Will the rapture happen before the tribulation?
Yes, the Rapture will occur before the tribulation. It is a reality and will happen before the horrors of the tribulation come about, confirming a pre-tribulation timing grounded in the believer's hope and the grace of God that brings salvation.
Les explains that the Rapture is a reality and that it will take place before the horrors of the tribulation come about. He calls this 'another nail in my plank' and turns to Titus 2:11, which speaks of the grace of God that brings salvation. He also connects this pre-tribulation hope to the believer's victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ, as discussed in 1 Corinthians 15. There, the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law, but thanks be to God who gives victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Religion, good works, and church membership cannot achieve this; it comes only by the resurrection power of the Gospel. So the Rapture is grounded in that same saving grace and resurrection hope.