First, "as a thief in the night"  -  for those who waited in faith  (see 'The Rapture')

           Second, "every eye shall see"  -  with those who waited in faith.

It appears from Bible prophecy a minimum of seven (7) years will separate these two events . . .

After the "Rapture" the door will be closed ... and then (sometime afterwards) all the prophecies of the "Great Tribulation" (the Apocalypse) will then be fulfilled.  We are told God will "pour out" His wrath on a morally corrupt, violent, unbelieving, and lawless generation (referring to God's law in the Bible) who have turned their backs on Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who willingly and lovingly died for their sins  . . .

                "Thus says the LORD of hosts:

                  Behold, disaster shall go forth from nation to nation ...

                 And at that day the slain of the LORD

                 shall be from one end of the Earth

                 even to the other end of the Earth . . ." 

                 (Jeremiah 25:27-38)

Much will happen during this period of time which will separate the Day of the "Rapture" (when Jesus Christ will return to shelter and protect all those who sincerely believe in Him and wait in faith) from the day of His final return (when we are told He will return to Earth to save a 'remnant' of Israel from the armies of the world ... and to fully restore the Earth to an awesome peace and beauty).  Much of the world's population will be agonizingly destroyed during this short period of time (7 years), and those who remain will wish they were dead.  Below you will find only a partial 'checklist' of the horrific things that are about to come upon a generation who has willfully and defiantly turned their backs on God and His Word . . .

□  The U.S. will be "neutralized". . . (Israel must stand alone - with God)

     (For reasons yet unknown, the U.S. will be unable or unwilling to defend Israel)

□  Iran, Russia, and allies will attack and invade Israel . . .  (We are told God will intervene)

□  10 nations from the Roman Empire (Europe?) will re-unite and rise in power

     (3 of these nations will somehow be "consolidated" into 1)

□  A very popular "Leader" (a "man of peace") will rise over these nations (the 'Antichrist')

□  This coming Leader (also called 'the Beast') will enforce a "peace" plan  upon nation Israel

□  There will then be exactly 3 1/2 years (1,260 days) of "false peace"

□  A new Jewish Temple will be built in Jerusalem

□  This Leader (a counterfeit Messiah) receives what appears to be a mortal "head wound"

□  This coming Leader will appear to be resurrected (possibly from an assassination attempt)

□  A Second 'Beast' will also rise .  .  .  (a powerful 'one-world' religious leader ... out of Rome)

□  The 'Mark of the Beast'  .  .  . (all people will be required to have a 'mark' in order to buy or sell)

□  "The Lie" . . . (We don't know what this coming 'Lie' of the Antichrist will be, but apparently it will be very believable and will be presented "convincingly" with enough evidence and "urgency" to cause the people on Earth to shun the Bible, turn their backs on Israel, and hate Jesus-Yeshua, the true Messiah)

□  A global slaughter of millions . . .  (Those who will come to believe in Jesus after the Rapture)

□  The coming "Antichrist" will stand in a new Jewish Temple in Jerusalem . . . (and will declare to the world (probably televised) that he is "God"... exactly 1,260 days after enforcing the 'peace plan.')

□  From this day the "Great Tribulation" will start and will last exactly 1,260 days (3 1/2 years)

□  A Great War will ignite the Earth . . . (soon followed by terrible global famine and disease)

□  The weapons will be used . . . cities and nations will disappear

□  One-fourth of the entire Earth's population will be quickly destroyed . . .

□  A massive asteroid, comet, or nuclear missile strike will cause the Earth to convulse under it

□  One-third of all trees on Earth will burn

□  One-third of all sea-life will be destroyed

□  One-third of all fresh water will be poisoned

□  One-third of the light from the sun/moon/stars will be blocked

□ Then, another one-third of the remaining population will be quickly killed . . . (by a  "200,000,000" man army will unleash weapons of mass destruction ... this appears to be the Chinese military utilizing the top-secret weapon and missile technologies Clinton-Gore illegally gave to them)

□  Then . . .  every living creature in the sea will die

□  All "rivers and springs will turn to blood" . . . (The Bible even tells us why)

□  A "great heat" from the sun will scorch the Earth . . . (This 'Global Warming' is from God)

□  A "thick darkness" will then cover all the Earth . . .

□  People will "gnaw their tongues" in pain and agony

□  Millions who come to the Lord will be executed . . . (blessings in Heaven are promised to them)

□  A deadly hailstorm will strike the Earth . . . (hail stones weighing 85 - 114 pounds -  a "talent")

□  And many, many, many, other terrors will shake and convulse the Earth . . . and all those on it

□  The Earth "will reel to and fro like a drunkard" . . .

□  Armageddon . . . the armies of the world will gather in Israel . . . against the children of Israel

□  At that time (exactly 1,260 days after the coming 'Antichrist' declares he is to be worshipped as 'God'), Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) will return ... (to save "His brethren," the children of Israel who will have miraculously fled to some place in Jordan) 

"Now I saw heaven opened,

and behold, a white horse.

And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness He [Jesus Christ] judges and makes war.

His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.

He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood,

and His name is called The Word of God . . .

Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword,

that with it He should strike the nations.  And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.

He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written ...

(Revelation 19:11-16)