Right Ahead: Should You Believe the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory?

 I remember back in High School, my younger brother & sister coming home with tales they'd heard from a friend that the Rapture of the Church was going to happen on September 24th that year. I was just a baby Christian then, as were they, but I knew Jesus took the tiime to tell His disciples what to do during the Tribulation, so it didn't really make sense that He would air-lift them out before it ever started. Yet that is exactly what they were told, and exactly what many Christians still believe!
   There was a book out back in the day called, "88 Reasons the Rapture Will Be in '88". Well, even though it didn't happen in '88, '98, or '08, millions of believers still hold to the basic premises that led to this conclusion.  You'd think they'd step back and ask why this guy was wrong? To take a fresh look at the Scriptures and examine the underlying assumptions behind this book? Does not the Bible itself command us to "prove all things"?
   Now I don't dispute that Christ will gather all believers, living or "sleeping", when He returns. The question is when. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory holds that Christ will come to earth secretly before the Second Coming, and beam up (for lack of a better term) His Church prior to God's judgement on sinners, and prior to the advent of the AntiChrist as world ruler. But is this what your Bible actually says?
   As I mentioned earlier, Christ gives us specific instructions how to survive the Tribulation (when you see this, do that; when you hear this, do that) in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 & Mark 13). But He also says this, "immediately after the tribulation"  there will be signs in the sky, Christ will appear, "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:29-31 & Mark 13: 24-27).
   There it is kids, in Jesus' own words, "after the Tribulation", right there in black & white (or red & white).
  That should settle it, but I see you need more proof! Not a problem. I have plenty. Guys, don't just believe anything everyone tells ya. Search the Scriptures whether those things are so: just read what's actually  there on the page, in the book! Our doctrine must be based on what the Bible says, not on how we'd like things to be. Come back next time, we'll look at some more stuff!