The rapture is a Christian eschatological event where all believers, both living and dead, will be suddenly caught up or "snatched away" to meet Jesus Christ in the air. This event is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and involves the resurrection of deceased believers and the transformation of living believers, so they can be with Christ forever. The term "rapture" itself is derived from the Latin word "rapturo," translating the Greek word "harpazo," meaning "caught up" or "seized." Importantly, the rapture is distinct from the Second Coming of Christ; the rapture is Christ coming for the church to rescue it before a period of tribulation on Earth, whereas the Second Coming is Christ's return with the church to the Earth to establish His kingdom after the tribulation.

The rapture is envisioned as an instantaneous event where believers receive glorified, resurrected bodies fit for eternity, and it serves as God's rescue plan for the church. The New Testament passages most commonly referenced include 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, and Matthew 24:40-42. The concept emphasizes the union of believers with Christ in the sky and their eternal fellowship with Him.

This belief, widely held in evangelical Christianity especially within dispensational premillennialism, is relatively recent historically, emerging in the 1830s, and is distinctive from traditional historic Christian eschatology.