I was told that the Rapture is not in the Bible.
In fact, more than one person has repeated this refutation of the glorious hope of the Church.
My answer is that this event is found in Paul’s Second Epistle to the Church at Thessalonica. The negative rebuttal is that the word “rapture” is not in the Bible. This is simply answered by reading the passage in a Latin translation. Take a look:
Greek text:
τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας· ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ, καταβήσεται ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτον, ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα· καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα. ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις.1
English translation:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.2
Latin translation:
hoc enim vobis dicimus in verbo Domini quia nos qui vivimus qui residui sumus in adventum Domini non praeveniemus eos qui dormierunt quoniam ipse Dominus in iussu et in voce archangeli et in tuba Dei descendet de caelo et mortui qui in Christo sunt resurgent primi deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus3
The original word ἁρπαγησόμεθα is translated rapiemur in Latin and is translated caught up in English.
Rapiemur and rapturo are two forms of the same verb, viz: rapio, rapere, rapui, raptus – “to catch or seize” (among other definitions).
- Rapiemur is the first person, plural, future, indicative, passive.
- Rapturo is the future active participle. (It is like asking if “caught” is a form of “catch” or if “catching” is a form of “catch”? — They are both forms of “catch”.)
English dictionaries tell us that the etymology of “rapture”* is from rapere, more likely through the perfect passive participle (raptus) than the future active participle.
The Rapture is in the Bible.
1Michael W. Holmes, The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (Lexham Press; Society of Biblical Literature, 2011–2013), 1 Th 4:15–18.
2New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Th 4:16–18.
3Latin Vulgate