Rapture

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In conservative Christian eschatology, rapture is the name given to the event in which Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven, accompanied by the spirits of all the Church saints who have passed on prior to this event, and then the spirits of these saints will be reunited with their bodies to meet the Lord in the air. Immediately after this, all Christians alive on the earth are simultaneously transported to meet the Lord and those who have preceded them in the air. All are transformed into immortal bodies like Jesus' body, often referred to as the "resurrection body".

This doctrine gained popularity in the 1830s, and more recently in the 1970s, with proponents of the premillenialist, and in particular the dispensationalist, interpretations of scripture.

There is much debate over when the rapture will occur in relation to the Tribulation, a seven-year period preceding the second coming of Christ to the earth. Three different views predominate. The first is that it will take place sometime prior to the Tribulation. The second is that it will take place mid-way through the Tribulation. The third is that it will take place after the Tribulation, when Christ comes to earth to establish his kingdom, taking over rulership of the world for 1000 years. (see Millennialism). A fourth view has recently developed, called the Pre-Wrath view.