I. Christ Returns To The Earth.
I. Christ Returns To The Earth.
A. Location, the Mount of Olives.
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." (Zechariah 14:4)
B. Saints of God Will Come With Christ.
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints," (Jude 1:14)
C. Christ Sits Upon His Throne.
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:" (Matthew 25:31)
D. Purpose, To Judge The Nations.
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;" (2 Timothy 4:1)
This is a brief overview of the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming, or the Return of Christ to judge the nations. Therefore, I am using only limited verses that distinguish the difference between the two events, showing they are not one and the same.
The Revelation of Christ is when Christ comes back to the Earth to establish His Kingdom for 1,000 years. He judges the nations, defeats Satan and his army at the Battle of Armageddon, and chains Satan for a 1,000 years during the Kingdom rule and reign of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 20:1-3).
It should be acknowledged that in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that every reference to Christ’s coming is NOT the Rapture; but, rather, the Revelation of Christ at the conclusion of the 7-Year Tribulation to judge the nations. The Old Testament prophets knew nothing of the Rapture, as it was a mystery until revealed unto the Apostle Paul. (Ephesians 3:1-10).
“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, (Ephesians 3:1)
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: (Ephesians 3:2)
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (Ephesians 3:3)
Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) (Ephesians 3:4)
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Ephesians 3:5)
That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: (Ephesians 3:6)
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. (Ephesians 3:7)
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; (Ephesians 3:8)
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Ephesians 3:9)
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,” (Ephesians 3:1-10)
The Rapture and the Revelation are entirely two different events, separated by seven years. Notice carefully that, at the Rapture, the Christians are taken up and the lost are left. At the Revelation of Christ when He comes and judges the nations the opposite takes place. The lost are taken and thrown into the Lake of Fire.
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41)
The saved are left to enter the Earthly Kingdom of Christ.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matthew 25:34)
At the Rapture Christ does not come to the Earth; BUT, at the Revelation, he does. In other words, the Rapture begins the 7-Year Tribulation Period and the Judgment of the Nations ends the Tribulation Period; as the Millennial Reign of Christ has begun.
One must remember that when Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John speak of Christ’s Return, it is always in reference to His Coming at the conclusion of the Tribulation and establishing of the Millennial Kingdom and the Judgment of the Nations; or, The Revelation.
Seven years prior to this event, we find Christ coming to Rapture His Church into Heaven; which initiates the start of the Tribulation.
A huge mistake that has caused much confusion among believers is that many pastors and Bible teachers apply these two comings to the same event. Allow me to illustrate what takes place in the Gospels concerning Christ’s Return. This is exactly opposite of what takes place at the Rapture. For example, let us look in Matthew 24:39-41,
“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:39)
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Matthew 24:40)”
“Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Matthew 24:41)”
Additional information is given in Matthew 25:31-33,
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (Matthew 25:31).”
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (Matthew 25:32).”
“And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:33).”
You will notice in Matthew 25:31 that Christ comes in His glory to sit upon the throne of His glory. This is his return to the Earth to establish His Kingdom. In Matthew 25:32-33, He judges the people of the world. The “sheep” are the saved and the “goats” are the unsaved. His Kingdom on Earth will be started with all saved people. Matthew 25:34 describes the inheritance of the saved.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matthew 25:34)
Now let us look at Matthew 25:40-41, once again,
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (mstt 25:40) Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Matthew 25:41).”
Notice carefully, that the ones that are taken are the lost that are cast into the everlasting fires of Hell. The ones that are left are the saved that enter Christ’s Kingdom on Earth.
What takes place at the Rapture is OPPOSITE of what takes place at the Judgment of the Nations. These two comings of Christ are NOT the same event, as the two are separated by the space of seven years, known as the Seven-Year Tribulation period of time.
Now let us look at 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17,
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:15)
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)”
In Verse 15 the word “prevent” is the Greek word that means “precede.” The word “asleep” is referring to the body; not, the soul and spirit. James 2:26 lets us know that,
“For as the body without the spirit is dead,...”
2 Corinthians 5:8 states that,
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
F. COMPARISON OF THE RAPTURE & REVELATION THE RAPTURE
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17|
THE REVELATION
Matthew 24:39-41,
Matthew 25:31-34; Matthew 25:40-41|
1. Christ does not come to Earth|1. Christ does come to the Earth.|
2. Christ’s coming ends the Church Age, and starts the Tribulation.|2. Christ coming ends the Tribulation and starts the Kingdom.|
3. Those taken are the saved.|3. Those taken are the lost.|
4. Those taken go to Heaven.|4. Those taken are cast into Hell.|
5. Those left are the lost.|5. Those left are the saved that go into the Kingdom.|
6. The unsaved are left alive to enter the Tribulation.|6. The unsaved are not left alive; but judged and cast into the everlasting fire.|
7. Christ does not come to set up the Kingdom.|7. Christ does come to establish His Kingdom on Earth.|
There is no way a person can understand Bible Prophecy, unless they can distinguish what events and periods of time they are related to. A continuity time line of events prophetically given from the Rapture to the creation of the New Heaven and Earth has to be applied in a dispensational order. If not, you will end up with verses contradicting other verses, like a bowl full of spaghetti!