There is no “clutching at the scriptures” when you take all of it and fit it together with no contradictions.
I was told by a man with a doctorate in theology that, excepting the core Christian teaching (e.g. grace), the stronger a person with a different perspective from yours argues that theirs is the correct and undeniable perspective, the less educated they are on the actual content of the bible.
It’s as if the more you know, the more hesitant you are to make blanket “this is how it is” statements about the teaching of the bible regarding anything but core issues. I’m noticing the more I read and study it is what is happening to me.
I used to be a strong pre-tribulationist and let people know that it was clearly what the bible taught - because it was what smarter people than me said it was. Then I studied it and, low and behold I ended up with questions that had no “reasonable” answers. And that began my path to the “post trib, pre-wrath” rapture position.
But even then, though I can support my opinion far more than I could when I was “pre-trib”, I know that I could be wrong. There is plenty of scripture that can be taken many ways and used to support several interpretations without exhaustive study. It’s why it takes a lifetime and still there is so much more to learn.
So I won’t tell you I’m right and you are wrong. But I will say that I have made a good faith effort studying this issue from multiple perspectives since 1981 and the one I embrace is the one I embrace. We’ll find out after we die (or are raptured). ;-)
Post trib, pre-wrath? What's that. The wrath of God began with the opening of the first seal.
>>It’s why it takes a lifetime and still there is so much more to learn.<<
That's a fact and it's astonishing!
>>But I will say that I have made a good faith effort studying this issue from multiple perspectives since 1981<<
Well, I got a 10 year head start on you so maybe in ten years you will catch up! :-).
A little background. Back in the late seventies to the late eighties I knew Hal Lindsey personally. I argued with him on the 40 year generation thing. Their train of thought was that a generation was from the birth of the father to the birth of the son. But scripture says "this generation shall not pass" and that means that the father's generation will not pass. The fathers generation hasn't passed when the son is born which means 70-80 years instead of 40.