Tom, you contradicted yourself in the above with - no rapture.. then.. believers are 'caught up' (the Latin for this phrase in English is Rapture).The Pre-Mils divide themselves this way:\
Dispensational Pre-Mils hold to a pre-trib rapture, Tribulation, Second Coming, Defeat and binding of Satan, and 1000-year earthly reign.
Historical Pre-mils believe there's only one coming, post-tribulation. No rapture, since believers are caught up to meet him as he continues to earth, defeats the forces of Satan and sets up his millennial kingdom.
Post-Tribs don't fit the definition of Dispy.
Histroric Pre-mills DO hold to a rapture and it is as you stated the rapture takes places (caught up) when Christ comes back.. they go to meet him in the air, and return WITH Him. Historic Pre-mil's are post-trib rapture, always have been.
From Theopedia on Premillennialism.
By contrast, historic premillennialists would be generally categorized as "Post-tribulationists" because they see no appreciable difference in the timing of the rapture and the "official" second coming. Thus they hold that Christ will not return until the end of the Great tribulation and that Christians will suffer for the faith as they bring forth the final witness associated with the 5th seal of the book of Revelation.
However it is of specific note that being Pre-mill does not necessitate being Dispensational. However Dispensationalism is defined most accurately by John MacArthur and Ryrie in that there is a distinction regarding Israel and Church. Remember that Historic Pre-mill in the early was not fully developed as a system but it is upon that system that current Dispensationalism is based because it DID see the church and Israel as being distinct in the Millennium. Take John MacArthur, he is historic Pre-mill (post-trib rapture) and is dispensational based upon historical data. Some want to call him a leaky dispensationalist but he, being an Historical Pre-mill (post-trib) makes a firm statement here on his website when asked about it.
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