what is a rapture

The rapture is a belief in Christian eschatology referring to an event when all Christian believers, both living and dead, will be suddenly taken up or "caught up" to meet Jesus Christ in the sky. This event is seen as a supernatural occurrence in which believers are physically removed from the earth to be reunited with Christ, often believed to happen before or during the end times. The term "rapture" itself is not found in the Bible but comes from the Latin word "raptura," which translates the Greek word "harpazo," meaning "to seize" or "snatch away," as used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The concept involves Christians being taken to heaven in an instant and includes the resurrection of deceased believers who will receive glorified bodies. This event is viewed as a moment of divine intervention and is linked to other biblical prophecies about the Second Coming of Jesus and the end of the world.