Are The Rapture And Second Coming Different Events

In the last study, we covered when the Bible says the rapture takes place. If you haven’t seen it, please do so (When Is The Rapture) before reading this page.

While the Scriptures are clear, we also had to address some false beliefs that can cloud our understanding. Today, we’ll examine one more belief that often causes confusion: Are the rapture and the second coming of Jesus two separate events?

Any other theories about when the rapture happens—mid-tribulation, secret rapture, and so on—are easily refuted based on what I shared in the last study.

Today, I am going to explain why the rapture and the second coming of Jesus are not two different events, as many teach. This idea of separating them doesn’t come from the Bible itself.

Second Coming Verses the Rapture

Many people try to separate the rapture from the second coming by dividing the Scriptures into two groups—claiming that some passages speak only of the rapture, and others speak only of the second coming.

But there is no reason to make this division!

This separation isn’t demanded by the text. Instead, it is done to support the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture—a false doctrine that requires the rapture and second coming to be artificially split in order to appear valid. The Scriptures themselves do not support such a divide.

Verses Categorized as the Rapture

The Scriptures I am about to share are often categorized as speaking about the rapture of the church, not the second coming of Jesus. I’ve already addressed several others in the previous study.

However, the point I am making can also be applied to other verses that some may attempt to split into separate rapture and second coming categories.

There is no doubt that this passage speaks of Jesus coming again to receive us unto Himself. But there is nothing in this passage to suggest it happens before His second coming. In fact, since He says “I will come again,” it is far more likely He was referring to His second coming rather than some earlier event.

In verse 14, we see it talking about Jesus bringing people with Him to earth; verse 15 identifies this as the coming of the Lord; and verse 16 says the Lord Himself will descend to earth with the trump of God.

There is no way to claim this passage is not describing the second coming of Jesus to earth. He doesn’t just appear in the clouds, take people with Him, and then vanish. He returns visibly, descending from heaven to earth.

This passage clearly talks about the rapture—the catching up of the saints—but it also describes the second coming at the same time. These verses do not show that the events are separate; rather, they demonstrate that there is no reason to split them as if they occur at two different times.

This passage speaks of the dead being raised and the living being changed as they are caught up. So, on its own, these verses could be categorized as describing only the rapture, separate from the second coming—if it were not for one crucial problem:

The context of verses 50–55 includes all of 1 Corinthians 15. That includes these verses, which tell us this happens at the second coming of Christ, at the end when He begins to rule on earth. So again, there is no reason to split these verses into two separate events at different times.

In all cases, the catching up of the saints happens at the second coming.

This passage is often cited as if the rapture is our blessed hope rather than Jesus Himself. But the word “and” here does not indicate addition. The passage does not describe two hopes—one being the rapture and the other being Jesus. It describes a single hope: the glorious appearing of Jesus Himself.

Verses Categorized as the Second Coming

Now that we have looked at the main verses people normally place into the category of “the rapture,” we need to turn our attention to the verses they place into the category of “the second coming.”

You will clearly see that there is no reason any of these passages cannot include both the rapture and the second coming. As I have already shown, the Scriptures don’t give any reason to separate the events. They actually identify them as happening together in a single event.

Notice that the only reason this passage is typically classified as a “second coming” passage rather than a rapture passage is because it occurs after the tribulation. You will see this pattern in all Scriptures categorized this way.

However, verses 30–31 align perfectly with the rapture passages and mention the same events. So why split them? Only to attempt a defense of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. There is no other reason.

The same situation applies to the rest of the verses that are supposed to be about the second coming but not the rapture. I’ll list some here, but since they all share the same issues, I will not quote each one individually:

• Matthew 25:31 – Son of Man comes in glory and judges the nations
• Mark 13:24–27 – Similar to Matthew 24
• Luke 21:25–28 – Signs, then the Son of Man appears
• Revelation 19:11–21 – Rider on the white horse, armies follow
• Revelation 1:7 – “Every eye shall see Him”
• Zechariah 14:3–9 – His feet stand on the Mount of Olives
• Acts 1:9–11 – He returns as He left
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10 – Revealed in flaming fire
• Joel 3:14–16 – Nations judged at His coming
• Isaiah 63:1–6 – Messiah coming in wrath
• Daniel 7:13–14 – Son of Man receives the kingdom
• Daniel 12:1–2 – Resurrection tied to end-time tribulation and deliverance

Notice a few similarities between the two groups of Scriptures. If you combine them into one group, you will find they do not contradict each other at all. Each event mentioned could easily occur together in a single sequence, as the Scriptures point out. The second coming of Jesus and the gathering of the saints happen at the same time.

So why were these passages separated into different categories? Why is one set of verses said to be strictly about the second coming, with no connection to the rapture? The answer is simple: these passages do not fit with the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. That’s it.

The Circular Reasoning Behind the Split

Many verses are excluded from being considered rapture passages only because they occur after the tribulation. But that reasoning doesn’t work. Even if you try to separate them several of the passages tell us clearly the two are the same event. Still, to fit the doctrine desired they are split.

In other words, the doctrine is assumed first, and then the verses are sorted to protect it. That is the very definition of circular reasoning. If a verse can only qualify as a rapture verse after we already assume when the rapture happens, then the verse is no longer teaching—it is being misused. At this point, church doctrine rules over Scripture rather than Scripture ruling over doctrine.

Too Many Resurrections

Let’s look at another reason the second coming and the rapture cannot be two separate events.

The Bible tells us here that the first resurrection happens after the tribulation and before the millennial reign of Jesus. It then tells us the rest of the dead will not be raised until after the thousand years are over. That equals two resurrections.

If the pre-tribulation doctrine were true, it would require more than two resurrections. It would require one before the tribulation—since the living would not go before the dead—then another at the second coming after the tribulation (even though the living would have already gone before the dead in this case), and finally a third after the thousand years.

Though some like to point out the multiple resurrection miracles in the Bible none of them count as the kind of resurrection that is counted here. These two are the only ones where large groups are raised and don’t physically die again. Since the passage says THIS is the first resurrection it automatically excludes the possibility of another one like it before the tribulation.

So, on top of everything else I have already shown, even the math exposes the contradiction in the pre-tribulation doctrine.

The Scriptures are clear: there is one single event that contains both the second coming and the rapture at the same time. There are too many reasons given in Scripture that remove the possibility of them being separate events altogether.

In the next study, we will move on to explaining the millennial reign of Jesus on earth. This will also answer other objections made against the rapture taking place at the second coming.

Unit 6:8 – Who Will Occupy the Millennial Kingdom OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 6 – The Resurrection & the Big Picture