The Rapture of believers

I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon (2. The Man of Lawlessness (2:3–4))

If the rapture and the return occur simultaneously, as posttribulationists believe, and every living believer is raptured to meet Jesus as He descends to earth, then who are the sheep on earth when Jesus arrives?

Mark Hitchcock; Edward E. Hindson

Second, Revelation 19 does not mention a Rapture even though that is where a posttribulational Rapture (if true) would logically occur.

John F. MacArthur

The Second Coming must be distinguished from the Rapture of the church prior to the seven-year Tribulation; the differing biblical descriptions of the two events indicate that they are distinct from each other. At the Rapture, Christ comes for His saints (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16–17); at the Second Coming, He comes with them (see the discussion of v. 14 below). Furthermore, at the Rapture, Christ meets His saints in the air (1 Thess. 4:17) to take them to heaven (John 14:2–3); at the Second Coming, He descends with them from heaven to the earth (Zech. 14:4).

John F. MacArthur

In keeping with the Lord’s promise to spare His church from the hour of testing (the outpouring of wrath before the Lord returns) given in 3:10, the church will be raptured before that time of tribulation (described in detail in chapters 6–19) begins.

John F. MacArthur

Blessed (v. 3)—This is the only biblical book that comes with a blessing for the one who listens to it being read and explained and then responds in obedience. This is the first of seven beatitudes in the book (vv. 3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).

MacArthur, John. Revelation: The Christian’s Ultimate Victory. W Publishing Group, 2001, p. 10.