The Rapture is the idea that Christians will be taken up into heaven before the second coming of Christ, with a time of tribulation to follow until that Second Coming.  It appears to have developed in the 18th and 19th centuries in America.  However, it is not a part of Catholic belief.

       The rapture, though, seems to have captured the imagination of many.  One may note the popularity of the Left Behind series, which is premised on the rapture and which is a literal explication of the book of Revelation.  In fact, the rapture seems to be held primarily by those Christians who belong to churches who take the Bible literally (not just Revelation) and only believe what is revealed in the Bible.   The deep irony here is that the rapture is never specifically mentioned in the Bible!  The closest verse upon which any belief in the rapture may be based is I Thessalonians 4:15-17, where Paul describes a scene of Christians going up to heaven at the second coming, meeting the Lord in the clouds amidst trumpet blasts.  However, one only needs look at the context of this verse to see that the primary meaning concerns those who have died in the Lord.  People wondered what would become of the dead if Jesus, whose coming had been imminently expected, would continue to delay his second coming.  Paul assures them, and us, that at the end of time, those who died in the Lord will rise with the Lord.

      Again, I cannot help but point out that those Christians who often malign the Catholic Church for having beliefs not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, themselves are guilty of having a strictly non-Biblical belief in the rapture.

      So, no, I don't believe in the rapture.  Rather, I believe in the mystery of the end of times as put forth in the catechism (a. 1048), that we know not the time nor the manner of the Second Coming and the end of time.  This is very clear from the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:36--"Of the day or the hour, only the Father in Heaven knows the time."

      The time of the end of the world is of no concern to me....but it is also of great concern.  Since we do not know when, we need to be ready.  As the next article (1049) points out, we need to constantly work for a more just kingdom on earth in preparation for the heavenly kingdom.

     I do hope this answer helps you.  The rapture will continue to be one belief where Catholics and other Christians differ.  What the Catholic belief about the end of time and the second coming does is focus us more intently on the life of faith today--the belief in the rapture probably does the same, but one need not believe in the rapture to be ready to meet the Lord--the mystery of the Second Coming, no matter how it comes about, should spur any believer to live each day as the gift from God that it is and to live it as if it were one's last.

Grace and Peace,

Fr. Chris

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