But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. (Luke 21:34-35)
In order to escape the tribulation, one needs to stand before the Son of Man:
Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36).
This provides evidence that in order to escape the wrath of God, a believer must be sanding before Jesus Christ – this take place when the church saints are taken to heaven – the rapture.
Paul states believers are to be delivered from the Tribulation;
For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:9).
This is both the general wrath of God – where the unsaved will be cast into hell at death and the coming Tribulation where the world is judged (Revelation 15:1 etc.).
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)
Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial [testing] which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
From the time of Jesus Christians have suffered – Stephen was martyred by the second chapter of Acts – at a time when the Church had been barely established. That the church will be raptured is not some vague theory so Christians can avoid testing, but rather it is the plan of God; Christians are and will be tested (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9; 1 Peter 1:6 etc.), the Tribulation on the other hand is judgement to bring to an end to wickedness and the wicked ones (Isaiah 13:9; 24:19-20), to deal with those who have hated the Jews (Deuteronomy 30:7), and to deal with Israel in order to bring them to faith (Romans 9-11). He judges the nations who have rejected Christ and not heeded the 144,000 Israeli’s who evangelised the world during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:1-17), thus fulfilling Matthew 24:14.
All evidence from Scripture points to the rapture occurring immediately prior to the Tribulation. Christians are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:34) – once removed evil beyond all what has been witnessed to date will break forth – because that which is currently withstanding the evil (albeit very weakly) are born again Christians. In another sense, at the same time as the rapture, the Holy Spirit withdraws, because as we speak today the Holy Spirit indwells all Christians, so when they are taken to heaven, so the Holy Spirit is removed from this world.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:7-11)
Currently the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin – albeit which is taking His advice less and less – thus we see an exponential declension in morals and values in all corners of the world today. Furthermore, once the Holy Spirit leaves there will be no righteousness and nor judgement (the Greek is krisis – meaning justice, literally separation, in this case separating right from wrong) of, thus chaos will ensue.
There are two principle events that need to occur prior to the tribulation:
Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves." (Isaiah 28:15)
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:27)
If the rapture is to occur immediately prior to the Tribulation, and the Tribulation requires certain events to have occurred or at least to be ready to occur, thus Christians will have a good sense the end of the world is near. Thus the wars and rumours of wars spoken off by Jesus that will befall the earth during the Tribulation will be evident to all prior to the rapture, as will the increase in earthquakes and other natural phenomena (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7). These do not just suddenly occur, but as evidence shows, these phenomena have exponentially increased over the past decades.
The rapture is spoken about in various terms in various passages in Scripture. The main issue here is to ensure the Scripture being used as evidence for a rapture of the Church is actually speaking about the Church, and not Israel, and is speaking about the rapture and not the Second Coming.
John 14: Promises the rapture and the protection by the Holy Spirit until that time. Jesus promises to go away and prepare a place, as a Bridegroom would his Bride, and then return.
In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3 ESV)
Acts 1: The angel tells the disciples who saw Jesus ascend into heaven that he would return in the same manner he left.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:10-11)
The picture in Acts is clearly of the rapture, for in Revelation Christ returns as Judge, and all will see him – it is not the coming Tribulation described to the disciples in Acts. In the Tribulation the Bible tells us he comes as Judge and all will see him;
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
https://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2012/02/rapture-part-1.htm (accessed 27 January 2019)
See also: https://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/p/andy-woods.html (27 January 2019)
The Rapture of the Church < http://javathescript.com/documents/RaptureOfTheChurch.Fruchtenbaum.pdf > (27 January 2019)
Also, The Footsteps of the Messiah from Ariel Ministries < https://www.ariel.org/books/the-footsteps-of-the-messiah > (27 January 2019)
[1] In this I mean born again persons who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and who have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and thus are Church for the purposes of the counsels of God (See Ephesians 1 & 2). In no way does the Church mean Israel nor has she replaced Israel. The Bible has three chapters on this topic – Romans 9 through 11. The five covenants of the Old Testament pertaining exclusively to Israel have not been annulled – indeed they cannot be annulled (see Hebrews), and thus they have either been fulfilled or will be executed by Jehovah (the Mosaic Covenant was conditional – it required the obedience of the Children of Israel, thus its fulfilment is human orientated). These covenants are also non-transferable - this means Israel must be Israel. The Church is established under the New Covenant – the convent of grace and which Jesus is the mediator (Hebrews 11:24).
[2] Twenty-four verses in the book of Revelation refer to the church, and of these, 20 concerns the church today (Revelation 1:4, 11, 20; 2:1, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17, 18, 23, 29; 3:1, 6, 7, 13, 14, 22; 22:16, 17). In the later part of Revelation, after the Tribulation two verses refer to the church at the marriage of the Lamb, which takes place in heaven (Revelation 19:7, 8). Two verses refer to the church in the eternal state (Revelation 21:2, 9). From chapter 4 to 19 there are no references to the church.
[3] There are five crowns – which are rewards, (stephanos), not a crown of authority or king (diadem): Incorruptible crown (1 Cor 9:24-25), Crown of rejoicing (1 Thess 2:19), Crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7), Crown of life (James 1:12), and Crown of glory (1 Peter 5:2-4).