Rapture

The word Rapture comes from the Latin word “rapio,” but the concept is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The actual Greek term for “caught up” is “harpazo.” The Latin Vulgate translated this word as “raptiemur,” of which the verb form is rapio. Harpazo is a dramatic word in Greek that means to snatch, to seize, to take suddenly and violently. It can refer to someone rescuing someone else from a fire. Other English translations render it: “instantly taken up,” “carried up,” “gathered up,” “snatched up,” or “caught away.” One translation even goes so far as to translated it as “transported together.” In light of this lexical information, the people who claim the Bible does not say anything about a Rapture are greatly mistaken.

The Rapture is an event that is associated with the resurrection and glorification of believers bodies; it encompasses both the dead in Christ and the believers who alive when it happens. The dead corpses of the people that died in Christ will rise first, and then the believers who are alive on earth will be instantaneously and supernaturally translated into immortal bodies to meet Christ in the spiritual realm. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. Paul includes himself in this event with his use of “we.”  What that implies is that Paul was waiting for the Rapture, believing it could have happened in his lifetime.

There really is no questioning the fact that the Bible teaches a Rapture, the only question is when does it happen? There are different opinions on that question, but the weight of evidence sides with a Pretribulational Rapture. That is to say, that Christ descends from heaven into the clouds to rapture the church before the Tribulation Period begins and before the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). Christ comes for the church before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. 1 Thessalonians 1:10, And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. Believers of that generation are promised exemption from God’s wrath, which will be unleashed upon the whole world (Revelation 3:10). Believers are encouraged to look for and patiently wait for the imminent coming of the Son of God to transform their bodies (Philippians 3:20-21). No can know when the Rapture will happen, it is a sign-less event and it comes without warning (Mark 13:33-37).

Christ’s coming in the Rapture is a motivation to live a holy life. 1 John 3:2-3, 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. John is saying that those who hope for Christ’s coming will live pure lives in anticipation of that glorious day. It is like knowing that your boss could arrive at any time from a long journey. You are not going to mess around on the job or have your feet up reading the newspaper. Why? Because when your boss comes you want to be doing what was required of you. Likewise, as Christians we know that our Boss could arrive at any time, so we are not going to wallow in the mud or be caught sleeping. We want a confident greeting with our Savior, and so we stay pure in the midst of an evil world. By God’s grace we strive to be morally and ethically free from the corruption of sin. This is an ongoing cleansing process that continues until the day Jesus returns. The waiting is good for us, it builds character and endurance. The hoping makes the waiting bearable so we have to be on guard and wait with eager expectation for the Lord’s coming.