I think they can and here's why.
See number 10
According to Jesus, these ten things will continue to multiply and progress as the first three and a half years of the Great Tribulation unfold following the rapture.
1. Deception: “Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5)
2. Dissension: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . . Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6–7)
3. Devastation: “There will be famines.” (Matthew 24:7)
4. Disease: “Pestilences.” (Matthew 24:7)
5. Disasters: “Earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7)
6. Death: “They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)
7. Disloyalty: “Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10)
8. Delusion: “Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” (24:11). It should also be noted that part of the delusion will be an increase in drug use. One of the characteristics of the end times’ false religion will be what the book of Revelation calls “sorceries” (Matthew 9:21). The word John used is pharmakia, from which we get the word pharmacy. It is an ancient reference to the ingestion of drugs. The use of mind-altering substances such as narcotics and hallucinogens will be associated with false religions, doubtless with the approval of the government.
9. Defection: “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). People will turn away from God and from one another.
10. Declaration: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations” (d 24:14). In the midst of the darkness the light of the good news of Jesus Christ will shine brighter than ever. People everywhere will run to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, peace, and life.
Jesus spoke clearly about the Tribulation, but He is not alone. Several passages throughout the Bible describe the events that will occur during the Tribulation period. These descriptions occur in the writings of various Old Testament prophets and in brief references here and there in other books of the Bible. But it is the book of Revelation that describes the Tribulation events in the greatest detail.
Some Bible interpreters believe that there will be absolutely no chance for salvation after the rapture. However, there is no place in the Bible that says this or even hints to it. There will be many people who come to Christ during the tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses (
Revelation 7:4) are Jewish believers. If no one can come to Christ during the tribulation, then why are people being beheaded for their faith (
Revelation 20:4)? No passage of Scripture argues against people having a chance to be saved after the rapture. Many passages indicate the opposite.
Another view is that those who hear the gospel and reject it before the rapture cannot be saved. Those saved during the tribulation, then, are those who had never heard the gospel before the rapture. The “proof text” for this view is 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11, which says the antichrist will work miracles to deceive “those who are perishing” and that God Himself will “send them a powerful delusion” to confirm them in their unbelief. The reason given is that “they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (verse 10). Granted, those who are hard-hearted toward the gospel before the rapture are likely to remain so. And the antichrist will deceive many (
Matthew 24:5). But “those who refused to love the truth” does not necessarily refer to people who heard the gospel before the rapture. It could be anyone who wholly rejects God’s salvation, at any time. So, there is no clear scriptural evidence to support this view.
Revelation 6:9-11 speaks of those martyred during the tribulation “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.” These martyrs will correctly interpret what they see during the tribulation and will believe the gospel themselves and call on others to repent and believe as well. The antichrist and his followers will not tolerate their evangelism and will kill them. All of these martyrs are people who were alive before the rapture, but who were not believers until afterward. Therefore, there must be opportunity to come to Christ in faith after the rapture.
Pre-Trib Research Center
