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I realize that some people don't believe in the rapture, but this is the first time I have seen someone claim that 1 Thessalonians teaches that there will be no rapture.

You stopped quoting too soon.

Dr. Lee says, “there would be no rapture of the saints from out of this wicked World -- and no History which would thereafter continue among the wicked on an all-evil Earth.”

When Dr. Lee uses the term "rapture" he means the secret pre-trib rapture of dispensationalism when the Church is removed from the tribulation and wickedness of this world as a distinct event from the Second Coming. He denies the rapture of dispensationalism.

At the Second Coming we are not so much removed from wickedness as the world is judged and the wicked cast into the lake of fire, while the saints enter into the glory of God in the new heavens and new earth. The wicked world ceases to be at Christ's return.

The reason many believe that the blessed hope and glorious appearing are two separate events is that Paul tells us to comfort each other with these words (1 Thess. 4:18). How can we comfort othes by telling them that they are going to go through a terrible, horrible wrath first? What kind of blessed hope would we have, if we knew that we have to go through the Great Tribulation first?

Let me try a different verse. When Jesus said that the saints will escape the "things that shall come to pass" (Luke 21:36), what was He talking about? I read a list of things we shall escape in Matt. 24, Luke 21 and Rev. 6-19: war, famine, death, religious persecution, earthquakes, signs and wonders in heaven, hail fire and blood, seas and rivers turned to blood, falling stars, sun moon and stars darkened, demons loosed upon earth, scorching sun, darkness, demons working miracles, satanic deception... To me all of them can be summed up in one word: Tribulation. And Jesus promised us that we will escape it!.

1 Thess. 5:9 says that "God has not appointed us to wrath", i.e. we will escape the wrath of God. And 2 Thess. 2:7-8 says that "only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken our of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed..." What hinders the powers of darkness from having full sway today? Certainly it is not governments, we know that from experience, and we know that they will aid and abet the Antichrist. Some people think it is the Holy Spirit, but Rev. 7:9-17 establishes that multitudes of people will be saved during the Tribulation, yet John 3:5-8, Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 2:18 attest that no man is saved except through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:17-21 (or Joel 2:28-32)states that the Holy Spirit will be present on earth during the Tribulation. Therefore, the only choice left is the Church.

Further, please notice that after Rev. 4:1 there's no mention of the Church here on earth (there's one mention of the Church in heaven). Remember that the Tribulation is also known as the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jer. 30:7). The wrath of God will be for Israel, to bring Israel no a place of national repentance, and for a God-forsaken world. But those who are God's children, those bought and adopted through the blood shed at Calvary... I cannot see God pouring His wrath over them!

To PleaseNoMore, when you read that the Antichrist will fight the saints, please remember that in the New Testament all born-again believers are called saints. If you are Catholic this may upset you, but you are a saint, and so is topcat54, thatjoeguy... hey, even me!