49. The Rapture. What, where, and when?

This is just an introduction: call it Rapture 101

Q1 - What is the rapture? And where do we find it in the Bible?

First, lets take care of one important issue:
It is claimed by some that the word rapture is not used a single time in the Bible, and that it is an event not taught in the Bible. Right, and wrong, in that order. It is true that the word 'rapture' is not found in the English Bible. But the words Trinity, Bible, missions, and missionary are not found in the Bible either, yet most would agree that they are concepts found in the Bible.

The English word rapture is an English transliteration of the Latin word rapio, of which raeptius is the form of the word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in the Latin Bibles written long ago. This word is usually translated snatch up, catch up, take up suddenly in the English.

In Thess 4:17, we find the verse where the "catching up" of the Church happens:

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Most recent Bible versions use the words "caught up" in this verse. And the event taking place here is the rapture of the church. The church is being "caught up" from the Earth to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. Throughout the New Testament, thirteen times various similar terms are used to tell of other "catching up" or "snatching up" or "snatching away" events that occur.

Q2 - Where will this catching up to meet the Lord happen?
It will happen all over the earth, wherever living or dead believers reside. The verse before the one above says:

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Why do the dead in Christ rise first, before the living do? Some have facetiously (and humorously) said it's because they have 6 feet further to go. But actually the surrounding text tells us why: So that those who are in sorrow about their dead family members won't think that those family members have missed the rapture.

Most believe it will be a wonderful, glorious day above, but a terrible, horrific day down on Earth.

Q3 - When will the rapture of the church take place?
If you are hoping for an exact year, I can't help you. Only that
it hasn't happened yet, so we are in the same position as the Thessalonians, who are now ALL long dead, and whose bodies are still down here on Earth waiting for the upward trumpet call from the heavenlies, to be reunited with their souls which are currently with the Lord.

My two earlier posts #27 (long) and #29 (condensed) attempted to describe the order of the Future History of Earth. As I said elsewhere, most premillennialists believe that the catching up of the church is the next thing on the prophetic calendar. As to whether it is 2 years away, or 20, or 200, we cannot tell -- although most students of the prophetic times agree that it is doubtful that we'll make 200 years without the rapture occurring.

And there is one more issue about "when" that we will cover in the next post: if the rapture does NOT happen before the tribulation starts, what are the other views for the timing of the rapture compared to the timing of the tribulation?
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