1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (New International Version © 2010)
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The word Rapture comes from the phrase “caught up” which is transated in the Latin Vulgate as “rapio”.
Jude 1:14
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
The claim here is that the returning saints at the second coming are from the eariler rapture, but they could simply be those who died in Christ between his two comings.
Matthew 24:36-44 (New International Version © 2010)
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 **Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. ** 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
The claim here is one person is raptured while the other is left behind. From the culture it could simply be one person is forced into service by Roman military during a war march to carry luggage or fix meals, while the other person is not.
Revelation 4
1After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
This is viewed as a “type” of the rapture.
Revelation 3:10 (King James Version)
10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
The hour of temptation is viewed as being the great tribulation. The debate here is on the meaning of the greek, “ek”, does it mean “out of” in this context or “through”. God can very well protect a person during a time of trail vs having him avoid the time peroid by either killing him or removing him from earth via rapture. Given the history of the church going through trials and tribulation, a rapture simply does not make sense.
searchgodsword.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=1537
searchgodsword.org/isb/bible.cgi?query=re+3:10&translation=nas&ot=bhs&nt=na&sr=1&l=en
Jeremiah 30:7-11 (King James Version)
7Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but **he shall be saved out of it. ** 8For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
9But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
10Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed,
O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
11For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
They do a play on the words “saved out of it”, but when you read the text in context, I think it is clear one is protected during trails – as I think James says, “count it all Joy, when trails…”
2 Thessalonians 2:7-9 (King James Version)
7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until **he be taken out of the way. ** 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
The person who is being taken away in this verse is viewed as being the church. Problem is, it is a person, maybe the Holy Spirit or someone else? that is being taken out of the way. Also, the church is viewed in scripture as being the Bride of Christ or female, never male to my knowledge.
Something overlooked in biblical culture is when people came out to greet a King and escort him into the fort or city, that could very well be the picture 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is painting too.