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Catechism #50



Q. Will Jesus ever come back to earth?
A. Jesus will not come back to earth during the rapture, but He will at the Second Coming. 

There is a common misconception that Jesus’ second coming and the rapture are the same event. People make comments about when “Jesus comes back to earth at the rapture,” but that will not actually happen.

When describing the rapture Paul said we will “meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).” Jesus’ feet will not touch down on this planet; instead, we will be “caught up” (which is what rapture means) with Him in the clouds and taken to heaven.

Different people have different views about when the rapture will occur in relation to the Great Tribulation described in Revelation. Some believe the rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins (pre-tribulation), some believe it will occur at the midpoint (mid-tribulation), and others believe it will be after the tribulation has ended (post-tribulation). Despite the differences, it is believed that the Second Coming will occur after the rapture and Great Tribulation.

The Second Coming is when Jesus will finally touch down on Earth, set up the Millennial Kingdom, and destroy Satan for good at the Last Battle. This will usher in eternity, the happily ever after that humanity has longed for. Jesus’ throne will be in New Jerusalem as part of the new earth, and there will be no more curse.


Until then, Satan is the god of this age, the prince of the power of the air. We live on this fallen planet under the curse, but we long for the day when Jesus will rapture the church, and eventually return here to defeat Satan once and for all.
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