[note: This commentary is to be used as a seed for a discussion on the events as written in Revelations. I don’t claim to be an expert! If you want to talk to an expert on end times, ask God.]
When we talk about the end times, we sometimes refer to it as Christ’s second coming. There are two parts of Revelations that talk about Jesus coming to earth. The first is when He comes and raptures his followers into the sky to be with him. The next time is when He comes to set up his kingdom on earth. So which is the second coming? The answer is both of them. In his book, Revelation Unveiled, Tim LaHaye says that "there is only one "Second Coming," but it occurs in two phases. The first phase is only for His church, that is, all living and dead believers since the church was founded in A.D. 33. The second phase is for all those living on the earth at the end of the Tribulation. In studying the passages that speak about Jesus coming again, he identified 15 different contrasting events that describe the two phases of our Lord’s coming.
| 15 Contrasting Events Of The Second Coming | |
|
Rapture |
Glorious Appearing |
| 1. Christ comes in air for His own | 1. Christ comes with His own to earth |
| 2. Rapture / translation of all Christians | 2. No one translated |
| 3. Christians taken to the Father’s House | 3. Resurrected saints do not see Father’s House |
| 4. No judgment on earth at Rapture | 4. Christ judges inhabitants of earth |
| 5. Church taken to Heaven at Rapture | 5. Christ sets up His kingdom on earth |
| 6. Rapture imminent / could happen any moment. | 6. Glorious appearing cannot occur for at least 7 years |
| 7. No signs for Rapture | 7. Many signs for Christ’s physical coming |
| 8. For believers only | 8. Affects all humanity |
| 9. Time of joy | 9. Time of mourning |
| 10. Before the Day of Wrath (Tribulation) | 10. Immediately after Tribulation (Matthew 24) |
| 11. No mention of Satan | 11. Satan bound in Abyss for 1000 years |
| 12. The Judgment Seat of Christ | 12. No time or place for Judgment Seat |
| 13. Marriage of Lamb | 13. His bride descends with Him |
| 14. Only His own see Him | 14. Every eye will see Him |
| 15. Tribulation begins | 15. 1000-year kingdom of Christ begins |
taken from Revelation Unveiled, by Dr. Tim LaHaye