What is the Rapture?
The Rapture will be a supernatural taking of His believing and obedient church to 'save' them from the horrors in the Tribulation, the Antichrist, and God's wrath at the end.
...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' is the Greek word Harpazo which means to seize upon with force, to snatch up. It was translated first into Latin as Rapiemur, which anglicized became Rapture.
Some don't believe in the Rapture or think it is a recent invention. The truth is that the Bible is filled with many explicit, implicit, and veiled examples and references. There are examples of it being taught until the fifth century.
St. Ephraem the Syrian taught about the Rapture in his "St. Ephraem the Syrian on the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World" that can be read here: www.geocities.com/kitezhgrad/prophets/efrem.html
Here is a quote:
See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: "Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!" For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.
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!
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