The most common attack on the Rapture is also the easiest one to answer.
“The word rapture isn’t in the Bible.”
That statement is technically true in English. And it is completely misleading.
Rick Rene — known to thousands as Rick B2T — just launched a brand new 7-day Bible study series called The Rapture: What the Bible Really Says. And Day 1 starts by dismantling the most repeated objection to the doctrine before building the case from Scripture word by word.
Here is what the critics are missing.
The Greek word harpazo — translated “caught up” in most English Bibles — appears 13 times in the New Testament. It means to seize, snatch away, or carry off by force. It is always sudden. It is always divine. It is always upward. And Jerome translated it as rapturo in the Latin Vulgate in 382 AD — which is where we get the English word rapture.
That is over 1400 years before John Nelson Darby was born.
The claim that Darby invented the Rapture is not just wrong — it is historically backwards. Ephrem the Syrian wrote about the catching away of believers before tribulation in 373 AD. Irenaeus referenced it in the second century. The doctrine does not belong to Darby. It belongs to Scripture.
Day 1 of the series walks through:
- Every use of harpazo in the New Testament — Acts 8, 2 Corinthians 12, Revelation 12, and 1 Thessalonians 4
- The Enoch type in Genesis 5 — the oldest preview of the Rapture in all of Scripture
- The full verse by verse breakdown of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 — why Paul wrote it and what every word means
- What our resurrection bodies will actually look like — with Jesus’s post-resurrection appearances as the template
- Why this is called the blessed hope and why that anchor matters more right now than at any other moment in history
Every scripture is quoted from the ESV. Every claim is backed by the Word. And Rick addresses skeptics directly — not defensively but confidently — because the evidence is that strong.
Read the full Day 1 teaching — Is the Rapture in the Bible? — on FaithNFreedom.social
This is Day 1 of 7. The series covers the Rapture vs. the Second Coming, the pre-trib mid-trib post-trib debate, who gets raptured, the signs of the season we are in right now, and how to live ready regardless of where you stand on the timing. It is the most complete Rapture study Rick has ever taught — and it is free on FaithNFreedom.social.
📖 Read Day 1 free now: 👉 Is the Rapture in the Bible? The Full ESV Study — FaithNFreedom.social
Watch Rick live Monday through Friday at 5pm CST: https://rumble.com/c/Blessed2Teach
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What is the Rapture and is it really in the Bible? The Rapture refers to the catching away of believers described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where Paul says the dead in Christ rise first and living believers are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. The Greek word harpazo translated caught up appears 13 times in the New Testament confirming the doctrine is absolutely in Scripture.
Where does the English word rapture come from? The word rapture comes from the Latin word rapturo which Jerome used to translate the Greek word harpazo in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in the Latin Vulgate in 382 AD. It has nothing to do with John Nelson Darby who was born over 1400 years later.
What does harpazo mean in the New Testament? Harpazo means to seize or snatch away by force and describes sudden forceful divine removal. It is used in Acts 8 when Philip was caught away by the Spirit, in 2 Corinthians 12 when Paul was caught up to the third heaven, and in Revelation 12 when the male child is caught up to God.
What happens to the human body at the Rapture? Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 that believers will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye — the Greek word atomos meaning an indivisible instant — transformed from perishable to imperishable, from weakness to power, from a natural body to a glorified body like Jesus’s resurrection body.
What does blessed hope mean in the Bible? Blessed hope appears in Titus 2:13 where blessed translates the Greek makarios meaning divinely favored and hope translates elpis meaning confident expectation based on God’s promise. Together they describe the Rapture as a certain triumphant event that should produce joy not fear in every believer.
What is the oldest reference to the Rapture in Scripture? The oldest prophetic type of the Rapture is Enoch in Genesis 5:24 who walked with God and was taken by God without dying. Hebrews 11:5 confirms Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death. This foreshadows what 1 Thessalonians 4 describes for the generation alive when the trumpet sounds.
What does Isaiah 25:8 say about the Rapture and resurrection? Isaiah 25:8 declares that God will swallow up death forever and wipe away tears from all faces. Paul quotes this verse directly in 1 Corinthians 15:54 when he declares death is swallowed up in victory at the resurrection and Rapture — confirming this Old Testament prophecy points directly to that event.
What does 2 Peter 3 say to people who doubt the Rapture? Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:3-4 that scoffers asking where the promise of His coming is will appear in the last days and names their existence as a fulfilled prophecy. He adds in 2 Peter 3:8-9 that God is not slow but patient, not wishing any to perish, and is waiting for the last person who will believe before the promise is kept.
What is the B2T Show and when does Rick Rene broadcast live? The B2T Show is hosted by Rick Rene and broadcasts live Monday through Friday at 5pm CST and Sundays at 11am CST on Rumble at rumble.com/c/Blessed2Teach and on YouTube and FaithNFreedom TV. The show covers biblical teaching, prophetic insight, current events, and Christian patriot truth.
How can I watch the Rapture Bible study series for free? The full 7-day series The Rapture: What the Bible Really Says by Rick Rene is available free at FaithNFreedom.social and streams 24/7 on FaithNFreedom TV at faithnfreedom.live on any device including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, and Android with no subscription or account required.
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