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Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events- Part 5
5. The Jewish Feasts Point to It.
There are those that believe the Old Testament no longer has any relevance to modern times. That would be incorrect. Just as the temple worship ceremonies pointed to the life and ministry of Christ. The Jewish Feasts give us some hint the God’s timetable. Just as the sacrificial lambs and scapegoats pointed to the ministry of the Messiah, these feast point to the order that God intends to bring about the end of the world.
| Feast Name | Old Testament Observance | New Testament Reality |
| Passover | Exodus 13, Leviticus 23:1-8.The Hebrews were to roast a lamb (or goat) and eat it fully dress; they were to take the blood from the lamb and paint the doorposts and lintel so when the Angel of Death came through the land of Egypt, He would see the blood and pass over the house. Where there was no blood, He would kill the firstborn of every person and animal. | Luke 22:14-22. Jesus was the Passover Lamb who shed His blood for the sin of the world. God placed upon Him our sin and treated Him as though He had committed every one of them. When we come to faith in Christ, we are credited with the sinless life He lived. After we come to faith in Christ, when God sees us, He sees the perfect life of His Son and His wrath passes over us. |
| Unleavened Bread | Exodus 13, Leviticus 23:1-8. Celebrated with the Passover. The Hebrews were to make bread without leaven to eat with the Passover Lamb. (It was because they would not have time to let the leaven rise but the spiritual meaning was to put away sin.) | Luke 22:14-22. Jesus Christ took away our sin on the cross. In fact, on the night He celebrated His last Passover meal, He took unleavened bread and broke it and gave it to the disciples and told them that it represented his body that was broken and His blood was shed for the removal of our sin. |
| First Fruits | Leviticus 23:9-14. The Jews were to present to God the sheaf of the first fruits of their harvest to be raised in worship to the Lord for the harvest He provided. | Luke 24:1-12. When Jesus was raised from the grave, He became the First Fruit of those who will also be raised from the dead. |
| Pentecost | Leviticus 23:15-22. This is celebrated 50 days after the Sabbath of the First Fruits when the Jews would make an offering of new grain unto the Lord. They were to hold a holy convocation. | Acts 2:1-4. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection (a day following a Sabbath), the Holy Spirit came and indwelt the believers leading to the birth of the church—the new grains of the harvest of souls that would come through their ministry and the ministry of those who follow after them, through the end of the age. |
| Trumpets | Leviticus 23:23-25. The Jews were to celebrate a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. | 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. These passages speak of the return of Christ accompanied by a trumpet blast (or the voice of a trumpet sound) in which the dead in Christ will rise first then everyone else will be caught up, all being changed in the twinkling of an eye. |
| Atonement | Leviticus 23:26-32. There is to be a holy convocation, a Sabbath Day of rest; no work is to be performed by anyone lest they be cut off from the land by God. The high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice on behalf of the nation. | Revelation 20:11-15. Jesus Christ, the High Priest, will judge the work of every man. Each person will be judge out of the Book of Works. Their final appeal will be the Book of Life. If their name is not found there, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. |
| Tabernacle (or Booths) | Leviticus 23:33-44. The Jews were to live in booths (or tents) for seven days. The first and eighth day were to be holy convocations to the Lord. This was to be a reminder of how they dwelt in tents with the Lord as He led them out of Egypt. | John 14:1-3, Revelation 21-22. This refers to our eternal rest in heaven. Jesus said in His Father’s house there are many rooms and He has gone to prepare a place for us. Revelation 21 speaks of how the tabernacle (or dwelling place) of God is with mankind. |
The Feasts of Passover/Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost have passed. We are now waiting to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. I don’t know how true it is but I once heard a speaker say this about the Trumpet: When a Jew heard the sound of the trumpet blast, he knew it was a call to convocation. He would stop whatever he was doing and head to the Temple/synagogue. If this is true, this is a true parallel to the Rapture. For when we hear the trumpet blast, we will immediately stop doing whatever we are doing and go to meet Him in the air. What a day that will be.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events–Part 4
Fourth, there are signs that precede the Second Coming
A fourth reason the Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events is that there are signs that precede the Second Coming but there are no signs that precede the Rapture of the Church. As stated in Point 3, Jesus said He would return like a thief in the night. A thief does not leave clues that he is coming to warn the people. Instead, he tries to make his approach as stealthily as possible, as not to get caught. Jesus’ return to get us will be without warning as He pointed out in Matthew 24:39 and 44. That is not to say that there are no signs that foretell when His return is near. In Matthew 24, Jesus gave many signs that will portend His return such as the increase in the number of wars and threats of wars, ethnic groups fighting one another, increase in disease and famine and earthquakes, the rise of many false prophets, and increase in lawlessness and a decrease in the love of many. Though these seem to be general signs, the things He wants us to know is that as the end of the world gets near, these signs will grow in frequency and intensity—like birth pangs on a woman in labor (Matthew 24:8).
According to the scriptures, there are some things that must first happen before the return of the Lord.
- The Great Apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)—Paul speaks of the falling away of the church. He spoke of this in his letters to Timothy and Titus but not to this degree. In this passage, he speaks of a “rebellion (ESV)” or apostasy (NASB). What is an apostasy? It is the desertion or departure from sound doctrine. The mainstream church will stop teaching sound doctrine but will teach things that appeal to the flesh of man. It will depend upon programs rather than prayer. It will have concerts and call it worship. It will replace anointed sermons with eloquent speeches. It will stop teaching about sin and the need for repentance. It will stop teaching that Jesus is the only way. It will stop teaching about hell and punishment. Instead, it will teach about the goodness of man and the love of God. It will have a form of godliness but no power.
- The rise of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)—Jesus will not return until after the Antichrist comes on the scene. Who or what the Antichrist is, no one knows. Some have suggested it may not be a person but a system. At any rate, until there is someone who is going to try to declare himself as the savior of the world, Jesus will not be back. Revelation 19 speaks of how Jesus will destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet in the Lake of Fire. As was pointed out in Point 1, something catastrophic must happen to facilitate his rise, where the nations of the world will cede to him their power.
- The Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-17). The Antichrist will force the world to take a mark of allegiance. This mark will likely be sold as a way to facilitate the transfer of money, the locating of criminals, and readiness of medical data. However, it will also be a mark of loyalty to the devil and his kingdom. Taking the mark will mean the forfeiture of your soul. It is how he will control you, track you, and maybe even torture you. What is the mark? No one knows. It has been suggested to be everything from a tattoo to a microchip. It will be placed in the forehead or on the right hand. You cannot travel without it. You cannot buy food without it. If you do not have it when stopped, you will be arrested. If you refuse it then, you will be killed. This is the means by which the Antichrist will establish a one-world economy.
- One world government. As stated before, the Antichrist will conquer the world through peace, then though the military that he will control. After whatever disaster happens that opens the door for him, he will persuade the world that he has the answers, and through smooth talk, he will get nations to give him their power, their military, and establish him as their leader. Once he has that, he will use that power to keep the people in line. He will be the supreme ruler with a bunch of potentates that will answer to him. As yet, there is no one world government, though the world seems to be headed that way.
- Attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). The prophet Ezekiel speaks of an alliance, believed to be between the Russians and the Muslims, who will lead an attack against the land of Israel. That attack will fail. The Bible says that God will fight for Israel. It will take seven months to bury the dead. If there is any prophecy the church believes may be fulfilled in our lifetime, it is this one. Even today, the Islamic nations are seeking to destroy Israel. They chant, “Death to Israel.” It will not happen. Israel will never again be invaded. She will never again be destroyed. The world is worried about Iran getting a nuclear weapon. It will not matter for it will not hurt Israel. God has promised. If Israel is destroyed, you can take it to the bank that there is no God. He has made an oath.
- Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). The Battle of Armageddon is the event that immediately precedes the return of Christ. It is at this battle that the Antichrist leads his army and the armies of the world into a final battle against the land of Israel, Jerusalem, in particular. He has already declared himself to be God and the Jews expel him as a blasphemer. It is after this even that he declares war on them. Much of Israel will be invaded (not destroyed). People will seek asylum in the Negev and Petra. The armies from the east will go to Israel to fight, not against the Jews, but against the Antichrist. Israel will be caught in the middle. The cause of this battle is unsure. It is believed that something will be discovered either in Israel or by Israel that will cause the Antichrist to sign a [false] peace treaty with them. It is likely he is going to invade them to take control of this resource. The Oriental army, numbering 2 million, will also invade seeking to gain control of it, as well as attach the Antichrist and his army. With all the weapons of war ready to level poor Israel, Jesus returns to save the day (Revelation 19:11-21). In their foolishness, they will have the audacity to turn their weapons on Jesus but it will futile because Jesus will destroy them all.
The Bible says that these things must come to pass before the Return happens. Therefore, we can rest assure that it is not soon. The same cannot be said about the Rapture. In my next post, I discuss the final reason why the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events: The Feast of Trumpets.
Five Reasons the Rapture and the Second Coming Are Two Different Events–Part 3
3. He will come as a “thief in the night”.
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour[a] your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.—Matthew 24:40-44
Have you ever heard a strange noise in the middle of the night and wondered what it was? Did you imagination start to run wild wondering if it was a burglar only to find out it was just the wind? Perhaps, you have been home when someone tried (or succeeded) in breaking into your home. Were you prepared? Did you know they were coming? Rarely, if ever, do thieve announce their intent to break in. They do not send a postcard saying, “Tonight, I will break in at three o’clock in the morning. Be sure to leave your valuables out where I can find them.” No, thieves usually take their victims by surprise. It’s what gives them an upper hand.
Jesus said when He comes to get us, it will be like a ‘thief in the night’. In verses 40-41, Jesus spoke of how two men would be working in the field: one will be taken and the other left or how two women would be working at the mill, one would be taken and the other left. This speaks of the suddenness of the Rapture. In fact, the term Paul uses for caught up or snatched away gives the connotation of sudden speed and force. The word, rape, comes from the Greed word used because of the amount of force often associated with it. Why like a thief in the night? Jesus is not going to announce when He is coming so people can play and ignore Him until the last minute when a time of worldwide prayer vigils start right before He returns. Using terminology from the news, why would God ‘telegraph’ what He is going to do to the devil and his team (not that they can be any resistance)?
The preceding verses speak of life going on as usual when suddenly everything changes. The verses say one will be taken and one left. Just like in the Rapture. Not everyone will go. There will be those who rejected Christ who will be left behind. There will be those who are religious who will be left behind. There will be those who thought they were saved but were not that will be left behind. This is why Peter exhorted the Believers to “make [their] calling and election sure’ (2 Peter 1:10). Those who are going to go are those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, for their salvation (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Some have thought these verses referred to the culling that happens in Matthew 25. However, this seems to point to a different event because Matthew 25 speaks of everyone being taken and separated into sheep and goats in Christ’s presence. He speaks of how the angels will gather all people from under heaven and bring them to Him. He then will separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:30), the true believers from the pretenders. The Matthew 24:40-41 passage, however, gives the impression that one is taken (caught up) while the other is left behind.
It happened suddenly and without warning. Like the five foolish virgins, the ones left behind who were not prepared. They thought they had enough time to get ready. This is why Jesus said ‘watch (pay attention, be alert) because we do not know the time of His return. People often put off turning to Jesus until tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. Tomorrow may be too late. Look at the tragedies on the news. Tomorrow did not come for them. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Repent of your evil ways, put your faith in the work of Jesus Christ, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins—knowing that He will do it because the debt has already been paid on behalf of those who will believe.
Cyber-Discipleship 