1) In I Corinth. 15:22-23 Apostle Paul writes that "...in Christ shall all be made alive... at his coming" that is, His Church who is on the earth, during the 7 years of tribulation, becomes alive when the Second Presence of Jesus and the Rapture of the Church takes place. There is only one presence of Jesus at the last days. Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures is the word "presence (coming)" mentioned in the plural person. Beside the 1st presence of Jesus on the earth 2000 years ago, there is only one 2nd presence of Jesus the Second Presence which takes place at the end of the 7 years of tribulation (Matt. 24:37+39, I Thess. 4:15, II Thess. 2:1, James 5:7-8).
2) a) In II Thess. 1:6-10 Apostle Paul comforts the believers with these words, "the Lord shall give tribulation to them that trouble you (that cause you tribulation) and He shall take vengeance on them who do not obey the Gospel of the Lord, that is the unbelievers. But to you that are in trouble (tribulation) and to us He shall give rest." Following this, Apostle Paul mentions when shall the Lord give this rest "When the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with His angels" that is, He tells the Church that she passes through the 7 years of tribulation and at the Second Presence the Lord gives her rest.
2) b) Then he continues his thought with the advice in II Thess. 2:1-4 "We beseech you, brethren, concerning the presence (coming) of Jesus and our gathering unto Him," that is, concerning the Second Presence and the Rapture of the Church, "let nobody persuade you to believe that supposedly this day is approaching, the day of Christ, as before the day of Christ comes the apostasy of the Church will come first and the Antichrist will be revealed first."
So what does he say over here? At verse 1 he states together the Second Presence and the Rapture of the Church, he mentions first the Second Presence and then the Rapture of the Church, and certainly he does not put a 7 years time period in between them.
The Second Presence takes place in two parts, firstly, the presence of Jesus in the clouds where the whole world sees Him and secondly, the presence of Jesus on the earth on the Mount of Olives. The Rapture of the Church takes place after the presence of Jesus in the clouds.
In verse 3 he mentions that before the Second Presence and the Rapture of the Church take place, the apostasy of the Church takes place first. The period of the 7 years of tribulation offers the proper conditions for the realization of the apostasy. Because certainly the trials, difficulties, temptations, persecutions, false teachers and false prophets of the 7 years of tribulation, force the unclean, hypocritical, lukewarm, and weak in the Word of God Christians to succumb and to separate themselves from the saints, faithful, and elect Christians (Matt. 24:10-12, 24, I Tim. 4:1).
In verses 2-4 Apostle Paul advises the Church to be careful and to know that before the Second Presence takes place the apostasy of the Church takes place first and the Antichrist is revealed first. Why all these advice to the Church concerning the Second Presence if the Church would be in heaven, instead of the earth, awaiting for the Second Presence? So again he says to the believers that they pass through the 7 years of tribulation and he gives them two signs, which they must know, which take place before the Second Presence and the Rapture of the Church, the apostasy of the Church and the revealing of Antichrist.
2) c) Then he continues his thought and he mentions in II Thess. 2:6-8 that in order for the Antichrist to be revealed "...he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way... ."
The assertion that the Hinderer is the Church and the Rapture of the Church takes place before the 7 years of tribulation is wrong because the Hinderer is taken out of the way at the middle of the 7 years of tribulation, as when he is taken out of the way then the Antichrist is revealed and the Antichrist is revealed at the middle of the 7 years of tribulation. According to II Thess. 2:3-4, the Antichrist is revealed at the middle of the 7 years of tribulation when he "...as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."
The Holy Spirit could, as a Hinderer, not be taken out of the way but restrict His power and allow the Antichrist to be revealed. The Holy Spirit cannot be taken out of nowhere, He is everywhere present and fills everything (Psalms 139:7-12). Besides this, we know that thousands of people repent and get saved during the 7 years of tribulation. How does this take place without the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:19-21, John 6:44)?
It is believed that most probably the Hinderer is him who has directions from the Lord to protect the people of God and to fight the devil. This is nobody else but the Archangel Michael. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble (tribulation), such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time..." (Daniel 12:1). "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me... there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince"(Daniel 10:13,21). "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil..." (Jude 9). "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon... And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called he Devil, and Satan... and his angels were cast out with him" (Revel. 12:7-9). "And I saw an angel come down from heaven... And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years" (Revel. 20:1-2). It appears that the Holy Spirit does not bother Himself with the devil but simply He entrusted this responsibility to Archangel Michael. If there is somebody who wars, fights, bothers and hinders Satan this one is nobody else but the Archangel Michael. Just see the comparison between Daniel 12:1 and II Thess. 2:6-8: When Michael "stands up" then the great tribulation takes place which starts with the revealing of the Antichrist - When the Hinderer "is taken out of the way" then the Antichrist is revealed whom the great tribulation follows. Most probably the Hinderer is Archangel Michael.
3) Apostle James advises the Church to be patient until the Second Presence which is close. Why this advice if the Church would be gone from the earth with the Rapture of the Church 7 years before the Second Presence (James 5:7-8)? The Church is on the earth until the end of the 7 years of tribulation.
B. The day and hour of the Second Presence of Jesus and of the Rapture of the Church is not known to the world. But while the time is approaching, Jesus gives revelation to His Church in order to be ready:
What does Apostle Paul write to the Church in I Thess. 5:1-5? "You know all about the times and the seasons, you do not even need me to write to you concerning these things, that the day of the Lord, the Second Presence and the Rapture of the Church, at the end of the 7 years of tribulation, which are followed by the judgment of the world and the 1000 year kingdom of Jesus on the earth (Joel 2:28-31), comes like a thief in the night for the world, not for us. You, brethren, are not in darkness so that the Second Presence of Jesus and the Rapture of the Church will overtake you as a thief."
C. The "last trumpet" of I Corinth. 15:51-52 and the "trumpet of God" of I Thess. 4:16 is the trumpet of the Rapture of the Church and of the Second Presence which is mentioned in Matt. 24:30-31 and not the 7th trumpet which is mentioned in Revel. 11:15:
The 7th trumpet of Revelation is followed by the 7 scourges of God, the 7 vials, which are part of the great tribulation. The Rapture of the Church and the Second Presence take place after the end of the great tribulation. The fact that the 7th trumpet is the last one of the 7 trumpets, does not mean also that this trumpet is the last trumpet, the trumpet of the Rapture of the Church. The Holy Scriptures use the words "trumpet" or "trumpets" more than 100 times. Every trumpet is different and has its purpose.
D. The teaching that the Rapture of the Church takes place before the 7 years of tribulation got into the Church, mainly the Protestant Church of America, before about one and a half century in 1830:
In 1830 a young woman, Margaret MacDonalt, saw a dream related to the Rapture of the Church which supposedly was taking place before the 7 years of tribulation, she shared it with somebody by the name John Darby who publicized it. Nobody heard of a similar teaching before 1830.
E. The theory about the various dispensations is not found in the Holy Scriptures even though it sounds logical and pretty. Unfortunately many leaders of the Church today support that the Rapture of the Church takes place before the 70th week of Daniel because of their fanatical belief in this theory. This theory says the following: "There are the 70 weeks of Daniel from which the 69 weeks were completed with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, while the 70th week takes place before the Second Presence. Every week corresponds to 7 years. There is a gap approximately 2000 years long between the end of the 69th week and the beginning of the 70th week which is the period of the Church and of grace. The 7 years of the 70th week of Daniel is not the period of the Church but the period of the people of Israel, 'Jacob's Trouble,' during which God punishes Israel in order to repent so there is no need for the Church to be on the earth:"
1) The purpose of the 70th week of Daniel, of the 7 years of tribulation, during which "Jacob's Trouble" takes place (Jeremiah 30:7), is the repentance of Israel but also of all the nations. Israel, but also all the nations, can call upon the Blood of Jesus for salvation during the 70th week of Daniel, just like today that we live in the period of the Church and grace (Acts 2:19-21). That's why also large multitudes are getting saved from all the nations and from Israel during the 7 years.
2) "Jacob's Trouble" has as the purpose the repentance of the people of Israel, but this does not mean that the Church must disappear from the earth. Simply God punishes Israel and before the Second Presence of Jesus and the Rapture of the Church a whole remnant of the people of Israel, 1/3 of them, gets saved and is included with the Church (Jeremiah 46:28, Romans 11:26, Zechariah 13:8-9).
3) The fact that the Church did not exist in the Old Testament during the 69 weeks of Daniel does not mean that the Church should disappear from the earth during the 70th week of Daniel. The Church came to existence after Pentecost that's why she also did not exist in the Old Testament. During the 70th week of Daniel the Church has an important task to do, to preach that Gospel of the Kingdom to all the world.
We are close to the Second Presence of Jesus on the earth.
Every day that passes by brings us one step closer to the global government of the dictator Antichrist. The Antichrist enslaves the world with his global economic system and forces the people to take the "Mark of the Beast" on their right hand or on their forehead ("Mark of the Beast" = "Microprocessor Chip Implant"), ("Beast" = "Antichrist"). Without the "Mark of the Beast" it is impossible for anybody to either buy or sell anything.
The ones who refuse "cooperation" with the system of the Antichrist, end up in the concentration camps which are installed in many countries of the world and consequently get eliminated. The system of the Antichrist uses the high technology of the 21st century to survey and control a large number of people on the face of the earth. Indeed there is no way out. There are two options. The Antichrist or Jesus.
The option Antichrist gives to you the potential to live in the system of the Antichrist by worshipping him as your god and by taking the "Mark of the Beast" in your body. However, this option secures for you the wrath of God which is sent to the people during the "7 Years of Tribulation" and also secures for you death and everlasting hell when Jesus returns to the earth at His Second Presence.
The choice of Jesus offers to you everlasting life with God and protection from the wrath of God during the "7 Years of Tribulation." However, this choice puts you in opposition to the Antichrist and his system, with the probable result your death, the death of a martyr, if this is allowed by God. At the Second Presence of Jesus, if you are dead you are raised from the dead and along with the remaining alive Christians you meet Jesus in the clouds right after you receive your incorruptible body, your supernatural body, which has the same attributes as the body of Jesus.
Jesus eliminates the Antichrist, destroys his system and reigns on (governs) the earth for 1000 years while you reign (govern) along with Him. Afterwards, God creates a new earth and a new heaven... . Certainly it is impossible for somebody to comprehend the important plans of Jesus for them that choose Him and love Him.
If you want to follow Jesus you must be born again by believing in Him and confessing Him as your personal Savior and Lord. It is also imperative to joint a local church and to start fellowshiping with other born again Christians (John 3:3+16+36, Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9+10+13, II Corinth. 5:17+21)!
If you want to follow Jesus you can start right now with this confession and prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, I believe in You and I accept You as my personal Savior and as my Lord. Forgive all my sins and wash me, cleanse me, sanctify me, with Your holy blood which You shed on the cross of Golgotha. My Heavenly Father, I praise You and I worship You. I thank You because now I'm Your child. Please protect me through the '7 Years of Tribulation' and help me to stay faithful to Jesus until the end, amen!"