The Rapture Of The Church

The Rapture of the Church

Before we discuss the concept of the Rapture, it is imperative to dive deeply and examine different facts about the Rapture. We need to research the issue that surrounds the Rapture, for the word “Rapture” is indeed not found in the Bible, just as the word “Trinity” is also not in the Bible.

The Koine Greek New Testament which was written approximately between: (~50–100 CE), is the original text of the New Testament. The Koine Greek New Testament (the original) is almost the same as the Greek New Testament we use now, and the Greek New Testament is also the New Testament we use today in the form of modern English translations such as: KJV (King James Version), NIV (New International Version), ESV (English Standard Version). They are adopted from the Greek New Testament. Below are the summary of etymology:

Greek Origin: "Harpazo"

The Greek word "harpazo" (??p???), found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in the original Koine Greek New Testament means "to seize," "snatch away," or "catch up." This word is the theological and linguistic foundation for the concept of the Rapture, as it describes believers being "caught up" to meet Christ in the air.

Latin Translation: "Rapiemur"

When the New Testament was translated into Latin in the 4th century by St. Jerome (the Latin Vulgate), the Greek word "harpazo" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 was rendered as "rapiemur", the first-person plural future passive indicative form of the Latin verb "rapio" (meaning "to seize," "snatch," or "carry off"). "Rapiemur" translates to "we will be caught up."

English Term: "Rapture"

The English word "Rapture" comes directly from the Latin "rapio" (via "rapiemur") through its influence on theological terminology. The term entered English in the early 19th century, particularly in the context of the Rapture doctrine popularized by John Nelson Darby. The English word "Rapture" is derived from the Latin root "rap-" (from "rapio") and its association with being "carried away" or "caught up," reflecting the meaning of both "harpazo" and "rapiemur."

The English word “Rapture” comes from the Latin root “rapio” not directly from Greek. So while “Rapture” isn’t in the English Bible, it’s a theological term derived from the Latin translation of the Greek original.

The Greek word ”harpazo” was originally in the Greek New Testament, and St. Jerome faithfully translated it into Latin as “rapiemur” in the Vulgate, and later translated into English word “Rapture”. Thus, the word “Rapture” was originally preserved linguistically and theologically from Greek to Latin to modern understanding of English Language.

So from the time that the original Bible New Testament was published in Koine Greek, the Greek word “harpazo” was already there. As explained earlier, the English word “Rapture” is a derivative of the Latin word “rapio” (via rapiemur), and these Latin derivative is a direct translation of the Greek word “harpazo” from which the word Rapture originates and traces its root.

So the veracity of the word "Rapture" is infallible, it is irrefutable. Yes it is true that the word “Rapure” is not found in the Bible, but the concept is there, the concept is clearly derived from the Greek word "harpazo" (??p???) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which means "to seize" or "catch up." This describes believers being "caught up" to meet Christ in the air, forming the basis of the Rapture doctrine. Similarly, the word "Trinity" does not appear in the Bible, but the concept of one God in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is inferred from various passages (e.g., Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14). Both terms—"Rapture" and "Trinity"—are theological labels developed later to describe concepts rooted in biblical texts. The Rapture concept is clearly tied to "harpazo" in the Greek New Testament, and the Trinity is supported by verses implying the unity and distinctness of the three divine persons. Thus, with absolute certainty, while the words "Rapture" and "Trinity" are absent from the Bible, their underlying concepts are present in the original Greek New Testament texts.

The Rapture verse or the real verse that teaches the truth about the Rapture is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT (New Living Translation), this is the core passage on the Rapture, it is the clearest description of the Rapture, and this is what it says: (v13) “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. (v14) For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died. (v15) We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. (v16) For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. (v17) Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. (v18) So encourage each other with these words.