Jesus returns too claim His bride, the church. Only church saints (dead and alive) will depart Earth to meet Christ in the air and ascend to heaven. Unbelievers remain on Earth.
Biblical reference: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
All church saints (the bride of Christ) will return with Christ to Earth from heaven. (After the Rapture, church saints "shall always be with the Lord.") Unbelievers are removed from Earth.
Biblical reference: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Revelation 19:11-16
This event precedes the seven years of tribulation (part of God's unique program for Israel, not the church), when God's wrath will afflict the entire earth.
Biblical reference: Daniel 9:22-27, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Revelation 3:10.
This event follows the Tribulation. It also precedes the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom.
Biblical reference: Revelation 6-20.
This event delivers those belonging to Christ from the coming Tribulation. There are no references to the church on Earth in Revelation 6-8, which covers the tribulation.
Biblical reference: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 5:9.
The Second Coming of Christ - Will Judge:
The Church - Age saints return with Christ, who will judge the earth.
Biblical reference: Isaiah 9:6-7, Matthew 24:37-41, Revelation 3:10; 19:11-21.
This is a hidden event, unseen by the world. Only Church - Age believers will see Jesus as He comes and resurrects their physical bodies.
Biblical reference: 1 Corinthians 15:50-54
The entire world will witness Christ's return.
Biblical reference: Zechariah 12:10-13:1, Matthew 24:29-30, Revelation 1:7; 19:11-21.
This is an imminent, sign-less event. It can happen at any moment. No prophecy must be fulfilled before this event can occur.
Biblical reference: 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:13, 1 John 2:28.
This event will occur at the end of the Tribulation, after the ful-fillment of specific prophesied signs.
Biblical reference: Matthew 24:29-30, Revelation 19:11-16.
Scripture makes no reference to the Devil or Satan regarding the Rapture.
The Devil is captured, bound, and cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.
Biblical reference: Revelation 20:1-3
This chart is designed to help people distinguished between two unique events. The Rapture is strictly for the redeemed of the Church Age. The Second Coming will impact the entire world. At the Rapture, dead church saints will be resurrected, and the bodies of living church saints will be transformed instantly from mortal to immortal, without dying.
As Dr. Renald E. Showers wrote, "Jesus clearly taught that the order of things at His Second Coming will be exactly opposite of the order of things at the Rapture. At the Rapture, all saved people alive on Earth will be taken from the earth in blessing, and all unsaved people will be left on Earth (Jn. 14:2-3). At His Second Coming, all unsaved people will be taken from Earth in judgment. (See the parables of the tares - Mt. 13:24-30, 36-42 and the dragnet -v.v.13:47-50) All saved people alive on Earth at that time will be left on Earth to continue into the next period of history: the Millennial reign of Christ (v.43)."
For more information on the Rapture and Second Coming, see Dr. Showers' book Maranatha, Our Lord, Come! published by The Friends of Israel.
Artcles related to the Rapture include:
Thomas C. Simcox with The Friends of Israel - Israel My Glory magazine, September/October 2012 pp.22-23.
For more information on this subject please contact:
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.
P.O. Box 908
Bellmawr, NJ 08099
Customer Service: 800-257-7843
http://www.foi.org/
