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Rapture

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Rapture

The Rapture is an eschatological (end-times) concept held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still alive, together will rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Many different timelines have been asserted which tie to ideas of a seven-year Great Tribulation (e.g. pretribulation, midtribulation, prewrath, and posttribulation raptures) and to a thousand year age of Messianic rule (Millennialism) (premillennialism, postmillennialism, amillennialism, preterism). The origin of the term extends from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians in the Bible, which uses the Greek word harpazo (Ancient Greek: ἁρπάζω), meaning "to snatch away" or "to seize". The idea of a rapture as it is defined in dispensational premillennialism is not found in historic Christianity and is a relatively recent doctrine originating from the 1830s. Most Christian denominations, and the numerically largest, do not subscribe to rapture theology and have a different interpretation of the aerial gathering described in 1 Thessalonians 4. They do not use rapture as a specific theological term, nor do they generally subscribe to the dispensational theology associated with its use. Instead they typically interpret rapture in the sense of the elect gathering with Christ in Heaven directly after the Second Coming and reject outright the idea that a large portion of humanity will be left behind on earth for an extended tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Tables

· Views of eschatological timing
15According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord (παρουσίαν, parousia), will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
15According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord (παρουσίαν, parousia), will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 ASV
15According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord (παρουσίαν, parousia), will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Matthew 24:37–40 ASV
37And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming (παρουσία, parousia) of the Son of man. 38For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming (παρουσία parousia) of the Son of man. 40Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left.
1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 ASV
Matthew 24:37–40 ASV
15According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord (παρουσίαν, parousia), will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
37And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming (παρουσία, parousia) of the Son of man. 38For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming (παρουσία parousia) of the Son of man. 40Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left.

References

  1. 1 Thessalonians 4:17: "deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera
  2. 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "Afterward we that lyuen, that ben left, schulen be rauyschid togidere with hem in cloudis, meting
  3. Bishop's Bible 17 "Than we which lyue, which remaine, shalbe caught up together with them in the cloudes, to meete the L
  4. Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach
  5. "Raptured or Not? A Catholic Understanding - Catholic Update October 2005"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20140404105238/http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac1005.asp
  6. Pre-Trib Research Center
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  7. Dictionary of Biblical Prophecy and End Times
    https://books.google.com/books?id=xvFZDcJSgdMC&pg=PT692
  8. Mercer Dictionary of the Bible
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  9. vatican.va
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  10. "Free Methodist, For Jesus' Sake"
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  11. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
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  12. [1] c. 1600, "act of carrying off," from M.Fr. rapture, from M.L. raptura "seizure, rape, kidnapping," from L. raptus "a
    http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=rapture&allowed_in_frame=0
  13. ἁρπάζω is root of strongs G726 and has the following meanings: (1) to seize, carry off by force; (2) to seize on, claim
    https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G726&t=KJV
  14. Acts 8:39
    https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Acts%208:39&version=nrsv
  15. 2 Corinthians 12:2–4
    https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=2%20Corinthians%2012:2–4&version=nrsv
  16. Revelation 12:5
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  17. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament
  18. www.verbix.com
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  21. Bible Gateway
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  22. Bible Gateway
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  23. Reclaiming the Rapture: Restoring the Doctrine of the Gathering of the Commonwealth of Israel
  24. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
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  25. LifeWay Research
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  26. Ouachita Baptist University
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  27. Charis Fellowship
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  28. Guidebook of the Emmanuel Association of Churches
  29. Assemblies of God
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  30. Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
  31. "About the Supposed Rapture"
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  32. "What is 'The Rapture'?"
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  33. Compendium Theologiae
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  34. 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17
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  35. Matthew 24:29–31
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  36. Lectures in Systematic Theology
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  37. Pre-Trib Research Center
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  38. Liberty University Article Archives
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  39. Understanding End Times Prophecy: A Comprehensive Approach
  40. The Road to Holocaust
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  41. Eerdmans' Handbook to Christian Belief
  42. Catholic Encyclopedia
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  43. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
  44. Defending the Resurrection
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  45. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care
  46. Matthew 24:37–40
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  47. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
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  48. biblehub.com
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  49. biblehub.com
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  50. biblehub.com
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  51. 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17
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  52. Matthew 24:29–31
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  53. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
    https://books.google.com/books?id=g8O4AgAAQBAJ
  54. History of the Christian Churches
  55. The History of the Church
  56. History of the Christian Churches
  57. Pre-Trib Research Center
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  58. An Introduction to Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics: A Guide to the History and Practice of Biblical Interpretation
  59. An Introduction to Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics: A Guide to the History and Practice of Biblical Interpretation
  60. History of the Christian Church
  61. Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Bible Truth
  62. History of the Christian Church
  63. Dictionary of Premillennial Theology
  64. Pre-Trib Research Center
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  65. A History of the Apocalypse
  66. The Last Days Are Here Again: A History of the End Times
  67. When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture
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  68. William Watson (April 2015). Dispensationalism Before Darby: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century English Apocalypticism (
  69. Practical Reflections on the Character and Translation of Enoch
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  70. An Exposition of the Revelation of St. John the Divine
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  71. An Exposition of the Old and New Testament
    https://archive.org/details/expositionofoldn06henr
  72. The Hope of Christ's Second Coming: How is it Taught in Scripture? and Why?
    https://books.google.com/books?id=fj5VAAAAcAAJ
  73. The life of Edward Irving, minister of the National Scotch Church, London
    https://archive.org/details/lifeofirving01olipuoft
  74. The history and doctrines of Irvingism
    https://archive.org/details/historyanddoctri02milluoft
  75. The Rapture: Truth or Consequences
    https://archive.org/details/rapturetruthorco00lind/page/25
  76. The origin of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching
  77. Cf. Ian S. Markham, "John Darby", The Student's Companion to the Theologians, pp. 263–264 (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) ("[Dar
    https://books.google.com/books?id=h6SHSAjeCrYC
  78. Carl E. Olson, "Five Myths About the Rapture," Crisis pp. 28–33 (Morley Publishing Group, 2003) ("LaHaye declares, in Ra
    http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=5788
  79. Dispensationalism Before Darby: Seventeenth-century and Eighteenth-century English Apocalypticism
    https://books.google.com/books?id=1mryrQEACAAJ
  80. Progressive Dispensationalism
    https://books.google.com/books?id=xsumJRsOWVMC
  81. Jesus is coming
    https://books.google.com/books?id=encXAAAAYAAJ&q=Jesus+is+Coming
  82. Scofield Reference Bible
  83. The Scofield Bible: Its History and Impact on the Evangelical Church, Magnum & Sweetnam. pp. 188–195, 218.
  84. Ephraem the Syrian, JoshuaNet, 27 July 2010. http://joshuanet.org/articles/ephraem1.htm & © 1995 Grant R. Jeffrey, Final
    http://joshuanet.org/articles/ephraem1.htm
  85. The Last Trumpet
    https://web.archive.org/web/20050218123936/http://www.geocities.com/lasttrumpet_2000/timeline/ephraem.html
  86. See Apocalypse of Pseudo-Ephraem for a detailed explanation of the text and the controversy.
  87. Missler, Chuck
    https://web.archive.org/web/20160429185009/http://khouse.org/articles/1995/39/
  88. Jason Hommel's Bible Prophecy Study on the Pre Tribulation Rapture
    http://www.bibleprophesy.org/ancient.htm
  89. Morgan Edwards: An Eighteenth Century Pretribulationist
    https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/36897344
  90. Jason Hommel's Bible Prophecy Study on the Pre Tribulation Rapture
    https://web.archive.org/web/20101209094535/http://bibleprophesy.org/jesuitrapture.htm
  91. Catalogue of the Theological Library in the University of Edinburgh
    https://books.google.com/books?id=QZNPAQAAMAAJ
  92. "Tim LaHaye, Evangelical Legend Behind 'Left Behind' Series, Dies At 90"
    https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/25/487382209/tim-lahaye-evangelical-legend-behind-left-behind-series-dies-at-90
  93. Liberty University Article Archives
    https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1113&context=pretrib_arch
  94. Contemporary Options in Eschatology: A Study of the Millennium
    https://archive.org/details/contemporaryopti0000eric/page/164
  95. The Bible and the Future
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  96. Pre-Wrath Consortium
    https://web.archive.org/web/20041020000043/http://bibliology.org/PW/
  97. The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church
    https://archive.org/details/prewrathraptureo00rose
  98. Marvin Rosenthal, author of The Prewrath Rapture of the Church, is a proponent for the prewrath rapture view. His belief
  99. Charting the End Times: A Visual Guide to Understanding Bible Prophecy
    https://books.google.com/books?id=ESz8LZW5d-gC
  100. "Overview of the Partial Rapture Theory"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20161020090829/http://www.valleybible.net/AdultEducation/ClassNotes/TheologySurvey/Eschatology/PartialRapture.pdf
  101. The Partial Rapture "Theory" Explained: Escaping The Coming Storm
    https://books.google.com/books?id=N38FXiKInzoC
  102. The Dawn
  103. The Rapture Question
  104. A Basic Guide to Eschatology: Making Sense of the Millennium
  105. The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture
    https://archive.org/details/blessedhopebibli00ladd
  106. The Church and the Tribulation: A Biblical Examination of Posttribulationism
  107. The millennium
  108. "The Rapture"
    https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-rapture
  109. The Judaism of Jesus: The Messiah's Redemption of the Jews
    https://books.google.com/books?id=b0FxAwAAQBAJ&q=amillennialism+catholic+orthodox+anglican&pg=PA264
  110. "The rapture of the saints"
    https://archive.org/stream/theraptureofsain697engl/theraptureofsain697engl_djvu.txt
  111. "A Brief History of the Apocalypse"
    http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm
  112. Thief in the Night: Or, The Strange Case of the Missing Millennium
    https://archive.org/details/thiefinnightor00sear
  113. Three Worlds, and the Harvest of This World
    https://web.archive.org/web/20060320020952/http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/contents/history/3worlds.pdf
  114. The Finished Mystery, 1917, pp. 258, 485, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, pp. 206–211.
  115. The Way to Paradise booklet, Watch Tower Society, 1924, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, pp. 230–232.
  116. End Times: A Report on Future Survival
  117. "88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988 and On Borrowed Time"
    http://archive.org/details/ReasonsWhyTheRaptureWillBeIn1988PDF
  118. "A Brief History of the Apocalypse; 1971–1997: Millennial Madness"
    http://www.abhota.info/end3.htm
  119. "We are Almost There"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20080612151708/http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/waat/contents.html
  120. "Road trip to the end of the world"
    https://edition.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/03/06/judgment.day.caravan/index.html
  121. LAist Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 24 May 2011.
    http://laist.com/2011/05/24/apocalypse_not_quite_now_camping_pi.php
  122. The Daily Telegraph
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/21/nibiru-nonsense-planet-x-armageddon-nasa-fake-news-theories/
  123. The Independent
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/world-end-apocalypse-locusts-swarm-eclipse-unilad-daily-star-planet-x-nibiru-a7868766.html
  124. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/us/rapture-tiktok-sept-23.html
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