S. P. Tregelles was one of the most noted 19th century Greek scholars. His generation was the first to confront what was called back then, “the secret rapture” (a.k.a. the pretribulational rapture).
What he observed about pretribulationists back in the 19th century still holds true today: Many affirm pretribulationism out of sentimentalism.
One of the last books he wrote was on refuting this novel doctrine. In The Hope of Christ’s Second Coming, he poignantly writes,
It is very manifest that the doctrine of a secret coming of Christ, and a secret removal of the Church to be with Him, is peculiarly suited to those who cherish the religion of sentiment. What more cheering (they say) than the thought that the Lord may take His people to Himself at any moment? What more animating than the belief that this may take place this very day? And when any one brings them to Scripture, and tries to point out the revealed hope of the Lord’s coming, it seems as if there were nothing but coldness in the teaching, and as if the Lord were put far off from them. They ask sometimes if such chilling doctrines can be consistent with love to the Lord, and whether love to His person does not exclude the thought of a revealed interval, and of events that will take place first. It is thus that truth is judged by sentiment and emotion, instead of true emotions, which are according to God, being formed by truth in all its definite severity (p. 75).
