DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

The Rapture and The Second Coming Matthew 24

Video (4 min)

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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.

 

IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES

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).

 

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WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?

In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist or anti-Christ is someone identified as fulfilling the Biblical prophecies about one who will clash with Christ and trade himself in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term (including one plural form)[1] is found five times in the New Testament, exclusively in the First and Second Epistle of John.[2] The Antichrist is announced as the one "who denies the Father and the Son."[3] 

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​The Antichrist has been likened with the "man of lawlessness" or "lawless one" of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, though explanations on the identity of the "man of lawlessness" greatly contrast.[4] The "man of lawlessness" has been identified with Caligula,[5] Nero, [6] and the end-times Antichrist. Some scholars believe that the passage contains no sincere prediction, but represents conjecture of the apostle's own, based on modern ideas of the Antichrist.[5]

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​Several American evangelical and fundamentalist theologians have identified the Antichrist as being in league with numerous figures in the Book of Revelation including the Dragon (or Serpent), the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Whore of Babylon.[6] Many evangelicals, reject the identification of the Antichrist with any one person or group. They believe a loving Christ would not view anyone as an enemy.[7]

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   References

1.  "KJV Search Results for Antichrists". The Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved 2014-02-13.

2. ^ BibleGateway.com: translations of 1 John 2:18

3. ^ "1 John 2:22". The Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved 2018-12-17.

4.  Schink, W.F. (1991). "The Scriptural Doctrine of the Antichrist". In Lange, Lyle; Albrecht, Jerome G. (eds.). Our Great Heritage: Vol. 3. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Northwestern Publishing House. p. 572. ISBN 978-0810003798.

5. ^ Jump up to a b Net Bible: Man of sin Archived July 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

6. ^ St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on II Thess., Nicene-Post Nicene Fathers

7.  See footnotes in Revelation 7 and 13 in the Scofield Reference Bible, 1917

8. Source: Antichrist. (2019, November 1). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antichrist                  

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