14.1. Is there a Rapture
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A frequently-heard statement by Christians is, Theres no rapture mentioned in the Bible! As we shall see, this is an inaccurate statement on two counts:
- The term rapture is a biblical term.
- The teaching of the Rapture is found in Scripture even if the term is absent.
Deinde nos, qui vivimus, qui relinquimur, simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Christo in aera, et sic sempe cum Domino erimus. [Then we, who are alive, who remain, together will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet Christ in the air, and so always with the Lord we will be.] [emphasis added]
So we see that the term rapture is in the Bibleit just depends which Bible you are talking about! If you mean one of the recent translations which have only been on the scene for decades, or even the KJV which is hundreds of years old, then you wont find the term. But if you are talking about the Grand Daddy of all Bibles which ruled for a millennium (the Vulgate), then the term is indeed there! Even if we could not find the actual term rapture in a Bible, it would not indicate that the doctrine of the Rapture is not taught within Scripture. After all, we dont find the terms Trinity, omnipresence, or omniscience in Scripture, but these doctrines are clearly taught by Scripture. So all that is necessary to establish the truth of a teaching is whether the concept is found in Scripture. Here too, the Rapture passes the test.Notes
1 Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1986), 26.