The Rapture—Is It Real? – John 14:1-6 – Skip Heitzig
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The Beginning Of Sorrows 2021
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“What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?”
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.
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I think this substantiates the pre-trib Rapture. I’m sure there are many of you who can give even better insight and scriptures.
God Bless
Reasons for a pre-trib rapture:
1. The church is not appointed to wrath or God’s judgments. Jesus already bore our judgment – even though the word wrath is not used to describe the tribulation period, it is obvious to the text that these are 21 divine judgments coming on a world which has rejected Jesus.
Luke 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
The church has accepted Christ, hence these judgments cannot apply to them.
2. The tribulation is specifically referred to as the time of Jacob’s trouble, not the Church’s trouble. This is a time for Israel to be refined by fire.
3. The first 5 chapters of Revelation speaks only to the Church, in chapter 6 the tribulation begins, and there is no mention of the Church until the return of CHRIST in chapter 19. Where was the Church?
4. In chapter 5 of revelation the Church is seen in heaven, clothed in white with crowns and seated with Christ. Again, this is before the 21 judgments begin in chapter 6. Also, in chapter 4 John hears a trumpet and is caught up to heaven.
5. Some believe that the trump of God in 1 ths. 4 is the same trumpet that the seventh angel blows in the middle of the tribulation. This cannot be the case however because The seventh trumpet in revelation is not the trump of God that calls the Church up, but rather it is a trumpet of judgment upon a Christ rejecting world.
6. Who will populate the millennium? If all believers are to be raptured and glorified at the end of the tribulation, who will be left in their natural bodies to marry and populate the millennium? Because in the resurrection, we neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels. So this means that those who populate the millennium are a different group than the raptured Church.
7. Revelation 3:10 tells us that the Church will be kept from the hour of testing that shall come upon all the earth. Again, this is a promise to the Church before the tribulation starts in chapter 6.
8. We also have a problem with imminency. If the Church will be raptured at the end of the tribulation we can calculate the very day christ will return. Just mark on the calander from the time of the signing of the peace treaty by anti christ with Israel, and add seven years. But this contradicts what Jesus said, that no one knows the day or hour, and that he will come like a thief. So one can easily calculate the second coming to earth, but not the rapture in the air.
9. Also, for those who say the rapture will happen mid point of the tribulation, they too have a problem with imminency. For all one has to do is calculate the time from the signing of the treaty to 3 1/2 years later, and that’s when the rapture happens. This of course is contrary to what scripture teaches about being ready always, and not knowing the day or hour.
10. Finally, for those who again say that the rapture happens at the end of the tribulation, scripture indicates that Jesus will land on earth with His already raptured saints. There is no verse toward the end of Revelation that says we’ll be caught up. It only says we come back, why is that?
The only conclusion left is a pre tribulation rapture.
Quick list of differences
Post-tribulation doctrine also confuses the rapture of the church with Christ’s second coming to earth by claiming that these two distinct events will happen at the same time, and are therefore, in affect, the same event, occurring at the end of the tribulation. Paul’s description of the rapture is NOT the Second Coming of Christ (which it would be in a post-trib rapture scenario).
15 Differences Between the Rapture and the Glorious Appearing of Christ, His Second Coming…
The Rapture/ Blessed Hope:
1. Christ comes in the air for His own, Not to earth. He is in the clouds when He receives us to Himself, NOT on earth.
2. Rapture is of all Christians (true believers in Christ).
3. Christian’s taken to the Father’s house.
4. No judgment on earth by Jesus personally being here on David’s throne.
5. Church taken to heaven.
6. Imminent-Could happen any moment, nothing has to happen beforehand unlike His return to earth
7. No signs
8. Time of joy
9. For believers only
10. Before the “day of wrath” (Tribulation)
11. No mention of Satan
12. The Judgment seat of Christ
13. Marriage of the Lamb
14. Only His own see Him
15. Tribulation begins
The Second Coming (Advent)/ Glorious Appearing:
1. Christ comes with His own to earth
2. No one raptured
3. Resurrected saints do not see Father’s house
4. Christ judges inhabitants of earth
5. Christ sets up his kingdom on earth
6. Cannot occur for at least 7 years
7. Many signs for Christ’s physical coming
8. Time of mourning
9. Affects all of humanity
10. Immediately after Tribulation (Matthew 24)
11. Satan bound in the abyss for 1,000 years
12. No time or place for judgment seat
13. His bride descends with Him
14. Every eye will see Him
15. 1,000-year kingdom of Christ begins
Have you noticed the insane amount of attacks against the Pre Trib Rapture?
2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Usually it’s because of a misunderstanding between persecution and God’s Wrath.
Persecution comes from Satan and happens to every Christian on some level, we will not escape this world without some form of it.
The Wrath of God however will NOT fall on Christians, because it fell on Christ for us. If the Church were to suffer God’s Wrath, it will be like punishing Christ twice. That’s not going to happen because Jesus died ONCE for the sins of the world!
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Romans 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
The Wrath of God begins at the opening of the first seal in Revelation chapter 6. This is at the beginning of the 7 year tribulation not the middle or end.
Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
And as I said earlier, the church is not appointed to Wrath.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
5:11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
Here’s a question to ask those who say the church must go through the tribulation in order to be “purified”.
Why must this generation of the church age go through it when previous ones didn’t have to?
God is no respecter of persons, so then wouldn’t all of the church have to get “purified” through the tribulation?
Doesn’t that mean all those saints in heaven must come back to go through the tribulation and then be “purified” so they can be glorified?
Those who teach such things have no answer, but we who believe in pre trib do!
The answer is simple, the tribulation is NOT for the church!
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Notice the above verse in Revelation 3:10 is a promise to the Church that God will keep us from (greek word Ek; which means out of); the entire hour of temptation that will come upon the entire world. This is said in chapter 3 before the start of the trib in chapter 6
.Many say that those of us who want the rapture to happen before the tribulation just want to escape. And I say Amen we do want to escape and this is exactly what scripture teaches.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
How are we accounted worthy to escape? Simply by being saved in Christ Jesus!
Waiting for our Blessed Hope Titus 2:13