What is the Rapture?

Question

I have heard about this, but I don't know what it is. Does the Bible mention it?

Answer 1

Most of what you will read about the end times are pre-millennial views: the view that Christ's return will usher in a future millennium of Messianic rule mentioned in the book of Revelation before the final judgment. The believers of this doctrine also hold to the notion of a Rapture of the righteous beforehand.

Then there are mixtures involving the views of the seven year tribulation and whether it is happening now, occurs later, etc.

1. Amillennialists believe that God's promises regarding the end times are figurative and will not be literally fulfilled, particularly the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.

2. Pre-millennialists believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth prior to His literal reign on the earth for 1000 years. Three groups of pre-millennialists include the following:

3. Post-tribulationists believe that the rapture will not occur until the end of the seven year tribulation, just prior to the beginning of the millennial kingdom.

4. Mid-tribulationists believe that the rapture will occur three and one half years into the tribulation, at beginning of the three and one half year great tribulation.

5. Pre-tribulationists believe that the rapture will occur prior to the seven year tribulation, but not necessarily immediately before the tribulation.

These doctrines all fall under the general heading known as the study of end times, or eschatology.

For explanations of the various eschatological beliefs see: http://www.religioustolerance.org/millenni.htm

In Ezekiel 33, God instructs the watchman to signal the approach of the enemy against His people, warning that the watchman who fails to blow the trumpet of alarm shall be guilty of the blood of the people.

I am a Amillennialist of the Reformed tradition. I believe we are currently living in the Millennium and in the Tribulation period. Events described in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 and in most of the book of Revelation have already happened.

To the amillennialist the Antichrist is figurative and not a real person. I believe that the Kingdom of God is today present in the world through the presence of the heavenly reign of Christ, the Bible, the Holy Spirit and Christianity. Both good and evil continues in the world until the current Church Age ends suddenly when Christ returns to the sky above the earth. Then the Rapture immediately occurs. The Redeemed are transported to heaven where they will adopt spiritual bodies. The rest of humanity will be condemned at this time to eternal punishment. The world will be abandoned. History is no more.

Answer 2

The Bible is clear that the rapture will occur, but it won't be this mysterious disappearance of millions of people like the "Left Behind" books portray. It will happen after the Tribulation, but right before God's wrath is poured out on unbelievers. Check out the first link below for a verse-by-verse look at what the Bible says about the end times.

Answer 3

The Mormons for one are devotees to this idea of Rapture which includes the experience of being a member of a larger group with a philosophy and leadership that is disciplined and loyal to a doctrine or constitution like body of fundamental concepts of life in general with rules, customs, ceremonies, manners, laws, penalties, rewards and with well defined and rigidly enforced rules.
It is the Rapture or selflessness that makes the bound between the individual and the Mormon Church so complete and permanent, and the Rapture so powerful.
Amazingly, The members feel a sense of almost complete selflessness. Members or Mormons, when they yield to the ways of the Church, feel this Rapture and acceptance, this control and indoctrination of the Church and receive a sense of safety and well being it provides.
This Mormon rapture is not unique. It is however uniquely packaged. Loyalty and a feeling of patriotism , righteousness, membership is felt by Nationalists all over the world and devotees of many other callings like religions, humanitarian organizations and so on.
Rapture is also called "awe" in other situations, but awe is a purer feeling and is as much a strong reaction from the senses as a reaction to a membership that provides a way of life. Being in a Cathedral or even seeing a Cathedral, for example, in general gives us a sense of Awe.

Answer 4

Yes the bible does talk of the rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

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.

Answer 5

The word "rapture" doesn't appear in the Bible. It comes from the Greek word "rapare" which means literally "to snatch out or seize" and is used in describing the day in which the Church will be removed from Earth at the beginning of the Tribulation period where the the Bible says, "In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye...." It's believed to be an event that will occur SO FAST, that the human eye can barely perceive it, hence the descriptive name "Rapture".

Answer 6

You will get several different interpretations of what the "Rapture" means. Pre-tribulation people believe that the rapture means that God's people will be silently raptured before the Tribulation, leaving only their clothes behind. This is reflected in the Christian fiction "Left Behind" series. This interpretation is not scriptural.
There is another interpretation, "post-tribulation", which I adhere to, which believes that God's people will not be "caught up" until AFTER the tribulation. There is much scriptural evidence that time after time, God has always saved His people THROUGH tribulation, not FROM it. Of course, the word "rapture" will not be found in the Bible, but the concept of it is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
There is yet another interpretation, called "mid-trib", which believes that God's people will be taken up somewhere in the middle of the tribulation. This is more of a fence-sitting position and is not scripturally supported.

Answer 7

It is perhaps the most divisive concept in Christianity. It has something to do with Christ's return and "good" Christians floating up into the sky, with some unfortunate chain of events to follow here on earth for those "left behind."

You will be hardpressed to find any two Christians who will agree on all the details, especially the sequence of events with regard to "tribulation."

Answer 8

The rapture is better known by its biblical term...the catching away...it is when those who live by faith in Christ and who have died physically are suddenly raised up to meet the Lord in the air, then we who live by faith, that are still alive at that time, will be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye to meet the Lord in the air along with the others who had died in the faith. It is the glorious hope and we as christians should be expecting it to happen any day, because there will be no prior annoncement other than the one already given in scripture that it will happen. So get ready if youre not ready, receive Jesus, repent of your sins and ask God for forgivness while there is yet time.

Answer 9

No it does not!......This IS false doctrine! Purposely misinterpreted Scriptures taken out of context to justify this ridiculous concept in the Christian faith, introduced in the 1830's by a false teacher by the name of John Nelson Darby. This is one of the many outrageous lies of Satan that has crept it's way into the mainstream Protestant churches, and has no place in the Word of God......... http://www.ucg.org/reprints/pdf/Rapturereprint.pdf

Answer 10

No, the Bible does not. it is an invention of John Darby, who lived in the 1800's.

The 'rapture' is a great hoax of satan's.



Edit: the Left Behind series is F I C T I O N.