Perhaps one of the most discussed topics among Christians on Biblical events is the rapture of the church. There are extensive studies on this subject, and many books and movies that have gained much popularity from the Christian community searching for a better understanding of this end time event. There are many scriptures in the Bible that describe the rapture, which refers to a time when Jesus will appear in the sky to gather his elect. It is based on scriptures that record a sudden event where millions of believers will suddenly leave the earth with Jesus and non-believers will be left on the earth to go through a tribulation period, which will last seven years.
Preterists believe that most, if not all, Bible prophecies were fulfilled in the first century. Therefore, Preterism and the rapture concludes that the rapture also happened in the first century. Although the actual term, rapture is not recorded in the Bible, there are scriptures that refer to Christians meeting Christ in the air, and this meeting has been commonly called the rapture, but preterists believe this event has already occurred, and the tribulation period that was to follow the rapture already occurred in the first century as well.
Preterism and the rapture is a Theology that stems from Bibical studies that examine the meaning of scriptures to uncover the intentions of the words spoken. Uncovering the intention reveals the meaning of a scripture, and studying the historical background puts the whole passage of scripture into a perspective that can be thoroughly understood in light of every component that has an affect on the meaning. Studying every aspect of the scriptures, in addition to the history of the era, gives any person studying the scriptures a well-rounded perspective on crucial events discussed in the Bible, and Bible study as a whole.
Although there are many different perspectives on Bible prophecies and the rapture specifically, preterists contend that these events are historical Biblical events that are verified with historical records that match the Bible prophecies. Many events that occurred in the first century coincide with prophecies about the end times, which preterists believe was referring to that day and that time.
