him, not here, THERE >