1 Th 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.(KJV)
Ah! The chief doctrine of the rapture. In verse 17, the ever popular phrase, "shall be caught up", or better known to many as the "rapture". This phrase in the Greek is "harpazo" (S#726), which means to snatch, to seize upon with force. It is an ; which differs from "klepto" (S#2813), to steal secretly, to cunning and secret thieving.
Seeing the difference between these two words "harpazo" and "klepto", we see that if the rapture were a secret event, the word "klepto" should have been used. But as we noticed, the word "harpazo" was used instead, which denotes that this being caught up is not secret, but open to the public.
To further illustare, in these following verses it can clearly be seen that harpazo is not a private (secret) event, but a public event.
Matt 11:12
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.(KJV)
John 6:15
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. (KJV)
John 10:12
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.(KJV)
Acts 23:10
10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.(KJV)
Whereas klepto, is a secret action.
Matt 27:64
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.(KJV)
Matt 28:13
13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.(KJV)
Be ready for the public catching away of the saints, for there will not be a secret one. Be not deceived. The truth is before you.
Acts 1:9-11
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.(KJV)
Rev 1:7
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.(KJV)
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