What Scripture says
The word “rapture” comes from the Latin rapiemur, “we shall be caught up”, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17:
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, ESV)
Other key passages:
- “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
- “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left” (Matthew 24:40).
- Jesus speaks of “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world” (Matthew 24:21), and says that “immediately after the tribulation of those days… they will see the Son of Man coming” and “gather his elect” (24:29–31).
- “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
- “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world” (Revelation 3:10).
All Christians believe believers will be “caught up” to meet Christ. The debate is about timing relative to a future tribulation.
What the evidence says
Interpretation
The views
| View | When the rapture happens | Key texts |
|---|---|---|
| Pretribulation | Before a seven-year tribulation; Christ returns secretly for the church, then visibly after | 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Revelation 3:10 |
| Midtribulation or prewrath | Midway, or before God’s wrath is poured out late in the tribulation | Revelation 11, Matthew 24:22 |
| Posttribulation | After the tribulation, at Christ’s single visible return | Matthew 24:29–31, 2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 |
| No distinct rapture | The “catching up” is part of Christ’s one return; no future seven-year tribulation (amillennial and postmillennial views) | 1 Thessalonians 4:17 read with 1 Corinthians 15:52 |
Pretribulation: the church is promised deliverance from God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), and the church isn’t mentioned on earth in Revelation 4–18. The rapture is “imminent”: it could happen at any moment.
Posttribulation: Matthew 24:29–31 places the gathering of the elect “after the tribulation”. Paul says the day of the Lord won’t come until the “man of lawlessness” is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:1–4), which implies believers will see it. The word for “meet” (apantēsis) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 was used of citizens going out to meet a visiting dignitary and escort him back into the city, suggesting believers meet Christ in the air and return with him to earth.
History
Where the pretribulation view came from
- Early church writers generally expected the church to go through a time of tribulation before Christ’s return.
- A few earlier texts have been cited as anticipating a pretribulation rapture, such as a sermon attributed to Pseudo-Ephraem (perhaps 4th–7th century) and writings by Morgan Edwards (1788). Their interpretation is disputed.
- John Nelson Darby (1800–1882), a leader of the Plymouth Brethren, developed and popularized the pretribulation rapture in the 1830s as part of dispensationalism.
- The Scofield Reference Bible (1909) spread it widely in America.
- Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth (1970) and the Left Behind novels (1995–2007) made it a popular belief.
Where they meet
There is no consensus. Each view has texts, and the church has never settled the question. All agree that believers will be gathered to meet Christ when he returns.
What’s still open
The timing of the rapture, and whether there will be a distinct future tribulation.
Bottom line
There is no consensus. Each view has texts, and the church has never settled it, so this is rated Open.