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http://www.gotquestions.org/difference-Rapture-Second-Coming.html

Question: “What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?”

Answer: The rapture and the second coming of Christ are often confused. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a scripture verse is referring to the rapture or the second coming. However, in studying end-times Bible prophecy, it is very important to differentiate between the two.

The rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth. The rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. The second coming is when Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His millennial kingdom. The second coming is described in Revelation 19:11-16.

The important differences between the rapture and second coming are as follows:

1) At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14).

2) The second coming occurs after the great and terrible tribulation (Revelation chapters 6–19). The rapture occurs before the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

3) The rapture is the removal of believers from the earth as an act of deliverance (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9). The second coming includes the removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41).

4) The rapture will be secret and instant (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). The second coming will be visible to all (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30).

5) The second coming of Christ will not occur until after certain other end-times events take place (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6–18). The rapture is imminent; it could take place at any moment (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

Why is it important to keep the rapture and the second coming distinct?

1) If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, believers will have to go through the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

2) If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, the return of Christ is not imminent—there are many things which must occur before He can return (Matthew 24:4-30).

3) In describing the tribulation period, Revelation chapters 6–19 nowhere mentions the church. During the tribulation—also called “the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7)—God will again turn His primary attention to Israel (Romans 11:17-31).

The rapture and second coming are similar but separate events. Both involve Jesus returning. Both are end-times events. However, it is crucially important to recognize the differences. In summary, the rapture is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath. The second coming is the return of Christ to the earth to bring the tribulation to an end and to defeat the Antichrist and his evil world empire.

Recommended Resource: Three Views on the Rapture by Gleason L. Archer, Jr., ed..

If I recall dispensationalist theory, isn’t the Holy Spirit removed after the Rapture? If so, how can anyone be saved? With no indwelling of the Holy Spirit to lead, how can any be saved? The 144,000 from the twelve tribes who preach, must be preaching in vain, as no one can be saved. A ‘pre-trib rapture’ suggests that Jesus Second Coming is actually His ‘second and a half’, or third coming, due to the ‘pre-trib rapture’. FWIW, after some study, I lean toward a partial-preterist view, that much of Revelation has occured and we are awaiting the return of Jesus. Let us assume that 25% of self described Christians are actually in the Lord, therefore, ‘raptured’. All of a sudden, 550 MILLION people disappear. The disappearance of 8% of the earth’s population would not go unnoticed.

In any event, when we vehemently attack each other’s viewpoint, are we not doing the work of Satan? The unchurched see Christians circling up and forming an inward-aiming firing squad. When we tear each other apart in public, the unchurched see no difference between a Christian and ‘the World’, so many who might come to Jesus, don’t.

Jesus knew that man, blessed with a very finite mind, in trying to understand and explain God, (infinite wisdom, love, knowledge, etc.), would add his (man’s) ‘spin’ on God. That is why Jesus kept Salvation so simple. So simple that even a repentant thief, executed next to Jesus, could be saved with no ‘works’ on his part. It is mankind that has added to His doctrine.

Jodyel, the good thing to remember is that whether one believes in “pre,” “mid” or “post-tribulation” “rapture” (a word not found in the Bible), it is not a make-or-break salvation issue. All who call on the name of Jesus will be saved.

As you may know, the idea that Jesus is going to secretly come back for His church before His second coming is a new “doctrine,” only created in the 19th century. There are plenty of scriptures that debunk it, as you likely know.

But, as I said, no one is “going to hell” for thinking the Lord is coming back at any certain time. It’s just that it may very well rock the foundation of “pre-trib rapture” believers if they find themselves in the middle of the great tribulation and wonder why they weren’t snatched away. It could really shake one’s faith.