Contrary to what some may have been led to believe, the Rapture and the Revelation are not the same, because they, in fact, are two separate events separated by a division of at least 7 years. Chronologically the Rapture takes place in Revelation 4:1 when the Lord summons the church to “come up hither”, and the Revelation occurs in chapter 19 when the Lord returns to this earth to reveal Himself as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Rapture is for the Church only!

Many people, including Christians, come to wrong conclusions about this event because their starting point was wrong. The Rapture of the Church is wholly and completely separate from God's Plan for Israel and the Jews. People try to make the Church fit as the 'replacement' for the Jews (because of their rejection of Jesus) and that doesn't work because there is no replacement for the Jews or Israel. God has declared the Jews to be His chosen people, and that will never, ever change. Neither will the day ever come where Israel is no longer the 'apple of God's eye', for He has declared it to be forever so. God's earthly covenant with Israel and the Jews is unbreakable, unchangeable, and everlasting.

"And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.” (Genesis 17:4-9)

This is one of the many places in scripture where God mentions, affirms and re-affirms His covenant with the Jews and with the nation of Israel. This relationship will continue through the Tribulation, the Millenium, and throughout all of Eternity as well. A grasp of this elementary truth will make easier to understand that God has one path outlined for the Church, and another path for the Jews.

The Rapture, of the Church, will be composed of both Jew and Gentile believers in Jesus as the Promised Messiah of Israel. Clarence Larkin had this to say about the Rapture of the Church:

"The Rapture is described in (1Thes. 4:15-17). "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and the DEAD IN CHRIST shall rise first; then we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN (saints only) shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord IN THE AIR, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." From this we see that "The Rapture" will be twofold.

1. The Resurrection of the "DEAD IN CHRIST."
2. The Translation of the "LIVING SAINTS."

This twofold character of "The Rapture" Jesus revealed to Martha when He was about to raise her brother Lazarus. He said to her: "I am the 'Resurrection and the Life, ' he that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he LIVE (Resurrected Saints); and whosoever LIVETH (is alive when I come back) and believeth in me shall NEVER DIE" John 11:25-26. This twofold character of the Rapture, Paul emphasizes in his immortal chapter on the resurrection.

"Behold, I show you a Mystery, we shall not all Sleep, but we shall All Be Changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and we shall be changed. For this Corruptible (the dead in Christ) must put on incorruption, and this mortal (the living saints) must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that. is written, DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY. O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? O GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY? " 1Cor. 15:51-53.

The Rapture won't be a secret, but it will be a 'surprise'

Jesus said in Luke 12:40; “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. We see from this that when Christ comes back it will be when we are not expecting Him. He will come as a thief comes. A thief does not announce his coming. He comes for a certain purpose. He does not take everything there is in the house. He takes only the precious things. The jewels, the gold, the silver and fine wearing apparel. He does not come to stay. As soon as he secures what he is after he departs. So Jesus at the Rapture will come and take away the saints only. The thief leaves much more than he takes. He leaves the house and the furniture and the household utensils. So the Lord at the Rapture will leave the wicked and the great mass of the heathen behind, for those who will be taken will be comparatively few. source - Dispensational Truth, by Clarence Larkin

The Revelation, or Stage 2 of Christ’s return.

At the "Second Stage" of Christ's Second Coming (the Revelation), this time it’s for the whole world to see. When Jesus came the first time He was disguised in the flesh. The "Incarnation" was the veiling of His Deity. Now and then gleams of His glory shot forth as on the Mt. of transfiguration; but when He comes the Second Time we shall behold Him clothed with the glory He had with the Father before the world was.

The "Revelation" will be as sudden and as unexpected as will be the "Rapture." The sun will rise on that day as it has done thousands of times before. There will be no signs of a storm or of the coming judgment. The people will be buying and selling, building and planting, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The statesmen will be revolving in their minds new plans for the world's betterment. The philanthropic will be devising new ways to help the people. The pleasure-loving will be seeking new sources of pleasure. The wicked will be plotting dark deeds; and the unbelieving will be proving to their own satisfaction that there is no God, no heaven, no hell, no coming judgment, when suddenly the Lord from glory will appear in all of His glory.

John wrote in Rev. 19:11; “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He shall smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Then shall be fulfilled what Jesus foretold in His Olivet Discourse, "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY." Matt. 24:30.

So there has to be FIRST the Rapture of the Church. This event kicks-off the time of Jacob's trouble, the Tribulation period of 7 years that Daniel saw. At the end of this 7-year Tribulation period, Jesus will return to the earth, with all the saints that have been raptured out earlier, and will land at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, note the following:

"And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave (or be split in two) in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: Yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be made known to the LORD, not day nor night: But it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and His name one." source - Zechariah 14: 4-9

The Blessed Hope Of The Believer

The Second Coming of Christ is "The Blessed Hope" for the church of the living God. Writing to Titus Paul said, "Looking for that 'Blessed Hope, ' and the 'Glorious Appearing' of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13. The word hope here is not referring to a type of wishful thinking but rather it is a term that speaks of assurance. In essence, the believer has the assurance from scripture concerning the soon return of his or her Saviour!!!

According to the bible, "And every man that hath this hope in him PURIFIETH HIMSELF.' 1John 3:1-3. That is, every one who is looking or watching for the Lord's return will desire to live pure, so as to not be embarrassed if they are found to be living impure.

"Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, WATCH." Mark 13:35-37