The word “Rapture” is not written anywhere in the Bible.
The word is derived from a Latin word meaning “to carry, to move from one place to another, or to take something away from someone”. The concept of the “rapture” or rapture of the church is clearly taught in the Word.
The rapture of the church is the event in which God will “catch up” all believers from the earth to prepare the way for God to pour out His righteous judgment on the earth during the tribulation period.
The Rapture is originally described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. God will resurrect all dead believers and give them glorified bodies and take them from the earth along with those believers who are alive, who will also be given glorified bodies at that time. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with the thunder of the scepter, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and those who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in heaven, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The rapture will be immediate in nature, and at that time we will all receive glorified bodies. “Knowing this, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for as he is, so shall we see him” (1 John 3:2). The rapture is different from the second coming. At the Rapture, the Lord will come to meet us “in the clouds” “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). During the Second Coming, the Lord will come to earth on the Mount of Olives, resulting in a great earthquake following the defeat of God’s enemies (Zechariah 14:3-4).
The doctrine of the rapture was not taught in the Old Testament, which is why Paul calls it a “mystery” that is now not revealed: “Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last sound of the trumpet.” For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible. And we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
The rapture is the glorious event we should look forward to. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God’s presence forever. There has been much debate over the meaning and occasion of the Rapture. This is not God’s intention. Rather, the rapture is a principle of consolation in full hope; God wants us to “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
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Thank you for helping out, wonderful information. “Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.” by Tallulah Bankhead.