The second coming of Jesus Christ is a profound and often misunderstood topic that has confused Christians for centuries. Many Christians ask, “Is Jesus second coming for us or with us?” While the question may sound simple, the answer is clear and straightforward the Bible tells us exactly. Though there is confusion in both the Church, synagogue and those who don’t yet follow Jesus about what this event truly entails. 1 Corinthians 14:33 states, "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." In this article, we will dive into the details of Jesus' return—exploring biblical definitions and clarifying key concepts about the rapture and the second coming.
Preparing for Jesus' Return or Our Gathering with Him?
Jesus' second coming—Is it for us or with us? This is a complex question because many Christians worldwide either do not teach the literal return of Jesus or believe the Church is simply waiting for His return. Some Christians say, "Let's get ready for the coming of Jesus," which is not a wrong statement in itself. However, the real question is: Should we be preparing for His second coming, or should we be ready for our gathering to be with Him? This brings us to the fundamental question—Is His coming for us, or is it with us? And what exactly is the biblical definition of His second coming?
there is no confusion in the Word of God, especially regarding the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the confusion exists both in the pulpits of churches and in synagogues. The Jewish people, like many within the Church, are still waiting for their Messiah, unsure of when He will come. Their main issue is that they have completely ignored the Old Testament prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus. As a result, they mistakenly believe that what Christians call the second coming of Christ will actually be His first coming. What they fail to realize is that He had to come first and die for their sins.
The Jews are not praying for or anticipating the second coming of the Messiah as Christians understand it. In reality, what they are waiting for is the biblical second coming—when the Messiah will come to reign on earth. They have skipped over His first coming and gone directly to expecting the second. This is why, in Matthew 23:37, when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, He wept over the city, saying,
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
The Jewish people had their minds set on a Messiah who would come riding on a white horse, conquering their enemies, establishing His kingdom in Jerusalem, and bringing world peace and prosperity. They refused to accept the words of the prophets, which spoke of a Messiah who first had to come as a suffering servant to save them from their own sins.
This is why Jesus lamented over the city. But confusion is not limited to the Jewish people—it is also widespread among Christians. This confusion centers around a single issue: many either skip over the rapture or do not believe in it at all. Some do not teach it, perhaps thinking it is too fantastical.
Rapture vs. Second Coming: Key Differences
One of the most important distinctions to understand about Jesus' return is the difference between the rapture and His second coming. These two events are often confused, but they serve different purposes and occur at different times in God's plan. The first clear difference we see throughout the Bible is that the rapture is when we meet the Lord in the air, whereas the second coming of our Lord Jesus is when the saints return with Him to reign for a thousand years
• The Rapture: Jesus Comes for Us The At the rapture, believers will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
This event is distinct from the second coming when Jesus physically returns to the earth with His saints.
The word caught up in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is harpazo in Greek, which means "rapture" in English or "to be snatched away." This means that believers will be taken up in the air to meet the Lord—not that He comes down to the earth at that moment. From that point forward, we will always be with the Lord.
• The Second Coming: Jesus Comes In contrast, at the second coming, believers will return with the Lord. Zechariah 14:5 states:
"Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You."
Zechariah 14 describes how His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, and the Bible makes it clear that He is not coming alone—He is coming with all the saints.
Revelation 1:7 further confirms this:
"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen."
Additionally, Revelation 19:14 says:
"And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses."
When Jesus returns, we will follow Him on white horses. If you are a believer and you see Him coming instead of following behind Him, that means you were not part of the rapture—you were left behind. Those who belong to Christ will always follow Him. Just as we follow Him in this life, we will follow Him when He returns to reign on the earth.
The Timeline of Events: Rapture Before the Tribulation
The second important distinction we need to understand is that the rapture of the church must take place before the Tribulation begins, while the second coming of Jesus occurs immediately after the Tribulation. The Bible is clear on this timeline.
The Tribulation is a seven-year period in which God will complete His discipline of Israel and execute judgment upon the unbelieving world. Scripture teaches that the rapture will occur before this period of divine wrath.
1 Thessalonians 5:9–10 states:
"For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."
Whether we are alive in Christ or have died in Him, we are promised to live with Him forever. More importantly, we are not appointed to suffer God’s wrath.
The prophet Daniel, in his prophecy of the seventy weeks, described this final seven-year period as a time of great tribulation. He referred to it as an entire "week of indignation" (zaam in Hebrew), meaning a time of divine wrath.
Jesus Himself affirmed this promise to His church in Revelation 3:10:
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."
This verse confirms that believers will be spared from the coming global judgment. The rapture ensures that the church is removed before God’s wrath is poured out, distinguishing it from the second coming, which happens when Christ returns after the Tribulation to establish His reign.
Rescue before wrath: the blessed hope of the believers
The seven-year Tribulation will begin with an hour of trial—a test to determine whether people will choose a false messiah. It will culminate in the Great Tribulation, a time of unparalleled suffering and divine judgment. However, believers are not destined for this period of wrath. God has promised to keep us from this hour of trial by taking us out of what we are not meant to be part of.
Revelation 19:17–19 describes the end of this Tribulation period:
"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army."
This passage illustrates the ultimate confrontation between Christ and the forces of darkness. But believers will not face this wrath, as 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 assures us:
"For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."
Jesus is the One who rescues us from the coming judgment. The rapture ensures that believers will not endure the Tribulation, reinforcing the distinction between being taken out before God's wrath and returning with Christ at His second coming.
If you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, He has already delivered you from the wrath that is to come. We will be taken before God pours out His judgment on the earth. During this time of wrath, we will be with Him, and when He returns, we will come back with Him. The rapture is an act of deliverance—God removing His people before His judgment falls.
This is why our days are likened to the days of Noah. While the world continues as if nothing is coming, believers understand what lies ahead. We know the urgency of preparing ourselves and calling others to enter the ark of salvation. That is exactly what I am doing right now—calling people to be ready.
John 3:17 affirms God’s purpose for sending His Son:
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Jesus also made a profound promise in John 14:3:
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
In John 14–16, Jesus spoke the most beautiful words of assurance. He declared, "I am going to prepare a place for you, and I will come again to take you to be with Me." He knew He was going to the Father and that there would be a temporary separation from the Church. Yet, He reassured His followers:
"I will not leave you as orphans. I must go to prepare a place for you, but when I return, I will take you to be with Me in the place I have prepared for you."
This is the blessed hope of every believer—our promised reunion with Christ.
The Urgency of Readiness: Living in Expectation
Another important truth to understand is that the rapture can happen at any moment. There is no specific event that must take place before it occurs. Paul, when writing to the church in Thessalonica and to Titus, expressed his belief that the rapture could happen in his lifetime.
This is the mindset we should have—living in expectation, hope, prayer, and longing for the rapture to take place in our time. If we assume it will happen years from —whether in ten years or five—we risk becoming like the five virgins who had no oil in their lamps. When the bridegroom arrived, they were unprepared.
Titus 2:13 reminds us:
"Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
We should live each day looking forward to the blessed hope—the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Man of Lawlessness and the Salvation of Israel
Understanding 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Its Prophetic Significance
2 Thessalonians 2:4 speaks of a certain man who “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” This verse reveals two key points. First, it foretells the rise of a world leader who will claim to be more powerful and worthy than anyone else. Not only will he consider himself superior to all earthly authorities, but he will also elevate himself above GOD who is worshiped forever.
This individual will sit in the temple of God, proclaiming himself as God. This event has not yet occurred, but it will take place when the third temple is built in Jerusalem. The Jewish people will return to worshiping God in the temple, but this man of lawlessness will enter the temple and demand to be worshiped as God. Initially, he deceived the Jewish people, allowing the temple to be rebuilt, but after three and a half years, he will change his stance and insist on being worshiped as God. The Jewish people will be shocked and flee. This will occur during the seven-year Tribulation.
In Revelation 12, God promises to preserve and prepare a place for the Jewish people during the final 3.5 years of the Tribulation, specifically for 1,260 days, which is equivalent to three and a half years. During this time, they will be sheltered, and Jesus will return to rule with them once they accept Him as the Messiah.
Matthew 24:29–30 states: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
When Jesus returns, the only people on earth that will be glad is Israel. He will have just delivered them from the Antichrist and preserved them in the wilderness for 3.5 years. Upon His return, they will see Him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn. Their mourning will be a sign of repentance, fulfilling the Day of Atonement, so that they may be saved. As Paul declares in Romans 11, “all Israel will be saved.”
A Message of Hope for Believers and Non-Believers
Revelation 6:15-17 states: "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'"
This passage reflects the terror and despair that will grip the earth’s inhabitants during the outpouring of God’s wrath. When the time comes, even the powerful will be unable to escape, acknowledging the inevitability of divine judgment.
In contrast, the promise to believers is clear in 2 Timothy 2:11-13: "This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
This passage highlights the eternal hope and destiny of believers. As followers of Christ, we will not face the wrath of God. Instead, we are called to reign with Him, assured of His faithfulness even when we may falter. It is our destiny to be with Him, charged with the privilege of eternal life and glory.
The second coming of Jesus is not just an event to be debated or feared—it is a message of hope. For believers, it is the fulfillment of God’s promises to establish His kingdom and reign forever. For those who are not yet in faith, it is an invitation to receive Christ’s salvation and be part of His eternal kingdom.
John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” The second coming will be a time of judgment, but it is also a time when God’s mercy and grace are offered to all who believe in Jesus.
Author Bio
I am Samuel, a passionate Christian writer with years of studying and teaching biblical prophecy. Having grown up in a faith-centered home and serving in various ministry roles, I am deeply invested in understanding the second coming of Christ and its relevance to both believers and non-believers today. With a strong desire to share the message of Christ’s return, I draw from personal experiences and a love for the Church to write with clarity and enthusiasm on topics that impact families, churchgoers, and those exploring the Christian faith.
Summary
In this article, we’ve explored the profound question of whether the second coming of Jesus is for us or with us. By breaking down the key differences between the rapture and the second coming, we’ve highlighted the importance of understanding both events. Whether you are preparing for His return or eagerly anticipating the day when He will come to reign on earth, it is crucial to be ready and to live with the hope of His imminent return. This article serves as both a call to faith for those not yet in Christ and a reminder of the blessed hope for believers.