Rapture
Rapture is an English word that means "snatched up" or "caught up." It comes from the same Latin root as "raptor," the kind of birds such as eagles who "snatch up" their prey. Although the word rapture is not used in the KJV Bible, or any common modern English translation, the idea is present in the following passage:
"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. 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. " (1Thes. 4:16-17)
This "catching up" is called by many Bible teachers "The Rapture of the Church." Some teach that this will occur only at the Return of Christ to set up a Millennial Kingdom. But those who teach the doctrine of the Secret Rapture are convinced He will come secretly to snatch away all true believers and take them to heaven, to wait there while the rest of mankind suffers through the Great Tribulation. Many teach they will then return with Him when He comes to put an end to the Battle of Armageddon, and reign with Him on Earth during the Millennium. |
