And they didn’t see the Church at all, which is who the Rapture affects. The prophets “inquired and searched carefully” (1 Peter 1:10-11), but they saw more of the big picture than the details. But that is not surprising they didn’t differentiate clearly between the First and Second Advents of Christ. The prophets saw what appears to be the Tribulation-“the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7)-not the Rapture. The purpose of the Rapture is to spare Christ’s own from the horrors of the Tribulation according to Revelation 3:10. The two stages, Rapture and Return, will be separated by a seven-year Tribulation on earth.

Will the Rapture occur at Christ’s Second Coming? The short answer is, “Yes, but….” The Rapture sets in motion the End-Time events leading to Christ’s Second Coming. The Rapture Is Different From Christ's Second Coming Third, harpazo can mean “to snatch away speedily.” The Rapture will occur “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52).įourth, harpazo can mean “to rescue from the danger of destruction.” This meaning supports the idea that the Rapture will save the Church from experiencing the terrors of the seven-year Tribulation. Second, harpazo can mean “to claim for oneself eagerly.” Christ purchased us with His blood, and He will return to claim those who are His.

The Greek harpazo occurs fourteen times in the New Testament with four variations of meaning, each of which contributes to our understanding of what Paul is describing in verse 17: “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”įirst, harpazo can mean “to carry off by force.” Christ will use His power to remove living and deceased believers from the last enemy, death. Rapture is derived from the Latin translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which translates the Greek harpazo (to catch up or carry away) as rapiemur from the Latin rapio.

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