Rapture is the effect or action of rapturing, that is, removing something suddenly from a place. However, there are several different applications for this term. The most common refers to a concept described in the Christian bible, where the faithful would be rescued by Jesus Christ before the final Apocalypse.
Rapture can be related to the condition of an individual's state of mind or mood, dominated by joy, enthusiasm and admiration for something or someone.
Still in the figurative sense, rapture means the explosion of other feelings, such as euphoria, fury, anger, sudden anger and so on.
Example: "The hostages were saved thanks to the police seizing the guns from the bandits."
Usually, this term is related to studies of Christian eschatology, referring to the end of the world and the supposed resurgence of Jesus Christ.
Learn more about the meaning of eschatology.
Rapture in the Bible
According to some Christian doctrines, the rapture is a concept that is related to the last seven years that precede the so-called "Last Judgment".
The description of the rapture of the church is found in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:50-54. However, even though this concept is described in the bible, the word "rapture" is not present to designate it.
Thus, the idea of the rapture within the church is an interpretation that some doctrines have made of certain biblical passages.
How will the bible be the rapture?
According to the bible accounts, the rapture will be an episode in which all true believers in God will be suddenly taken to heaven, in the "Heavenly Kingdom".
Like the living believers who have been raptured, those who have died will be resurrected and join others in Paradise.
After the Rapture, the Earth will live a period called the Great Tribulation, a time of chaos in which the Antichrist, false prophets and the Beast (the devil) will reign. The Great Tribulation, according to the bible, will last seven years.
At the end of the seventh year, the Last Judgment will come and the kingdom of God will rule the earth for another thousand years.
See also the meaning of Apocalypse.
Difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ
Not all doctrines adopt the same interpretation of biblical passages, so it is correct to say that the rapture is a concept accepted only by some Christian strands.
The Catholic Church, for example, does not believe that an event like the rapture occurs before the Apocalypse. Catholics believe in parousia, also known as the Second Coming of Christ.
This event would be described as the coming of Jesus Christ to "judge" people at the Last Judgment. Unlike the rapture, believers will not be taken to Paradise before the coming of Christ, but will wait on earth along with others.
However, just as the Rapture predicts, the Second Coming of Christ will also serve as the time when God will save the righteous, making them enjoy eternal life. On the other hand, all the wicked will be condemned to live without the presence of the Divine, that is, in hell.