The tribulation (mainly the 7 bowls or vials) is God’s wrath on mankind. Why would God appoint his Church to wrath? Noah was spared Gods wrath, as was Lot, Moses and the Israelis in Egypt etc. This is the reason why the pre-trib rapture theory has merit.
Additionally, God sparing Christians from his wrath is not necessarily the same as no suffering. That's an important difference.
Anyway, the point I'm making is that Christians around the world are being matyred, being oppressed/suppressed/repressed, seeing their loved ones torn apart, raped and sold, and being imprisoned. In God's eyes those Christians are equal to you as God is not a respect or of persons, yet they get torn apart but in the West people will just disappear?
My point is that even if that is the case, and people are having a Sunday picnic before they just pop away, that it may be a wise thing to look and see what's happening around the world and ask oneself what if that was happening to me? Also, I am reminded of what happened to Christ's disciples ....I believe all but one died very gruesome deaths. It doesn't mean every Christian will go in the same way ....most will not ...but that it CAN happen.
While I’m a pre-trib’er for the already stated reasons does it really matter? I personally put all my faith in Jesus Christ, so I don’t really care. He will call us home when it’s time not before and not afterwards. We need to concentrate our efforts on those who are lost through man made dogmas, false doctrines, and selfish pride.
Israel was not forgiven once as a nation. Have you not read Lamentations? Why was the nation invaded?
“However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple (house) of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’”
“Surely at the command (mouth) of the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; AND THE LORD WOULD NOT FORGIVE.” (All caps mine) 2 Kings 23: 26 & 27 and 24: 3 & 4
Manasseh was practicing child sacrifice. The nations around Israel were to see that Israel’s God is the only God. Today, only 6 nations have NOT legalized child sacrifice. Therefore, God’s wrath is now worldwide. God has not changed. He avenges the innocent. Read Lamentations.