The Rapture and the Appearing of Christ

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The Lord comes secretly at the rapture, in a twinkling of an eye, whereas at His appearing He comes publicly and every eye shall see Him (1 Cor. 15:5252In 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. (1 Corinthians 15:52) and Rev. 1:77Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7).) In 1 Thess. 1:10,10And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10) He comes to deliver the Church, but at His appearing He comes to deliver Israel as in Psa. 6:1-41<<To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.>> O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. 2Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed. 3My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long? 4Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. (Psalm 6:1‑4). He comes in the air for His Church at the rapture because they are His heavenly people (1 Thess. 4:15-1815For 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. 16For 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: 17Then 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. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18).) At His appearing He comes back to the earth, the Mount of Olives, for Israel because they are His earthly people (Zech. 14:4, 54And 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 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. 5And 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 shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:4‑5).)
At the rapture the Lord gathers His saints Himself, but He sends His angels to gather the elect of Israel at His appearing (1 Thess. 4:15-1815For 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. 16For 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: 17Then 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. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18); 2 Thess. 2:11Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2 Thessalonians 2:1) and Matt. 24:30, 3130And 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. 31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:30‑31).) He takes the believers out of this world and leaves the wicked behind at the rapture (John 14:2, 32In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2‑3).) At His appearing the wicked are taken out of the world for judgment and the believers are left to enjoy blessing on the earth. The believers are those who have been converted through the gospel of the kingdom that will be preached during the tribulation (Matt. 13:41-4341The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:41‑43)). At the rapture Christ comes to deliver His saints, or the Church, from the wrath to come, but at His appearing He comes to deliver the wrath. (1 Thess. 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10) and Rev. 19:1515And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should 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. (Revelation 19:15))
Christ comes as the Bridegroom at the rapture to receive His bride, the Church, and at His appearing He comes as the Son of Man in judgment upon His rejecters (Matt. 25:6, 106And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. (Matthew 25:6)
10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. (Matthew 25:10) and 24:27, 28.) At the rapture He comes as the "morning star" which rises just prior to daybreak (Rev. 22:1616I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16).) At His appearing He comes as the "Sun of Righteousness," which is daybreak (Mal. 4:22But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2).) At the rapture He comes without any signs because the Christian walks by faith and not by sight. However, at the appearing His coming will be surrounded by signs because the Jews seek a sign. In Scripture, the rapture is never referred to as a "thief in the night." The Lord's coming as a "thief in the night" is the appearing of Christ.
B. Anstey