RAPTURE Part I

biblical literature | Definition, Types, Significance, Survey, & Development | Britannica

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RAPTURE

In Christianity, the Rapture is a belief about the end times where living believers are “caught up” to meet Jesus in the air, often followed by the return of Christ to Earth. The term “Rapture” itself isn’t in the Bible but comes from the Latin word rapio, derived from the Greek harpazo (meaning “to seize” or “catch away”), found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Key biblical passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 describe this event, where believers are transformed and taken to be with the Lord. 

Key Aspects of the Rapture:

  • Believers Ascend: 

    The Rapture involves the bodily ascent of both living and dead believers into heaven to meet Jesus Christ. 

  • Derived from Scripture: 

    The concept is based on biblical passages that describe believers being “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air. 

  • Part of Eschatology: 

    The Rapture is a central concept in Christian eschatology, the study of the “last things” or end times. 

  • Distinguished from the Second Coming: 

    The Rapture is often seen as a separate event from the Second Advent (Christ’s return to Earth), with the Rapture preceding a period of tribulation, and the Second Coming occurring after it. 

Biblical Basis: 

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: 

    “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout… Then 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”.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:50-54: 

    This passage speaks of a transformation for believers to enter the Kingdom of God.

Significance: 

  • Rescue of the Church: The Rapture is seen as God’s “rescue plan” for the Church.

  • Distinction in Doctrine: Some interpretations distinguish between the Rapture (Christ coming for the Church) and the Second Advent (Christ coming with the Church).

Cultural Impact: 

  • Popularity: The idea of the Rapture gained significant traction among American evangelicals and was further popularized by cultural phenomena like the Left Behind book series.

Online Bible Dictionary Rapture:

In the context of an online Bible dictionary, the Rapture refers to

the eschatological (End Times) event where, at Christ’s return, all Christian believers will be “caught up” from earth to meet him. The English word “rapture” is derived from the Latin rapiemur, a translation of the Greek word harpazō, which means “to snatch away” or “seize,” as used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. 

Key biblical passages

The doctrine of the Rapture is primarily based on two New Testament passages: 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, which describes believers being “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, which speaks of believers being “changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet”. 

Interpretations and theological variations

There are differing Christian views on the timing of the Rapture in relation to a predicted period of Tribulation. 

  • Pre-Tribulation: Believers are raptured before the seven-year Tribulation.

  • Mid-Tribulation: The Rapture occurs midway through the Tribulation.

  • Post-Tribulation: The Rapture and Christ’s Second Coming are a single event after the Tribulation.

  • Non-rapture theology: Many denominations do not adhere to Rapture theology, interpreting the gathering of saints at Christ’s public Second Coming without a separate prior event. 

Distinction from the Second Coming

Dispensationalists often distinguish the Rapture, where Christ comes for his saints, from the Second Coming, where he comes with his saints to rule on earth. 

Key features of the Rapture

Proponents describe the Rapture as sudden, imminent, and transformative, resulting in believers receiving glorified bodies.