What is "rapture"

Rapture \Rap"ture\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raptured (-t[-u]rd; 135); p. pr. & vb. n. Rapturing.] To transport with excitement; to enrapture. [Poetic]
--Thomson.

Rapture \Rap"ture\ (r[a^]p"t[-u]r; 135), n. [L. rapere, raptum, to carry off by force. See Rapid.]

1. A seizing by violence; a hurrying along; rapidity with violence. [Obs.]

   That 'gainst a rock, or flat, her keel did dash With headlong rapture.
   --Chapman.

2. The state or condition of being rapt, or carried away from one's self by agreeable excitement; violence of a pleasing passion; extreme joy or pleasure; ecstasy.

   Music, when thus applied, raises in the mind of the hearer great conceptions; it strengthens devotion, and advances praise into rapture.
   --Addison.

   You grow correct that once with rapture writ.
   --Pope.

3. A spasm; a fit; a syncope; delirium. [Obs.]
   --Shak.

   Syn: Bliss; ecstasy; transport; delight; exultation.

c.1600, "act of carrying off," from Middle French rapture, from Medieval Latin raptura "seizure, rape, kidnapping," from Latin raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away; rape" (see rapt). Earliest attested use in English is of women and in 17c. it sometimes meant rape (v.), which word is a cognate of this. Sense of "spiritual ecstasy, state of mental transport" first recorded c.1600 (raptures).

1630s, from rapture (n.). Related: Raptured; rapturing.

n. 1 Extreme pleasure, happiness or excitement. 2 In some forms of fundamentalist Protestant eschatology, the event when Jesus returns and gathers the souls of living believers. (Usually "the rapture.") 3 (context obsolete English) The act of kidnap or abduct, especially the forceful carrying off of a woman. 4 (context obsolete English) rape; ravishment; sexual violation. 5 (context obsolete English) The act of carrying, conveying, transporting or sweeping along by force of movement; the force of such movement; the fact of being carried along by such movement. 6 A spasm; a fit; a syncope; delirium. vb. 1 (context dated transitive English) To cause to experience great happiness or excitement. 2 (context dated intransitive English) To experience great happiness or excitement. 3 (context transitive English) To take (someone) off the Earth and bring (them) to Heaven as part of the http://en.wikipedi

1. org/wiki/Rapture. 4 (context rare intransitive English) To take part in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture; to leave Earth and go to Heaven as part of the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture. 5 (context uncommon English) To state (something, transitive) or talk (intransitive) rapturously.

1. n. a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion; "listening to sweet music in a perfect rapture"- Charles Dickens [syn: ecstasy, transport, exaltation, raptus]

2. a state of elated bliss [syn: ecstasy]

Rapture is a predicted event in certain systems of Christian eschatology.

Rapture or The Rapture may also refer to:

• Rapture (Buddhism), a common translation of the Pali word piti, which is a factor of meditative absorption
• A feeling of ecstatic joy or delight, synonymous with Ecstasy

Rapture is a doom metal/ melodic death metal band formed in 1997 in Helsinki, Finland.

"Rapture" is a song by the American pop rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican (1980).

In January 1981, "Rapture" was released as the second and final single from the album. The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It was the first No. 1 song in the U.S. to feature rap. The song peaked at No. 4 in Australia and No. 5 in the United Kingdom.

Rapture is the second album by the American vocalist Anita Baker. It was released in 1986, and became her breakout album, selling over 8 million copies worldwide (of which 5 million in the US) and earning her two Grammy Awards.

The album's first track, "Sweet Love", was a top 10 Billboard hit in addition to winning a Grammy Award.

The music video for the track "Same Ole Love" was filmed and recorded at Baker's Keyboard Lounge.

In 1989, Rapture was ranked #36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.

Rapture is the first album by the Black metal band Dragonlord.

Though essentially a black metal album, much of Eric Peterson's thrash roots can still be heard, likening the sound that to the faster thrash style on Testament's "The Gathering" album mixed with symphonic black metal. This is also the first time Peterson attempted vocals on any recordings.

__NOTOC__ "Rapture" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the television science fiction program series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the 108th episode overall and the first to feature the film style Star Fleet uniform following on from Star Trek First Contact.

In Christian eschatology the rapture refers to the belief that either before, or simultaneously with, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth, believers who have died will be raised and believers who are still alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the resurrected dead believers) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The concept has its basis in various interpretations of the biblical book of First Thessalonians and how it relates to interpretations of various other biblical passages, such as those from Second Thessalonians, Gospel of Matthew, First Corinthians and the Book of Revelation.

The exact meaning, timing and impact of the event are disputed among Christians and the term is used in at least two senses. In the pre-tribulation view, a group of people will be left behind on earth after another group literally leaves "to meet the Lord in the air." This is now the most common use of the term, especially among fundamentalist Christians in the United States. The other, older use of the term "Rapture" is simply as a synonym for mystical union with God, or our final sharing in God’s heavenly life generally, without a belief that a group of people is left behind on earth for an extended Tribulation period after the events of .

With respect to the rapture, Catholics believe that this event of their gathering with Christ in heaven will take place, though they do not generally use the word "rapture" to refer to this event. An event that would happen in the second coming of Christ.

There are many views among Christians regarding the timing of Christ's return (including whether it will occur in one event or two), and various views regarding the destination of the aerial gathering described in 1 Thessalonians 4. Denominations such as Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, and Reformed Christians believe in a rapture only in the sense of a general final resurrection, when Christ returns in his Second Coming. They do not believe that a group of people is left behind on earth for an extended Tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Authors generally maintain that the pre-tribulation Rapture doctrine originated in the eighteenth century, with the Puritan preachers Increase and Cotton Mather, and was then popularized in the 1830s by John Darby. Others, including Grant Jeffrey, maintain that an earlier document called Ephraem or Pseudo-Ephraem already supported a pre-tribulation rapture.

Pre-tribulation rapture theology was popularized extensively in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, and further popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible.

Rapture is the second album by Bradley Joseph, and his debut album on the Narada label, released in March 1997. This is an instrumental album in which Joseph wrote and conducted all of the scores. In addition to incorporating a core band including violinist Charlie Bisharat and drummer Charlie Adams, he utilized a 50-piece orchestra. It is an "expression of a life's work and dreams", featuring intimate piano pieces, quartets and full orchestrations, "combining smooth jazz with contemporary instrumental themes". It reached New Age Voice (NAV)'s "Airwaves Top 30" at #15 in July 1997.

1. redirect Covenant (Morbid Angel album)

"Rapture" (sometimes referenced as "Rapture (Taste So Sweet)") is a song by American recording duo iiO. It was chosen as the lead single from their debut studio album, Poetica (2005). The song was written by both the members; Nadia Ali and Markus Moser, while production was handled just by Moser. The song was released on 29 October 2001 by Universal Records. Musically, the song is a dance-oriented song, which was very popular around the early 2000s. The song also incorporates musical genres of dance-pop, electronica, disco, house, and trance music.

With the song winning positive reviews from music critics, citing it as catchy and one of the best songs of the year, the song was a commercial success. The song charted inside the top ten in countries including Romania, United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Ireland. It managed to chart inside the top fifty on the US Billboard Hot 100. A music video was also shot, showing the group in a futuristic city with visual lighting.

In 2010, the song was re-released by former iiO frontwoman Nadia Ali as a single from her remix compilation, Queen of Clubs Trilogy: the Best of Nadia Ali Remixed. The song was her most successful solo release peaking at number three in Romania, while charting in several European countries.

"Rapture" is the twelfth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. Aired on January 21, 2007, this episode marks the return of regular broadcasting after the Christmas mid-season hiatus.

Rapture is the fifth full-length album of the Finnish black metal band Impaled Nazarene. It was released in 1998 on Osmose Productions.

Rapture'' (Italian:Sangue sul sagrato'') is a 1950 Italian romantic drama film directed by Goffredo Alessandrini.

Rapture is a 1965 French-American film directed by John Guillermin, and starring Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Gozzi, and Dean Stockwell.

Rapture is a 1996 novel by David Sosnowski. The overarching story of this book deals with the effects on society when normal people begin sprouting angelic wings. The story follows two main characters; Alexander 'Zander' Wiles is a petty crook suffering from acute agoraphobia, and Cassandra 'Cassie' O'Conner, a psychiatrist specializing in 'angels' and author of a pop-psychology book titled Angel Blues. Both live and work around Detroit, Michigan, and much of the story takes place either in Detroit or its suburbs.

The book starts somewhere in the middle. Zander is attempting suicide by trying to jump off the smokestack of an industrial plant. Cassie is at the same plant intending to do a little night flying. Zander succeeds in knocking himself unconscious and breaking a wing. Cassie drags him to shore and calls paramedics, eventually having to instruct them on how to set the broken bones.

Roughly half of the book is involved with Zander and Cassie's backgrounds. Zander grew up in the shadows of industrial plants. His father died under mysterious circumstances and his stepfather locked Zander out when he turned 18. Zander quickly fell under the influence of a class-mate of his, a small-time drug dealer who soon taught Zander about running from the police and how to tell a good stash from a bad one. Zander eventually became a drug runner in his own right until he started undergoing some of the preliminary changes of 'angelism'. As the condition was completely unknown at the time, he thought he was simply dying and holed up in a rent-a-cottage facility, ordering in pizza and beer. Eventually, when he began growing the hard green casing that is the first visible sign, he realized he had something new and became an all-out hermit.

Once the wings had sprouted, Zander contacted his old drug buddy and the pair worked out a scam to get money from elderly people. Zander would pretend to be the Angel of Death, but announced that he could be put off by a monetary donation. It wasn't until the pair encountered another angel, this one dead for several weeks, that Zander realized that he wasn't alone. He assaulted his drug buddy, went to a talent agency and became a talk show star. Eventually, this too became tiresome and he once again became a hermit.

Cassie's story quite different. Her mother was a bisexual sculptor and a single parent. When Cassie's uncle left them an old farm, they moved out to the farmhouse and Cassie's mother continued her sculpting. Cassie and her mother were always outsiders in the community, never quite able to fit in and never quite wanting to, either. Eventually, Cassie moved to Ann Arbor and started attending the University of Michigan's medical college. While she was there, she 'contracted' angelism and speant her time in a 'coop,' a safehouse run by other angels where you could transform in security. Returning to school, Cassie realized that she didn't really want to become a medical doctor, but still wanted to help people. She chose to become a psychiatrist, and specialized in angels.

Cassie's book Angel Blues is considered the definitive work on angel psychology (largely because there is no other work on angel psychology) but Cassie believes herself to be a fake; she claims she wrote the book to "meet Oprah." After having a falling out with her patients and her colleagues, she was diagnosed as a flying addict and received treatment for it. This is roughly the time when she saved Zander's life, and he set up a meeting between them to work on his agoraphobia.

Working with Zander re-enthused Cassie to get back to working with her regular patients. She began treating Zander's old drug buddy, who had partially transformed into an angel. To be precise he was a 'penguin,' an angel without the extensive nerves in his wings and lacking a sense of balance when upright. Therefore, he had to shuffle around the ground on all fours or be pushed in a wheelchair. Zander takes on the case, declaring that 'he doesn't need a psychologist... he needs an engineer.' Using a series of counterbalances and a walker, he gets his buddy on his feet again and effectively cures penguinism. It's about this point where Zander and Cassie begin really exploring the possibilities of a sexual relationship, beyond doctor-patient and friend-friend.

Rapture is the third studio album by Australian pop band, The Mavis's, which was posthumously released in March 2003 by their record label, Festival Mushroom Records. It was produced by Kalju Tonuma, who had also worked on their previous two studio albums. The album's lead single, "Coming Home" (July 2000), peaked at No. 72 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The second single, "Happiness", was released in February 2001, which reached the top 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 9 on the related ARIA Alternative Singles Chart.

The album had been delayed from its originally proposed release date of July 2001 due to problems between the band and the label. According to Matt Atlee of Australian Music Scrapbook website it was an "amicable split", however Christie Eliezer of Music & Media Business News reported that "Despite what both sides say, the Mavis's split from Festival Mushroom Records and the canning of the July-due Rapture album was far from amicable." In July to August 2001 the group toured Australia and performed tracks from the album, before disbanding in December.

Five months prior to the studio album's appearance, Festival Mushroom Records issued a compilation album, Throwing Little Stones... The Best of (20 October 2002), which included tracks from Rapture. At subsequent reunion concerts by The Mavis's, in February 2013 and December 2014, they played material from all three of their studio albums.

Rapture (1962) is the 17th album released by Johnny Mathis. It is his 14th original studio album, with three compilations of hit singles having been released by him at this point.

Rapture is an orchestral composition in one movement by the American composer Christopher Rouse. The work was commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and was completed January 9, 2000. It is dedicated to then Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra music director Mariss Jansons and premiered in May 2000.

Rapture is a live album by multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee's Trio X featuring bassist Dominic Duval, percussionist Jay Rosen along with guest violinist Rosi Hertlein recorded at the Knitting Factory in late 1998 and released on the Cadence Jazz label.

Rapture is an album by American singer/songwriter Peter Mulvey, released in 1995.

Rapture is a fictional city in the BioShock series published by 2K Games. It is an underwater city that is the main setting for the games BioShock, BioShock 2 and the DLC BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea; it also briefly appears in BioShock Infinite. The game's back-story describes the city as envisioned by business tycoon Andrew Ryan in the mid-1940s as a means to create a utopia for mankind's greatest artists and thinkers to prosper in a laissez-faire environment outside of increasing oppression by the world's governments. However, the lack of government made many people uneasy, and the masses turned toward political activists like Atlas who advocated stability under a government, turning the city into a dystopia; and on the eve of 1959, a civil war broke out, leaving much of Rapture's population dead. The remaining citizens either became psychotic "Splicers" due to the effects of ADAM, a substance that can alter genetic material, or have barricaded themselves from the Splicers to protect themselves, leaving the city to fail and fall apart around them.

The player first experiences Rapture in BioShock, in 1960, a year after the fateful riots, as a man named Jack that has come to Rapture after a plane accident over the mid-Atlantic Ocean where the city was located; during this, the player comes to learn more about Ryan's motives and those that he struggled against to keep the city's ideals until the very end. In BioShock 2, the player takes the role of a "Big Daddy", a heavily modified humanoid in an armored diving suit, designed to maintain the city, and would soon come to serve the purpose of protecting the Little Sisters as they collect ADAM from "Angels", which are dead bodies that harbor significant amounts of ADAM; this takes place eight years after the events of the first game, and while Ryan has been killed, there remain those that vie for the vacuum left in his position of power.

Rapture makes a brief appearance near the climax of BioShock Infinite, which is otherwise set in a different dystopian city, Columbia. Downloadable content for Infinite is set in Rapture on New Year's Eve 1959, a year before the events of the first BioShock and on the day of the civil war.