Summary of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Position

Theology is just a filing cabinet with which to organize the Biblical Data. Any theological position that does not fit the Biblical Data must either be revised or discarded. The Pre-Tribulational Rapture position is the only one that fits the Biblical Data. Here is the essence of how it coordinates the Biblical data:

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people (the Jews) and your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place Dan 9:24

Sixty nine of these weeks have passed (7 + 62):

So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince (Jesus Christ) there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; Dan 9:25

Thus one week still remains. This "week" is a seven year period belonging to the JEWS (your people--Dan 9:24). The interventing period (the Church Age) between the 69th and 70th week is a GENTILE period in the "Times of the Gentiles":

and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:24

The Gentile Church Age ends abruptly with the Rapture and then Daniel's 70th Jewish week occurs. You can see this timetable clearly reflected in the book of Revelation. The Greek word for Church (ἐκκλησία - ekklesia) is mentioned numerous times in the first three chapters of Revelation. Then, suddenly, at the very end of chapter three, the Church (ἐκκλησία - ekklesia) is not mentioned again until the very end of Revelation, Chapter 22 verse 16.

This is because the Church is gone, raptured. Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation describe the "Seven Churches." Seven is the Biblical number of completion--these two chapters summarize the entire Church Age which ends at Rev 3:22--it is completed--the number seven:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches Rev 3:22

Rev 4:1 then reads:

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here...

This is directly parallel to 1 Thess 4:16

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God,

The "voice" of both verses is the same voice. The "shout" in 1 Thess 4:16 is "Come up here" in Rev 4:1--the "like a trumpet " in Rev 4:1 is the "trumpet of God" of 1 Thess 4:16. This is the Rapture of the Church.

The Church does not return to the Earthly scene until Rev 19:14:

And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses

The Church is part of these armies.

Rev 22:16 is the summary statement to the Church:

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

Thus Jesus is commanding us in the Church Age to take a very very close look at the Book of Revelation, and when we do, we see that the Church is raptured prior to the start of the Tribulation, and  does not go through the horrible judgements described in Chapter 4 and following.