Rapture of the Church ..... Return of Christ
Some students of Bible Prophecy strongly object to the notion that the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ are distinct events separated by seven years. They contend that this is teaching two future comings of Christ although the Bible presents one event. The way to resolve this issue is to set what the Bible says about these events side by side to see if they are describing the same occurrence.
| The Rapture | The Return (Second Coming) |
|---|---|
| Christ comes in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) |
Christ comes to the earth. (Zechariah 14:4) |
| Christ comes for His saints. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) |
Christ comes with His saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13; Jude 14) |
| Christ claims His bride. | Christ comes with His bride. |
| Not in the Old Testament. (1 Corinthians 15:51) |
Predicted often in the Old Testament. |
| There are no signs - it is imminent. | Portended by many signs. (Matthew 24:4-29) |
| It is a time of blessing and comfort. (1 Thessalonians 4:18) |
It is a time of destruction and judgment. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12) |
| Involves believers only. (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) |
Involves Israel and the Gentile nations. (Matthew 24:1 - 25:46) |
| Will occur in a moment, in the time it takes to blink; only His own will see Him. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) |
Will be visable to the entire world. (Matthew 24:27; Revelation 1:7) |
| Signals the beginning of the Tribulation. | Signals the beginning of the Millennium. |
| Christ comes as the bright morning star. (Revelation 22:16) |
Christ Comes as the sun of righteousness. (Malachi 4:2) |
From "101 ANSWERS to the most asked questions about the END TIMES" by Mark Hitchcock.
