Rapture: Christ stops in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Revelation: Christ stops on the earth (Zechariah 14:4).
Rapture: Christ comes for His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Revelation: Christ comes with His saints (1 Thessalonians 3:13; Jude 14).
Rapture: A mystery unknown in OT times (1 Corinthians 15:51).
Revelation: Subject of many OT prophecies (Psalm 72; Isaiah 11; Zechariah 14).
Rapture: No major celestial events or cosmic disturbances precede.
Revelation: Great cosmic signs and wonders precede (Matthew 24:29-30).
Rapture: Identified with the Day of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6, 10).
Revelation: Identified with the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
Rapture: Presented as a time of blessing (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Revelation: Presented as a time of judgment (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).
Rapture: Takes place in a moment—in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52) strongly suggesting that the event itself will not be witnessed by the world, just the obvious aftereffects.
Revelation: Will be visible worldwide (Matthew 24:27; Revelation 1:7).
Rapture: Primarily involves the church (John 14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Revelation: Primarily involves Israel—then also the Gentile nations (Matthew 24:21–25:46).
Rapture: Christ comes as the Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).
Revelation: Christ comes as the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2).
Rapture: Those taken are taken for blessing (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Those left are left for judgment (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).
Revelation: Those taken are taken for judgment (Matthew 13:40-42). Those left are left for blessing (Matthew 13:43).
Rapture: No dating system is given for events preceding the Rapture.
Revelation: An extensive dating system is given in Revelation, such as 1260 days, 42 months, and 3.5 years (Daniel 7:25, 12:7, 11, 12; Revelation 11:2, 12:14, 13:5).
Rapture: The title “Son of Man” is never used in any of the passages dealing with the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; Titus 2:13; Revelation 22:20; etc.).
Revelation: The Revelation is spoken of as the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 16:28, 24:27, 30, 39; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27).
Rapture: Not mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels but alluded to several times in John’s Gospel (John 14).
Revelation: Is characteristic in the Synoptics but hardly mentioned in John’s Gospel.
Side Note: There is disagreement on whether the Rapture is alluded to by the Lord in Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-37. The two men in the field (Matthew 24:40) seems to indicate daylight while at the same time the two men in bed (Luke 17:34) seems to indicate night.
Taken together, both the scenarios mentioned above seem to indicate a somewhat normal daytime—nighttime cycle. However, as clearly indicated in Matthew 24:29, that clearly will not be the case at the Revelation. So if a normal day/night cycle is described in Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-37, this would then support an allusion to the Rapture.
However, the Lord’s answer to His disciple’s question of where those would be taken in Luke 17:37 seems to indicate they will be taken to judgment at the Revelation.
In closing, just as God poured out His wrath upon Jerusalem in 70 A.D. for rejecting His Son, God will also pour out His wrath on the world after rejecting His Son. Jerusalem was very likely fully reached with the gospel of Christ by 70 A.D., so their time was up.
However, God purposed for Jerusalem and all Israel to be reborn in the last days (Isaiah 66:8; Ezekiel 36-37) coinciding with most of the rest of the world having been reached with the gospel. We have now arrived at this time.
God will not repent of His wrath which He has stored up for all who have knowingly and willfully rejected the sweet saving sacrifice of His dear Son. The time has finally come for all nations, just as it had come for Jerusalem in 70 A.D., to be judged for rejecting the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt that the church—all who have truly received salvation from the Son—will be taken home by the Son to be with Him in heaven before the Tribulation period:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9).
“And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
“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” (Revelation 3:10).
“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Turn to the Lord before it’s too late.
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).
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*Some of the content above was edited from the Believer’s Bible Commentary.