Rapture comes from a form of the Latin rapto, to seize violently and carry away, as in the Latin Bibles in;
Matthew 11:12 And from the days
of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force.
MAT11.12 a diebus autem Iohannis Baptistae usque nunc regnum caelorum
vim patitur et violenti rapiunt illud.
(2012-02-03). The Latin and English Parallel Bible (Vulgate and KJV)
(Kindle Location 74453). Latus ePublishing. Kindle Edition.)
The Greek word harpazo for take it by force is also the word used in 1Thessalonians 4:17 as shall be caught up. This is not the
general resurrection of the good and the bad spoken of by Daniel in 12:2. This
is a forceful removal, a translation.
All that being said, it is more important what the Bible says in English than
in Latin or Greek.
It is important to note that doctrine exists even if the
majority of people do not understand or believe it. If it is true, it simply
is, regardless of opinion. As an example, the early church was premillennial,
in that they believed in chiliasm (kill e as um), believing that Christ would
return to rule physically on earth for a thousand years. Historical writers
like Will Durant, in his epic eleven volume The
Story of Civilization noted this.
“The apostles were apparently unanimous in believing that
Christ would soon return to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.” [1]
With this belief came the understanding that the church
itself, the people, would be removed or translated from the world before
Christ’s return, based on several verses in the Bible beginning with Enoch
being physically removed without dying. These doctrines seem to need to be
taken together. See Genesis 5:24;
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not;
for God took him.
Three times this translation of Enoch is mentioned in one
verse;
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should
not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before
his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Three times; in Proverbs 25:7; Revelation 4:1; and 11:12 the
phrase come up hither, here, is used;
Proverbs 25:7 For better it is that it be said unto thee,
Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the
prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was
opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet
talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which
must be hereafter.
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven
saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud;
and their enemies beheld them.
Luke 17:34-36 is often used as evidence of it;
Luke 17:34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two
men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one
shall be taken, and the other left. 36
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other
left.
1Thessalonians 4:13-17;
13 ¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope. 14 For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him. 15 For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 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. 18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
In the second letter Paul warns the Thessalonians that
something has to happen before this. First there is a great falling away in the
church, away from Christ, then the Beast is revealed.
2Thessalonians 2: 1
¶ Now we beseech you, brethren, by the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be
troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the
day of Christ is at hand.
3
¶ Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [Jeremiah
37:13 – going over to the enemy] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the
son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that
he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with
you, I told you these things? 6 And now
ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming: 9
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness.
[1] Will Durant, “The Apostles: A.D.
30-95,” The Story of Civilization:Volume 3, Caesar and Christ (New York: Simon & Schuster,
1944), 575.
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