For $64,000, Name All the Raptures in the Bible

[Atwood]

As I recall there are 9 Raptures in the Bible.

Can you name them?

By rapture I mean a catching up as in 1 Thes 4:17 (harpagēsometha = rapiemur = we shall be raptured (caught up).

You might say that Jacob was in rapture when he first saw Rachel, a figurative rapture, which is the common way of using the term in non-theological English ("I am in rapture"), as caught up in delight. But that is not the topic here.

 

[breno785au]

Would you say the rescuing of Lot is a picture of rapture?

 

[Atwood]

Would you say the rescuing of Lot is a picture of rapture?

I would agree that Lot's rescue is a type of the Rapture, but that is not what I mean. I mean a person caught up to go to Heaven. You can find some of them by checking the occurrences of the verb harpazō as in BDAG Greek Lexicon:

ἁρπάζω ‘snatch, seize’, i.e. take suddenly and vehemently, or take away.

 

[Atwood]

I will help you with the first one, as I count them:

#1 = Enoch - Genesis 5

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Hebrews 11


By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken [μετέθηκεν] him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

"had taken" = μετέθηκεν, dictionary form =


μετατίθημι gener. ‘change (the position of)’.


1. to convey from one place to another, put in another place, transfer
W. acc. of pers. and indication of the goal
μεταθέντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν καροῦχαν they had him transferred to the carriage MPol 8:2.

Pass.: of corpses
μετετέθησαν εἰς Συχέμ they were brought back to Shechem Ac 7:16.

W. indication of the place fr. which
ἐκ τῶν βασάνων be removed from (the place of) torment Hv 3, 7, 6
(μετατίθημι ἐκ as a grave-ins fr. Amastris).

Of Enoch
be taken up, translated, taken away (to heaven) Hb 11:5a; 1 Cl 9:3
(cp. Sir 44:16; Wsd 4:10);
the act. in the same sense and of the same person Hb 11:5b (Gen 5:24).


2. to effect a change in state or condition, change, alter
τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα εἰς ἀσέλγειαν pervert the grace of our God to dissoluteness Jd 4.

Pass.
μετατιθεμένης τῆς ἱερωσύνης when the priesthood is changed, i.e. passed on to another Hb 7:12 (Jos., Ant. 12, 387 of the transfer of the office of high priest to another person).

—Of a severe alteration in condition collapse μεγάλαι πόλεις μετατίθονται AcPl Ha 2, 25f.


3. to have a change of mind in allegiance, change one’s mind, turn away, desert mid.

—ὁ μεταθέμενος in Diog. L. and Athen. [the latter without the art.] refers to Dionysius the Turncoat, who left the Stoics and adopted Epicureanism)

ἀπό τινος εἴς τι from someth. to someth.
μ. ἀπὸ τοῦ καλέσαντος ὑμᾶς . . . εἰς ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον desert him who called you (and turn) to another gospel Gal 1:6

ἀπὸ τῶν χαλεπῶν ἐπὶ τὰ δίκαια turn away from evil to good MPol 11:1

< BDAG Lexicon

 

[psalm6819]

Elijah, Enoch, as opposed to Phillip(translated but not gone) but those are 2 that come immediately to mind.

 

[Kerry]

There are not 9 and is a false statement and the reason you promised 64,000 dollars. There are only three. Noah, Lot, and the Babylonian captivity. Enoch and Elijah do not count as that was a personal thing and in God's plan to be the two witnesses. They were not translated.

 

[Kerry]

There are not 9 and is a false statement and the reason you promised 64,000 dollars. There are only three. Noah, Lot, and the Babylonian captivity. Enoch and Elijah do not count as that was a personal thing and in God's plan to be the two witnesses. They were not translated.

well if you count Jesus I guess that's four. But it must be a translation into a glorified body to be a rapture.

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Enoch
Elijah
The Messiah
Philip
Paul
John
the Church
the 2 Witnesses in Revelation

 

[dcontroversal]

Good luck collecting....... HAH!

 

[GodIsSalvation]

For specific people being "raptured" this is the list of 9 I found. In terms of the resurrections, I am not sure if they could be considerred raptures or if maybe the first resurrection could be considerred a rapture since the saints are to reign with Jesus 1,000 years, but the second seems to me is more catch-all being Judgement Day and all. So I added the first resurrection here as the 10th with a little asterisk (*).

As far as the money goes, lol you really should never wager more than you're willing to lose, even in jest. However, I cannot collect the money, nor am I terribly concerned over it. For myself I am just curious how I rank in the challenge and hope for a reply. If I win just give a lil bit to CC.com on my behalf as I cannot do online money stuff at all, and give a little bit in secret to someone in your area that is in need.

1. Enoch (you kinda gave this to us as a freebie, but nonetheless Genesis 5:18-24)
2. Elijah (2 Kings 2)
3. Isaiah (Isaiah 6)
4. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8)
5. Jesus (Luke 24 or any of the last chapter of four gospels)
6. Phillip (Acts 8)
7. Paul (2 Corinthians 12)
8. Apostle John (Revelation 4:1)
9. Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:11-12)
10. First Resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6)*

 

[Atwood]

There are not 9 and is a false statement and the reason you promised 64,000 dollars. There are only three. Noah, Lot, and the Babylonian captivity. Enoch and Elijah do not count as that was a personal thing and in God's plan to be the two witnesses. They were not translated.

Well, Kerry, it won't damn you to Hell to disagree with me on this one.

BDAG says:

Of Enoch
be taken up, translated, taken away (to heaven) Hb 11:5a; 1 Cl 9:3
(cp. Sir 44:16; Wsd 4:10);
the act. in the same sense and of the same person Hb 11:5b (Gen 5:24).

Hebrews says:

"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken [μετέθηκεν] him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God."

ESV translates μετετέθη as "taken up," though it appears to me that it means a change of position. You think the Lord rolled him on the ground? He was taken (up) that he should not see death. Then Enoch was not found. That looks to me like Enoch was no longer on earth, & if so, he was taken up, a rapture occurred. It doesn't say a rapture to Heaven, neither is a specific destination essential to my rapture count.

So I count this as the first rapture in the Bible.

 

[Atwood]

Well, thus far no one has come forth with the 9 Raptures that I count.

So I help you a little more:

1) Enoch,
2) Elijah.

2 Kings 2:

11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Now how you gone say this ain't no Rapture? Remember that my count does not depend upon having Heaven as the destination, only on someone being caught up (literally), though surely this rapture was to Heaven.

It is interesting that rather early in Church History, we seem to find Enoch & Elijah mentioned as the 2 witnesses in Rev 11 (probably on the grounds that it is appointed to man once to die & these 2 have never yet died). See the Sermon of Ephraem, which I posted in another thread on the Rapture (Ephraem or whoever it was who wrote apparently in the time frame 300's - 700's AD, speaks of Enoch & Elijah).

That's 2.

Philip was mentioned. He was raptured (caught up), though not all the way to Heaven. So Philip is a 3rd, but not the 3rd in my list starting with Enoch.

So there are now 9-3 = 6 more to list.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

Well, thus far no one has come forth with the 9 Raptures that I count.

So I help you a little more:

1) Enoch,
2) Elijah.

2 Kings 2:

11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Now how you gone say this ain't no Rapture? Remember that my count does not depend upon having Heaven as the destination, only on someone being caught up (literally), though surely this rapture was to Heaven.

It is interesting that rather early in Church History, we seem to find Enoch & Elijah mentioned as the 2 witnesses in Rev 11 (probably on the grounds that it is appointed to man once to die & these 2 have never yet died). See the Sermon of Ephraem, which I posted in another thread on the Rapture (Ephraem or whoever it was who wrote apparently in the time frame 300's - 700's AD, speaks of Enoch & Elijah).

That's 2.

Philip was mentioned. He was raptured (caught up), though not all the way to Heaven. So Philip is a 3rd, but not the 3rd in my list starting with Enoch.

So there are now 9-3 = 6 more to list.

I am curious which from my list do you disqualify as a rapture?

 

[Atwood]

Enoch
Elijah
The Messiah
Philip
Paul
John
the Church
the 2 Witnesses in Revelation

BINGO!

Of course Paul & John may have been raptured only in vision.

Apply to Revlon for your $640,000 (allowing for 10 fold inflation since 1956) -- cokes were a nickel in those days!

<strong>[video=youtube;OMpgVP5lARg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMpgVP5lARg&amp;spfreload=10[/video]

 

[Atwood]

For specific people being "raptured" this is the list of 9 I found. In terms of the resurrections, I am not sure if they could be considerred raptures or if maybe the first resurrection could be considerred a rapture since the saints are to reign with Jesus 1,000 years, but the second seems to me is more catch-all being Judgement Day and all. So I added the first resurrection here as the 10th with a little asterisk (*).

As far as the money goes, lol you really should never wager more than you're willing to lose, even in jest.

I didn't wager anything nor promise anything. You really should not judge. I didn't say I would give you any money. I gave a challenge command, like the Lord Jesus who told a woman to go & get her husband, when He knew she had no husband. A command is not an assertion nor a promise.

However, I cannot collect the money, nor am I terribly concerned over it. For myself I am just curious how I rank in the challenge and hope for a reply. If I win just give a lil bit to CC.com on my behalf as I cannot do online money stuff at all, and give a little bit in secret to someone in your area that is in need.

1. Enoch (you kinda gave this to us as a freebie, but nonetheless Genesis 5:18-24)
2. Elijah (2 Kings 2)
3. Isaiah (Isaiah 6)
4. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8)
5. Jesus (Luke 24 or any of the last chapter of four gospels)
6. Phillip (Acts 8)
7. Paul (2 Corinthians 12)
8. Apostle John (Revelation 4:1)
9. Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:11-12)
10. First Resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6)*

This was an excellent response. But I don't find any rapture, catching up, in Rev 20:

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

I take it that the Lord Jesus returns to earth as above & raises the dead to life on earth. He doesn't catch them up. But I suppose you could argue that making a person pop-up out of the ground to its surface is a rapture.

Then you have the 2nd resurrection. No catch up is mentioned with that either. But I suppose you could infer one. Where do you think the Great White Throne Judgment is held?


Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

I don't think it is clear. I think it could be that the Lord Jesus is seated on earth on a Great White Throne, but then the earth & sky are dissolved temporarily before reconstitution. So then the earth is pulled out from under the feet of those raised, and they find themselves dangling in nowhere/somewhere???'

Thank you for provoking new theological thoughts in my mind, thoughts to ponder, but not to get worked up over.

Congrats on an excellent answer.

You left out the Church. Here is my answer:

9 Raptures in my Bible: Enoch, Elijah, Christ, Philip Paul, John, the Church, the 2 Witnesses of Rev 11. (Paul & John are probably Rapture in vision.)

You actually claimed 11 (2 witnesses). I will check on Elijah & Isaiah -- not in my list.

 

[Atwood]

I am curious which from my list do you disqualify as a rapture?

I was counting the 2 witnesses separately. You count them as 1; I think your count on that is better than mine. I count the rapture of the Church as 1 rapture, thus I should also count the 2 witnesses as 1 rapture. You have improved my theology. Thanks!

 

[Atwood]

Correction, I said "I will check on Elijah & Isaiah -- not in my list." I meant to say Ezekiel & Isaiah. I never thought of including Isaiah. But I think you are right on Ezekiel, taken up by a lock of his hair. (maybe in vision). I think Isaiah saw the Lord at the temple, where merely the hem of Isaiah's garment filled the temple. But I am going to look at that one again.

 

[Atwood]

Ezekiel yes, I see a Rapture there. Thanks much to GraceTFIC for educating me on that one.

In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal. 3 He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.

I put this in the category with Paul & John, whose rapture may have been in vision only.

So my final & revised list is still 9:

Enoch
Elijah
Ezekiel
Christ
Philip
Paul
John
The Church
2 Witnesses

Possibly the 2nd resurrection to the Great White Throne would be a 10th. Some might want to count a movement of the human spirit from the body at the death of each believer, a movement to Heaven. But are spacial, physical terms even applicable to the spirit? Paul was absent from Corinth in body, but present in spirit he said. And to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

So much for the theory that there is NO RAPTURE in the Bible! Now to contemplate the beatific vision, seeing the face of the Lord Jesus, seeing the marks in His hands, feet, & side, in beauty glorified, is something to bring rapture to the heart. His appearing is our blessed hope. I look out my window now & look towards the sky.

I am reminded of Elijah at Mt Carmel looking for a cloud of rain, illustrated so well by Mendelssohn in his Oratorio Elijah: He sends a lad to look towards the sea. Some lyrics from memory:

Look towards the sea.
Boy: There is nothing, the earth is as iron under me.
Elijah to the Lord: Give ear to my prayer; Be not silent to me!
Boy: Behold, a cloud appears out of the waters; it is as a man's hand,
the sky is dark with cloud & wind, the wind rushes louder & louder . . .

Chorus Choir: The waters move, they rush along, they rush along!
Thanks be to God, he laveth the thirsty land!

Imagine a cloud as a man's hand arising from the water, turning into a huge storm. Do you suppose we may see a small cloud at first? Or will it be the sweetest sound of trumpet, sweeter than anything we could ever imagine. But living or just-raised-from-the-dead, those of us who trust our precious Savior will be there at the Rapture & be caught up to this glorious meeting in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. Perhaps our departure will be as in a whirlwind, like that of Elijah.

This one changed laveth to reviveth.

<font color="#008F15"><span style="font-family: Arial"><font color="#000000"><font size="5">[video=youtube;77G4mR6VByM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77G4mR6VByM&amp;spfreload=10[/video]

 

[GodIsSalvation]

I didn't wager anything nor promise anything. You really should not judge. I didn't say I would give you any money. I gave a challenge command, like the Lord Jesus who told a woman to go & get her husband, when He knew she had no husband. A command is not an assertion nor a promise.



This was an excellent response. But I don't find any rapture, catching up, in Rev 20:

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

I take it that the Lord Jesus returns to earth as above & raises the dead to life on earth. He doesn't catch them up. But I suppose you could argue that making a person pop-up out of the ground to its surface is a rapture.

Then you have the 2nd resurrection. No catch up is mentioned with that either. But I suppose you could infer one. Where do you think the Great White Throne Judgment is held?


Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

I don't think it is clear. I think it could be that the Lord Jesus is seated on earth on a Great White Throne, but then the earth & sky are dissolved temporarily before reconstitution. So then the earth is pulled out from under the feet of those raised, and they find themselves dangling in nowhere/somewhere???'

Thank you for provoking new theological thoughts in my mind, thoughts to ponder, but not to get worked up over.

Congrats on an excellent answer.

You left out the Church. Here is my answer:

9 Raptures in my Bible: Enoch, Elijah, Christ, Philip Paul, John, the Church, the 2 Witnesses of Rev 11. (Paul & John are probably Rapture in vision.)

You actually claimed 11 (2 witnesses). I will check on Elijah & Isaiah -- not in my list.

Did not realize the Two Witnesses counted as two raptures. I was assuming since they are taken up at same time that counts as one rapture event. As far as the rapture of the Church I did not forget about it, that is the First Resurrection. However due to reasoning that it might not be technically a rapture this is why I added the asterisk next to it for review. Whether or not it is counted to be a rapture, I will leave it to your or Revlon's discretion.

As for the $64,000, this topic is titled, "For $64,000, Name All the Raptures." Thereby it was promised the winner, whomever it may be, a specific reward of $64,000. Whether you pledged this on your behalf or whether you work for Revlon and pledged this on their behalf, indeed let us press them to keep their word good.

EDIT: Also I liked that video, I watched it. Lol, it made me laugh that a "Futurama" to the Elders/Ancients was a type of lipstick and to us its a somewhat cheesy cartoon.

 

[Atwood]

Did not realize the Two Witnesses counted as two raptures. I was assuming since they are taken up at same time that counts as one rapture event.

I agree, You are right; it should be counted as 1. I revised my list thanks to you.

As far as the rapture of the Church I did not forget about it, that is the First Resurrection.

The rapture is not a resurrection. It does follow the resurrection. WE WHO ARE ALIVE shall be caught up. People whose bodies were never buried are caught up! You can't raise something never buried nor entombed.

As for the $64,000, this topic is titled, "For $64,000, Name All the Raptures." Thereby it was promised the winner, whomever it may be, a specific reward of $64,000. Whether you pledged this on your behalf or whether you work for Revlon and pledged this on their behalf, indeed let us press them to keep their word good.

Nothing was promised to anyone. No payer is mentioned. For could mean "in hope of" or "in honor of" -- the expression is ambiguous. The only verb is an imperative command. Nothing was promised. Suppose someone tells you he wants fish. You reply, "For fish, go drop your line in the water," -- that is no promise of anything.

Glad you enjoyed the video. And thanks for the improvement of my rapture count.