The term Rapture indicates a swift catching up or rescuing of God’s people prior to the outpouring
of God’s wrath during the Tribulation. A time when Satan will greatly persecute the people of faith.
The English term Rapture comes from 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4. The Greek text of the New Testament
uses the word harpazo, and it means to seize upon with force or to catch or snatch up. The Latin
translators of the Greek New Testament Bible translated that word, harpazo, rapturo. The Latin,
rapturo, became the root word for the English term Rapture.
Through the Rapture, God will snatch up his church, [that is all born again believers in Jesus Christ]
together in the air to be taken to heaven with Him so that they will not have to experience the upcoming
tribulations and wrath described by John,
the writer of the book of Revelation.
In reference to the church, John says: they (the church) will be “kept from the hour of testing that shall
come upon the world” (Revelation 3:10).
This hour of testing is the TRIBULATION period which will last for 7 years. This is the time where God
will pour out His wrath on the wicked and on those who rejected His Son. It is a time of great suffering.
It is a period of wrath. (Rev 6:16-17, 11:18;14:19; Zeph 1:15, 18)
Paul wrote concerning this quick and sudden nature of the Rapture, “Behold I show you a mystery we
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye…for the trumpet
shall sound and the dead shall be raised…and we shall be changed.” 1 Cor 15:51
“For the Lord himself will 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. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” 1 Thess 4:13-18
This is what Jesus said about the Rapture.
• “Two men will be working together in the field, one will be taken the other left. Two women will be
grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.” Matt 24:40-41
So in this passage Jesus warns us: “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your
Lord is coming.” Matt 24:42