September 25 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 15:50-52 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Today I am going to digress from my usual format for writing these devotionals in order to discuss a specific topic. It is relevant to our discussion of the resurrection and the rapture, so I think it is acceptable for me to do so. I want to show that there is a difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ. People can get confused about these two events, and sometimes it can be difficult to determine which event a particular passage of Scripture is referring to. Sometimes we can compound the issue by using the terms interchangeably. We may say things like, "Jesus Christ could come back at any moment" when referring to the rapture, and then teach that "Jesus Christ is coming back at the end of the Tribulation." Both statements are correct. However, it is important to know the differences.

Let's start by defining the terms. The Rapture is when Christ returns in the air and "snatches away" all the believers from the earth. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air with their glorified resurrection bodies. This will all occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. It is described in our current text and also in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. The Second Coming is when Jesus returns to the earth at the end of the Tribulation period and establishes the Millennial Kingdom. It is described in Revelation 19:11-16 and Zechariah 14:3-4.

There are differences between these two events which are pointed out in the Scriptures, which helps us to know that they are indeed two separate events. First, at the rapture, the believers "meet the Lord in the air" (I Thessalonians 4:17). But at the second coming Jesus brings believers back to the earth with Him (Revelation 19:14, Jude 1:14). Second, the rapture takes place before the Tribulation (I Thessalonians 5:9, II Thessalonians 2:3-12), while the second coming occurs at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 6-19). At the rapture the believers are removed, but at the second coming the unbelievers are removed (Matthew 13:49-50, 24:40-41, Revelation 14:15-20). In addition, the rapture will be secret and instant (I Corinthians 15:51-52), while the second coming second coming will be visible to all (Matthew 24:29-30, Revelation 1:7). Finally, there are other events that must take place before the second coming can occur (II Thessalonians 2:4, Matthew 24:15-30), but the rapture is imminent (I Corinthians 15:51, Titus 2:13).

Some might ask if it really makes any difference. The answer is "yes". First it is always important that we "rightly divide the Word of Truth". But it is important for practical reasons as well. First, if the two events are the same, then the return of rapture can not be imminent. While it is obvious that people should be right with God all the time, the natural tendency of humans is to put things off as long as they can. Therefore, if there is no imminency, then there is no urgency to serve the Lord today, or get saved today, because Christ can't return for at least seven years (the earliest possible ending to the Tribulation period). Second, if they are the same event then Christians will have to go through the Tribulation. Today, many folks are looking for the antichrist rather than looking for the Risen Christ. There can be no blessed hope for the believer if all he has to look forward to is the mess that will exist on earth during the rule of antichrist. Third, to put the two events together changes the entire scope of Biblical prophecy. Certainly the world will be judged during the Tribulation, both Jews and Gentiles. However, that seven year period is not referred to as the "time of the church's trouble", or "the time of the believer's trouble", but rather "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). Daniel was told that the Tribulation period was to come upon "thy people and upon thy holy city" (Daniel 9:24). It is primarily Jewish, not Gentile, in nature, which helps to clarify many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel.

The blessed hope of the Rapture could come to fruition today. Be ready!