Jesus shows this in Matthew 24:30. The nations will mourn. There will be horror of people before the arrival of the Day of the Lord (Revelation 6:12-17). The same people who, during the tribulation, will blaspheme God and to listen to the beast (Revelation 13:4, Revelation 9:20-21, Revelation 16:9), will realize their destruction and lament before the glorious and majestic coming the Lord. For these, yes, the coming will be like a thief . The Word of God does not contradict Himself. The prophet Isaiah contrasts the haughtiness and arrogance of widespread idolatry tribulation period with the transformation that occurs on the Sabbath (the day of the glorious coming soon after the great tribulation).
Discussion
Only the Lord is worshiped on this glorious day and all the idols disappear. Something totally different from the great tribulation, where worship evil and idolatry reach their climax in the beast and his image. Given the glorious coming of the Lord, most men who have worshiped the beast and given credence to their lies, showing pride and presumption in the face of divine truths, will be surprised when there is the glorious manifestation of Christ. For them, the coming of the Lord will be unexpected and surprising, as the arrival of a thief! The system created a pre-trib secret rapture and the first phase of the coming of the Lord to fit the character of a "surprise" and an act of "unexpected", but this is human creation. The Word reveals otherwise. The Church will not be surprised. But the wicked will be surprised on the glorious.
Lord will not leave His Church at the mercy of that dark period without warn her before. The above argument was presented to us by a brother in Christ, when confronted with a community in which he participates. The argument in question is based on prophecies and revelations that, when received, indicate a call to sanctification before the arrival of the rapture and not speak of any tribulation preceding this wonderful encounter between Christ and His Church. Thus concludes the reasoning, the rapture will occur before the tribulation.
The last call for surveillance takes place just before this glorious, at times close to Armageddon: "And the dragon's mouth, and the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet I saw three unclean spirits like frogs. They are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
if some revelation or prophecy received a church put, for example, the rapture of the Church between the first and second seal of Revelation or even before the opening of the seals, would be heralded as a great fact, a final proof that the model pre-trib is ...