Question; What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus

Answer: The rapture and the second
coming of Christ are often confused.
Sometimes it is difficult to determine
whether a scripture verse is referring
to the rapture or the second coming.
However, in studying end-times Bible
prophecy, it is very important to
differentiate between the two.
The rapture is when Jesus Christ
returns to remove the church (all
believers in Christ) from the earth.
The rapture is described in 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1
Corinthians 15:50-54 . Believers who
have died will have their bodies
resurrected and, along with believers
who are still living, will meet the
Lord in the air. This will all occur in a
moment, in a twinkling of an eye.
The second coming is when Jesus
returns to defeat the Antichrist,
destroy evil, and establish His
millennial kingdom. The second
coming is described in Revelation
19:11-16 .
The important differences between
the rapture and second coming are
as follows:
1) At the rapture, believers meet the
Lord in the air ( 1 Thessalonians
4:17 ). At the second coming,
believers return with the Lord to the
earth (Revelation 19:14 ).
2) The second coming occurs after
the great and terrible tribulation
(Revelation chapters 6–19). The
rapture occurs before the tribulation
(1 Thessalonians 5:9 ; Revelation
3:10 ).
3) The rapture is the removal of
believers from the earth as an act of
deliverance ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 ,
5:9 ). The second coming includes the
removal of unbelievers as an act of
judgment ( Matthew 24:40-41 ).
4) The rapture will be secret and
instant (1 Corinthians 15:50-54 ). The
second coming will be visible to all
(Revelation 1:7 ; Matthew 24:29-30 ).
5) The second coming of Christ will
not occur until after certain other
end-times events take place (2
Thessalonians 2:4 ; Matthew 24:15-30 ;
Revelation chapters 6–18). The
rapture is imminent; it could take
place at any moment (Titus 2:13 ; 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 ; 1 Corinthians
15:50-54 ).
Why is it important to keep the
rapture and the second coming
distinct?
1) If the rapture and the second
coming are the same event, believers
will have to go through the
tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9 ;
Revelation 3:10 ).
2) If the rapture and the second
coming are the same event, the
return of Christ is not imminent—
there are many things which must
occur before He can return ( Matthew
24:4-30 ).
3) In describing the tribulation
period, Revelation chapters 6–19
nowhere mentions the church. During
the tribulation—also called “the time
of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7 )
—God will again turn His primary
attention to Israel ( Romans
11:17-31 ).
The rapture and second coming are
similar but separate events. Both
involve Jesus returning. Both are end-
times events. However, it is crucially
important to recognize the
differences. In summary, the rapture
is the return of Christ in the clouds
to remove all believers from the
earth before the time of God’s wrath.
The second coming is the return of
Christ to the earth to bring the
tribulation to an end and to defeat
the Antichrist and his evil world
empire.