Why I believe in a post tribulation rapture.
Matthew 24:29-31 But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
We see from this passage that after the tribulation of those days, Jesus will come with clouds, angels, a trumpet, and gathering his elect.
1 Thess. 4:13-18. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
We also see in this passage Jesus coming on the clouds with a trumpet and angels and gathering his elect. Unless you already believe that this passage was referring to a pre-tribulation rapture, you would just take it to be referring to the same event.
The passage speaks of the “coming” of the Lord. If he comes down partway and goes back up, did he really come?
Also, notice that Jesus will bring those who have fallen asleep in Jesus with him. That means Jesus is going from somewhere to somewhere, and those that are dead in Jesus will go with him. If Jesus goes part way down from heaven and instantaneously goes back up into heaven, he has not gone anywhere to bring anyone with him.
In the same matter, if he goes down partway and instantaneously goes back up into heaven, did he really descend from heaven, as the passage states?
The point of this passage is simply that when Jesus returns to earth, it won’t be just for those who are alive at the time, but that he will bring the dead in Christ with him. The comfort he was providing is that when Jesus returns to earth, those who have died will not be left out. Very simple.