There are three possibilities:
1) Remain in the Air
2) Enter the Heavenly Abode into the Father’s Presence
3) Immediately Escort Christ downward to Earth
The pre-wrath position is that after the rapture their destination is to enter the heavenly abode of God’s presence. Then after a duration of time during which the Lord metes out eschatological wrath upon the ungodly and their nations, believers will descend to the earth for the millennium and eternity.
There are three important passages that teach that we do not immediately descend to the earth just after the rapture, but rather are brought into the Father’s presence:
“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, (14) knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.” –2 Cor 4:13-14 (cf. 1Th 4:14).
“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” –John 14:2-3
“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” (14) I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.” –Rev 7:13-15
On a similar note, post-tribulationists argue that in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 the Greek noun, “meeting” (ἀπάντησις) requires the technical meaning of an “immediate escort back to the origin of place.” Thus, according to this understanding, the Church will immediately escort Jesus back to earth just after the rapture.
This understanding of that Greek word is simply in error. I devoted an entire lecture on this word at the Orlando Prewrath Conference in 2008. Here are my notes on it.
