What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?
Listen: 52 Question 5
There are many significant differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming of the Lord. I will give you a few and let you find more for yourself.
In the Rapture, the Lord comes for His church. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, “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.”
In the Second Coming, the Lord comes back with His church. Revelation 19:11-16 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
We read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. This also teaches us that in the Rapture, the Lord will return to the clouds. Verse 17 says, “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.”
In the Second Coming, the Lord returns to the earth. Zechariah 14:3-5 says, “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 teaches us that the Rapture occurs before the seven year Tribulation period.
Mark 13:24-27 teaches us that the Second Coming occurs after the Tribulation period.
As I said, there are several more differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming of the Lord. I’ll leave it up to you to find more. If you would like to share what you have found here on this site, please feel free. (52.5)