End Times (1/3): Don't Confuse the Rapture with the Return of Jesus

When people talk about the "end times," everything gets jumbled fast: Revelation, wars, the rapture, the antichrist, judgment, new heavens. Pastor Jean-Claude VILLA opens a three-part series here to help you put things back in their place. This first message gives you the basic markers: are we already in the end times? Where do the dead go? And above all, what is the difference between the rapture of the church and the second coming of Jesus to the earth?

The starting text is Revelation 1:1-3: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand." Then 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, but you, as a child of light, don't need to be caught by surprise.

Article outline

1. We're already in the end times
2. Three destinies not to confuse: the nations, Israel, the church
3. Where do the dead go, before and after the cross?
4. The rapture and the return of Jesus: two distinct events
5. Living today in light of his return

1. We're already in the end times

The first surprise Jean-Claude VILLA wants you to see is this: the end times didn't start yesterday, they started nearly 2,000 years ago, with the coming of Jesus. The New Testament doesn't speak of the last days as a period still far off but as one already underway.

Look at Hebrews 1:2: "God, in these last days, has spoken to us by his Son." Look at 1 Corinthians 10:11: "Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come." And 1 Peter 1:20 speaks of Christ "revealed in this last time." That time was inaugurated at Pentecost: Peter, in Acts 2:17, quotes the prophet Joel and clearly says "it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit…" and adds that this was happening before their very eyes.

In other words: since the cross, the resurrection, and Pentecost, we've been living the countdown. That doesn't mean the Lord is coming back tomorrow morning. No one knows the day or the hour, Jesus himself said so. Every time his disciples asked him about a timeline, he brought them back to the essential: watch and pray. The Lord's return will come like a thief in the night; there will be no advance signal telling you "get ready now." The only right posture is to be ready at all times.

So let this question land without dodging it: if the Lord came back tonight, would you go with him? Is your heart at peace with God? If that isn't the case yet, there's no point saying "we'll see one day." The choice won't be made in front of God then: it's being made now, here, on earth.

2. Three destinies not to confuse: the nations, Israel, the church

Second essential marker: in the Bible, end-time prophecies concern three distinct groups, and they must not be mixed up.

In the beginning, there were the nations. The book of Genesis doesn't begin with Israel, it begins with humanity. Then, from among the nations, God called one man: Abraham. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Hebrew: he was a Chaldean, and Joshua 24:2 recalls that his fathers served other gods. God calls him, and from him, little by little, Israel is born. Then, out of Israel and out of the nations, God raises up a new people: the church.

So there are three divine plans unfolding in parallel. When you open Revelation or Jesus's discourses on the end times, some words concern all the nations, others concern Israel specifically, others concern the church. What concerns the church doesn't necessarily concern the nations, and what concerns Israel doesn't necessarily concern the church. Until you have that filter in mind, everything looks confused.

3. Where do the dead go, before and after the cross?

Another point that's often blurred: where do the dead go?

In the Old Testament, we speak of the abode of the dead, or Sheol. That abode has several parts. On one side is "Abraham's bosom," the place of rest; on the other, Hades or the abyss, the place of suffering. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke 16:19-31, gives a striking picture of this: Lazarus is carried to Abraham's bosom, the rich man is tormented in Hades, and an impassable gulf separates the two. A third part, mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4, is Tartarus: the place reserved for the angels who didn't keep their position.

In the New Testament, after the resurrection of Jesus, Abraham's bosom disappears from the vocabulary: we now speak of paradise. Three texts mention it: Jesus to the thief on the cross, "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43); Paul "caught up into the third heaven… into Paradise" (2 Corinthians 12:2-4); and "to him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).

What became of those who were in Abraham's bosom? According to Ephesians 4:8-10 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Christ took them with him at the resurrection. Watch out: some have twisted this verse to claim that Jesus went to preach the gospel in hell between his death and resurrection, offering the dead a second chance. The Word of God says no such thing, anywhere. If you've ever heard that teaching, put it out of your mind: Jesus did not go to evangelize hell, he simply took with him, at the resurrection, those who were waiting in Abraham's bosom.

Today, when a believer dies, their body returns to dust, but their soul and spirit go to be with the Lord. When an unbeliever dies, on the other hand, they go down to a place of suffering that Revelation calls the lake of fire and sulfur (Revelation 20:15). Jesus also uses the word Gehenna, which comes from "ge-hinnom," the Valley of Hinnom, in Jerusalem, a place where, under certain kings of Israel, children were sacrificed to the idol Molech (2 Kings 23:10). Later turned into an open-air dump where garbage burned continually, it became the image of the fire that isn't quenched, the worm that doesn't die (Mark 9:48). The word "hell" that some English Bibles use sometimes translates a Greek word meaning "the lower parts of the earth" (Ephesians 4:9; Philippians 2:10).

So the question of death isn't neutral. Here again, it brings you back to the urgent question: where do you stand with the Lord?

4. The rapture and the return of Jesus: two distinct events

This is probably the most important point of this first part. People often confuse "the Lord's return" with "the rapture of the church." These are two different stages of the same divine plan.

The first coming of Jesus is his incarnation, his life on earth, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension. Then comes the church age, the one we're living in today. Next comes the rapture: Jesus comes down, but he stays in the air. His feet don't touch the earth. The church, meanwhile, is caught up to meet him so as to be with him. That's 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: "the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout… the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." That's also John 14:3: "I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also."

The Greek word translated "caught up" is harpazo. It's a very strong, abrupt, almost violent word: Jesus uses it elsewhere to speak of "snatching" or "seizing." That tells us two things: it will be very fast ("in the twinkling of an eye," says 1 Corinthians 15:51-53), and it will be completely unexpected.

At that moment, your mortal body will put on immortality, your corruptible body will put on incorruptibility. It will be a transformation like that of Jesus's transfiguration, when his body began to shine. You will be with the Lord forever, and "no one will be able to snatch you out of his hand" any longer.

The second coming, though, is different. The term used is no longer harpazo but apokalypsis, which means "revelation," "unveiling," "manifestation." That's Jude 14: "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones." That's 2 Thessalonians 1:7: "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels." This time, he comes all the way down to the earth, and he comes with his own, meaning with you, if you belong to the Lord, since you will have already been raptured beforehand.

Two simple phrases to help you remember: the rapture is the Lord's return for his saints; the second coming is the Lord's return with his saints. Between the two, on earth, will unfold the period called the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21). It will also be the time when the antichrist is revealed: until then, he is restrained (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8), but when the church is raptured, the one who restrains will be taken out of the way, and "then the lawless one will be revealed." It isn't because the antichrist will cause disasters that we speak of an apocalypse, it's because he will finally be revealed publicly.

5. Living today in light of his return

What is all of this meant to do for you, very practically?

First, none of these texts are there to push you into date-setting or arguments. They're there to help you better understand the divine plan, especially the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ, and to nurture in you an attitude of faith, hope, watchfulness, faithfulness, and obedience. 2 Peter 3:14 puts it this way: "Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, without defect and blameless."

When Jesus comes back for you, he isn't going to give you a theology exam on the end times. What he'll say to you, you find in the parable of the talents: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord." What he expects from you is a serious, steady life, a life that longs for holiness, a life where you watch and pray.

Next, your hope as a Christian doesn't rest on a world that's going to get better, nor on some universal revival that would convert all of humanity. Your hope is the coming of the Bridegroom. It's the day you'll leave this earth to be with him forever.

Finally, in a world troubled by wars, crises, and bad news, Jesus's answer isn't "build yourselves shelters" but: "when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your redemption is coming near" (Luke 21:28). Everything that's happening is part of God's plan. No one will stop it. And for those who belong to the Lord, everything is heading toward that meeting.

Key takeaways

• The end times began with the coming of Jesus and Pentecost: we're already in them.
• No one knows the day of his return; the only right attitude is to watch, pray, and stay ready at all times.
• End-time prophecies concern three distinct entities: the nations, Israel, and the church. Don't mix them up.
• Since Jesus's resurrection, believers who die go directly to paradise, to be with the Lord; the lost go to a place of suffering called the lake of fire, or Gehenna.
• The rapture (the Lord descends into the air for his saints) and the second coming (the Lord returns to the earth with his saints) are two distinct events, separated by the great tribulation.
• The point of all this isn't to scare you but to push you to live holy, to serve, and to hope for the return of the Bridegroom.

Personal application

• If Jesus came back tonight, would you go with him with full confidence, or would your answer be "I'm not really sure yet"?
• Does your Christian life look like a vague waiting, or like real, daily preparation for the Lord's return?
• In your reading of Revelation and other prophetic texts, are you drawn toward date-setting or sensationalism rather than sanctification?
• Have you ever come across a strange teaching (like a second chance after death) without checking it against the Word? How can you strengthen your discernment?
• Facing bad news in the world, what's your first reaction: fear, escape, or lifting your head because your redemption is coming near?

Verses cited

• Revelation 1:1-3 · Blessed is he who reads and keeps the words of the prophecy.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 · The day of the Lord will come like a thief.
• Hebrews 1:1-2 · In these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son.
• 1 Corinthians 10:11 · We have come to the ends of the ages.
• 1 Peter 1:20 · Christ revealed in this last time.
• Acts 2:17 · In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit.
• Luke 16:19-31 · The rich man and Lazarus.
• 2 Peter 2:4 · The fallen angels held in Tartarus.
• Luke 23:43 · Today you will be with me in Paradise.
• 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 · Paul caught up into the third heaven.
• Revelation 2:7 · The tree of life in the Paradise of God.
• Ephesians 4:8-10 · Christ led captivity captive.
• Revelation 20:15 · The lake of fire and sulfur.
• Mark 9:48 · Where the worm doesn't die and the fire isn't quenched.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 · The rapture of the church.
• John 14:3 · I will receive you to myself.
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 · In the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed.
• Jude 14 · The Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 · The glorious revealing of Jesus.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 · The restrainer and the revealing of the lawless one.
• Matthew 24:21 · A great tribulation.
• 2 Peter 3:14 · Found by him in peace, without defect and blameless.
• Luke 21:28 · Lift up your heads, your redemption is coming near.

FAQ

Are we really already in the end times?

Yes. The New Testament describes the period that opens with the coming of Jesus, his death, his resurrection, and Pentecost as "the last days" (Hebrews 1:2; Acts 2:17). We've been in them for nearly two thousand years. That doesn't tell us the exact date of Jesus's return, but it does mean that a posture of watchfulness and expectancy applies to you now.

What's the difference between the rapture and the second coming of Jesus?

The rapture is the moment when Jesus comes down into the air and comes to gather his church (1 Thess. 4:16-17; John 14:3). He comes for his saints. The second coming, by contrast, is public and visible to all: Jesus returns to the earth with his saints, in glory (Jude 14; 2 Thess. 1:7). Between the two unfolds the great tribulation.

Did Jesus really go preach in hell between his death and resurrection?

No. No text in the Bible says Jesus went to announce the gospel to the dead to give them a second chance. What Ephesians 4:8-10 says is that at his resurrection, he "led captivity captive": those who, before the cross, were waiting in "Abraham's bosom." They are now with him in paradise. The choice for or against God is made here and now, not after death.