The rapture of the church

This is our topic for Theology class today.  Mind bending stuff.  Jim is pre-millennial and pre-tribulational but though I agree with the pre-millennial idea (That Jesus' return issues in the 1000 year reign of Christ), I tend to agree more with the textbook's interpretation of understanding a post-tribulational rapture.   This idea that the church will endure the tribulation, yet at Christ's return the church will be raptured to meet Jesus in the air and then return with him to earth to begin the 1000 year reign.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 gives a clear understanding that we will be 'caught up' in the air at Jesus' coming - ἁρπαγησόμεθα - this verb really does give the idea of being taken up, or to go up.  The word rapture comes from the Latin translation of this term I believe, so in that sense I do believe there will be a rapture.

But I think it's all part of the final coming of Jesus Christ - not a separate occurance removing the church before the tribulation.  I liked this in Erickson's textbook, in regards to the use of this verb ἀπάντησιν in a parable Jesus told...

One of these references is in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, an explicitly eschatological parable.  When the bridegroom comes, the announcement is made, "Here's the bridegroom! Come out and meet [ἀπάντησιν] him!" (Matt 25:6).   What does the word signify in this situation? the virgins do not go out to meet the bridegroom and then depart with him.  Rather, they go out to meet him and then accompany him back to the wedding banquet. 

(Erickson, Christian Theology, p1229)

This idea of meeting Jesus shows that the rapture isn't Jesus simply coming in the sky, the Christians meeting him there and then he whisks them off to heaven to sit out a terrible period of tribulation on earth.  But instead, Jesus comes, Christians meet him in the sky and then follow him back to earth where all the other judgement stuff happens and then the wedding feast begins.