In Our Time: Religion · BBC Radio 4

The Rapture

September 26, 2019·51 min·4 clips
The Rapture promises true believers will be whisked away before seven years of tribulation.
This episode explores the origins and impact of the Rapture, a belief in evangelical Christianity that true believers will be taken to heaven before a period of tribulation. It traces the theology to 19th-century Anglican priest John Nelson Darby, discusses its spread in America, and examines its influence on modern culture and politics.

As heard by us

A careful history of the rapture's theology, from evangelical expectation to Darby's dispensational map.

This episode treats the rapture as a doctrine with a history, tracing evangelical expectation into John Nelson Darby and dispensational thinking.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want the rapture explained as a historical idea, not a pop-culture apocalypse?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on