Bistabuster, I must have missed this question by accident. I did not intentionally overlook it, I just had some other posts and responses to them which I also was addressing.
Now to answer your question, whenever your dealing with a subject or major event taught in the Scriptures, it is important to always compare Scripture with Scripture.
Now you asked me where is there a verse in the Scriptures that say explicitly "before the tribulation."
Believe it or not, I already answered this particular question of yours. Please see Post #114.
But I will answer it again for the sake of the others on this forum who sincerely want to know this truth and want help in this area.
Now let me re-emphasize this point which I made earlier, if you want to understand a key passage in the Bible, you need to properly identify the Bible Terms and phrases. Those Biblical terms that are describing the event being referenced within the context of the passage.
So, here is my answer to your question Bistabuster.
The phrase: "before the tribulation" does not show up anywhere in the Scriptures. Now you may think that that proves your claim and argument for a Post trib Rapture. But it does not.
The term : "the tribulation" only appears 1 time in the Holy Scriptures, and that is in Matthew 24:29:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: - Matthew 24:29 (King James Bible)
Now did you notice something about the phrase "the tribulation" as it occurs in that passage?
Note: The phrase "the tribulation" in Matthew 24:29 is not a title of the event which is coming upon the lost world after the Body of Christ is taken off the earth.
The very phrase "the tribulation" is followed by the words: "of those days."
Which means that the phrase "the tribulation" is simply a DESCRIPTION of what it is going to be like in the time of Jacob's trouble.
The Biblical term for the 7 year period that will come upon the lost world after the Catching away of the Saints IS NOT "The Tribulation," or "The Great Tribulation."The Biblical name and title for this coming 7 year period is called: The time of Jacob's trouble (See Jeremiah 30:7).
The reason I will commonly refer to it also as the tribulation is simply because most people identify that term with this future 7 year period.
This future 7 year period where God will pour His wrath upon the lost world is after the Body of Christ is removed off the earth, is also commonly referred to as"Daniel's Seventieth Week."
But again, keep in mind that the Biblical Term and Title for this upcoming 7 Year Period is "The Time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7).
The word "tribulation" occurs a total of 22 times in the King James Authorized Version.
And it is a word that means trouble or distress.
One of the definitions of the word "Tribulation" is as follows:
distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution; also : a trying experience.
That's basically what tribulation is. And every occurrence of the word "tribulation" in the Scriptures is as a description of what is taking place to a person or a group of people. It is a description of trouble, suffering and distress coming upon a certain group of people or even a person.
And out of the 22 occurrences of the word "tribulation" in the Scriptures, not one time is it a title of an event.
Now having established that fact, here is what also is important to know.
And that is, in the Scriptures there are two kinds of tribulation:
Tribulation from the lost world.
And then there is tribulation from God.
Here are some Scriptures that describe tribulation coming upon God's people from the lost world:
[SUP]10 [/SUP]And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
[SUP]12 [/SUP]The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
[SUP]13 [/SUP]Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. - Judges 10:10-16 (King James Bible)
So, the tribulation that the Children of Israel was going through was the oppression which was coming on them from the Egyptians, Amorites, the Children of Ammon, the Philistines, the Zidonians, the Amalekites, and from the Maonites. In this passage, the term "tribulation" is being defined. It was basically the oppression that was coming upon the children of Israel from these different peoples and nations. A lot of times, the tribulation that either a group of people faces or just a person goes through is the simple result of sin and rebellion. As was the case here for the children of Israel.