This passage is probably the most used to teach about a pretribulational rapture.
1 These 4-
14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that
God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until
the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For
the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
In this passage we have 3 mentions of Jesus "coming back" to earth.
But, does it refer to a pretribulational rapture, where Jesus glorifies all believers and then takes them to heaven?
No, it doesn't. In the OT, there are only two mentions of the Messiah's advents "comings". The first one was as a baby and the suffering servant. The second advent will be as King of kings and Lord of lords, to reign the nations with a rod of iron.
Some will argue that Jesus came back to earth to meet Paul on the road to Damascus, and other such sightings, etc.
However, since the OT prophesied about just TWO advents, and we KNOW that Jesus WILL return at the Second Advent, 1 Thess 4:14-17 describes His Second Advent, and not a pretribulational visit to earth.
Acts 24:15 - and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Here, Paul states that there will be TWO resurrections; one for the saved and one for the unsaved.
1 Cor 15:23 - But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
This verse very clearly says that the single resurrection of the saved (those who belong to Him) will occur "when He comes", which is the Second Advent, prophesied in the OT.