The word 'Rapture' is not found in the Bible... or is it? This might surprise you!

By Mike Shoesmith

It never fails to surprise me and even disturb me at times when I read the words "the word rapture isn't in the Bible." It always seems to be written with such authority as to portray a person with a high level of biblical knowledge yet actually betrays a reality that the person is in fact ignorant - and should rather be asking questions than making bold assertions.

The Bible is the 'Word' (not words) of God in the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. In fact, Jesus Himself conforms this with the words:

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Matthew 5:18

The law, the first five books of the Bible (Torah) were what Jesus was likely referring to though He could have been explicitly referencing the Ten Commandments. Either way, He was expressing the importance of the law, even regarding the various exclamations points, comma's, periods, dotting the 'i' and crossing the 't' etc... every jot and tittle... of the original.

Even though I prefer the KJV as a study Bible I am always aware that it is not the 'Word' of God as it was originally written. In other words, I have to refrain from espousing an English-centric Americanized view of scripture. And believe it or not, there are people who believe the KJV is the inspired 'Word' of God for the world today. Does that mean all believers in China are required to learn Elizabethan English before they can study the Bible? Or can we count on Bible translators to sufficiently translate the Bible into the Chinese language for their own personal use while trusting that God will guide them? I think the latter.

So now we return the the original issue. Isn't it true that the word 'rapture' isn't in the Bible? The answer is yes, that is correct. The word 'rapture' is not in the original text. However, the word 'Bible' isn't in the original text either. Many words we find in our language do not appear anywhere in the original. It's a translation, not a transliteration.

Even though the word 'rapture' is not in the original text it is certainly part of the original intent. Check out the text from the King James Version:

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.
1 Thessalonians 4:17

Now observe the actual original text from the Greek:

epeita hmeis oi zwntes oi perileipomenoi ama sun autois arpaghsomeqa en nefelais eis apanthsin tou kuriou eis aera kai outws pantote sun kuriw esomeqa

So you see - the word 'rapture' does not appear anywhere in the English or Greek.

However.

If we examine the words 'caught up' from that verse in the Latin, another translation, we do see the word 'rapture' used to translate that phrase. As one writer put it when opining on the Greek text of that verse:

 I don't see the dead in Christ rising, Jesus descending from Heaven, or us meeting Him in the air. They're right; the word "rapture" is nowhere to be found. All I see is gobbledygook. For the record, the word "rapture" comes from the Latin word rapturo, which is a translation of the Greek verb "caught up" that's found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

So, is the word 'rapture' found in the Bible? The answer is yes... and no. It depends on the translation you are reading. The real question we should be asking is: 'is the rapture itself mentioned in the Bible?' The answer is a resounding...

YES!