The word "rapture" has several related meanings:
- It can mean an expression or manifestation of ecstasy or overwhelming joy and passion. It also refers to a state of being carried away by strong emotion or spiritual exaltation.
- In Christian theology, the "Rapture" specifically refers to an end-time event when believers are caught up, or "snatched away," to meet Christ in the air and be taken to heaven. It is described as the final assumption of Christians into heaven before a period of tribulation on earth. This concept comes from passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The word itself comes from Latin, meaning "a carrying off" or "snatching away".
So, generally, "rapture" means intense joy or ecstatic emotion, and in a religious context, it signifies the event of believers being taken up to heaven at the end of times.
