Is the Rapture the same as the Second Coming of Christ?
Is the Rapture the Second Coming of Christ? If not, how come there is only one resurrection of the righteous dead since Christ's resurrection and the end of the world, according to 1 Corinthians 15:20-25?
1 Corinthians 15:20 - 25
ESV - 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
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Asked October 30 2013
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Anthony Clinton
Jennifer Rothnie
Supporter
The rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ must of necessity happen during the same event. The 'second coming' refers to Christ's return to the Earth, wheras the 'rapture' refers to the motion of believers - rising up to meet the returning Christ. The rapture as described in 1 Thess 4:16-18 is when all believers will join Christ in the clouds as he descends in view of the earth. This is not a rapture into heaven, rather, this is meeting Jesus "in the air" - greek 'aer' - the lower atmosphere where living things breath [trees, birds, people, etc]. 'Aer' encompasses the space from the surface of the ground to the lower clouds. [In contrast to the greek 'ouranos' (heaven), the first heaven being the upper atmopsphere, the second space, the "third heaven" God's heaven). As we are meeting Christ in the lower aer, then this is in full view of those on the planet. The greek word harpazo (to seize/snatch up) also refers to an overt action by force, such as robbery or seizing the spoils of war, vs. A secret action. [http://biblehub.com/greek/726.htm] This, then, is the second coming of Christ, which all the peoples of the earth will view! (Matt 24:31-32, Rev 11:15-18, Rev 1:7, Rev 16:15, Heb 9:28, II Pet 3:10, Acts 1:10-11, John 6:39-40, Matt 16:27, Col 3:4, Acts 17:31, Luke 21:27, Luke 9:26, John 5:28-29, Matt 24:27, Matt 25:31-32, II Thess 1:5-10, Psalm 96:13, II Tim 4:1, and so forth) There are many common symbols that tie these all to the same public event (trumpet call, clouds, angels, loud command, etc). Rev 20:4-6 and 1 Cor 15:23-26 also seem to imply that along with the rapture of Thess 4 comes the 'first Resurrection' of believers, taking place after the tribulation, but before the millennial reign and last battle. This reign is on earth, not in heaven. **** Using the term 'rapture' to describe the second coming of Christ is probably a lot more confusing than simply referring to it as "the Resurrection" or "Second Coming." Jesus used term "Resurrection" to refer to us receiving our glorified bodies, and never referred to a rapture. The term rapture is not in the Bible, and carries with it the differing definitions of many different theories of men, and so it is a far less accurate choice of words than "Resurrection/Second coming" to describe Christ's return and our Resurrection. This is especially important, for the sake of clarity and to avoid confusion, when speaking of the Resurrection to unbelievers. See related topics: https://ebible.com/questions/4342-where-does-the-term-rapture-originate-from https://ebible.com/questions/3953-is-the-word-rapture-in-the-bible https://ebible.com/questions/387-what-is-the-second-coming-of-jesus-christ