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The Second Coming, Rapture Are Different, Greg Laurie Says in New Sermon Series

  • Amanda Casanova ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor
  • Published Aug 25, 2023
The Second Coming, Rapture Are Different, Greg Laurie Says in New Sermon Series

Pastor Greg Laurie said in his most recent sermon series that the Second Coming of Christ will be different from the Rapture.

Jesus’ Second Coming “is the answer to the prayer that the church has been praying for 2,000 years,” said Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California, according to ChurchLeaders.com.

Meanwhile, he explained that the Rapture is another event.

“The Rapture. You probably have heard this term. It is a real event that could happen at any time. Some would say, “You can’t even find the word ‘Rapture’ in the Bible!”

“To the point, you can’t find the word ‘Bible’ in the Bible! Nor can you find the word ‘Trinity’ in the Bible. But we, as Christians, we believe in both.”

He said that the word Rapture comes from a Greek word, “Harpazo.”

“There’s sometimes confusion about the Rapture and the Second Coming,” said Laurie, saying that the Rapture is when Jesus descends from heaven and resurrects the bodies of believers who have already gone to heaven.

“The Second Coming is different from the Rapture,” said Laurie. The Rapture will occur before Christ judges the world, while in his Second Coming, Jesus returns.

He said for the Rapture, Jesus said he will come “like a thief in the night,” referring to 1 Thessalonians 5:2, while in the Second Coming, he will come and “every eye” will see his return, according to Revelation 1:7.

Laurie is preaching through a series on the End Times and discussing dispensational theology, which is a literal interpretation of Old Testament prophecies about Israel.

In a timeline Laurie shared with the church, he says the End Times order will happen with the Rapture first, then the rise of the Anti-Christ, the 7-Year-Tribulation Period, the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming, Jesus’ 1000-Year Reign, and finally New Jerusalem.

In his most recent sermon, Laurie also shared that the church is working with Samaritan’s Purse to help people in Hawaii affected by fires. Harvest has a campus in Maui.

Related:

Pastor Greg Laurie Lists Key Signs of Christ's Imminent Return

Photo courtesy: ©GettyImages/Ig0rZh

Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.