Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman Is the Rapture Really in the Bible – or Was It Invented Later?
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Apr 21, 2026 
Bart Ehrman, New Testament scholar and bestselling author, explains how the rapture idea likely arose in the 1830s rather than the Bible. He breaks down key texts like 1 Thessalonians and Matthew 24 and traces the doctrine’s spread through Darby, Hal Lindsey, Left Behind and popular culture. He also summarizes how historians evaluate biblical claims.
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Teaching Prize Validated Controversial Classes
- Bart D. Ehrman recalls winning his first university teaching prize in the mid-1990s, which validated teaching controversial courses.
- He notes student-nominated awards meant his challenging classes were still valued by students.
Rapture Passages Describe Judgment Not Rescue
- The New Testament passages used for the rapture (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 4) actually describe Jesus returning in judgment, not rescuing believers before destruction.
- Bart D. Ehrman explains Paul likens the return to a king escorted back by delegates who then start a campaign, meaning the risen meet him in the air and return to earth for judgment.
Read Context Not Isolated Verses
- Selective verse-reading and modern chapter divisions lead readers to misinterpret passages like 1 Thessalonians 4 as supporting a pre-tribulation rapture.
- Ehrman emphasizes reading Paul continuously into chapter 5, where Jesus' return is clearly framed as impending judgment requiring readiness.
