There are many examples like this that disprove the pretrib “any moment” rapture view, but here is one from the book of Acts:
“The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, because I am with you, and no one will assault you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:9–11).
The apostle Paul was about to leave the city of Corinth, but the Lord in a vision told him to stay because “I have many people in this city.” In other words, God had his elect people there that needed to hear the gospel and be saved. So Paul stayed a year in a half as an agent of God to fulfill this prophecy. Therefore, Jesus could not return before this Bible prophecy was fulfilled.
Someone may object that this is not about salvation but about working with those who are already saved. I disagree, but for the sake of the argument the principle remains: God’s intentions for Paul was to stay in the city to accomplish God’s work among his people; therefore, Jesus would not return before this happened.
