Jesus’ Second Coming or The Rapture

If I have my chronology correct, the next great event for believers is the Rapture of the Church. As I studied this topic, I came to see that the Second Coming of Jesus can be confused with the Rapture. So, I made the following chart to help show the differences.

In my reading I found one source that came up with 32 differences between these events, but in my chart, I will list just a few of the items showing the contrast. First I will show a contrasting pair of items. Then, under each pair of items, I will give some supporting verses.¹

The Rapture vs the Second Coming

Rapture	Second Coming of Christ
1. Imminent	After certain events
2. Snatching away	Bringing with Him
3. Deliverance	Destruction
4. Raised and Changed	Judgment
5. Jesus gathering	Angels gathering
6. Trumpet of Triumph	Trumpet of Triumph

1. Imminent or After certain events

This contrast is in the timing. The Rapture can occur at any time while the Second Coming will be preceded by certain events which have not happened yet.

Imminent

Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

1 Corinthians 1: 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

After certain events

The passage in Matthew 24:15-30 contain the elements that must take place:

15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.”

21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”

24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”

27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”²

2. Snatching away or Bringing with Him

The believers in Christ living at the time of the Rapture will be snatched away. At the Second Coming, Jesus will bring the believers with Him.

Snatching away

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Bringing with Him

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

3. Deliverance or Destruction

The Rapture is Jesus delivering the saints before the Tribulation (wrath to come). The Second Coming is bringing destruction to the earth.

Deliverance

1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Revelation 3:10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.

Destruction

Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

4. Raised and Changed or Judgment

In the Rapture, Jesus will raise the saints and they will be changed. The Second Coming brings judgment.

Raised and Changed

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.”³

Judgment

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

5. Jesus Gathering or Angels Gathering

This is concerned with who is collecting the saints. In the Rapture, the Lord will collect the believers. In the Second Coming, God sends His angels for His people.

Jesus Gathering

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Angels Gathering

Mark 13:26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.”

6. Trumpets of Triumph

Bible teacher John MacArthur has this to say about trumpets in the Bible:
“Trumpets were used in Israel for all kinds of things. They were used for festivals, celebrations, convocations, judgments, and triumphs. They were used any time anybody wanted to get a crowd together to say anything to them for public announcements, proclamations.
“In Exodus 19, verses 16 to 19, a trumpet of assembly called the people out of the camp to meet God. I believe [that the trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15] is a trumpet of assembly. In Zephaniah 1:16 and Zechariah 9:14, a trumpet was used as a signal of the Lord’s coming to rescue His people from wicked oppression. It was a deliverance trumpet. And I believe the trumpet [of the Rapture] is an assembly trumpet and a deliverance trumpet.”⁴

Both the Rapture and the Second Coming have trumpets associated with the event. I think that in both cases, the trumpets could be considered trumpets of assembly, and trumpets of deliverance.

Rapture Trumpet

The trumpet sounds and the saints are snatched away in the Rapture!

1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

Second Coming Trumpet

This trumpet of triumph occurs just after the Great Tribulation. Jesus appears, a trumpet sounds, and the angels gather the elect.

Matthew 24:31 “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”⁵

Conclusion

The snatching away of the saints is a glorious event reserved for believers in Jesus Christ. After the Church is raptured, during the Tribulation, there will continue to be those who put their faith in Jesus.

After much tribulation on earth, Jesus will come back again in the Second Coming. Then, like the Rapture, the gathering of the saints will be reserved for those who are His.

In both cases, the ones gathered to be with Christ are those who have put their faith in Him. Wherever you are on the timeline, you will want to be sure that you trust Jesus for your salvation. Then, you too can be gathered together to be with the Lord.

Appendix

I write about the first time Jesus came to earth in the post, Jesus Birth Prophesies.

---

1 Emphasis added.

2 Passage condensed to highlight the events.

3 All caps in the New Testament indicate an Old Testament quote. Underlining added for emphasis.

4 https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/52-18/what-happens-to-christians-who-die-part-2 7//3123 (Edited for brevity.)

5 See the Matthew 24:15-30 passage given earlier for the events leading up to this trumpet.