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Biography

The Rapture is a term in Christian_eschatology|Christian eschatology which refers to the "being caught up" discussed in First Epistle to the Thessalonians|1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be "caught up in the clouds" to meet "the Lord#Religion|Lord ". "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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." The Rapture is used in at least two senses in modern traditions of Christian eschatology : in Pretribulationism|pre-tribulationist views, in which a group of people will be "left behind", and as a synonym for the Resurrection of the dead#Christianity|final resurrection generally.Michael D. Guinan, "Raptured or Not? A Catholic Understanding", Catholic Update , October 2005, http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac1005.asp ("But what do we mean by 'the Rapture'? The word can be used in different ways. Spiritual writers have used it for mystical union with God, or our final sharing in God’s heavenly life. This is not the sense we are using it in here; we are using it in a much more specific way. For many American fundamentalist Christians, the Rapture forms part of the scenario of events that will happen at the end of the world....he more common view is .") (Roman Catholic commentary)."Feeling Left Behind? ", Synaxis , http://www.synaxis.org/catechist/rapture.html ("Rapture is a popular term among some Protestant sects for the raising of the faithful from the dead....The belief in rapture tends to be what is called 'pre-tribulation'.") (Eastern Orthodox commentary).Charles Hawkins, "The Rapture", Ask the Priest , August 2, 2005, http://www.askthepriest.org/askthepriest/2005/08/the_rapture.html (Anglican commentary), Comment of Jon Edwards ("he word 'rapture' can be found before 1830. But before 1830 it always referred to a POST-TRIB rapture which was PART of the final Second Coming of Matt. 24. What was new in 1830 was a PRE-TRIB rapture that was totally disconnected from the final Second Coming.").

There are many views among Christians regarding the timing of Second coming of Christ|Christ's return (including whether it will occur in one event or two), and various views regarding the destination of the aerial gathering described in 1 Thessalonians 4. Denominations such as Roman Catholic s,. Holy See|Vatican .va. Retrieved 2011-10-21. Orthodox Christianity|Orthodox Christians ,Light & Life Publishing, Life Line, September 12, 2005, Volume 2, Issue 3, available at http://www.light-n-life.com/newsletters/09-12-2005.htm ("As already stated, most Christians, Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants do not believe in the Rapture.") (Orthodox commentary), last accessed January 27, 2012. Lutheran Christians,Rev. G. Brent McGuire, "Will You Be 'Left Behind'? ", SoundWitness.org, available at http://www.soundwitness.org/evangel/will_you_be_left_behind.htm, last accessed January 27, 2012. Reprinted from The Lutheran Witness, March 2001. and Reformed Christianity|Reformed Christians Brian M. Schwertley, "Is the Pretribulation Rapture Biblical? ", Reformed Online, http://reformedonline.com/view/reformedonline/rapture.htm, last accessed January 27, 2012. believe in a rapture only in the sense of a general final resurrection, when Second Coming of Christ#Christian_views|Christ returns a single time.

Pre-tribulation rapture theology was developed in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren , and popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible . The Scofield Bible: Its History and Impact on the Evangelical Church , Magnum & Sweetnam. Pages 188-195, 218.

Etymology

"Rapture" is derived from Middle French rapture , via the Medieval Latin raptura ("seizure, rape, kidnapping"), which derives from the Latin raptus ("a carrying off"). c.1600, "act of carrying off," from M.Fr. rapture, from M.L. raptura "seizure, rape, kidnapping," from L. raptus "a carrying off" (see rapt). Originally of women and cognate with rape.

Greek

The Koine Greek of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 uses the verb form ??pa??s?µe?a ( harpagesometha ), which means "we shall be caught up" or "taken away", with the connotation that this is a sudden event. The dictionary form of this Greek verb is harpazo ( wikt:??p???|??p??? ). is root of strongs G726 and has the following meanings: (1) to seize, carry off by force; (2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly; (3) to snatch out or take away. This use is also seen in such texts as , and .

Latin

The Latin Vulgate translates the Greek ??pa??s?µe?a as wikt:rapiemur|rapiemur ,1 Thessalonians 4:17. deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus (Latin Vulgate). from the verb rapio meaning "to catch up" or "take away".

English Bible versions

English versions of the Bible have translated rapiemur in various ways:

The Wycliffe Bible (1395), translated from the Latin Vulgate , uses "rushed".1Thess 4:16 "Afterward we that lyuen, that ben left, schulen be rauyschid togidere with hem in cloudis, metinge Crist`in to the eir; and so euere more we schulen be with the Lord."

The Tyndale New Testament (1525), the Bishop's Bible (1568), the Geneva Bible (1587) and the King James Version (1611) use "caught up".Bishop's Bible 17 "Than we which lyue, which remaine, shalbe caught vp together with them in the cloudes, to meete the Lorde in the ayre: And so shall we euer be with the Lorde."

The New English Bible , translated from the Greek,. Bible.org, 2005. Retrieved 2012-02-06. uses "suddenly caught up" with this footnote: "Or “snatched up.” The Greek verb ??p??? implies that the action is quick or forceful, so the translation supplied the adverb “suddenly” to make this implicit notion clear."

Doctrinal history

The concept of the rapture, in connection with premillennialism , was expressed by the 17th-century American Puritanism|American Puritan father and son Increase Mather|Increase and Cotton Mather . They held to the idea that believers would be caught up in the air, followed by judgments on the Earth, and then the millennium . The term rapture was used by Philip Doddridge and John Gill in their New Testament commentaries, with the idea that believers would be caught up prior to judgment on the Earth and Jesus' second coming .

There exists at least one 18th century and two 19th century pre-tribulation references: in an essay published in 1788 in Philadelphia by the Baptist Morgan Edwards which articulated the concept of a pre-tribulation rapture, in the writings of Catholic priest Emmanuel Lacunza in 1812, and by John Nelson Darby in 1827. However, both the book published in 1788 and the writings of Lacunza have opposing views regarding their interpretations. Manuel Lacunza|Emmanuel Lacunza (1731–1801), a Jesuit priest, (under the pseudonym Juan Josafat Ben Ezra) wrote an apocalyptic work entitled La venida del Mesías en gloria y majestad ( The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty ). The book appeared first in 1811, 10 years after his death. In 1827, it was translated into English by the Scottish minister Edward Irving .
Dr. Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (1813-1875), a prominent English theologian and biblical scholar, wrote a pamphlet in 1866 tracing the concept of the rapture through the works of John Darby back to Edward Irving .

Although not using the term "rapture", the idea was more fully developed by Edward Irving (1792–1834). In ? (first volume published in 1706) Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume. Peabody: Hendrickson. Matthew Henry used the term in his commentary of 1 Thessalonians 4. Irving directed his attention to the study of prophecy and eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist idea of James Henthorn Todd , Samuel Roffey Maitland , Robert Bellarmine , and Francisco Ribera , yet he went a step further. Irving began to teach the idea of a two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture prior to the rise of the Antichrist. According to Irving, “There are three gatherings:& nbsp;– First, of the first-fruits of the harvest, the wise virgins who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth; next, the abundant harvest gathered afterwards by God; and lastly, the assembling of the wicked for punishment.”

John Nelson Darby first proposed and popularized the pre-tribulation rapture in 1827. This view was accepted among many other Plymouth Brethren movements in England. Darby and other prominent Brethren were part of the Brethren Movement which impacted American Christianity, especially with movements and teachings associated with Christian eschatology and fundamentalism , primarily through their writings. Influences included the Bible Conference Movement, starting in 1878 with the Niagara Bible Conference. These conferences, which were initially inclusive of Historicism|historicist and Futurism|futurist premillennialism, led to an increasing acceptance of futurist premillennial views and the pre-tribulation rapture especially among Presbyterian, Baptist and Congregational members. Popular books also contributed to acceptance of the pre-tribulation rapture, including William Eugene Blackstone 's book Jesus is Coming published in 1878 and which sold more than 1.3 million copies and the Scofield Reference Bible , published in 1909 and 1919 and revised in 1967.
The early original Christian church , as well as the Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox churches , the Anglican Communion and many Protestant Calvinist denominations, have no tradition of a preliminary return of Christ and reject the doctrine. The Orthodox Church, for example, rejects it because the Protestant doctrine of the rapture depends on a millennial interpretation of prophetic scriptures, rather than an amillennialism|amillennial or postmillennialism|postmillennial fashion.

Some proponents of a preliminary rapture believe the doctrine of amillennialism originated with Alexandria n scholars such as Clement of Alexandria|Clement and Origen and later became Catholic dogma through Augustine of Hippo|Augustine . Thus the church until then held to premillennial views, which see an impending apocalypse from which the church will be rescued after being raptured by the Lord. This is even extrapolated by some to mean that the early church espoused pre-tribulationism.
Some pre-tribulation proponents maintain that the earliest known extra-Biblical reference to the pre-tribulation rapture is from a 7th-century tract known as the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Ephraem the Syria n, which says, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."" However, the interpretation of this writing as supporting a pre-tribulation rapture is debated.

The rise in belief in the pre-tribulation rapture is often wrongly attributed to a 15-year old Scottish-Irish girl named Margaret McDonald (visionary)|Margaret McDonald (a follower of Edward Irving ), who in 1830 had a vision of the end times which describes a post-tribulation view of the rapture that was first published in 1840. It was published again in 1861, but two important passages demonstrating a post-tribulation view were removed to encourage confusion concerning the timing of the rapture. The two removed segments were, "This is the fiery trial which is to try us. - It will be for the purging and purifying of the real members of the body of Jesus" and "The trial of the Church is from Antichrist. It is by being filled with the Spirit that we shall be kept".

In 1957, John Walvoord , a theologian at Dallas Theological Seminary , authored a book, The Rapture Question , that gave theological support to the pre-tribulation rapture; this book eventually sold over 65,000 copies. In 1958, J. Dwight Pentecost authored another book supporting the pre-tribulation rapture, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology , which sold 215,000 copies.

During the 1970s, belief in the rapture became popular in wider circles, in part due to the books of Hal Lindsey , including The Late Great Planet Earth , which has reportedly sold between 15 million and 35 million copies, and the movie A Thief in the Night , which based its title on the scriptural reference 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Lindsey proclaimed that the rapture was imminent, based on world conditions at the time. The Cold War figured prominently in his predictions of impending Armageddon . Other aspects of 1970s global politics were seen as having been predicted in the Bible . Lindsey suggested, for example, that the seven-headed beast with ten horns, cited in the Book of Revelation , was the European Community|European Economic Community , a forebear of the European Union , which between 1981 and 1986 had ten member states; it now has 27 member states.

In 1995, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture was further popularized by Tim LaHaye 's Left Behind (series)| Left Behind series of books, which sold tens of millions of copies and were made into several movies.

The doctrine of the rapture continues to be an important component of United States|American evangelical Christian eschatology.

Views

One event or two

Some Premillennialism#Dispensational premillennialism|dispensationalist premillennialists (including many Evangelicalism|Evangelicals ) hold the return of Christ to be two distinct events, or one second coming in two stages. 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 is seen to be a description of a preliminary event to the return described in Matthew 24:29–31. Although both describe a return of Jesus, these are seen to be separated in time by more than a brief period. The first event may or may not be seen (which is not a primary issue), and is called the rapture, when the saved are to be 'caught up,' from whence the term "rapture" is taken. The "second coming" is a public event, wherein Christ's presence is prophesied to be clearly seen by all, as he returns to end a battle staged at Armageddon , though possibly fought at the Valley of Jehoshaphat . The majority of Dispensationalism|dispensationalists hold that the first event precedes the period of tribulation , even if not immediately (see chart for additional dispensationalist timing views);

Amillennialism|Amillennialists deny the interpretation of a literal 1,000-year rule of Christ, and as such amillennialism does not necessarily imply much difference between itself and other forms of millennialism besides that denial. However, there is considerable overlap in the beliefs of Amillenialists (including most Roman Catholic s, Eastern Orthodox , Anglican s, and Lutheran s), Postmillenialism|postmillennialists (including Presbyterians ), and Historic premillennialism|historic premillennialists (including some Calvinist ic Baptist s, among others) with those who hold that the return of Christ will be a single, public event. Those who identify the rapture with the second coming are likely to emphasize mutual similarities between passages of scripture where clouds, trumpets, angel s or the archangel , resurrection, and gathering are mentioned. Although some (particularly some amillennialists) may take the rapture to be figurative, rather than literal, these three groups are likely to maintain that the passages regarding the return of Christ describe a single event.

Some also claim that the "word of the Lord" cited by Saint Paul|Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 is the Olivet Discourse which Saint Matthew|Matthew separately describes in Matthew 24:29-31. Although the doctrinal relationship between the rapture and the second coming is the same in these three groups, Historic premillennialists are more likely to use the term "rapture" to clarify their position in distinction from dispensationalists.

Destination

Dispensationalists see the immediate destination of the raptured Christians as being Heaven (Christianity)|Heaven , with an eventual return to Earth. Roman Catholic commentators, such as Walter Drum (1912), identify the destination of the 1 Thessalonians 4:17 gathering as Heaven.Drum, W. (1912). . In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 12, 2010 from New Advent

While Anglicans have many views, some Anglican commentators, such as N. T. Wright , identify the destination as a specific place on Earth.. Often the destination identified is Jerusalem in Christianity|Jerusalem . This interpretation may sometimes be connected to Christian environmentalist concerns..

Timing

In the amillennial and postmillennial views, as well as in the post-tribulation premillennial position, there are no distinctions in the timing of the rapture. These views regard the rapture, as it is described in , as being either identical to the second coming of Jesus as described in , or as a meeting in the air with Jesus that immediately precedes his return to the Earth. Within premillennialism, the pre-tribulation position is the predominant view that distinguishes between the rapture and second coming as two events. There are also two minor positions within premillennialism that differ with regard to the timing of the rapture, the mid-tribulation view and the partial-rapture view.

Pre-tribulation

The pre-tribulation position advocates that the rapture will occur before the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period, while the second coming will occur at the end of the seven-year tribulation period. Pre-tribulationists often describe the rapture as Jesus coming for the church and the second coming as Jesus coming with the church. Pre-tribulation educators and preachers include Jimmy Swaggart , J. Dwight Pentecost , Tim LaHaye , J. Vernon McGee , Perry Stone , Chuck Smith (pastor)|Chuck Smith , Hal Lindsey , Chuck Missler , Jack Van Impe , Grant Jeffrey , Thomas Ice , David Reagan , and David Jeremiah .Lindsey, Hal: The Rapture , Bantam Books (1983), p. 25 While many pre-tribulationists are also dispensationalists, not all pre-tribulationists are dispensationalists. page 125

Mid-tribulation

The mid-tribulation position espouses that the rapture will occur at some point in the middle of what is popularly called the tribulation period, or during Daniel's 70th Week. However, since the Bible only uses "tribulation" to refer to the second half of Daniel's 70th week, from a mid-tribulationist's point of view he is a pre-tribulationist. The tribulation is typically divided into two periods of 3.5 years each. Mid-tribulationists hold that the saints will go through the first period (Beginning of Travail, which is not "the tribulation"), but will be raptured into Heaven before the severe outpouring of God's wrath in the second half of what is popularly called the tribulation. Mid-tribulationists appeal to which says the saints will be given over to tribulation for "time, times, and half a time," - interpreted to mean 3.5 years. At the halfway point of the tribulation, the Antichrist will commit the "abomination of desolation" by desecrating the Temple in Jerusalem|Jerusalem temple (to be built on what is now called the Temple Mount, see Third Temple ). Mid-tribulationist teachers include Harold Ockenga , James O. Buswell (a reformed, Calvinistic Presbyterian), and Norman Harrison. page 164 This position is a minority view among premillennialists.

Prewrath

The prewrath|prewrath rapture view also places the rapture at some point during the tribulation period before the second coming. This view holds that the tribulation of the church begins toward the latter part of the seven-year period, being Daniel's 70th week, when the Antichrist is revealed in the temple. This latter half of the seven-year period is defined as the great tribulation, although the exact duration is not known. References from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are used as evidence that this tribulation will be cut short by the coming of Christ to deliver the righteous by means of the rapture, which will occur after specific events in Revelation, in particular after the sixth seal is opened and the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood.Prewrath Consortium: : Timeline However, by this point many Christians will have been slaughtered as martyrs by the Antichrist . After the rapture will come God's Seven seals|seventh-seal wrath of trumpets and bowls (a.k.a. "the Day of the Lord"). The Day of the Lord's wrath against the ungodly will follow for the remainder of the seven years.Rosenthal, Marv: "The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church: Is it Biblical? ", Regular Baptist Press (1991) Marvin Rosenthal, author of The Prewrath Rapture of the Church , is a primary proponent for the prewrath rapture view. His belief is founded on the work of Robert D. Van Kampen (1938–1999); his books "The Sign", "The Rapture Question Answered" and "The Fourth Reich" detail his pre-wrath rapture doctrine.

Partial

The partial rapture theory holds that true Christians will be raptured before, in the midst of, or after the tribulation depending on one's genuine conversion to the faith.Lahaye, Tim. "Charting the End Times" pg.106-108. ISBN 978-0-7369-0138-3. Valley Bible Church Theology Studies. Retrieved 2012-02-12. Therefore, the rapture of a believer is determined by the timing of his conversion during the tribulation. The proponents of this theory hold that only those who are faithful in the church will be raptured or translated and the rest will either be raptured sometime during the tribulation or at its end. As stated by Ira David (a proponent of this view): “The saints will be raptured in groups during the tribulation as they are prepared to go.”Ira E. David, “Translation: When Does It Occur? ” The Dawn, November 15, 1935, p. 358.

Post-tribulation

The Post Tribulation Rapture|post-tribulation position places the rapture at the end of the tribulation period. Post-tribulation writers define the tribulation period in a generic sense as the entire present age, or in a specific sense of a period of time preceding the second coming of Christ. page 128 The emphasis in this view is that the church will undergo the tribulation& nbsp;— even though the church will be spared the wrath of God. page 152 - " Immediately after the Tribulation of those days...they shall gather together his elect... " - is cited as a foundational scripture for this view. Post-tribulationists perceive the rapture as occurring simultaneously with the second coming of Christ. Upon Jesus' return, believers will meet him in the air and will then accompany him in his return to the Earth. In the Epistles of Paul , most notably in and , a Shofar|trumpet is described as blowing at the end of the tribulation to herald the return of Christ; further supports this view.

Authors and teachers who support the post-tribulational view include Pat Robertson , Walter Ralston Martin|Walter R. Martin , John Piper (theologian)|John Piper , George Eldon Ladd|George E. Ladd , Robert H. Gundry , and Douglas Moo .

Date

Since the origin of the concept, many believers in the rapture have made predictions regarding the date of the event. The primary scriptural reference cited against this position is , where Jesus is quoted as saying; "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" ( Revised Standard Version|RSV ). Another potential problem for those attempting to set a date for the rapture arises from , where Jesus is quoted as saying "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" ( King James Version|KJV ).

Any individual or religious group that has dogmatically predicted the day of the rapture, a practise referred to as "date setting", has been thoroughly embarrassed and discredited, as the predicted date of fulfillment has invariably come and gone without event. Some of these individuals and groups have offered excuses and "corrected" target dates, while others have simply released a reinterpretation of the meaning of the scripture to fit their current predicament, and then explained that although the prediction appeared to have not come true, in reality it had been completely accurate and fulfilled, albeit in a different way than many had expected.

Conversely, many of those who believe that the precise date of the rapture cannot be known, do affirm that the specific time frame that immediately precedes the rapture event can be known. This time frame is often referred to as "the season". The primary section of scripture cited for this position is Matthew 24:32-35; where Jesus is quoted teaching the Parable of the budding fig tree|parable of the fig tree , which is proposed as the key that unlocks the understanding of the general timing of the rapture, as well as the surrounding prophecies listed in the sections of scripture that precede and follow this parable.

Predictions

Some notable predictions of the date of the rapture include the following:

70 AD & nbsp;– According to some, Jesus, speaking to his disciples, predicted his return within the span of a single generation. wikisource:Bible (King James)/Matthew#24:34|King James Bible& nbsp;– Matthew 24:34 : "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled". A number of Christian scholars, beginning with Luis del Alcázar in 1614, concluded that Jesus ushered in a spiritual kingdom at that time, and that a future physical return is not required to satisfy biblical prophecy.. Amazon.com, 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

1844 & nbsp;– William Miller (preacher)|William Miller predicted that Christ would return between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844, then revised his prediction, claiming to have miscalculated Scripture, to October 22, 1844. The realization that the predictions were incorrect resulted in a Great Disappointment . Miller's theology gave rise to the Adventism|Advent movement . The Bahá'í Faith|Baha'is believe that Christ did return as Miller predicted in 1844, with the advent of the Báb , and numerous Miller-like prophetic predictions from many religions are given in William Sears (Bahá'í)|William Sears ' book, Thief in The Night .. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

1914 ,Charles Taze Russell and Nelson H. Barbour, The Three Worlds (1907) as cited by James Penton, Apocalypse Delayed , pages 21-22. 1918 , The Finished Mystery , 1917, p. 485, 258, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience , pages 206-211. 1925 , The Way to Paradise booklet, Watch Tower Society, 1924, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience , pages 230-232. 1942 The Watchtower , Sep. 15, 1941, p. 288& nbsp;– Various dates predicted for the rapture by the Jehovah's Witnesses .

1981 & nbsp;– Chuck Smith (pastor)|Chuck Smith predicted that Jesus would probably return by 1981.

1988 & nbsp;– Publication of 88 Reasons why the Rapture is in 1988 , by Edgar C. Whisenant .

1989 & nbsp;– Publication of The final shout: Rapture report 1989 , by Edgar Whisenant. This author made further predictions of the rapture for 1992, 1995, and other years.

1993 & nbsp;– Multiple predictions were given for 1993, seven years before the Y2K|year 2000 ; the rapture would have to start to allow for seven years of the tribulation before the return in 2000.

1994 & nbsp;– Pastor John Hinkle of Christ Church in Los Angeles predicted that the rapture would occur on June 9, 1994. Radio evangelist Harold Camping predicted September 6, 1994.

2011 & nbsp;– Harold Camping 's 2011 end times prediction|revised prediction had May 21, 2011 as the date of the rapture. After this prediction proved inaccurate, he claimed that a non-visible "spiritual judgment" had taken place, and that the physical rapture would occur on October 21, 2011. The physical rapture prediction also proved inaccurate., 24 May 2011.

2060 & nbsp;– in 1704, Sir Isaac Newton proposed that, based upon his calculations using figures from the Book of Daniel , the Apocalypse could happen no earlier than 2060.

Cultural references

In " Thank God, It's Doomsday ", episode 354 of The Simpsons , Homer Simpson predicts the rapture to occur within the week. Homer gets the date wrong and ends up being the only person taken up. Everything is then reversed after Homer vandalizes Heaven . In the American Dad episode " Rapture's Delight ", the rapture occurs and Stan Smith (American Dad)|Stan Smith helps Christ with his final battle with the Antichrist. In the Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural episode "The Rapture", the angel Castiel is taken back to Heaven by his fellow angels to be "reeducated", leaving his vessel Jimmy and the Winchester brothers behind.

The first feature-length cinematic treatment of the rapture was the 1972 film A Thief in the Night (film)|A Thief in the Night . That film was followed by three sequels and a novel, and set up the genre of the rapture film. With only a few exceptions, the genre died out by the end of the 1970s, only to resurface again in the 1990s with such films as Apocalypse (film)|Apocalypse , Revelation (2001 film)|Revelation , The Rapture (film)|The Rapture , Left Behind: The Movie , and The Omega Code . Cloud Ten Pictures specializes in making end-time films. The 2009 film Knowing (film)|Knowing , starring Nicolas Cage , has thematic elements that parallel the rapture, although the term "Rapture" is not used.

In 1950, the novel Raptured by Ernest Angley was published, based on the accounts in the books of Daniel and Revelation. The novel focuses on a man whose mother is raptured along with other Christians, while he is left behind in the tribulation period.ISBN 0-9636772-2-5

Robert Heinlein's 1984 book Job: A Comedy of Justice describes the troubles of a Christian man called Alex, who is moved from parallel world to parallel world, accompanied by his lover Margrethe. Halfway through the book, the rapture occurs and Alex is taken up, but Margrethe is left behind because she is a pagan. The rest of the book describes Alex's attempts to bypass the rules and save his true love.

In 1995, Left Behind (series)|Left Behind was published. The rapture is a major component of the premise of the book and its various spin-offs. The plot of the book was used as a basis for Left Behind film series|a movie series and Left Behind: Eternal Forces|a video game series .

At the height of the Jesus Movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the rapture figured prominently in popular songs by secular artists, such as "Are You Ready? " by Pacific Gas & Electric (band)|Pacific Gas & Electric (#14 in August 1970). Also at that time, the song "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" was written and performed by Larry Norman , one of the founders of the nascent "Jesus Rock" movement in the early 1970s. Other examples of apocalyptic themes like the rapture, the Antichrist , Armageddon and the Second coming of Christ in Larry Norman's writing are "U.F.O." from the 1976 album In Another Land (album)|In Another Land , "Six Sixty Six" from the same album and "Messiah" from .

Examples of apocalyptic themes in Bob Dylan 's writing are "When He Returns", from the 1979 album Slow Train Coming and& nbsp;— quoting 1 Corinthians 15:49–55& nbsp;— Ye Shall Be Changed , released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 .

Other songs about the Christian end times include "Goin' by the Book," " The Man Comes Around (song)|The Man Comes Around " by Johnny Cash , from the album American IV: The Man Comes Around , released in 2002, and "Tribulation" by Charlie Daniels. Noel Gallagher refers to the rapture twice on the Oasis (band)|Oasis album Dig Out Your Soul , first in "The Turning" ("Then come on, when the Rapture takes me, Will you be by my side? ") and also on the following track "Waiting For The Rapture."

FFH (band)|FFH 's popular song "Fly Away" asks what it will be like when the rapture occurs.

Crystal Lewis ' song "People Get Ready Jesus Is Coming."

Sonic Youth 's song "Do You Believe in Rapture? ", on their album Rather Ripped

Siouxsie And The Banshees ' song "The Rapture", from their 1995 The Rapture (album)|album of the same name , lyrically describes the supposed experience of being raptured.

Hurt (band)|Hurt 's 2006 debut song "Rapture" references the rapture directly at the end with "...Rest in peace, until the rapture comes to meet us."

On August 2, 2001, humorist Elroy Willis posted a Usenet article titled "Mistaken Rapture Kills Arkansas Woman". This fictional, Satire|satirical story about a woman who causes a traffic accident and is killed when she believes the rapture has started, circulated widely on the Internet and was believed by many people to be a description of an actual incident. Elements of the story appeared in an episode of the HBO television drama Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under , and a slightly modified version of the story was reprinted in the US tabloid newspaper Weekly World News . The story continues to circulate by electronic mail as a chain letter .

The 2007 video game BioShock is set in the destroyed utopian underwater city of Rapture (BioShock)|Rapture . The city was to house the best and brightest people on Earth in a completely free society. The city was named Rapture because those chosen by the city's founder disappeared to live in his utopia, mirroring God calling the faithful to Heaven.

The Left Behind: Eternal Forces|Left Behind series of games takes place after the rapture.

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1. Afterlife 2. Appliance 3. Die Warzau 4. Stan Kenton 5. Paradise Lost 6. Pedro the Lion 7. The Polyphonic Spree 8. Sviatoslav Richter 9. Vicki Sue Robinson 10. Jill Sobule 11. Stryper 12. Ian Dury 13. Impaled Nazarene 14. indie rock 15. Kid 606 16. Death Angel 17. Galahad 18. Fabian Del Priore 19. Steve Morse 20. Fain Sammy 21. Thomas Newman 22. Debbie Harry 23. Silver Apples 24. Mahler 25. Scarling

Undetermined Music Artists