Is the second coming the same as the rapture?

Answer 1

Unlike the phrase "I will come again" which Jesus himself mentioned, there is no mention in The Bible of the word "rapture", nor does Jesus ever speak of such an event.

AnswerThere is a difference between the Second Coming and the Rapture: they are not the same. There is no doubt that the Second Coming of Christ is mentioned in the Bible because Christ Himself said He would return again:-

Jesus said His return (ie His second coming) would be absolutely unmistakeable:-

Mat 24:1, 3, 21-24, 26-31 MKJV And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. .... [v. 3] And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ... And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?[Jesus then gave the signs of the end of the world]... [v. 23] Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. [v. 24] For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders... [v. 26] Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it. [v. 27] For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. ...[v. 29] And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. [v. 30] And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory.

The Apostle John also saw this Second Coming in vision on the Isle of Patmos and described it:-

Rev 19:1-21 MKJV And after these things I heard a great sound of a numerous crowd in Heaven, saying, Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor and the power to the Lord our God! [v. 6] ... For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! [v. 7] Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. [v. 8] And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,.. [which represents].. the righteousness of the saints. [v. 9] ... Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb [ie Christ].... [v. 10] ...Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. [v. 11] And I saw Heaven opened. And behold, a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war. [v. 12] And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns. And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself. [v. 13] And He had been clothed in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. [v. 14] And the armies in Heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [v. 15] And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, so that with it He should strike the nations. And He will shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God. [v. 16] And He has on His garment, and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. [v.17] And I saw one angel standing in the sun. And he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birdsthat fly in mid-heaven, Come and gather together to the supper of the great God, [v. 18] so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of strong ones, and the flesh of horses, and those sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great. [v. 19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth and their armies, being gathered to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army. [v. 20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet doing signs before it, (by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast), and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. [v. 21] And the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sat on the horse, it proceeding out of His mouth. And all the birds were filled from their flesh.

However, what about the Rapture? What is it?

"The Popular Encylopedia of Bible Prophecy" [1995] by Tim Lahaye in the article Rapture" p. 310 says:-

The English word 'rapture' comes from the Latin word 'raptus', which in Latin Bibles translates the Greek word 'harpazo' [meaning] "to suddenly remove or snatch away" [and] is the perfect word to describe God suddenly taking up the church from earth to heaven at the first part of Christ's second coming

The word 'Rapture' is a bit like the word 'dinosaur' which was created in the 19th Century from the Greek words for 'deinos' [fearful] and 'sauros' [lizard] and replaced having to use a phrase such as "an extinct terrestial reptile with gigantic bones from the Mesozoic era - you know what I mean" . Although this more-convenient word 'dinosaur' was new, their skeletons were not: they had obviously been around for ages long before this phrase-replacing word was created: dinosaurs didn't suddenly spring into existence at the creation of a word describing them as they had been there all along; it didn't really matter what they were called. In the same way, before the relatively-modern word 'rapture' was coined a descriptive sentence had to be used instead. For example in his Commentary on Matthew 24 , John Darby (1800-1882) in his "Synopsis of the Old and new Testaments" doesn't use the word 'rapture' at all, but had to use a paragraph to describe fully what was meant when we encapsulate it all in one word:- :-

[This ] judgment that falls upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants.. consequent upon her rejection of the Messiah, and her contempt for the testimony [of Jesus Christ]; and then the universal overthrow at the end of those days... ended by the appearance of the Son of man, and the gathering together of the elect of Israel from the four winds [of the earth]...[at] the Lord's coming and the gathering together of the elect in Israel [when] all believers are to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. They will afterwards return with Him. ... But the saints [ie Christians: not just Saint XYZ] who shall be caught up and return with the Lord ... will go up to heaven to be with Him there, before He returns to the earth...This [occurs in] the last days, the last three years and a half before the judgment which will be suddenly poured out at the coming of the Son of man. The Lord will come suddenly as a flash of lightning, as an eagle to its prey,....[when] immediately after the tribulation of those last three years and a half, the whole hierarchical system of government shall be shaken and utterly overthrown. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ...

Darby mentions that at Christ's Second Coming that Christians will return with Him. Jesus said much the same thing, that He had to go to heaven in the first place to be able to return.-

Joh 14:1-3, 18, 27, 29 MKJV Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. [v. 2] In My Father's house [ie in heaven] are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go [ie have to leave earth] to prepare a place for you [ie the mansions in heaven]. [v. 3] And if I go and prepare a place for you [ie the mansions in heaven], I will come again [doesn't say how or when] and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also. [v.18] I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.

[v.27]... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. [v. 28] You have heard how I said to you, I go away and I am coming to you again. ...

Paul gave more details of what came to be called the Rapture in his writings :-

1Co 15:50-58 MKJV And I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. [v. 51] Behold, I speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed; [v. 52] in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. [v.53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [v. 54] But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and when this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the word that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. [v. 55] O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?" [v. 56] The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law. [v. 57] But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [v. 58] So that, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not without fruit in the Lord.

1Th 4:13-18 MKJV But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you be not grieved, even as others who have no hope. [v. 14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. [v. 15] For we say this to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not go before those who are asleep. [v. 16] For the Lord Himself shall 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. [v. 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 so we shall ever be with the Lord. [v. 18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Although the word 'Rapture' is new, it is not a new belief that was suddenly invented by John Nelson Darby (1826-27) as is ofter erroneously claimed. . It was taught by:-

- the New Testament church (ca. 50-100),

- Barnabus (ca. 100-105)

-Papias (ca. 60-130)

-Justin Martyr ( 110-165)

-Irenaeus (120-202)

-Tertullian (145-220)

-Hippolytus (ca. 185-236)

-Cyprian (200-250)

-Lactantius (260-330)

-Ephraem of Nisibus (306-373)

-Brother Dolcino (d. 1307)

-Joseph Mede (1586-1638)

-Increase Mather (1639-1723)

-Peter Jurieu (1687)

-Philip Doddridge (1738)

-John Gill (1748)

-James Macknight (1763)

-Thomas Scott (1792)

-Morgan Edwards (1722-1795)

-William Witherby (1818)

-John Nelson Darby (1800-1882)

etc

In his book (op. cit. p. 313) Tim Lahaye says there are:

at least eight significent contrasts or differences... [demanding] that the rapture at a significently different time from Christ's [second coming]:

1. At the rapture: Christ comes in the air and returns to heaven

At the [second coming]: Christ comes to earth to dwell and to reign

2. At the rapture: Christ gathers His own

At the [second coming]: Angels gather the elect

3. At the rapture: Christ comes to reward

At the [second coming]: Christ comes to judge

4.At the rapture: resurrection is prominent

At the [second coming]: resurrection is not mentioned

5. At the rapture: believers depart the earth

At the [second coming]: unbelievers are taken away from the earth

6.At the rapture: unbelievers remain on earth

At the [second coming]: believers remain on earth

7.At the rapture: Christ's kingdom on earth is not mentioned

At the [second coming]: Christ has come to set up His kingdom on earth

8.At the rapture: believers will receive glorified bodies

At the [second coming]: survivors will not receive glorified bodies

The Second coming of Christ is the Rapture as shown very clearly in 1 Corinthians 15.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

First note these words 'afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.' the resurrection that comes after Jesus' being raised from the dead is the one that happens at His coming. It is not a partial coming as some have said but it is His only Second coming and that time equates with the parable of the Tares and Wheat where the wicked will be among the righteous until His second coming where the harvest of souls takes place. That is the only Rapture and it is on what the Bible calls the last day. Death will end with the judgement of the wicked and the earth will disappear from the Lord's face.

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Next note in 1 Corinthians 15:24 'then cometh the end' The one resurrection of the saints comes at the end of time. Death is conquered forever and there is no place found for the wicked so they go into a spiritual lake of fire forever.

When you look at the parable of the Tares and wheat it is impossible to derive a resurrection from a rapture before the 'end of the age' or better the end of time as described in that parable. All the righteous will wait till that end time harvest of souls and then wicked will be separated from the righteous which includes those to whom He was speaking and it all happens on the Last day.

The Second Coming of Christ is not the same as the Rapture by Christ.