I thought Christians did think it was real but some find it scary, some dont like to preach on it cause there trying to fill pews and get more donations, some think that gods people will be raptured away before it happens but this is just the more popular belief.
Now i think the rapture is real and so do most christians but this dosnt exactly mean it happens before the great tribulation. Just makes sense to most people that god takes his people and there caught up in the sky with jesus before the great tribulation but that dosnt mean how its going to happen and the bible dosnt say when.
I just dont think people saved or unsaved like an idea like great tribulation cause if jesus said that he is talking about pretty much hell is on earth. Dosnt sound like a real good time to me either.