WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST?

Many people believe that the Rapture and the Second Coming (Advent) of Christ are the same.

But the truth is that the Rapture is different from the Second Coming of Christ. Today, we are going to be looking at “the differences between these two biblical events.”

How then does The Rapture differ from the Second Coming of Christ? They differ from each other as follows:

1. Meeting in the Air versus Returning with Him. At the Rapture, believers will meet the Lord in the air. At the Rapture, Christ comes for His own (1 Thess. 4:13-18). At the Second Coming, Born Again believers will return to the earth with the Lord (Rev. 19:14). The Second Coming of Christ is the coming of the Lord to the earth WITH the saints at the battle of Armageddon (Zech. 14:5; Jude v. 14).

2. The destination of the raptured saints. At the Rapture, Jesus will take the raptured saints to the Father's House in Heaven (Jn. 14:2-3).

At the Second Coming of Christ, the raptured believers will come to the Earth with Christ (Matt. 24:30).

3. The landing site. At the Second Coming of Christ, His legs shall touch the earth – the Mount of Olives. As soon as the Lord stands on the Mount of Olives, a great earthquake will follow and the land will cleave into two (Zech. 14:3-4). But at the Rapture, the Lord will stay in the air; His feet shall not touch the ground.

4. The state of the Mount of Olives. At the Rapture, the Mount of Olives will be unchanged, but at the Second Coming of Christ, the Mount of Olives will be divided into two parts, forming a valley east of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:4).

5. Before the Tribulation versus after the Tribulation. The Rapture will happen before the Tribulation (1 Thess. 5:9). The Second Coming of Christ will take place on the last day of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 6-19).

6. The Rapture will occur 7 years before the Second Coming of Christ.

7. Deliverance versus Judgment. The Rapture depicts deliverance for the Church from the wrath to come, but the Second Coming of Christ depicts deliverance for the Born Again believers who endured the wrath of God poured out during the Great Tribulation.

At the Rapture Born Again believers are taken from the earth by God as an act of deliverance (1 Thess. 5:9). At the Second Coming of Christ unbelievers are removed from the earth by God as an act of judgment (Rev. 19:11-21).

8. Hidden versus Seen by All. According to Scripture, the Rapture will be an instantaneous, hidden event (1 Cor. 15:52, 19:11-16). These ones will be the only ones that will hear the sound of the trumpet (1 Cor. 15:51-54). But at the Second Coming of Christ, every eye shall see Him (Rev. 1:7).

9. At any moment verses Only After Certain Events have taken place. No signs precede the Rapture. The Rapture itself is a sign of the Second Coming of Christ. The Rapture will mark the beginning of the 7-year Tribulation period, while the Second Coming of Christ will mark the end of the Tribulation.

The Rapture could happen at any moment (1 Cor. 15:52). But the Second Coming of Christ won't happen until certain events have taken place. The Second Coming of Christ will be preceded by many events, such as a) The Rapture of the saints, b) The rise of the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:4), c) A treaty with Israel (Dan. 9:27), d) The rebuilding of the Jewish Temple (Matt. 24:15), e) As well as plagues, judgments and persecutions destroying most of the world’s population (Rev. 6:18).

10. The nature of the bodies. At the Rapture, the living believers will obtain glorified bodies. At the Second Coming of Christ, the living believers will remain in the same bodies.

11. At the Rapture, believers go to heaven. At the Second Coming of Christ, the glorified believers will come from heaven to the earth, and the believers that survived the tribulation stay on earth.

12. At the Rapture, the world is left unjudged and the living in sin. At the Second Coming, the world is judged and righteousness is established (Rev. 20:4-5).

13. The Rapture is revealed only in the New Testament, but the  Second Coming of Christ is revealed in both the Old (Dan. 12:1-3; Zech. 12:10; 14:4), and New Testaments (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

14. The Rapture deals with the saved only, but the Second Coming of Christ deals with both the saved and unsaved.

15. At the Rapture, Satan will remain free, but at the Second Coming of Christ, Satan will be bound and thrown into the Abyss (bottomless pit).

In view of the imminent return of Jesus Christ, the church is advised to live ready. Jesus said, “Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt 24:44).

In Mark 13:33 Jesus said, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”

Time is running out! Today, you have the great opportunity to change your eternal destiny. Your name must be in the Lamb’s book of life for you to qualify for the rapture. You are not going to be raptured because you are acting nice. You are not going to be raptured because your name is in a church register. You are not going to be raptured because you are a leader in the church. You will be raptured because you are Born Again and you walk in righteousness and holiness. 

Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (NASU).  

So hurry, and make peace with God right now! 

Watch out for the next edition of Good news from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)           21.06. 2020