The differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming.
The Rapture
1. Y'shua comes in the air (1 Thess. 4:16,17)
2. He comes for His saints (1 Thess. 4:16,17)
3. The rapture is a mystery, i.e., a truth unknown in the Tanakh (1Cor. 15:51)
4. Y'shua's coming for his saints is never said to be preceded by signs in the heavens.
5. The rapture is identified with the "Day of the Messiah" (1 Cor. 1:8)
6. The rapture is presented as a time of blessing (1 Thess. 4:18)
7. The rapture takes place in the "twinkling of an eye. This implies that it will not be witnessed by the world. (1 Cor. 15:52)
8. The rapture seems to involve the church (John 14:1 - 4)
The Second Coming
1. Y'shua comes to the earth (Zech 14:4)
2. He comes with his saints (1 Thess 3:13; Jude 14)
3. The revelation is not a mystery; it is mentioned in the Tanakh (Ps 72; Is 11; Zech 14)
4. Y'shua's coming with his saints will be heralded by celestial portents (Mt. 24: 29, 3)
5. The revelation is identified with the "Day of the L-rd" (2 Thess. 2:1-12)
6. The main emphasis of revelation is on judgment. (2 Thess. 2:8-12)
7. The revelation will be visible worldwide (Mt. 24:27)
8. The revelation involves Israel primarily, then also the Gentile nations (Mt. 24:1; 25:46)
We are assured that we will escape the wrath of G-d.
1 Thess 1:10 "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even (Y'shua) Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." (KJV)
Rom 5:9 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (KJV)
Therefore, we believers cannot enter "the great day of their wrath" (Rev 6:17)
We are told that believers are G-d's ambassadors on earth.
2 Corinthians 5:20 "Now then we are ambassadors for (Y'shua) Christ, as though G-d did beseech you by us: we pray you in (Y'shua) Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to G-d. (KJV)
Whenever a king or president is about to declare war on another country he first calls his ambassadors home.
Y'shua told us that no one knows that day or hour of His return for His believers. (Matt 24:36-44) If this passage occurred at the end of the tribulation period, we would know the exact day of the rapture. It would be 7 years after the peace treaty.
The signs in Matt 24 are of His Second Coming. They are not signs of the Rapture. When we look at the world around us and see some of these things happening we know the Rapture must be very close because it precedes the Second coming by 7 years.
We will be looking at the Matt 24 more as we go through the book of Revelation.