“The supernatural removal of the church of Jesus Christ out of this world is called the rapture. The term rapture comes from the Latin word rapturo. This is the Latin translation of the Greek verb “caught up,” which is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The word denotes a sudden, irresistible act of carrying off by force. In that passage the apostle Paul teaches that true believers in Christ will suddenly be caught up into the air by the power of Christ and will meet Him in the air. This idea of the sudden removal of God’s people through powerful, divine activity has no parallel in Old Testament literature. In the New Testament, a number of passages speak of Christ’s coming for His church.”
Benware, Paul N., 1942- Understanding end times prophecy : a comprehensive approach / Paul N. Benware. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-0-8024-9079-7
The Rapture is a future event in prophecy when believers in Jesus Christ will be taken up from the earth to meet Him in the air. This event is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, where it says that the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then those who are alive will be caught up together with them. Many believe this will happen before the great tribulation. While others place it at different points in end-times events. The Rapture is a moment of hope for Christians as it signifies being gathered to be with Christ forever. -Elving Ellis
Cross Mission Media 