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Podcast
Rapture And Second Coming
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Hi, I'm Dave DeWitt and today I'd like to talk to you about why the rapture of the Church
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is not the same event as the second coming of Christ. There's much teaching today which
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says there is no rapture distinct from the second coming. Especially, there is the claim
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that the events described in 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18 is just another description
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of the second coming. Today I'll list three of the passages that describe the second coming
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and three that refer to the rapture. The question dealt with here is not about the timing of
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the rapture, pre-impartial, mid-post. The question I'll consider here is do these passages
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all describe the same occurrence? My conclusion is that the rapture and the second coming
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are by observation different events. First, the second coming of Christ. Here's
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Zechariah 14, 2 to 4 and then verse 6. For I'll gather all the nations against Jerusalem
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to battle, and the city will be captured. The house is plundered, women ravaged, half
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of the city exiled. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against these nations as when
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he fights in a day of battle. In that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
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which is in the front of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split
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in the middle from east to west by a very large valley. So that half of the mountain
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will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. In that day there'll be
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no light and the illuminaries will dwindle. Here's Jesus surrendering of his second
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coming in Matthew 24, 27 to 31. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes
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to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. But immediately after the tribulation
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of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will
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fall from the sky, the power of the heavens will be shaken, and the signs of the Son of
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Man will appear in the sky. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they
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will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He'll
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send forth his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from
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the four winds from one end of the sky to the other. Here's the revelation to John in
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the book of Revelation, chapter 19, 11, and then 15 and 17 to 18. Here's 1911. And I saw
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the heavens open, and behold a white horse, and he who sat on it is called faithful and
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true and righteous. He judges and wages war. And then Revelation 19, 15, from his mouth
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comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may strike down the nations, and he'll rule with
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a rod of iron, and he'll tread the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. And
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then in 7, verses 17 and 18. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out
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with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in the midheaven, come assemble
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for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders
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and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and those who sit upon them and
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the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great. Here's 10 observations
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about the second coming. Number one, it's an event predicted in both the Old and New
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Testament. It was an event Christians knew about. Number two, it'll occur immediately
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after a time of great tribulation on the earth. Number three, there will be a public event
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witnessed by the whole world. Number four, it says the illuminaries will dwindle. In
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other words, the visibility of the sun, moon, and stars will be darkened. Number five, Jesus
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comes to the earth on the Mount of Olives, which splits in two. Number six, the Son of
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Man will appear in the sky, and when he does, all the tribes of the earth will mourn. Number
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seven, angels will gather together to elect believers from all over the earth. Number
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eight, Jesus will strike down the nations, and he'll rule them with a rod of iron. Number
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nine, the event will be an expression of the fierce wrath of God. Number 10, the deaths
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on the earth will be so extensive that the birds will be called to eat their flesh. Now
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some passages on the rapture of the church. John 14, 1 to 3, Jesus says, do not let your
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heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
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dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place
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for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and receive you to myself,
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that where I am, there you may be also. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18. But we do not want
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you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve
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as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then
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so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to
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you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord
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will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven
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with a shout and with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead
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in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together
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with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the
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Lord, therefore comfort one another with these words. And then in 1 Corinthians 15, 51 and 52,
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behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, we'll all be changed in a moment in the
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twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised
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imperishable and will be changed. Now some observations about the rapture. Here's 10
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observations. Number one, it's an event Christians were uninvited about from the Old Testament.
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Number two, knowledge of this event would bring peace of mind. Do not let your heart be troubled.
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Number three, it's an event where Jesus will come to receive believers to himself in the air.
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Number four, the event will take believers to a place Jesus is preparing for them in my father's house.
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Number five, the event is a mystery, something unknown to the Old Testament prophets.
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Number six, believers are told about this event so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have
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no hope. Seven, the event is about the bodily resurrection of believers, not killing of
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unbelievers. Number eight, living believers are caught up together with him in the clouds to meet
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the Lord in the air. Number nine, believers are to comfort one another with these words. And ten,
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the whole movement of the event is up in the air, then to the father's house, not down to the earth.
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Now, why the rapture cannot be the second coming? Here's a few reasons. Number one,
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the Old Testament prophets, Jesus and John and Revelation, all discuss the second coming
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in sequence with other end time events preceded by a tribulation and followed by an earthly
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kingdom. Nothing like the rapture is mentioned in any sequence passage. Number two, the second
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coming of Christ is not an imminent event. Many things must take place before it happens.
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The rapture is an imminent event that can happen at any time.
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Three, the second coming is about war on earth, killing of multitudes of people and regathering
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of the remnant of all 12 tribes of Israel to Jerusalem. The rapture is only for the church,
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which is a mystery not known to the Old Testament prophets, according to Ephesians 3, 3 to 9.
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And number four, the rapture is about blessing, resurrection, deliverance, rewards. Second
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coming is about fear, destruction, death, and judgment. So, my conclusion, if we read the Bible
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in a plain ordinary way, according to the author's intended meaning, we're forced to conclude that
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the rapture and the second coming are distinctly different events. Thank you for listening. A
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longer paper on this subject with footnotes for the quotes is available on our website,
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relationalconcepts.org.
