Rapture of the Church?

Question

The word RAPTURE is not in the Bible anywhere.
Where does this idea of a RAPTURE COME FROM?
I know that Jesus is coming back as He promised in MANY passages but why preach THE RAPTURE when Jesus Himself never used this word?

Answer 1

The word DOES exist in the Bible -- you just have to read the Latin translation (known as the Latin Vulgate) to see it. The Vulgate was the main Bible of the medieval Western Church until the Reformation. It is still used by the Roman Catholic Church. Protestants introduced the word "rapture" into the English language from the Latin word "raeptius." In the Greek text, the verb "harpazo" is used by Paul in 1 Thes. 4:17, which is usually translated into English with the phrase "caught up." The Greek Lexicon says that "harpazo" means "to snatch, seize, or take away suddenly." This is the same meaning of the Latin word "rapio," (the root of "raeptius") which means "to seize, snatch, tear away."

And the word BIBLE doesn't appear in the text, either. But we don't reject the use of the word, do we?

Answer 2

I'm gonna guess you've heard this before - since this is not the first times this question has been asked. In fact, one of the most common objections made by those who don't believe in the Rapture of the Church is that the word "rapture" is not found in Scripture.
I agree, it is not found in the English translations. However, the Scriptures have been translated into many languages, one of them being Latin. The word "rapture" is an anglicized version of the word "rapere" from the Latin Vulgate, which is translated "caught up" in the Thessalonians passage. After the Bible was translated into other languages, the Latin term continued to be used. (I can see why, myself. “The Rapture “has a better ring to it than “The Caught Up"). So, while there are other arguments against this position, this particular one should be laid to rest. If we're going to have an actual discussion - we ought to start with facts instead of fiction.

Answer 3

Suzanne has a point.
Just because a word is not used in the Bible does not mean the concept of the word is not in the Bible.

Her example of the word Bible is one example.
Another is the word "dinosaur". It was not created until 1884. But the Bible text is much older than that. So in stead of using the word dinosaur, the Bible calls them Leviathan, Behemoth and dragon.

Rapture is a word to describe the event when Jesus calls His follower to meet Him in the sky.
I believe the rapture will be before the Great Tribulation because it says that Jesus will come as a thief in the night (unexpected), and that people will be leading normal lives (buying, getting married, etc), but people in the Great Tribulation will not be leading normal lives with all the great judgments being poured on the earth.

Answer 4

First Thesalonians 4:15-17 gives a good description. While the actual word, rapture, is not used, the concept is there. There are many words that are used in today's church that are not in the Bible, because our language leans itself to using other words for greater clarification. A few other words that are not found in the Bible: Pope, eucharist, Christmas, purgatory, Bible, backsliding, slain in the Spirit, or atheist. The idea for some of these words may be found in scripture, but the actual words are not.

Answer 5

The term "rapture", and most of the popular ideas associated with it, arose out of the dispensational and millenarian (Adventist) movements of the mid to latter 19th century. That suggests that the idea of a "rapture," especially the idea of a "secret" rapture, is far more historically and culturally conditioned then it is a biblical or theological truth. The biblical references, that are most used to support a rapture do not clearly support the idea at all. They all firmly support a "second coming" (whatever form that might take), a Resurrection, and a Judgment, all without giving any solid details about any of them.

I think the biblical, answer is, we do not know. We do know "That our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place." I'm perfectly happy with that.

Answer 6

The word "rapture" comes from the Greek word "rapare" meaning "to snatch away or seize". It was used in Greek translations of Scripture to describe the translation of the saints "...in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye..." Sounds like a good word to use!

Answer 7

It's a mistaken concept excepted by many in error. Actually when the meek inherit the earth, those found sinning will be gone.

Answer 8

Made up by the Protestants so what else is new

Answer 9

First of all jesus never existed, and if he did, he didn't speak English.