The pretribulation rapture (believers snatched to heaven before a final tribulation) is a modern doctrine.
Imported citation, not independently checked: E. R. Sandeen, The Roots of Fundamentalism; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
religion · Shared topic · Revision 0
Where Did the Rapture Come From?
Where Did the Rapture Come From?
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A doctrine the early church never taught, assembled from one verse in the 1830s.
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Read in context, Paul is consoling Thessalonians grieving dead believers (1 Thessalonians 4:13): his point is that the dead are not at a disadvantage when Christ returns.
Imported citation, not independently checked: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The imagery of going out "to meet" (Greek apántēsis) a returning dignitary echoes a civic welcome party that escorts the arriving lord back into the city, not a retreat to heaven for seven years.
Imported citation, not independently checked: 1 Thessalonians 4:17, apantesis
The system arrives with John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), an Anglo-Irish minister who became a leading figure among the Plymouth Brethren.
Imported citation, not independently checked: John Nelson Darby; E. R. Sandeen, The Roots of Fundamentalism
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