Do You Know The Difference?

            Recently I wrote an article on how soon the Lord’s coming is where I said how most of God's children are not ready for this event. Have you ever heard this familiar question: “But why do we have to be ready, we don’t even know when he is coming?” This common question is precisely the reason why we have to be ready for the coming of the Lord, because we don’t know the day and hour of his coming, and we have to be watching and be ready. We may not know the day or hour but we do know the season of his coming, which is in the same generation who witnessed Israel’s rebirth (1948).

            To be ready for the Lord at his coming is a command Jesus gave to his followers when he was teaching the disciples on the Mount of Olives. Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew, chapter twenty four: “Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:44, HNV). Though Jesus commands his followers to be ready for him he also insists that we be watching for him to come also: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42, HNV). The Lord again repeats himself in the parabolic teaching of the Ten Virgins: “Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13, HNV). Are you watching for your Lord to come, are you ready for him?

            When the Lord makes this command 'to watch and be ready’ which event do you think he is referring to? Do you think he is referring to the event known as his Second Coming, or do you think he is referring to the ‘harpazō’? The ‘harpazō’ (Greek for: catching up) may be better known to many as the ‘rapture’. The word rapture is our English equivalent of the Latin word ‘raptus’ or ‘rapiemur’ as the Latin Vulgate translates it from the Greek. If you thought the Lord was referring to the Catching Away — the rapture of the Church — in these particular verses above, than you are correct.

            Why would I ask you which of the two events the Lord is referring to in these verses, am I trying to insult your knowledge of the Scriptures? No, I would not do that to you, but the reason for my question is because there are many who do not know the difference between the Second Coming of Christ and the Catching Away. When a person does not know the difference between these two events it opens the door for confusion, and we know our God is not the creator of confusion. So we must understand that confusion comes from another source, and that source has as its objective to keep the child of God mystified to the word of God. The god of this world (Satan) is a master at keeping the sons and daughters of God confused to what the Holy Spirit is revealing, especially the mysteries that our God has chosen to reveal.

            Have you ever heard somebody say, “Who can know the mind of the Lord?” Why do you think they say this especially when God reveals his ways to us in his word? Of course most of God’s ways were hidden to the Old Testament saints, but we are now under a new covenant where we have access to the mind of God: “"For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Messiah's mind (1 Corinthians 2:16, HNV; Also see John 16:13).

            Why would the god of this world work so hard at confusing the Church between the Second Coming and the Catching Away? Could it be so those who have been made the righteousness of God will not take any interest in either of these events — it seems he has been doing a good job at it so far? I challenge you to question most preachers and teachers and you will find that they may be somewhat confused about these two events, to the point where they don’t even attempt to feed the household of God anything on these topics. Maybe I should correct myself and say that some do teach a little about the coming of the Lord, they teach that since we do not know the day or hour of the Catching Away we should neither give it thought nor be concerned about it, when it happens it will happen; so just eat, drink and be merry. If the enemy can keep the Church from being interested in the Catching Away of the Church, and the Second Coming of Christ for Israel, than there will be no way the Body of Christ we will be watching so we can be ready for the coming of the Son of Man — remember we have been commanded to do these two things (Matthew 24:42, 44; 25:13).

            The difference between the Catching Away and the Second Coming is the difference between the Church of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel, and there is a distinct difference for they are indeed two separate entities. Unfortunately some sects of Christianity think the Church is spiritual Israel, this is where the devilish replacement theology has evolved from. In the plan of God he created Israel to be his chosen earthly people: "Which [covenant] he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance" (Psalms 105: 9-11, KJV). In God's plan he also created the Church, which is his new creation, as his chosen heavenly people: "The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven. As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Corinthians 15: 47-49, KJV).

            The Second Coming is the day when Christ will come back to the earth to redeem Israel from her unbelief and unrighteousness, and on that day Israel will finally anoint Jesus as their Messiah King (See Daniel 9:24). From that day forth Israel will dwell on the earth in the land of Canaan until the new heaven and new earth appear, as is recorded in Revelation chapter twenty one; and in peace as promised. The day of the Catching Away of the Church is the day when those who received Christ Jesus as Lord, whether they be former Jews or former Gentiles, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air: "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 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" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, KJV). At this hour the Church of God will be made heavenly people through a miraculous transformation from the physical to the spiritual: "Behold, I shew 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, KJV).

            As believers in Christ our sites should be on the Catching Away of the Church because this is the day our God has planned to complete the salvation process in us, and finally make us like Christ Jesus: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah; who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself" (Philippians 3:20-21, HNV; Also See: 1 John 3:2). We should also be praying for the Second Coming because we have the knowledge that Israel will finally receive our Jesus as their Messiah on that particular day: "Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy" (Daniel 9:24, HNV).

(KJV) King James Version: Public Domain

(HNV) Hebrew Names Version: Public Domain