Are there two Second Comings?

Yes, the Lord will return in two phases: First, He will come in the clouds of heaven (not on earth) to collect His Bride, which is the Church. Then He will come with His saints, seven years after the Rapture, and His feet will stand upon the Mount of Olives.

Understanding the two phases of His Second Coming is critical. In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2:2-3, the Apostle Paul warned, “...That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” When we read this passage of Scripture, it seems to be saying that the Rapture cannot occur before the Antichrist is revealed. However, such is not the case. Paul is speaking of two events: 1) the coming of our Lord Jesus and 2) our gathering together unto Him. The day of Christ is not the Rapture, but it is His coming in great power and glory.

The Apostle had already written to the Thessalonians and described the Rapture in his first letter. So obviously with the confusion that was caused, Paul disappointedly asked, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” (verse 5). Apparently they had forgotten that the removal of the light must take place before the Day of Christ can take place. In 2nd Thessalonians 2:6, Paul revealed this fact with the words, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” The Church, the light of this world, is the element that is hindering the power of darkness.

Another reason that Jesus cannot physically come back to earth before the Church has been removed is the role of the Comforter. Jesus said, “...It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7). That verse clears things up; Jesus Christ, the suffering servant and the Holy Spirit, in the office of the Comforter, cannot be on earth simultaneously. Therefore, the Comforter must be removed so that Jesus can return.