What's the Biblical basis for the rapture? [duplicate]

Question

I don't like questioning anyone's faith but one of my friends is a mainstream Christian (Uniting Church) and she believes very firmly in the phenomenon of "rapture".

As I understand it, rapture is when all the good people will be united with Christ upon His Second Coming. Those who are left behind will go through seven years of hell. The initial years will be OK as the world will move towards a 'one world government' but then everyone will be tagged (the devil's mark) and the horrors will follow. Those who refuse to be tagged will be tortured and if they resist, they would be ultimately saved when Christ comes again after seven years.

The worst thing is that there are many dates fixed for rapture, today (24 July) being one of them. These dates are fixed by people who claim that this was revealed to them in some form and they need to share this message with others.

I really don't want to question anyone faith (whether it is revealed to them or not is their business) but the whole rapture 'thingy' sounds very scary to me.

Is there any basis of this interpretation in the Bible?

Note: With faith based matters, you really cannot claim too much objectivity, so scientific measures do not readily apply here. That said, it makes it even more difficult to understand this claim.

Answer 1

The Rapture is one of the events that is believed will occur during the end-times. There are several different end-times scenarios that are all based on slightly different interpretations of Scripture, but the three major ones all agree that it will occur.

(A comparison of some of the views can be found here.)

The term "Rapture" means "Caught up". The word itself comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (KJV)

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The end times events are covered in many books in the Bible, but primarily in the Book of Daniel, The Book of the Revelation, 1 Thessalonians, and Matthew 24. Your friend's description is known as the "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" interpretation of end-times events, which is held to by many denominations, but is definitely not the only interpretation.

One minor point, is that you mentioned that the "good people" will be raptured. That's not quite right. The Christians will be Raptured according to Scripture. Christians are not Christians because they are good, or because they go to Church, or because they claim to be in a certain religion.

The Biblical definition of a Christian is someone who has been saved, or redeemed by Christ. Christianity isn't about being "good enough" to get to heaven, or about religious traditions, it's about Christ, and the free gift of eternal life that we gain by simply accepting His free gift, by faith. (More here.)

As far as predicting the date, that's a fool's game. Christ Himself said that nobody would know the date, and that it would take us by surprise.

Mark 13:28-37 (King James Version)

28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

The number of people that have claimed to know the date of the Rapture, and have seen that date come and go are countless. We don't know the dates. We can see the signs of the times - the types of events and state of the world that is predicted, but not down to the date.

It could be 2 seconds from now, it could be a hundred years from now, or it could be longer. We just don't know, but it is promised that it will occur, and that we are to watch for it.

So, if the Bible is true, and it is the Word of God as claimed, and Jesus was the Son of God, and The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and the only way to Heaven there's no time to lose. If you've not already accepted Christ as your Savior, now's the time.

Answer 2

There is another verse that clearly teaches a Pre-Trib Rapture: 2 Thess 2:3

The Greek word "apostasia" is usually translated "apostasy" or "falling away" however it can also be translated "departure" (as it was for the first 7 English translations of the Bible, and also the latin Vulgate in 400 AD used "discessio" which means departure). See Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon which defines apostasia as (1) revolt and then (2) departure or disappearance and thus it can mean "to remove spatially".

The word "apostasia" is only found in two verses in the New Testament and when that happens one needs to translate it's meaning according to the context. The verb form of this word is found 15 times in the NT and only 3 of those are translated as departure from the faith (implying apostasy), so again context is very important where this word is found. Also this word doesn't mean "to fall", as in falling away, or the Greek word "pipto" would have been used instead.

In 2 Thess 2:3 the definite article "THE" is in front of "apostasia" so it's a singular one-time event that hadn't occured yet. This coming event was also well known to the Thessalonian church, as they were patiently expecting it, as Paul said, and he reminded them he had referred to it frequently in his first letter to the Thessalonians. Paul repeatedly talked about the Rapture in 1 Thess and never mentioned apostasy of the church. And apostasy had already infiltrated the church by the First Century, and we still have apostasy today, so the definite article can't be referring to apostasy of the church. It has to refer to a specific event that hasn't happened yet, even now, as the AntiChrist hasn't been revealed yet.

Paul repeatedly told the Thessalonians to wait for the Rapture as they would not be subject to God's Wrath on an unbelieving world (1 Thess 1:10, 1 Thess 5:9), and thus God's wrath was not determined for believers.

Therefore this word translated as "apostasy" doesn't fit the context of this passage. It means "departure" of the Church, i.e., the Rapture, i.e., the Tribulation can't occur until after the Rapture. This is why the Church is never mentioned again after Revelation chapter 4.

ere is an article with more information on this verse:

http://www.raptureready.com/featured/ice/TheRapturein2Thessalonians2_3.html