Prayer for Salvation

 

Joy, I'm Worried About My Family... 

Does God Want to Save Everyone?...

Will He Save All of My Family?...

Does He Even Care?...

I'm Not Seeing Any Changes...

 

There are some among us who believe that God does not want everybody to be saved; that some are destined to be saved and others aren't. The fact that more people are not saved is not a reflection of God's will but of the carnal state of the human heart. Because here is what scripture says:

1 Timothy 2:1,3-6a (NKJV)

"1 Therefore I exhort[encourage] first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,... 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all,..."

In other words, we are instructed in God's word to pray for all to be saved, because He desires all people to be saved... because Messiah Yeshua has already died to pay the debt of sin for all.

Praying for Salvation of Family, Praying for Salvation of Loved Ones, Praying for Salvation of Souls

It doesn't matter who we are praying for--whether it's specific or in general--God is pleased with all our prayers for salvation and He begins to move on our prayers. I believe that we will see in Heaven a lot of people we did not expect to see there. I believe that it's because these are people we have been praying for, faithfully, and God saw the changes that began to happen in their hearts--even though these changes may not have been visible to the human eye. The text suggests that they may be granted entrance into eternal life "at the eleventh hour"! (Matthew 20:1-7) They failed to do anything for the Kingdom of Heaven!! Their judgment will happen first (it's simpler, they don't have much in the area of faithfulness to evaluate,) and the judgment of the laborers will happen last (because there is simply much more lifetime and works to evaluate for rewards.) I believe this might be one reason why Jesus says that "the last will be first and the first will be last" (~Matthew 19:30.)

Our job is to pray trusting in God's word, and to pray "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17,) because "the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (~James 5:16b.) I've seen friends and family come to Christ even after 15 years, or even 20 years later!! We are to keep asking.  Jesus taught us this: “7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  (~Matthew 7:7.)

I've always trusted God's timing. I firmly believe that God will not let anyone we love die without salvation if we and others are fervently and steadfastly praying for them. He wants to answer our prayers because He desires all to be saved!! 

And, our faith moves mountains--even the mountain of an unbelieving heart: "nothing will be impossible to you." (~Matthew 17:20.) We have to remember that the favor and power of Heaven will be moved by our Spirit-led, consistent prayers of faith.

So be encouraged, my brother, my sister. Let us Never ever give up praying for our loved ones!! We are contending for their souls against the powers of darkness. We are praying God's desire into their lives! And He wants to do it!!

Prayer for Salvation for Family and Prayer for Salvation of Souls

Dear God, our Father in Heaven, I thank you for all my family and friends, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances, wherever they are today! I thank you for your love, provision, protection and grace in the lives of all who know and love you. And for those who do not yet know you: Thank you for showing them patience in this time of grace. I ask that you help me to always be a blessing to everyone I know.

Heavenly Father, here's my special request for those who do not yet know or understand you. I ask that you forgive their sin and that you help them to take hold of salvation in Christ. Lead them on the path to repentance and transformation. Hear and answer my concerns and cries for their well-being. Reveal Yourself to them in a way they can understand and cannot deny. Surround them with your presence by surrounding them with people who know, love and serve you--people who can reveal to them Your love and goodness to them. 

Reveal to us, your servants, how we can best help, support and encourage them in times of hardship. Please protect them from all harm. When we pray please let our prayers manifest in their lives: Heal them from every kind of sickness, save them from disaster, give them spiritual insight from Heaven, and fill them with your Holy Spirit of forgiveness, humility, truth, joy, wisdom, and kindness. Bring them to the place of complete deliverance.

May we all who love you always remember that no matter the difficulties we may face in this life, You have a plan, you have not forgotten us, and we are never hopeless or alone. Thank you that you are always with us, lovingly watching over us and causing even the most difficult and adverse circumstances to work out for our good, so that we may live more abundant lives (overflowingly fulfilling lives.) I ask all this in the name of my Lord Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer,

And I say, not just for myself but also on behalf of my family and friends that I am praying for: 

Our Father in Heaven, we receive your truth, goodness, love, guidance, promises, grace and faithfulness in our lives today, in the name of our precious Lord Jesus. Amen.

Thank you, Heavenly Father. Amen and AMEN!
 

Jesus' Last Passover

 

   The Different Vibes Filling the Air in Jerusalem in the Last Week of Yeshua's (Jesus') Earthly Life

I have written this down as I have been meditating on God’s word since Palm Sunday, when I started preparing my heart for Passover. Especially because this year, the Christian Palm Sunday (in memory of Jesus' entering the holy city according to prophesy), aligned with the week of Passover.

I was wondering to myself, What it would have felt like to live in the final days of Jesus' earthly ministry, being his follower, yet not knowing that he’d soon be put to death?

So, I invited and welcomed the Holy Spirit of God to lead me to the answer through His holy scriptures.

The Vibe Among the Common People in the City of Jerusalem, on the Eve of Jesus' Last Passover

In Matthew 21:1-17 we read that Messiah Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) had multitudes of Jewish followers. I felt like there was a vibe among the people ever since his prophesied festive entrance just a week earlier: Most of the average, common, everyday Jewish people in Jerusalem had been excited. And more Jewish people had been arriving from all across the land (and the Roman Empire) to celebrate Pesach (Passover) at the location God had stipulated: in Jerusalem. 

Just a few days earlier Yeshua had entered Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey as foretold by the prophet Zechariah 9:9. He knew the time had come for him to complete his earthly calling--to fulfill his atoning destiny on behalf of humanity. And He was ready to reveal himself to those who had eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand that He was the Messiah King, the Son of David, the deliverer to come, the one foretold of old. It was time for him to fulfill what was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah. 

But only he understood that this fulfillment would be spiritual first, then only later, physical. Only he knew that he would first have to die to deliver humanity from their slavery to sin and from the punishment of sin.

Zechariah 9:9 reads:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

And the people responded!! They welcomed him, letting him know by their response that they believed that he was the one anointed and appointed by God to be the anointed king who would deliver them from foreign powers. They had no clue that he was coming, at this time, for so much more than this; for something much more profound that would end up changing their lives!--To set their souls free from a deceitful heart (Jeremiah 17:19, Mark 7:21).

Matthew 11:8-9 (NKJV)

“8 A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! [Ps 118:25–26] Hosanna in the highest heaven!’”

My heart got caught up in the sense of joyfulness, hopefulness, excitement and celebration of it all, as I was allowing the light of scripture to lead my imagination through the events. Can you imagine a 'very large crowd'? And them all shouting,'Save us! Please deliver us (Hosanna) Son of David!' Imagine all the hope and expectations for freedom from the occupying forces wrapped up in these words! It was a beautiful Biblical meditation to me.
 

The Vibe Among the Jewish Religious Leaders

For a while now, the Jewish religious authorities had been afraid of the fact that Jesus was able to build an increasingly large following over the past three years of his ministry. But now, they just wanting Jesus dead.

Why?

Because of something much bigger and much more impacting that had happened just recently right before this particular Passover celebration: Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead!! (John 11:38-44.) Every time I read this story it gives me a sense of awe for Yeshua. It is so powerful!

Now, let’s pick up that Biblical narration from John 11:45…

"45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”"

Did you notice how it says that 'many' of the Jews believed in Jesus? And that 'some' went away to the Pharisees? Many believed!!! So, this was Not just a little few people here and there. There were enough followers of Jesus among the Jewish people to make the Jewish religious authorities believe that their position was threatened. Too many Jewish people had been following after Jesus! Especially after he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Only some didn’t because they trusted the religious establishment. 

 

Concerning this religious establishment it is written in John 11:53-54:

“53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put him to death. 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.”

 

The Vibe of Urgency to Eliminate Yeshua

So, already prior to the arrival of Jesus to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover, the religious authorities had been determined to apprehend him and to have him put to death.  

Finally, it is only after Jesus' Last Passover Celebration with his disciples, when he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, arrested, and then taken by the Sanhedrin for questioning that he was condemned as deserving of death, for blasphemy (Matthew 26:57-67.)

And they didn't want to kill only Jesus, but Lazarus as well.

Because John 11:55-57 tells us:

“55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem, before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought [started looking for] Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?” 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.”

And John 12:1, 9-11 also states:

“1Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead... 9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away [turned away, left them] and believed in Jesus.”

Did you notice that word 'many' again? Because of Lazarus, many Jews had left the religious establishment to follow Jesus.

John 12:12-19

“12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!... 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people [crowd], who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised Him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people [crowd] also met [came out to meet] Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!””

The Pharisees completely missed the point! My Lord, this makes me think about all the well-meaning people who are leaders in the body of Christ, and who are devoted to tradition and to positions of honor, but who cannot recognize when You are at work or Your interventions. They fail to perceive Your heart and How You move. And they fail to perceive that they still need to grow more in their inner-being. Lord, help me to pray more, and to pray more effectively for Your help in their hearts and lives, and for them to come to awareness and repentance. Also, Lord, help me to continue growing spiritually healthy and strong. In Yeshua's name. Amen.

The Rapture in the Bible

 

Is The Word Rapture Mentioned in the Bible?

 Where is the Rapture Mentioned in the Bible? 

Is the Rapture Mentioned in the KJV Bible?

A lot of Christians are hearing from other Christians that the Rapture is Not in the Bible. Sadly, a growing number of Christians today are being taught that the Rapture is nowhere mentioned in the Bible. But it is! At the very least, in concept. But also as a Biblical term. It's just not in the English version of the Bible. The Rapture is definitely presented as an important event when our Lord Messiah Jesus comes back for His Bride.

 

But even if a definite term for the rapture were not at all in the Bible, I want to state that just because a term does not appear in the English Bible explicitly, does not necessarily mean that the concept is unbiblical or unsupported by the holy scriptures. And understanding this is very important because words may change in meaning over time, but concepts seldom will.

There are a few terms that don’t appear even once in Scripture, that believers in Christ have long been using as a common way of referring to certain clearly presented and understood Biblical concepts, for example:

1. "The Bible," is nowhere mentioned in the Bible, but we use it everyday to refer to the compilation of the Judeo-Christian Holy Scriptures.
2. "The Millennium," is also not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, but we all use it to refer to the concept of the future 1000 year reign of Messiah on earth, when (according to the Bible) the saints who are part of the first resurrection (Rev 20:6) and the martyrs coming in from the tribulation (Rev 20:4) "...shall reign with him a thousand years..."
3. The term "Bible-Believing Christian," is also never mentioned in the Bible. But we all know that these were the only type of Christians that existed when the Church began, because Jesus and the apostles quite often referred to, and quoted, the Hebrew Scriptures. In those days, every Christian believed that the written Scripture was the authoratative Word of God: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." ~ 2 Tim 3:16-17
4. The Word "Hanukkah" or the phrase "Feast of Lights," (which is the celebration of the miracle of the temple lampstand) is also nowhere mentioned in the Bible. But the concept of Hanukkah is definitely presented! The term used in scripture is: "the Feast of Dedication" ~ John 10:22

No one would doubt that when a bible-believing Christian talks about "the Bible" that they're talking about the compilation of Judeo-Christian holy scriptures. Nor would anyone doubt that when a believer is talking about "the Millennium", they're actually referring to the future 1000-year rule of Christ on earth. Nor would it occur to any true believer in Jesus Christ, to doubt that the "Christians" mentioned in the New Testament, were true bible-believing Christians. But, sadly, most Christians have no idea that Jesus was attending the "Hanukkah" celebration at the temple in Jerusalem when disagreement broke out and the Judean religious leaders picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy. During this Feast of Lights, they literally wanted to extinguish the One who truly Is the Light of the World!!

 

"The Rapture" qualifies as one of those terms that bear a Biblical concept. So, let's take a look at one of the passages in scripture where the concept of the Rapture is presented.

The Rapture Concept

 

The concept of the Rapture event is presented to us in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18:

"15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [dead]. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words." (NKJV)

We can all agree that Nowhere in this New Testament text do we find the word "rapture" mentioned. But we do see the concept. Further below, I'll show you how the word "rapture" actually comes from a classical Bible translation. For now, let's stay focused just on the concept.

Rapture Bible Verse KJV

"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." ~ 1 Thes 4:17 (KJV)

Now we've seen where the concept of the Rapture is presented in the English Bible. But, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that the English Bible does not use the word 'rapture' is merely a matter of the text's language source. People seem to forget that the Bible was first written in older, ancient languages that were only quite some time later, finally translated into English. So we are not done yet. 

 

I will now take you along to show you how the verb used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is indeed linked to the word Rapture. We won't find the word rapture in the English translation of the Bible, but we will find it in a classical translation of the Bible. So, lets get started with the classical Bible translations.

 

A Brief Overview of Classical Bible Translations: From the Ancient Original Scrolls to the First Two Complete English Bibles.

 

The Translation from Hebrew to Greek: The Septuagint (ca. 250 BC)

The ancient Old Testament scrolls were mostly written in Hebrew, with some sections in Aramaic. The Greeks' rise to power over the ancient world, gave them control over Israel. Many Jewish families lived outside of Israel in various cities of the Greek empire. Over time, they no longer spoke Hebrew/Aramaic, only Greek. Thus the need arose for a Greek translation of the ancient Hebrew scriptures. At some point, about 70 to 72 Greek-speaking Hebrew scholars were commissioned to translate the Hebrew holy scriptures into Greek. As turned out, the 70+ translations, though done individually, were practically identical. Thus the original Greek translation of the original Hebrew-Aramaic scriptures was born in the 3rd century BC, over two hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ! This translation is known in English as the 'Septuagint'. The name comes from the Latin word 'septuaginta' or 'LXX', meaning '70'.

 

The Translation from Greek to Latin: The Vulgate (ca. 380 AD)

About one century after the Greek Septuagint was written, the Romans conquered the Greeks and became the next world power. About two centuries later, after Messiah Yeshua's (Jesus') resurrection, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, the Christian faith spread across the Roman empire, and Latin was becoming the main world language. In the early 4th century, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity. In the late 4th century, after Constantine's death, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, identifying itself as 'catholic' (universal, all-embracing.) Christians were still being taught the Word of God by Christian church leaders of the day, and the gospel letters and messages that had been written earlier by the apostles and historians before the destruction of Jerusalem, were now being hand-copied and circulated. The New Testament did not yet exist and in a world where Latin was becoming the major world language, the need arose for a Latin translation of the Septuagint so that every Latin-speaking believer could hear it and know it. The Roman Catholic priest Jerome of Stridon (aka, St Jerome) translated the holy scriptures from the Greek Septuagint into the Latin Vulgate, the common ("vulgar") Latin of the people, and added a section containing the Latin translation of all the authenticated copies (of confirmed authorship) of the circulating Greek gospels and teachings of Christ and of his apostles. This became the Bible for the Latin world (and consequently for the rest of the known world under its power) for over a millennium!!

It is through this Vulgate translation of the Bible that many Latin terms found their way into what was back in the day, an underdeveloped Old English language (because it was still pretty much a West Germanic language.) Latin is the old world language that Most influenced the development of the English language throughout the centuries. Just to give an idea, here are but a few examples of the enormous amount of words that were adopted into the English language from Latin: Bible, creation, create, alien, election, union, adoption, justice, ability, able, peace, festival, mortify, victory, tradition, spirit, spiritual, mortal, immortal, charity, mortuary, liberty, glory, innocent, patriarch, mortgage, paternal, patriot, and many more. These words and many others, over the course of time, simply became incorporated into the English language, which brings us back to our earlier question... 

 

So, Where Exactly is the Word 'Rapture' in the Bible?

The word rapture is one such term imported into English from the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the verb used in the Greek Septuagint is 'harpazo', which was correctly translated into the Latin Vulgate as 'rapiemur.' Both words, the Greek 'harpazo' and the Latin 'rapiemur', carry the exact same meaning of suddenly and quickly being seized up, taken away, snatched away, or caught up. Emotionally or spiritually, it means in ecstasy, pleasure, lust, passion, excitement, or great joy. Physically, it means suddenly and by great force (meaning, since we belong to the Kingdom of Heaven, when the time comes, we will be immediately and speedily evacuated from the earth with great force/power, no matter where we are at that time; and no prior request, formality, or even consent will be required.) Note the basic keywords: Taken away, suddenly, quickly, and with force. 

 

Now, I know what you're thinking, "But Joy, "rapiemur" and "rapture" are two completely different words! I don't see the correlation." Just hold on for a second. Since most Americans tend to have at least a little understanding of Spanish, I will use Spanish to explain what's happening in the Latin. I am fairly confident that most of you will get it. 

 

NOTE to any readers who may be familiar with Latin: Know that, just to keep things simple when I share my comparison of the two languages, in my explanation I will be minimizing the number of Latin infinitives down to just the one main infinitive. I will be ignoring the other "sub-" infinitives because at this stage understanding all that, is not important for the point I'm going to make. So, please bear with me. Thank you.

 

Let's continue. You see, Spanish, being a romance language, is very similar to Latin in many ways. This is because Spanish inherited its verb conjugation structure and its modalities from the Latin. In Spanish, just as in Latin, there are a lot of verb conjugations and grammatical declensions that could make a non-native speaker's head spin. This is what can make Spanish a bit challenging to learn for most English speakers. 

 

For example, just as in Spanish "haremos," "hicieron", "haga", "hecho" "hizo" and more, are all different conjugations of the exact same Spanish verb infinitive "Hacer" (meaning: To Do); in the same manner, in Latin, "rapiemur", "raptum", "rapturo", "rapio". "rapiebar", "rapitor", "rapturae" and more, are different conjugations or forms of the exact same Latin main infinitive "Rapere" (meaning: to rapture, to snatch up, to carry away). The various words I just listed above, are all different conjugations of the exact same verb or main infinitive. Therefore, in reality, they all mean the exact same thing; only, adjusted for person, gender, number, mood, voice, and tense. In other words, they are simply a conjugation or declension format of the infinitive. 'Rapiemur' is the "we"-form, passive, indicative future conjugation of the main infinitive "Rapere" meaning, "we will be raptured." So, the noun, "the rapture" simply means, "the sudden snatching up" or "the sudden taking away," The implication is that there's nothing anyone will be able to do to stop it, delay it, or avoid it, because the feeling of this word is that of being kidnapped! In Spanish, the verb ‘raptar' (also from the Latin 'rapere') means both to rapture (by God, good people, or good emotiones) and to kidnap or abduct (by people bent on evil.) The main point this verb makes is that these events will happen without prior notice or warning, quickly, and will overtake or overpower a person. So, it's not like we'll have a choice. (Not that we would want to stay here, anyway.)  

The sudden, unexpected, and diligent nature of "being snatched away" or of "being raptured", is described in another passage in the New Testament as: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." 1 Corinthians 15:31-52 explains how the transformation will happen at the time of this rapture, suggesting that it will be so sudden and quick that there will be no more time left to prepare. Verses 51-52 repeat and expand on what we've already read in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, and we see the exact same pattern: that God's trumpet will sound, that First the dead in Christ will be raised, then we who are still alive and on earth, will be changed to be caught up with them in the clouds--because our current physical bodies can't defy gravity and fly through the air. 

 " ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery [a hidden truth]: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 

 

The Translation from Latin to English: Wycliff's Bible (ca. 1380 AD)

 

John Wycliff lived just before the start of the Protestant reformation. He was a Catholic priest but did not like what was happening in the Roman Catholic church. He believed that Christians should be able to read the Scriptures in their own language. He had come to believe that the scriptures were the only truly reliable guide to the truths of God and of life. So against the rules and the wishes of the corrupted leadership within the Roman Catholic Church at the time, he translated most of the Latin Vulgate Holy Bible into Middle English, for the common people. Here's the Rapture Bible Verse as it was translated directly from Latin into English by John Wycliff:

 "¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall come down from heaven, in the commandment, and in the voice of an archangel [in the commanding, and in the voice of the archangel], and in the trump of God; and the dead men that be in Christ, shall rise again first. ¹⁷ Afterward we that live, that be left, shall be snatched (up) together with them in clouds, meeting Christ in the air; and so evermore we shall be with the Lord." ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.

 

The First Print of the Latin Vulgate: The Guttenberg Bible (ca. 1450 AD)

The Gutenberg Bible is the first printed edition of the Latin Vulgate Sacred Bible. This first print was published over 1000 years after Jerome of Stridon, the Roman Catholic priest known as St Jerome, had completed his handwritten translation of the Greek Septuagint and of the Greek New Testament writings, into the Latin Vulgate. This printed edition is called The Guttenberg Bible because it was printed in Germany by Johannes Guttenberg.

 

The Translation from Classical Hebrew and Greek to English: Tyndale's Bible (ca. 1525-1530 AD) 

This is finally the first translation of the holy scriptures into Middle English from the original Old Testament Hebrew scrolls, the Greek Septuagint, and the original writings of the Greek New Testament. Yet, it still relied heavily on the Latin Vulgate as well. This translation was done mostly by William Tyndale, it was the first Bible to be published for the masses, thanks to the development of the printing press. Here's Tyndale's Rapture Bible Verse:

"16 For the Lorde him selfe shall descende fro heve with a showte and the voyce of the archangell and trompe of God. And the deed in Christe shall aryse fyrst: 17 then shall we which live and remayne be caught vp with them also in the cloudes to mete the Lorde in ye ayer. And so shall we ever be with the Lorde." ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

 

In their 'A Brief History of Bible Translation', Wycliff Bible Translators state regarding Tyndale:

"His use of the archery term for missing the mark, ‘to sin’, was masterful. So was his ingenious invention ‘at-one-ment’. Many other phrases, such as ‘land of the living’, ‘the parting of the ways’, ‘apple of my eye’ are so familiar that we forget their biblical origin. The King James Version, published in 1611, retained much of Tyndale’s groundbreaking work."

 

In Closing

As a speaker and translator of three romance languages, myself, I can say that it has been a pleasure putting this information together for you. Know that it was done with a lot of love. So, I hope it s helpful to you.

Now that you know that the word ‘Rapture’ came into the English language from the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, and that this word is the exact Latin translation of the Greek word 'harpazo', let me know in the comments below if/how this insight has helped or will help you in the future. And please feel free to ask, in the comments section below, any questions you may have.

 

I appreciate your visit with me, today. Stay Blessed.

Shalom.