The rapture is a Christian eschatological concept describing an event where God "snatches away" or catches up all believers in Jesus Christ from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. It involves the resurrection of deceased believers, their transformation into glorified bodies, and the taking of both resurrected and living believers into heaven to be with Christ forever. This event is described mainly in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. The term "rapture" itself is not found in English Bible translations but comes from a Latin word meaning "to carry off" or "snatch away".
The rapture is distinct from the Second Coming (Advent) of Christ. The rapture is seen as the event where Christ comes to take believers away before a period of tribulation on earth, while the Second Coming involves Christ's return with His church after that tribulation to judge and establish His kingdom. The rapture is often viewed as a sudden, transformative event in which believers receive new, eternal bodies prepared for heaven. It symbolizes reunion, resurrection, and the hope of eternal life with God without experiencing death.
In summary, the rapture is the belief that Christians will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, both living and resurrected dead, as a precursor to end-time events on earth. It is a doctrine held strongly in some Christian circles but not universally accepted, and the word "rapture" is a doctrinal term based on the biblical concept of believers being "caught up" in the air. This idea offers believers hope of reunion with Christ and others who have died in faith, as well as deliverance from future tribulation on earth.
