Does a comparison of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Zechariah 14:1-3 indicate that the Rapture and Jesus’ Second coming are two separate events?
| By: Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Walvoord; ©1996 |
| Bible Prophecy Questions Answered by Leading Christian Scholars. |
Does a comparison of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Zechariah 14:1-3 indicate that the Rapture and Jesus’ Second coming are two separate events?
Dr. John Walvoord: Notice the details that he gives us about the Rapture. First of all, the Lord is going to descend bodily from heaven to the earth. This is an important event. He actually comes to the air. He never touches the earth.
When this happens, then Christians who “are alive and remain shall be caught up [raptured, snatched] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” And so our prospect is that when the Lord comes, if we’re living we will be changed instantly; if we’re dead as Christians we’ll be raised from the dead and we’ll meet the Lord in the air and then proceed to heaven.
And so we have this wonderful truth, that Christ is coming, and that when He does, we’re going to be with Christ forever. And we’re going from earth to heaven. Now, it’s very important to notice the results of the Rapture. The Rapture is not a coming of Christ to stay in the earth as a second coming is, but rather a movement from earth to heaven. Just exactly the opposite of what you see about the second coming of Christ, which in my belief, is going to occur sometime later when He comes back to set up His Millennial Kingdom. “And thus we are always going to be with the Lord.” That’s the wonderful prospect that’s before us.
2. Who is taken out of the world, and by whom, indicate two separate events.
- Rapture: Himself will come and take believers out of the world in joy and blessing.
- Second Coming: the angels gather the wicked from off the face of the earth to a terrible judgment.
Dr. John Ankerberg: Look at the words in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 carefully. The Apostle Paul tells us, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God.” It’s interesting that the Bible says the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. The Greek word for shout, kalousma, is a word of command. It’s a military term. It’s as if all the troops are at ease and the general issues the command to fall in. Luther translated this word “stand up.” It’s a call to the Church to stand up. The Church has been in repose. The bodies of the saints have been lying in the graves and there’s coming a time when Jesus comes, descends out of heaven, and He shouts or commands for those bodies to stand up, and they fall into rank. It’s a gathering up. This is like John 5:25 where Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, an hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live.”
And just as a military commander issues the order and it’s echoed by one of his subordinates, the Bible says the archangel will add his voice, echoing, as it were, the Lord’s command. Then the trumpet of God sounds. In the Roman Empire the people knew that if the government leaders wanted to make a public announcement, a proclamation, or to meet somebody important like the emperor, they would sound a trumpet to gather the people together. More importantly, in Exodus 19 it was a trumpet that called the people out of the camp to meet God. It was a trumpet of assembly. The trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4 cannot be referring to one of the trumpet judgments in the Book of Revelation, because the Book of Revelation hadn’t been written yet. But the Thessalonians were familiar with the trumpet call of assembly in the Roman Empire and the trumpet of assembly in Exodus 19.
Then Paul says that after the Lord issues this command to assemble, the trumpet blows, the archangel echoes what the Lord says, “The dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together [or raptured] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Christ Himself is clearly the One who takes believers out of the world in joy and blessing at the Rapture; whereas at the Second Coming, Jesus sends the angels to take wicked people out of the world in judgment. In Matthew 13:41 in the parable of the tares, Jesus taught, “The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They [the angels] will throw them [the wicked] into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” So, at the Second Coming, Jesus sends His angels to remove people from the face of the earth to judgment.
There Are several churches who believe and preach that the church will go through the GREAT tribulation period and mock us who believe first the rapture then the tribulation period. Is this a SIN as I believe or is it a sin not unto death?
Rapture first, then immediately the great tribulaion period.
The problem with the argument that Jesus does not come to the earth in I Thess 4:17 is that it also does not say that Jesus goes back to heaven. The impression one gets from this one verse is that Jesus stays in the air with the believers, but this can hardly be Paul’s intent. The problem is that we simply do not know from this one verse whether Jesus continues down to earth or returns to heaven.
So this secret rapture before tribulation with the resurrection of the dead and the changing of mortal flesh to a body of like Christ. Their accession into the air. The blowing of a trumpet. The shout. The disappearance of all believers, babies, teenagers, mentally handicapped will all happen in secret? Nobody will see or hear it? Nobody under the age of accountability 18? Will he left on the face of the earth and nobody will know it or believe there is a GOD for the next 7 years. That don’t even make common sense and there sure is NO scripture to prove that. It is only possible if it happens at the end of tribulation before the 7 bowls of the wrath of GOD. That is the only time it is called the wrath of the Lamb. Tribulation is a time of pressing, pressure and persecution not wrath. Great Tribulation is Satan coming down having great WRATH, not GOD? No where in the scripture is tribulation or Daniels 70th week called the wrath of GOD because…it ain’t.
Amen!!!!! There is no pre trib rapture its very clear of you read the bible!
The Raputre will not be a secret. Many non- believers have heard about the Raputure. Many of them scoff and say “when you die, you are just dead, the end.” But I believe it is all together within God’s ability to let non-believers know exactly what is happening or rather, what just did happen. And those who had a one point in their lives believed and then completely turned away, will know exactly what happened. The Bibe will not disappear. People left behind will have the opportunity to turn back to God during the Great Tribulation.
Some Bible interpreters believe that there will be absolutely no chance for salvation after the rapture. However, many passages indicate the opposite. There is no place in the Bible that says this or even hints to it. There will be many people who come to Christ during the tribulation. The 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Revelation 7:4) are Jewish believers. If no one can come to Christ during the tribulation, then why are people being beheaded for their faith (Revelation 20:4)?
Revelation 6:9-11 speaks of those martyred during the tribulation “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.” These martyrs will correctly interpret what they see during the tribulation and will believe the gospel themselves and call on others to repent and believe as well. The antichrist and his followers will not tolerate their evangelism and will kill them. All of these martyrs are people who were alive before the rapture, but who were not believers until afterward. Therefore, there must be opportunity to come to Christ in faith after the rapture.
Peggy has been totally blessed, if she had only completed citing the next verse Rev. 20:5 which stating “…this is the first resurrection.” would have revealed so much more to this conversation. Although her foresight yielded a limited question that should have drawn all pursuers of truth to the power of the total revelation exposed packed in v.4 . Yes, Peggy has been gifted with the understand yielded by Jesus that is commonly call the Socratic method, to always ask the question words; what, why, where, who, and how? He asked questions to the pharisees often to reveal truth.
Some of the first resurrected had been beheaded, not received the mark, not worshiped the beast or his image, or taken the mark. Shall I say this is pretty clear. The Lord has blessed you mightily for leading others to the truth. Ref Rev 20:5
God be the Glory…
What Mr John Ankerberg is saying is true. Rapture first then tribulations and great tribulations and then the second coming of Jesus Christ.
No Jesus did not teach rapture before the great tribulation in known of his teaching. He said Immediately after the tribulation he would come back for his chosen, his elect. Matt 24:29. After means after and not before Mark 13:24-27.