First Thessalonians 4 says, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (vv. 17-18). That’s from the classic passage in the New Testament on the rapture of the church, when Jesus comes for us prior to the tribulation.
You might say, “Wait a minute, I didn’t read the word rapture in that verse.” That’s because you’re not reading the right translation. In the Latin Vulgate, the word rapio is there, from which we get our word rapture, which means to seize, carry away instantly, or snatch or take.
The word in the Greek New Testament is harpazó. That’s the word that causes all the problems and debate. It means to be caught up, to take by force, to catch away, to pluck, to catch, or to pull. Harpazó shows up in thirteen verses in the New Testament. It was used to describe a wolf snatching a sheep in John 10:12 and, in Matthew 11:12, to take a kingdom suddenly and by force.
Five times, harpazó refers to supernaturally moving a person from one location to another. So the best translation is to snatch instantly, take away almost violently by force, and place somewhere else. Acts 8 says, “The Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away” (v. 39). The apostle Paul said he was “caught up into Paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4). Both times, it’s the same word, meaning they were supernaturally moved from one place to another.
Compare that to the two men in the Old Testament who were supernaturally taken to heaven by God: Enoch in Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11.
Kenneth Wuest, who was a professor of Greek at Moody Bible Institute, did a four-volume series of word studies in the Greek New Testament. In it, he expanded 1 Thessalonians 4:17 with all the nuance of Greek understanding to give us the best meaning: “Then as for us who are living and we who are left behind, together with them we shall be snatched away forcibly in [masses of saints having the appearance of] clouds for a welcome-meeting with the Lord in the lower atmosphere.” That’s as plain as it gets. We’ll be caught up instantly to meet the Lord in the air, and then we will be with the Lord.
When Jesus told his disciples, “I’m leaving, but I’ll be back and I’ll receive you to Myself,” they didn’t get it. But with the benefit of a completed revelation from the whole New Testament, including all the epistles and the book of Revelation, we know that there are two stages: the rapture and the second coming. And we’re dealing with the first phase.
First Corinthians 15:51-52 says, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” We will instantly go from mortal to immortal, incorruptible, and supernatural. And we’ll meet up with all our friends and relatives who loved Jesus and went before us.
I love that song by James Milton Black that’s usually sung in country churches, “When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.” We’ll all be there if we believe in Him. It’s the great hope, what Paul called “the blessed hope” of the church (Titus 2:13). I hope you’re ready for that event.
