The Word "Rapture" Not in Scripture
The word rapture simply means to transport from one place to another. The Scriptural expressions equated with rapture are "caught up" (1 Thess. 4:17; 2 Cor. 12:4); "receive you unto myself" (John. 14:3); and "come up hither" (Rev. 4:1; Rev 11:12). When we Christians use the term, we mean the "catching up" of Christians to meet the Lord in the air, who then go to heaven with Christ to become settled in their eternal mansions that He has gone to prepare for them who serve Him until death-or until the time of the rapture (1 Thess. 2:19;1 Thess. 3:13;1 Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:4; Jas. 5:7-8; Rev. 4:1).
At the rapture of the church, Christ comes from heaven to the clouds only (not to the earth) to take the good from among the bad (John 5:28-29; 14:1-3; Lk. 21:34-36; 1 Cor. 15:23, 51-54; Phil. 3:21; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:16-18; Jas. 5:7-8), while at the second advent-7 years later-He comes to the earth with His raptured saints to take the bad from among the good (Mat. 13:30, 39-43, 49-50; Mat. 24:29-31, 37-42; Jude 14-15; Ezek. 38- Ezek. 39; Zech. 14; Rev. 19:11-21).