The Meaning of Rapture: What It Is and How To Use It

What does the word rapture mean in a religious and non-religious sense? How can it be used in a sentence? This article covers the meaning of rapture.

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The word rapture can have a couple of meanings, depending on whether it is used in a religious context. This article will detail what the rapture refers to in Christianity and what it means in a non-religious context. 

This article will also teach you the origin of the word rapture, how rapture can be used in a sentence, and synonyms and antonyms of rapture.

What Does the Word Rapture Mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, rapture can refer to a feeling of lofty emotion and ecstasy. It can also refer to transporting a person by supernatural means or the act of kidnapping or snatching with a force of movement.

Christianity

In Christianity, the rapture refers to Jesus lifting up the church into the heavens. The rapture takes place in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:52-58. The second half of the rapture is when Jesus Christ physically returns to Israel. 

These two periods are separated by seven years, known as the Great Tribulation. The belief in the pre-tribulation rapture, the period of tribulation, and living as if Jesus is returning today is known as premillennialism.

In some forms of fundamentalist Protestant eschatology and theology, people believe that during the second coming of Jesus Christ, believers will ascend into heaven to reunite with Jesus. Many facets of Christianity believe in the second coming, including those who consider themselves dispensationalists. 

Ideas about the rapture and resurrection are present in many books of the Bible and its doctrine, including the Book of Revelation, Matthew, and more. 

In the eschatology of certain Christian groups, the resurrection will bring destruction to the souls who do not believe in the prediction of Christ’s return. They believe that the return of Christ will reunite believers with the angels while the non-believers will receive persecution from the wrath of God.

What Is the Origin of Rapture?

According to Christianity, rapture comes from the Old French rat, meaning abduction. This comes from the Latin word rapio — which means caught up — from the Latin raptus

How Can Rapture Be Used in a Sentence?

The word rapture will most often be used as the dictionary definition and not the Biblical definition if you hear it outside of a church, sermon, or religious discussion. 

Take a look at the below sentences containing the word rapture to see how it’s used. Then, try coming up with your own example sentences using the word rapture!

The sweet music brought the man extreme rapture, and in a flash, he was transported to somewhere else in his mind. As the last trumpet blew its final note, he came back to Earth.

The twinkling of an eye indicated her perfect rapture while listening to the saints talk about Christian theologies.

She felt rapture on the ice and knew that hockey was the sport for her. 

What Are Translations of Rapture?

The concept of rapture can be discussed in many other languages besides English. With these translations of rapture from Nice Translator, you can discuss rapture with people all over the world. 

You can learn what brings other people rapture, as well as when you feel rapture yourself!

  • Croatian: ushićenje
  • Spanish: rapto
  • Catalan: rapte
  • Portuguese (Brazil): êxtase
  • Malayalam: ഹര്ഷോന്മാദം
  • Tamil: பேரானந்தம்
  • Hungarian: elragadtatás
  • German: Entrückung
  • Turkish: rapture
  • Basque: liluramendu
  • Malay: Pengangkatan
  • Czech: extáze
  • Japanese: rap rap
  • Slovak: výprask
  • Greek: έκσταση
  • Welsh: hyslygion
  • Swahili: Unyakuo
  • Hebrew: הִתלַהֲבוּת
  • Swedish: hänryckning
  • Italian: rapimento
  • Finnish: röyhelö
  • Thai: ความปลาบปลื้มใจ
  • Dutch: trance
  • Russian: восхищение
  • Latvian: sajūsma
  • Norwegian: opprykkelse
  • Romanian: extaz
  • Amharic: መነጠቅ
  • Danish: ekstase
  • Serbian: раскола
  • French: ravissement
  • Ukrainian: захоплення
  • Marathi: rapture
  • Estonian: raiskamine
  • Portuguese (Portugal): êxtase
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 饒
  • Korean: 황홀경
  • Polish: zachwyt
  • Chinese (PRC): 饶
  • Hindi: उत्साह
  • Urdu: ریپچرچر
  • Telugu: రప్చర్
  • Kannada: ರ್ಯಾಪ್ಚರ್
  • Bulgarian: възторг
  • Gujarati: અત્યાનંદ
  • Arabic: نشوة الطرب

What Are Synonyms of the Word Rapture?

If you are looking for a word that does not have the same religious connotations as the word rapture, you can opt to use a synonym of rapture from this list provided by Power Thesaurus

  • afterworld
  • amusement
  • beatitude
  • blessedness
  • bliss
  • blissfulness
  • catalepsy
  • cheer
  • cheerfulness
  • cloud nine
  • contentment
  • delectation
  • delight
  • delirium
  • ecstasies
  • ecstasy
  • elation
  • elysium
  • enchantment
  • enjoyment
  • enthusiasm
  • entrancement
  • euphoria
  • exaltation
  • excitement
  • exhilaration
  • exuberance
  • exultation
  • felicity
  • gaiety
  • gladness
  • glee
  • glory
  • good spirits
  • gratification
  • happiness
  • heaven
  • jollity
  • joy
  • joyfulness
  • joyousness
  • jubilation
  • merriment
  • nirvana
  • paradise
  • passion
  • pleasure
  • radiance
  • raptus
  • ravishment
  • relish
  • rhapsody
  • satisfaction
  • seventh heaven
  • trance
  • transport
  • well-being

What Are Antonyms of the Word Rapture?

If you need a word opposite of rapture, you can reference this list of antonyms of rapture from  Power Thesaurus

Do you know the definition of any of these antonyms of rapture? 

  • affliction
  • agony
  • angst
  • anguish
  • annoyance
  • bind
  • blues
  • bore
  • bother
  • deep depression
  • dejection
  • depression
  • desolation
  • despair
  • despondency
  • disconsolateness
  • disconsolation
  • discouragement
  • dislike
  • dispiritedness
  • distress
  • doldrums
  • dolefulness
  • dolor
  • downheartedness
  • dreariness
  • dumps
  • gloom
  • gloominess
  • hassle
  • hate
  • hatred
  • heartbreak
  • heavy-heartedness
  • hell
  • hopelessness
  • indifference
  • irritation
  • low spirits
  • melancholia
  • melancholy
  • mental anguish
  • mental distress
  • mental disturbance
  • mental suffering
  • misery
  • moodiness
  • mopery
  • moroseness
  • negative attitude
  • negative view
  • nuisance
  • one’s black dog
  • pain
  • pain in the neck
  • pessimism
  • sadness
  • sea of grief
  • sorrow
  • trial
  • unhappiness
  • upset
  • woe

Conclusion

Rapture means two different things when it is used in a religious or a non-religious context. In a religious context, the rapture usually refers to the second coming of Christ in which believers will be reunited with God and non-believers will be smitten. In a more general sense, rapture refers to ecstasy or bliss. 

Sources:

  1. Rapture synonyms – 965 Words and Phrases for Rapture | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Rapture antonyms – 310 Opposites of Rapture | Power Thesaurus 
  3. What Is the Rapture? – Biblical Meaning and Significance | Christianity
  4. Rapture definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary  
  5. Rapture | Nice Translator