Bob Hill said:
1 Thes 4:13-5:6 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And .18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. Chapter 5 1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
The rapture is before the tribulation because nothing in our dispensation of the mystery is prophesied. Ephesians 3:8,9 show us that: “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the dispensation of the mystery, which has been hidden from ages in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.”
The mystery is a secret hid in God until He revealed it to Paul. Because it is a mystery, nothing that has to do with this dispensation of the mystery was prophesied before Paul was saved. After the rapture, God will start His prophetic program with Israel again.
From this, we can see that the tribulation will come after the rapture and the prophesied first resurrection will come after the tribulation.
Until Christ and the Rapture,
Bob Hill
Bob, There is nothing in the scripture you just quoted that indicates the so called pretribulational rapture. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." This is the resurrection of the saints. This is a mystery to the world , yes. It is a mystery to the world that lies in unbelief but it is no mystery to us. It was a mystery but now has been reveled to us who have believed. They are indeed words of comfort to us because they speak to our glorious hope, the resurrection of the body. "the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord." What a precious hope and sure knowledge of our future.
"For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober." "Every citizen of the world has the right to live in peace and safety so we will fight this war on terror and we will win no matter how long it takes." George H.W. Bush, President of the United States. It is not that peace and safety will exist in the whole world but that man thinks that peace and safety is the right of man and can be secured by man. We are fighting in the meddle east today for the purpose of peace and safety. It is not the fact that the war is being fought but where it is being fought. More on that latter. and probably should be on a different tread, but to serfice it to say that we should know better. The coming of the Lord is not a mystery to us. Jesus said, "John 14:1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." The where and the how are no mystery but the time of the event is unknown to us. But that is no mystery ether because of the surity of the event.
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 24:43 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.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
26 ¶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.