Transcript

A young soldier tells this about his experience in the First World War: I was in the “Lost Battalion.” We were cut off from our main army and all around us were Germans.

Our food and water gave out and every once in a while a message would come through the lines by the Germans that would just say “Surrender.”

We had only one artillery shell left, and we decided to use it as a signal. That night we turned the cannon straight up, put in the shell, and prayed and pulled the trigger. We hoped the Americans would see it.

The next morning an airplane dropped us canteens of water and bread and a note saying, “Hold on! We are coming!” This continued for several days.

Then we heard cannons roaring. Soon our army and support came and rescued us and took us to our own lines.

We have God’s promise for the church that Christ is coming. And while we wait, we need to hold on and make a firm stand for Christ in this world.

There are two future comings of Christ to this world. The first one is for the Church, the Body of Christ, to catch the Church away to heaven before the prophesied 7-year Tribulation period begins.

The second one is for Israel, to rescue her at the close of the 7-year Tribulation period and to defeat the Anti-Christ at the Battle of Armageddon.

There are similarities between the Rapture and the Second Coming. And these similarities, along with a failure to rightly divide the Word of truth, have caused many to join them together and teach and believer that they are one coming of Christ.

While there are similarities, these two comings of Christ are absolutely not the same. We see similarities in that with both Christ personally comes back, they both speak of glory, a gathering, a trumpet, angels, and clouds.

But there are MANY differences as well, which demonstrate that these 2 future comings should never be joined into one event. It’s like trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, to force the teachings of these two separate comings into one.

Matthew 24:37-41 reads: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

These verses are often mistakenly applied to the Rapture of the Church, when in truth they are referring to the Lord’s second coming at the close of the Tribulation.

The Lord taught His disciples about people’s preoccupation with everyday living when judgment fell suddenly in the days of Noah.

They had received warnings in the form of Noah’s preaching and the building of the large ark itself, which testified of the judgment to come.

But they were unconcerned and unbelieving and they did not respond to the message of judgment and were tragically swept away unexpectedly when the flood came.

And the Lord taught His disciples that it will be same at the end of the tribulation.

Two men will be in the field working, the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill and one will be taken and the other left.

While this might sound like the Rapture, with one taken and another left behind, these verses are not referring to the Lord’s coming to take believers to heaven.

Christ’s Second Coming has been rightly called the “Reverse Rapture.” Importantly, the Lord compares His Second Coming to Israel to the judgment of the days of Noah when the flood came, and as verse 39 puts: “and TOOK THEM all away.”

Now, who were the ones taken away in Noah’s day? And it was those who perished in the flood. Who were the ones “left behind”? Noah and his family. They were the only ones left after the judgment, as the flood waters took the rest of the world away.

The ones “taken” away in Noah’s day, were not taken to blessing, but rather taken in judgment and they died.

Like the ones who were taken “away” in the Noah’s day, the ones “taken” at the second Coming are not taken to heaven, instead as Christ comes to the Battle of Armageddon to make war with the Anti-Christ and the enemies of Israel, unbelievers are taken in judgment, and they die.

Listen to Luke’s account of the Lord’s Olivet Discourse. Luke 17:35-37 says this:

“Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto Him, Where, Lord? And He said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”

The disciples ask a good question about where these people are taken to. The answer the Lord gives is not that they are taken to heaven, but instead the Lord refers to their carcasses and the eagles that gather to feast on their flesh.

And this is a direct reference to the Battle of Armageddon. At that Battle, Revelation 19:17-18 reads,

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

“That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”

The flesh of all people both free and bond, both small and great, refers directly here to the one grinding at the mill and who is in the field that is taken, judged, and they die.

At the Rapture, the believer is removed from the earth and caught up to heaven and the unbeliever is left behind.

Just the opposite takes place at the second coming, as the unbeliever is removed from the earth by force and in judgment and they die.

The one who is “left” behind at the Second Coming is the believer who enters into the blessings of Christ’s earthly Kingdom. The Second Coming is a “reverse Rapture”!

And it is logical that they are left behind on the earth because that’s their hope, and the believers of that day will be able to walk right into Christ’s millennial Kingdom.

Old Testament prophecy and the Olivet Discourse here in Matthew 24 have absolutely nothing to say about believers being “caught up” to heaven at the second coming.

Instead we learn of the true Messiah returning to earth, where people will perish and be taken away in judgment, while believers will remain to enter the earthly kingdom.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 reads, “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.”

At this time, we’ll walk through a number of the comparisons and contrasts between the Rapture and the Second Coming.

And the first one, just like we’ve just explained, is that the Rapture is when those TAKEN go to be “with the Lord” in heaven. This is what Paul teaches the Body of Christ in 1 Thessalonians, 4:17. The “we” in this verse refers to us in the Body of Christ.

Our hope is for believers in the Church is for the Lord to come and catch us off the earth to meet the Lord in the air, and then taken to heaven, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

At the Second Coming, however, those that are “TAKEN,” are taken in judgment when Christ comes at the Battle of Armageddon. He wipes unbelievers off the face of the earth, and those that are “taken” by Him at that time then go to hell and to eternal judgment.

Colossians 1:25-26 reads: “Whereof [or to the Body of Christ] I [that is, Paul] am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”

This next comparison is what makes the two future comings of Christ fall into place. The Rapture belongs to the program for the Church, the Body of Christ. Whereas, the second coming belongs to God’s program with the nation Israel.

When we understand that God has two programs: one for the Church, the Body of Christ and one for the nation Israel then you can see why Christ comes two more times to complete each of these programs.

The believing members under God’s program for the body of Christ have a heavenly hope. While believers under the program for the nation of Israel have an earthly hope.

Thus, when Christ comes at the Rapture, He comes to take the Body of Christ to heaven. When Christ comes at the Second Coming, He comes all the way to the earth for the nation of Israel to establish His earthly, millennial kingdom.

God’s program for the Body of Christ was kept secret since the world began until it was revealed first to Paul. Thus, only in Paul’s epistles do we find the teaching of the Rapture of the Church.

God’s program for the nation Israel was revealed since the world began, and thus you find prophecies and teachings concerning Christ’s Second Coming to Israel throughout the Old Testament, right into the Gospels, and also in the Hebrew epistles.

Zechariah 14:4 reads, “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.”

At the Rapture, the Lord descends from heaven and believers meet Him “in the air.” When the Lord descends for this coming, He descends into the upper atmosphere, and then He catches us up to meet Him in the air.

However, at the Second Coming, the Lord descends from heaven and He comes all the way down to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives.

And when He descends and stands on the Mount of Olives, this won’t be a nice, soft, cushy landing.

Instead Zechariah prophecies that He will descend with power and when He stands on that mount it will cleave and split, east and west and north and south, creating a valley.

We learn from prophecy that believers in Jerusalem will be under siege and trapped within Jerusalem by the Anti-Christ’s army that will overwhelm the entire land of Israel.

This valley that the Lord creates at His Second coming creates a way of escape for those that will be captive and trapped in that day. As Zechariah next prophecies in 14:5, “And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains.”

Matthew 24:29-30 reads, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

The Rapture of the Church is an imminent hope and has no signs preceding it. From the beginning of this dispensation, Paul taught the Body of Christ to be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

A gardener for a large estate in northern Italy was conducting a visitor through the castle and the beautiful, well-groomed grounds.

As the visitor had lunch with the gardener and his wife, he commended them for the beautiful way they were keeping the gardens. He asked, “By the way, when was the last time the owner was here?” “About ten years ago.” The gardener replied.

The visitor asked, “Then why do you keep the gardens in such an immaculate, lovely manner?” The gardener replied, “Because I’m expecting him to return.”

“Is he coming next week?” The gardener replied, “I don’t know when he is coming, but I am expecting him today.”

Likewise, with the Rapture of the Church, we don’t know when our Lord is coming, but we are taught by the Word to expect Him to return today and every day, and thus we should work and do our best for Him while we wait and serve Him.

From the beginning of this dispensation, Paul taught the Body of Christ to be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2000 years later we are still to be looking for His coming at the Rapture.

Every single day is a possible day when the Lord will come and we will meet Him in the air. This is to drive our Christian life to live for the Lord and for the eternal, knowing and trusting that every single day we could stand before the great God, and our Savior.

Paul does teach us about trends and moral collapse within society and the church in the last days of this age. But there are no miraculous signs that will appear in the heavens preceding the Rapture.

With the Second Coming, however, it will be preceded by a multitude of signs. The Lord clearly taught about the darkening of the sun, the moon not giving her light, stars falling from heaven, and the powers of the heaven being shaken, that will precede His coming in power and great glory to Israel.

Philippians 3:20: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

For the Rapture, the Body is told to look for Christ and not signs. We look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our whole Christian life is to be about Christ, about following Him, knowing Him, and being like Him.

The imminent hope of the Rapture is God’s way of keeping Christ on our minds. Keeping our focus on Him is how we grow and where we find comfort and strength in life. And we’re to wait and look for our Lord every single day.

Many mistakenly look for signs of the Rapture when there are no signs, only trends. Or many want to look for the Anti-Christ instead of Christ. But the Body of Christ is not to look around at this world, but to look up and look for Him, our glorious Savior.

Israel, however, will have some very distinct things to see and look for prior to Christ’s Second Coming. At the mid-point of the Tribulation, Matthew 24:15 teaches, “When ye therefore shall SEE the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place.”

In Matthew 24:33 the Lord taught, “So likewise ye, when ye shall SEE all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

Then in Luke 21:28, so very different from the Rapture of the Church when we are to look up all the time, the Lord taught, “And when these things begin to come to pass, THEN LOOK UP, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

In the Tribulation, to comfort believing Israel during that horrific time, the Lord will give her signs and He gave her instructions for things to look for, so they know that the Lord’s coming is getting closer and closer.

Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The expectation of the Body of Christ in regard to the Rapture is that “the Lord is at hand” as Philippians 4:5 says. Our expectation is the Lord, looking for Him to come at any time to catch us away to heaven, which is our hope.

However, for Israel their good news and hope concerned the kingdom to be established by their Messiah and King on the earth. So the expectation of Israel in regard to the Second Coming is that that the kingdom is at hand, because following His Second Coming is when Christ will establish the long-promised kingdom on the earth.

This is Israel’s great hope. And the Lord expressed this hope to Israel during His earthly ministry: “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand” (Luke 21:31).

Psalm 50:3: “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him.”

The Rapture is a message of grace, joy and peace. And that’s how it’s presented within Paul’s letters. It’s a message of grace because we will be delivered from the Tribulation period. It’s a message of joy because we will meet the Lord and we’ll forever be with Him.

It’s also a message of peace because we don’t have to worry about the Tribulation period. We do NOT have to store up food or supplies, or build underground bunkers to survive the horrors of the Tribulation period. We won’t be here. We are delivered from the wrath to come Paul teaches us in 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

In contrast to this, the second coming is about judgment, vengeance, and wrath. Like Psalm 50:3 shows, that when “God shall come,” that is in the Person of Jesus Christ, a fire will devour before Him, and it will be tempestuous and fearful round about Him.

At the Battle of Armageddon, the Lord’s vengeance and wrath will be fully poured out on the Anti-Christ and Israel’s enemies who will be before Him in that day. And the fire of His vengeance will utterly destroy them.

Regarding the teaching of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul wrote in verse 18: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Believers have comfort and rest at the Rapture. It brings comfort to know that the Lord is coming, and will bring the souls of those who have died with Him at the Rapture, to raise their bodies and then join their spirit, soul, with their resurrected, glorified body.

It brings comfort to know that we may not have to die and if we are alive when the Lord comes, He will catch us up, change our bodies, and we will meet the Lord in the air.

It brings comfort to know that at that time we will be reunited with our loved ones who are with Him.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:7, Paul wrote concerning the rest of our hope in Christ, “And to you who are troubled rest with us.” The word “rest” has a beautiful word picture. It pictures a bow and arrow that is released. Right now, in life, it’s like the bow is pulled back and there is tension, which goes with the stresses and struggles of life.

But when the Lord comes at the Rapture, it’s like the releasing of that bow, so that there’s no more tension on that string. That’s what the Rapture will be for us. It is then, in a moment of time, that all the tensions, struggles, and stresses of life will be done and over forever, and we’ll only have peace, rest, and comfort forever in Christ.

In contrast to comfort and rest at the Rapture, the Second Coming results in the earth mourning, and there will be great fear.

Matthew 24:30 teaches, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn.”

In Revelation 1:7 tells us, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.”

The Rapture is not a time of mourning. But at the Second Coming, the whole earth will mourn and wail out of their fear and dread as He comes to judge the unbelieving.

Joel 3:17-18: “So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk.”

Two different things begin following the two future comings of Christ. The Rapture results in the deliverance of the Body of Christ and the beginning of the Tribulation.

Following Paul’s explanation of our catching away to heaven at the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; chapter 5, verses 1-3, teaches what begins and comes after it.

There Paul speaks of the beginning of the day of the Lord, or the Tribulation period, and during that time, “sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

But the Second Coming results in the deliverance for Israel, and the beginning of the millennial kingdom. You see that in Joel 3. Joel first prophesies of the battle of Armageddon and the Messiah’s coming:

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem.”

Following this, Joel prophesies of what begins and comes after it: Messiah’s earthly kingdom when the Lord will dwell in Mount Zion and Jerusalem will be holy, and the mountains will drip with new wine and the hills will flow with milk.

Matthew 24:29-30: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days 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.”

The Rapture takes place before the Tribulation period. 1 Thessalonians, 1:10 says that we are delivered from the wrath to come. After teaching about the destruction and travail of the Tribulation, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 tells: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We, the Body of Christ, are delivered from the wrath to come, and not appointed to wrath, and that wrath is speaking of the entire 7 year Tribulation period.

We will be caught away to heaven before the Tribulation ever begins. Our hope is salvation, deliverance, from it “by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

But in Matthew 24:29, it is very clear that there will be a post-Tribulational coming of our Lord. The Lord is coming from heaven after the Tribulation period in power and great glory. This is His Second Coming to Israel to deliver believing Israel and to establish His millennial kingdom.

Please join us next time as we’ll continue with more comparisons and contrasts between the Rapture and the Second Coming.