Do you know the real difference between the rapture and Second Coming of Christ?
Jesus didn't leave us to guess on that. Don't be fooled by false teachers. Read it for yourself in the Bible.
1. Know what scripture really says. The rapture and Second Coming are two different and seperate events. The rapture must come first! It is not the Second Coming. The Rapture is an event that ushers in the tribulation period. How do we know? In the rapture, believers in Christ MEET JESUS IN THE AIR. Look at the verse. It could not be more clear:
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
2. However, at Jesus' Second Coming, we DO NOT meet Jesus in the air. The Bible distinctly mark's that event as the time when the trumpet announces Jesus' coming as the Victor, meaning, He sets foot on earth during the Great Tribulation period, with His heavenly army and defeats all evil... the Antichrist, Satan, and his evil army. The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings. This can be seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 andZechariah 14:4. As a result of the prophecies seeming to speak of two individuals, many Jewish scholars believed there would be both a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah. What they failed to understand, is that there is only one Messiah and He would fulfill both roles. Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) in His first coming. Jesus will fulfill the role of Israel’s deliverer and King, in His second coming. Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7, describe the second coming. Israel, and the whole world, will mourn for not having accepted the Messiah the first time He came.
The Bible mentions twice, that DURING THE RAPTURE, just one of the persons who shall be working side by side before the Lord comes that day, shall be snatched away from the earth, to MEET JESUS IN THE AIR....while the other one is LEFT behind. That scripture cannot be talking about the Second Coming, because those people who were left behind, will face the "wrath to come"...the tribulation period... WHY? Because they wanted to believe the lies of Satan, that God is a delusion and fantasy...because they lied against Him...then laughed, cursed, and mocked God.
Later, scripture says those SOME of those SAME PEOPLE left to face the tribulation period, shall realize the truth and shall come to accept Jesus DURING the tribulation period. However, that doesn't make up for how they cursed and laughed at God, so they will prove their faith and loyalty, even unto death. God will not be mocked, and they found that out the hard way. Though they were later turned Christians, they were NOT a part of those raptured up earlier. Remember...they were left behind. They wanted nothing to do with Christ and his Plan of Salvation, so he could save them. However....the whole PURPOSE of the tribulation period, is to give those who rejected Christ BEFORE the rapture took place, a chance to be saved, so they won't miss heaven. Thus, the reason for the 144,000 saved Jewish evangelists, the Bible distinctly mentioned that are there during the tribulation period for the specific purpose of witnessing to others, to bring them to Christ before He comes again (the Second Coming).
If you know your Bible, you will see that at the rapture, only those raptured are aware that it is taking place! NONE of the others on earth, will see Jesus, as they do only in the SECOND COMING.
When Jesus comes in the Rapture, the Bible says he's coming as a THIEF IN THE NIGHT! SILENTLY!! 1st Thessalonians 4:16. That means nobody knows that He came, except those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who are being raptured, because they, are the only ones that will hear that trumpet sound BEFORE they're raptured. But notice, at the SECOND COMING, scripture says EVERYONE on earth hears the trumpet sound and scripture says, then you will SEE Him coming in the clouds from heaven in great glory...
Matthew 24:30
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
He then sets foot on the Earth and participates in the Battle of Armageddon! So as you can see, the Rapture and the Second Coming are not the same. They are two separate events. Scripture confirms it.
Paul said, that the days when God snatches away the Church can be likened unto the times of Noah. The Bible is very clear that there will be a snatching away of the Church, so how do we explain that? The rapture is not a theory at all, because God is the one that placed it in the scriptures, and you can see the distinct difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming. We just can't explain those away, because we don't understand them. Bible study is important. Jesus didn't leave us to guess. Jesus distinctly said that He would save believers (His Church) from the tribulation period.
After Jesus died then ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”
Revelation 19:11- 16, confirms the whole event, that the armies of heaven were following Jesus, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (That doesn't happen at the rapture.) Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword. He comes to save Israel. ‘He will rule its enemies with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
1. Know what scripture really says. The rapture and Second Coming are two different and seperate events. The rapture must come first! It is not the Second Coming. The Rapture is an event that ushers in the tribulation period. How do we know? In the rapture, believers in Christ MEET JESUS IN THE AIR. Look at the verse. It could not be more clear:
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
2. However, at Jesus' Second Coming, we DO NOT meet Jesus in the air. The Bible distinctly mark's that event as the time when the trumpet announces Jesus' coming as the Victor, meaning, He sets foot on earth during the Great Tribulation period, with His heavenly army and defeats all evil... the Antichrist, Satan, and his evil army. The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings. This can be seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 andZechariah 14:4. As a result of the prophecies seeming to speak of two individuals, many Jewish scholars believed there would be both a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah. What they failed to understand, is that there is only one Messiah and He would fulfill both roles. Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) in His first coming. Jesus will fulfill the role of Israel’s deliverer and King, in His second coming. Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7, describe the second coming. Israel, and the whole world, will mourn for not having accepted the Messiah the first time He came.
The Bible mentions twice, that DURING THE RAPTURE, just one of the persons who shall be working side by side before the Lord comes that day, shall be snatched away from the earth, to MEET JESUS IN THE AIR....while the other one is LEFT behind. That scripture cannot be talking about the Second Coming, because those people who were left behind, will face the "wrath to come"...the tribulation period... WHY? Because they wanted to believe the lies of Satan, that God is a delusion and fantasy...because they lied against Him...then laughed, cursed, and mocked God.
Later, scripture says those SOME of those SAME PEOPLE left to face the tribulation period, shall realize the truth and shall come to accept Jesus DURING the tribulation period. However, that doesn't make up for how they cursed and laughed at God, so they will prove their faith and loyalty, even unto death. God will not be mocked, and they found that out the hard way. Though they were later turned Christians, they were NOT a part of those raptured up earlier. Remember...they were left behind. They wanted nothing to do with Christ and his Plan of Salvation, so he could save them. However....the whole PURPOSE of the tribulation period, is to give those who rejected Christ BEFORE the rapture took place, a chance to be saved, so they won't miss heaven. Thus, the reason for the 144,000 saved Jewish evangelists, the Bible distinctly mentioned that are there during the tribulation period for the specific purpose of witnessing to others, to bring them to Christ before He comes again (the Second Coming).
If you know your Bible, you will see that at the rapture, only those raptured are aware that it is taking place! NONE of the others on earth, will see Jesus, as they do only in the SECOND COMING.
When Jesus comes in the Rapture, the Bible says he's coming as a THIEF IN THE NIGHT! SILENTLY!! 1st Thessalonians 4:16. That means nobody knows that He came, except those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who are being raptured, because they, are the only ones that will hear that trumpet sound BEFORE they're raptured. But notice, at the SECOND COMING, scripture says EVERYONE on earth hears the trumpet sound and scripture says, then you will SEE Him coming in the clouds from heaven in great glory...
Matthew 24:30
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
He then sets foot on the Earth and participates in the Battle of Armageddon! So as you can see, the Rapture and the Second Coming are not the same. They are two separate events. Scripture confirms it.
Paul said, that the days when God snatches away the Church can be likened unto the times of Noah. The Bible is very clear that there will be a snatching away of the Church, so how do we explain that? The rapture is not a theory at all, because God is the one that placed it in the scriptures, and you can see the distinct difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming. We just can't explain those away, because we don't understand them. Bible study is important. Jesus didn't leave us to guess. Jesus distinctly said that He would save believers (His Church) from the tribulation period.
After Jesus died then ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”
Revelation 19:11- 16, confirms the whole event, that the armies of heaven were following Jesus, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (That doesn't happen at the rapture.) Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword. He comes to save Israel. ‘He will rule its enemies with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
