Foreshadowing

The exact timing of the rapture of the church seems to be in doubt. Is it a pre-tribulation rapture? Mid-tribulation? Or post-tribulation? God has already shown us the future. He and His prophets have already told us these things. It's called 'foreshadowing' to a writer. Here's some examples:

Noah and the Ark - wasn't this a foreshadowing of Christ and His church? In order to be saved from the flood you had to get in the ark, right? Well, in order to be saved from your sins you have to be IN Christ. The ark was a foreshadowing of Jesus.

Joseph - he suffered much at the hands of his brothers in the Book of Genesis. But later Joseph saved the entire nation of Israel through that suffering and sacrifice. It was through Joseph that an entire nation was saved. Speaking to his brothers, he said this:

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." - Genesis 37:20 

Moses - another Christ-like figure from the Book of Genesis. Wasn't the entire nation of Israel saved through Moses when he led them out of Egypt?

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me." - Exodus 9:1

God's Wrath - Do you remember all the plagues that God sent down upon Egypt and pharaoh in order to make him let his people go? How many of those plagues affected the Israelites? None of them.

"There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt - worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel." - Exodus 11:6-7

"Egypt" are all of the unbelieving people who did not know God. "Israel" are God's chosen people.

God's Wrath did not touch his chosen ones back then and it will not touch his church today. "God did not appoint us to wrath," it says in the Bible. He protected his people in the Old Testament and He protected them in the New Testament.

"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 5:9

God is consistent.  He never changes. He has told us from the beginning what it is that He will do in the future. Why don't we believe Him?

"The Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17

"I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.'" - Isaiah 46:10

It will not be long before God removes His people from what He is about to do, and He will do it quickly - "In the twinkling of an eye."

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52