where does the rapture teaching come from?

Question

i am confused by this teaching..... where in the bible does it speak of the rapture by name?
in no way am i trying to disuade anyone from their teachings nor am i trying to be hateful. i am just curious and willing to learn. so please be respectful of that.
thanks! :-)

Answer 1

I don't even think about it. Here's what I found about the rapture.
Premillennialists often give much attention to the doctrine of the rapture. According to this doctrine, when Christ returns, all of the elect who have died will be raised and transformed into a glorious state, along with the living elect, and then be caught up to be with Christ. The key text referring to the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, which states, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord."

Premillennialists hold, as do virtually all Christians (except certain postmillennialists), that the Second Coming will be preceded by a time of great trouble and persecution of God’s people (2 Thess. 2:1–4). This period is often called the tribulation. Until the nineteenth century, all Christians agreed that the rapture—though it was not called that at the time—would occur immediately before the Second Coming, at the close of the period of persecution. This position is today called the "post-tribulational" view because it says the rapture will come after the tribulation.

But in the 1800s, some began to claim that the rapture would occur before the period of persecution. This position, now known as the "pre-tribulational" view, also was embraced by John Nelson Darby, an early leader of a Fundamentalist movement that became known as Dispensationalism. Darby’s pre-tribulational view of the rapture was then picked up by a man named C.I. Scofield, who taught the view in the footnotes of his Scofield Reference Bible, which was widely distributed in England and America. Many Protestants who read the Scofield Reference Bible uncritically accepted what its footnotes said and adopted the pre-tribulational view, even though no Christian had heard of it in the previous 1800 years of Church history.

Eventually, a third position developed, known as the "mid-tribulational" view, which claims that the rapture will occur during the middle of the tribulation. Finally, a fourth view developed that claims that there will not be a single rapture where all believers are gathered to Christ, but that there will be a series of mini-raptures that occur at different times with respect to the tribulation.

This confusion has caused the movement to split into bitterly opposed camps.

The problem with all of the positions (except the historic, post-tribulational view, which was accepted by all Christians, including non-premillennialists) is that they split the Second Coming into different events. In the case of the pre-trib view, Christ is thought to have three comings—one when he was born in Bethlehem, one when he returns for the rapture at the tribulation’s beginning, and one at tribulation’s end, when he establishes the millennium. This three-comings view is foreign to Scripture.

Problems with the pre-tribulational view are highlighted by Baptist (and premillennial) theologian Dale Moody, who wrote: "Belief in a pre-tribulational rapture . . . contradicts all three chapters in the New Testament that mention the tribulation and the rapture together (Mark 13:24–27; Matt. 24:26–31; 2 Thess. 2:1–12). . . . The theory is so biblically bankrupt that the usual defense is made using three passages that do not even mention a tribulation (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 Cor. 15:52). These are important passages, but they have not had one word to say about a pre-tribulational rapture. The score is 3 to 0, three passages for a post-tribulational rapture and three that say nothing on the subject.
. . . Pre-tribulationism is biblically bankrupt and does not know it" (The Word of Truth, 556–7).

What’s the Catholic Position?

As far as the millennium goes, we tend to agree with Augustine and, derivatively, with the amillennialists. The Catholic position has thus historically been "amillennial" (as has been the majority Christian position in general, including that of the Protestant Reformers), though Catholics do not typically use this term. The Church has rejected the premillennial position, sometimes called "millenarianism" (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church 676). In the 1940s the Holy Office judged that premillennialism "cannot safely be taught," though the Church has not dogmatically defined this issue.

With respect to the rapture, Catholics certainly believe that the event of our gathering together to be with Christ will take place, though they do not generally use the word "rapture" to refer to this event (somewhat ironically, since the term "rapture" is derived from the text of the Latin Vulgate of 1 Thess. 4:17—"we will be caught up," [Latin: rapiemur]).

Spinning Wheels?

Many spend much time looking for signs in the heavens and in the headlines. This is especially true of premillennialists, who anxiously await the tribulation because it will inaugurate the rapture and millennium.

A more balanced perspective is given by Peter, who writes, "But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. . . . Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Pet. 3:8–14).

Peace and every blessing!

Answer 2

First, the word rapture is not used in the Bible. It is however the word some believers use to describe the "gathering of" or the "taking up of the elect" described by Jesus. Due to other scriptural passages, some people choose to believe that it will occur before what is called the tribulation period as described in the book of Revelation. Still others believe that the "rapture" will take place about the middle of the tribulation years (specifically before God pours down his "bowls of wrath" upon the earth. Thirdly, many others believe that the "rapture" will not occur until Christ returns and overcomes Satan and the anti-Christ. It will be when the sheep and goats are separated. (Good and evil) The good will be taken into heaven...and the evil will go to a punishment worse than death.

You will find passages throughout the New Testament in particular that can be interpreted to support all three views.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

1 Thessalonians 4:17 “RAPTURE”
The words in English are "caught up" but the rapture term itself is from the Latin translation, "rapere," of the original documents.

It means the coming of Jesus to take His church out of the world.

The difference between pop Christian culture and more historic Christianity is that today many believe Christ takes people up into the atmosphere to wait around for a few years while the world goes to hell and many who will later accept Jesus have been "left behind." Then Jesus comes and gathers them as well; almost a third coming.

Historically, we as Christians believe that when the rapture occurs, that's it. That is when the end of this world takes place, and we spend the rest of eternity in heaven (an amalgamation of earth and the dimension where God dwells).

Anyway, the difference is that one believes the rapture is a partial coming of Christ, while the mass of Christians expect that the rapture is the end of all current realities and the beginning of complete perfection and goodness.

Answer 4

The Rapture is a non-Biblical concept. Nowhere in Scripture or in any writings of the early Church leaders is a single thing about the rapture mentioned. It is a fabrication of a few protestant ministers that was incorporated into the new (at the time - 1830 or so) Pentecostal ideology. The idea propagated from Pentecostalism and is now generally accepted by evangelical protestantism despite its lack of Scriptural foundation.

Answer 5

I don't know the exact details, but as far as I know it's only mentioned in a footnote in some English translations of the bible. Someone one day, centuries ago, decided to make a note in his bible about a dream yet another person had, that somehow later got copied in a new translation, for the whole world to enjoy. Now they all think they will be beamed up, and are even discussing if they will be in heaven before hell breaks loose on earth, or if they have to be part of the suffering first.

Answer 6

no joke; several ask this same question.
i believe it was just last week on t.v.,I saw one of those educational channels. they spoke of where this word came from (cause you know it's not in the bible)
it seems that this young woman had a dream where she saw Jesus descend from heaven , not once but twice, and He took his faithful servants back to heaven with him. well, this woman -I'm not sure of the name they gave her- told a local Evangelist (who was pretty popular at the time) about what she dreamed. this preacher took it as some sort of "sign" and began using her dream in his sermons. he is the one who termed the word "rapture". this seemed to have become a popular idea and has greatly spread.
what i am relaying was actually televised!

be that as it may, the bible doesn't teach this, Jesus didn't speak of it.
we really need to look for God's kingdom as the answer to mankinds problems

Answer 7

No rapture.........

Someone answered a question with this answer........and I LOL'd.


Artist: Blondie
Song: Rapture



Toe to toe
Dancing very slow
Barely breathing
Almost comatose
Wall to wall
People hypnotised
And they're stepping lightly
Hang each night in Rapture

Back to back
Sacrailiac
Spineless movement
And a wild attack

Face to face
Sadly solitude
And it's finger popping
Twenty-four hour shopping in Rapture

Fab Five Freddie told me everybody's high
DJ's spinnin' are savin' my mind
Flash is fast, Flash is cool
Francois sez fas, Flashe' no do
And you don't stop, sure shot
Go out to the parking lot
And you get in your car and you drive real far
And you drive all night and then you see a light
And it comes right down and lands on the ground
And out comes a man from Mars
And you try to run but he's got a gun
And he shoots you dead and he eats your head
And then you're in the man from Mars
You go out at night, eatin' cars
You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns too
Mercurys and Subarus
And you don't stop, you keep on eatin' cars
Then, when there's no more cars
You go out at night and eat up bars where the people meet
Face to face, dance cheek to cheek
One to one, man to man
Dance toe to toe
Don't move to slow, 'cause the man from Mars
Is through with cars, he's eatin' bars
Yeah, wall to wall, door to door, hall to hall
He's gonna eat 'em all
Rapture, be pure
Take a tour, through the sewer
Don't strain your brain, paint a train
You'll be singin' in the rain
I said don't stop, do punk rock

Well now you see what you wanna be
Just have your party on TV
'Cause the man from Mars won't eat up bars when the TV's on
And now he's gone back up to space
Where he won't have a hassle with the human race
And you hip-hop, and you don't stop
Just blast off, sure shot
'Cause the man from Mars stopped eatin' cars and eatin' bars
And now he only eats guitars, get up!

Answer 8

The Bible doesn't call it the Rapture:

1 Thessalonians 4

16 For 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.
17 After 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

. . . in verse 17 above . . . " [we] will be caught up together with them in the clouds " is shortened to "the rapture"

Answer 9

Rapture is closely connected to Dispensationalism.

"The popularization of the term is associated with teaching of John Nelson Darby, prominent among the Plymouth Brethren, and the rise of premillennialism and dispensationalism in English-speaking churches at the end of the 19th century"

Note dispensationalism is End Timer. This is a very dangerous false doctrine that may bring the end to our present world. End timers have acknowledged they interfere in politics in an attempt to bring forth Armeggedon. Watch the Doomsday Code documentary. One preacher (End timer admitted he can talk personally with the current US President. )

Research on the internet Dispensationalism. Whilst doing a Philosophy course I stumbled onto it.

Answer 10

Please dont get caught up with "It has to say the word to be real" or else, dont say "Bible" either since it's never mentioned in the Bible.

Rapture comes from the Greek "raptus" which means to be "caught up" 1 Thess 4:17 "After 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." says we will be "caught up". If you prefer, we can change the word Rapture to "the catching up" which is definitely being taught here.

There are various theories on how this will take place, but, the Bible does say it will happen.