If you're not familiar with scripture, these verses confirm that the rapture is imminent, and more importantly, WHY.
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The Lord says to study His Word, to show ourselves approved. The rapture shall take place "in the twinkling of an eye!" That means, before you can even blink your eye, believers will be taken out of this world and leave it stunned! 1 Corinthians 15:52 - that doesn't happen at the Second Coming. Instead, the Lord will be coming back to rescue Israel from its enemies, and kill them.
When the Lord said that He would come as a "thief in the night", He could not have been talking about His Second Coming, because at His Second Coming, all on Earth will see Him coming in the clouds, with great Glory.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him
Whereas, at the rapture, Jesus shall come as a "thief in the night", meaning that He'll be so quiet, no one will know that He even came, except those He raptures! His purpose in coming, is to take all believers with Him, to heaven AS PROMISED, before the great tribulation starts, as He promised to save them from the "wrath to come"....the Great Tribulation period!
1 Thessalonians 1:10 KJV: And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
What will happen when the rapture begins?
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. 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.
Matthew 24:40 depicts the rapture: "Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other LEFT."
Don't be left behind! During the rapture, believers meet Jesus in the air! He does NOT set foot on Earth, as he does in the Second Coming.
Here's other differences listed with scripture, between the Rapture and Second Coming:
