What is the Rapture?
The Rapture will be a supernatural, physical taking of His believing and obedient church from the earth to 'save' them from the horrors in the Tribulation, the Antichrist, and God's wrath at the end of this age.
...then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
1 Thessalonians 4:17a
'Caught up' in this scripture is the Greek word Harpazo which means to seize upon with force, to snatch up. It was translated into Latin as Rapiemur, which anglicized became Rapture. It should probably be renamed to 'the Snatching', 'the Harpazo', or something else more meaningful but it's hard to change tradition.
Some don't believe in the Rapture and think it is a recent invention. The truth is that the New and Old Testaments are filled with many explicit, implicit, and veiled descriptions and references.
There are also examples of the Rapture being taught until the fifth century. A good example is when St. Ephraem taught it in the fourth century in his "St. Ephraem the Syrian on the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World".
Here is a quote:
Because all saints and select of the Lord are gathered together before the tribulation which is about to come and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins.
(The source of this quote keeps getting moved so I have provided a section from this writing below.)
What follows in the remaining pages is succinct proof using the Bible with as little commentary as possible to show that the Rapture is real, that it will happen soon, and I mean real soon!
It is possible that other events could happen first, but nothing left in prophecy has to happen first!
Key passages from Ephraem's text, written about 373 AD (translated by Professor Cameron Rhoades, Tyndale Theological Seminary)
St. Ephraem the Syrian on the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World
Most dearly beloved brothers, believe the Holy Spirit who speaks in us. Now we have spoken before, because the end of the world is very near, and the consummation remains. Has not the first faith withered away in men?
We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord, they have already been fulfilled, and there is not other which remains, except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom. Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that He may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms the world? Believe you me, dearest brothers, because the coming of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time... Because all saints and select of the Lord are gathered together before the tribulation which is about to come and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins. And so, brothers, most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of this world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord.
When therefore the end of the world comes, there arise diverse wars, commotions on all sides, horrible earthquakes, perturbations of nations, tempests throughout the lands, plagues, famine, drought throughout the thoroughfares, great danger throughout the sea and dry land, constant persecutions, slaughters and massacres everywhere.
When therefore the end of the world comes, that abominable, lying and murderous one is born from the tribe of Dan. He is conceived from the seed of a man and from a most vile virgin, mixed with an evil or worthless spirit.
But when the time of the abomination of his desolation begins to approach, having been made legal, he takes the empire... Therefore, when he receives the kingdom, he orders the temple of God to be rebuilt for himself, which is in Jerusalem; who, after coming into it, he shall sit as God and order that he be adored by all nations... then all people from everywhere shall flock together to him at the city of Jerusalem, and the holy city shall be trampled on by the nations for forty-two months just as the holy apostle says in the Apocalypse, which become three and a half years, 1,260 days.
In these three years and a half the heaven shall suspend its dew; because there will be no rain upon the earth... and there will be a great tribulation, as there has not been, since people began to be upon the earth... and no one is able to sell or to buy of the grain of the fall harvest, unless he is one who has the serpentine sign on the forehead or the hand.
And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy or son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the word of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints... Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the Spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord for ever and ever.
If you arrived here from a link, click here for the chapter index.