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Question from a friend of WordTruth Ministries:>>>I have a friend who says that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible and therefore should not be taught. Is the rapture in the Bible?>>> WordTruth.Com Response:You hear this criticism often, not just about the rapture but about the Trinity as well. The truth is the Bible was originally written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Koine Greek (New Testament) with a little bit Aramaic as well. So any English word, even "Jesus" would not be found in the original Bible manuscripts. So whatever words we talk about as "Bible words" must be understood as translations or tranliterations of the words/meaning from the original texts. Now the word "rapture" does not appear in modern English translations of the Bible. But 1 Thessalonians 4:17 speaks of a future event that is known today as the rapture. In this verse, there is a phrase, "caught up," that translates a Greek word, "harpaz" - a word meaning to seize suddenly.
During the Middle Ages, practically the only translation of the Greek New Testament to be found was in Latin. The Latin Vulgate translates this Greek word as "raeptius" - a word also meaning to seize suddenly. During this time English translations began to be produced. The English word "rapture" was used in these early Bibles due to its similarity to the Latin word, raeptius. Most English translations today use the phrase, "caught up," which captures the meaning but, in my opinion, does not do justice to the dramatic intent of the original Greek word. Nevertheless, when people today talk about the "Rapture," they are speaking of this event found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. While modern English bibles do not use the specific word "rapture," the teaching concerning this future event is found at various points in the Bible: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, and John 14:1-4. The same can be said for the Trinity - a teaching that is derived from multiple places in the Bible even though the word itself is not used. Since the teaching about the rapture is in the Bible, it should be taught. We are to teach everything that is in the Bible (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 20:27) because it is all profitable for us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus! Rev. Randy Lariscy :-) |
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