Can someone explain what the Rapture is please?

Hi guys

As a former Catholic, I was never brought up to believe in this Rapture thing, and I don't even know what it is supposed to be. All the Internet sites and programmes I view on it read like they've been written by conspiracy theorists on redbull.

So can anyone please explain, in plain english, what the rapture is and where it appears in the Bible?

I think its pretty straightforward, although much has been made of it. Its the catching up of the living saints at the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It came onto the prophectic screen in the 1800's and got its biggest boost from the Christian fiction writers,..

What it does for those who believe it, is spiritually leaving them vunerable to unpreparedness and disallussionment when it does not come to pass when expected, usually be for some catastrophe or hardship event.

Those of us who are beleivers that God does not sneak anyone out before their troubles, but carries them through, because it is part of the purifying process, have concerns for our brethren.

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Since the Torah is a finite book expressing the will of an infinite God, many lessons must be derivable from each passage from all the infinite angles.

It's refrerring to what the Bible calls the "gathering back to Christ" at His return. Paul's explanation of this in 1Thes. 4:17 is where people get the expression "rapture". Misunderstanding about the timing of this event led to his writing of 2 Thes. chapter 2.

Jesus talked about thusly:
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

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John 14:6

Pray for the truly perscuted brethren in Christ throughout the world.


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Hi Strix,

Without going into great detail for the moment let me give you a brief explaination for the "Rapture."

It must first be noted that the term "rapture" is not found anywhere in the Bible. As has already been stated the term rapture refers to the "saved" being taken up with Christ at His second coming. There is great disagreement however among Christians as to exactly when the "rapture" will actualy take place.

The popular belief and use of the word rapture has been associated with what is called "the secret rapture." It is taught that the saved will be taken up without anyone, other than the saved themselvs, knowing that it is happening. It is also taught that the rapture will take place prior to the great tribulation which prophecy tells us will take place before Christ visable return thereby keeping the saved from going through the great tribulation. Unfortunately this is not supported by Scripture.

What can be supported by Scripture is the following.

The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The Saviour's coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. When He returns, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the righteous living will be glorified and taken to heaven, but the unrighteous will die. The almost complete fulfillment of most lines of prophecy, together with the present condition of the world, indicates that Christ's coming is imminent. The time of that event has not been revealed, and we are therefore exhorted to be ready at all times. (Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Matt. 24:14; Rev. 1:7; Matt. 24:43, 44; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:8; Rev. 14:14-20; 19:11-21; Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Thess. 5:1-6.)

If you have additional questions please feel free to ask.

Respectfully, your brother in Christ,
Do

consider;Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Matt. 24:14; Rev. 1:7; Matt. 24:43, 44; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:8; Rev. 14:14-20; 19:11-21; Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Thess. 5:1-6.as DOC provided and just look at it with simple child like faith

Do your best to not get all caught up in the theological views of men and ask Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart...

Many different thoughts on this subject... is it the first resurrection, is it separate from all the others, will it happen before the GT, during the GT of after...

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2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Originally Posted by B1inHim

consider;Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Matt. 24:14; Rev. 1:7; Matt. 24:43, 44; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:8; Rev. 14:14-20; 19:11-21; Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Thess. 5:1-6.as DOC provided and just look at it with simple child like faith

Do your best to not get all caught up in the theological views of men and ask Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart...

Many different thoughts on this subject... is it the first resurrection, is it separate from all the others, will it happen before the GT, during the GT of after...

Prayerfully study with the Holy Spirit convicting you on how to understand what you are reading. It helps to use a concordance with bible study.

BibleGateway.com - KeywordSearch: think things

IT works great for word studies.

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Since the Torah is a finite book expressing the will of an infinite God, many lessons must be derivable from each passage from all the infinite angles.

Originally Posted by Brad2009

I think its pretty straightforward, although much has been made of it. Its the catching up of the living saints at the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not just the living saints but the spirits of those that have died in Christ and who come with Him, will have their dead bodies changed and risen from the graves.

1 Thess 4:16 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:
17 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.

The main rapture passage is 1 Thess 4:13-17. NIV

13 - Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

Thessalonians was written by the Apostle Paul, the one we are to consult concerning church doctrine and its destiny, not the OT prophets or Jesus in the Gospels.

Paul wanted his brothers and sisters in Christ to understand what would happen in the future to those who had fallen “asleep,” a metaphor for Christians who die in the Lord. Born again Christians have the assurance of being resurrected to eternal life with the Lord, not like the unsaved who have no hope of eternal life.

14 - We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

When Jesus returns to take his church out of this world, God will have Jesus bring back the souls of Christians who have died since the church began at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4; 33 A.D.). Their soles will be reunited with their bodies and resurrected.

15 - According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

Many Christians have died in the Lord since 33 A.D., they will continue to die in the Lord up to the time of the rapture. Those still alive at the rapture will not be taken up to be with the Lord before the dead in Christ are resurrected.

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.

This is a difficult passage to interpret as to the three phenomena consisting of a command, an angel’s voice and a trumpet call of God. Is Paul speaking figuratively in describing the call of God? Do all refer to the same thing or are they three separate announcements? I think God’s command will sound like the voice of the archangel and he will sound the trumpet to resurrect the dead in Christ. The dead in Christ must be resurrected first before they can be transformed into glorious bodies along with those who are still alive when the second trumpet sounds. Only those affected will hear the trumpet calls, not the unsaved.

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. An so we will be with the Lord forever.

After the first trumpet resurrects the dead in Christ first, those still alive in Christ will join them in receiving glorified bodies. All are transformed and raptured to meet the Lord in the air in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor 15:51). The first trumpet resurrects those asleep in Christ first, then the second or “last trumpet” changes us all in the twinkling of an eye. One moment we are here on earth, the next moment we disappear from earth and meet him in the clouds.

And I don't drink Redbull.

LOL!

The primary passage for the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.

Virtually everyone would agree that the rapture is an event which is a "catching up" of the believers on earth into the air to meet with Jesus Christ. The gist of it is that the saints will be gathered to be with Christ when He returns.

Along millennial lines, the vast majority of amillennialists and postmillennialists do not speak of a rapture. These views regard the rapture as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 as either identical to the second coming of Jesus as described in Matthew 24:29-31, or as a meeting in the air with Jesus that immediately preceeds his second coming to the earth.

The amil position is reflected in many traditional church organizations, including the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran churches and other protestant bodies.

Within premillennialism, Historical premillennialists at times will refer to a rapture - but many do not. Their view concerning the rapture is the same as above - a meeting in the air with Jesus that immediately preceeds the second coming. Historical premils differ on the length of the tribulation. Technically all Historical premils take the postribulation view, but it particularly applies to those who view the tribulation as 7 years in length.

The majority premillennial view that refers to the rapture is the pretribulation position. The pretribulation position holds that Jesus will return for the church prior to the start of the seven year tribulation, then will return with the church at the end of that period.

There are three minority premillennial positions, the midtribulation view, the prewrath rapture and the partial rapture view. The midtribulation position holds that the church will endure the first half of the tribulation (3.5 years) and then be raptured after that. The prewrath rapture view holds that the church will be raptured sometime after the 6th seal in Revelation is opened. The partial rapture view holds that there will be multiple raptures of believers during the tribulation period.

I guess I should say something about the folks who attempt to set dates for the rapture. Nah, won't go there...

LDG