I just want to add that I was attending a Calvary Chapel church which preaches pre-trib rapture. I really liked the people there and felt very welcomed. I attended for probably six months and God would continually close doors for me there. Doors closed to the point of me not attending any more. I felt kind of confused as I thought God would want me at church but it was obvious to me that he didn't want me there. I think that maybe these doors closed to keep me from false hope.
Hi Mantis: I found that interesting--yes, God sometimes leads us in different, unexpected directions. It doesn't mean the Calvary Chapels are bad. I actually think they're good. I've been connected at various times to them up here in Washington. I don't like their Pretrib Theology, but otherwise, they're good folks.
This is a true story. When I lived in S. CA for about 3 years in the late 70s (I'm old) I started listening to Chuck Smith on the radio, and read his Pretrib Commentary on Revelation. I had been Postrib for awhile, but Smith made me doubt if I could be more right than he was. I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't doubt what God had already showed me on the subject--Smith's interest was prophecy, but his ministry was being a hub for a virtual new denomination.
At the time I attended another Pretrib Church, Melodyland Christian Center in Anaheim, CA. I lived halfway between these two great churches. So I wrote Smith, after having written him numerous times about my Postrib, asking him if I should attend his Pretrib church. He wrote back, quoting me from Amos: "Should two who disagree walk together?"
Then I wrote Ralph Wilkerson, pastor of Melodyland Christian Center, asking him the same question. He encouraged me to attend his church regardless, since I had already made it my home. What a generous man!
So I don't go to church where I always agree. I go where I feel comfortable, spiritually, as God guides. I determine God's guidance by whether a ministry is taking place there, spiritually, and I am part of it. That ministry is not often about one's view of prophecy, so it doesn't matter so much to me. But since I will always state my position, I do run up against hostile Pretrib actors.
Pretribbers and Postribbers are both largely Premillennialists, as I've experienced them. So they do see the current age in a negative light, and are determined to endure hard times, if necessary. I don't see the final challenge under Antichrist as any worse than any other major challenge in history--there have already been many antichrists. Just as Christians survived those times, I'm sure we'll survive the coming challenges. God is always greater than Satan, the Antichrist, and the world. We need worry about nothing. But we should never get "too happy" so that we don't give up when things go south! ;)