WAS PHILIP RAPTURED?

STRANGEST THINGS OF THE BIBLE

An angel woke up Philip, telling him to go south on the desert road from Jerusalem to the coastal town Gaza.

"Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert."  Acts 8:26  NKJV 

Queen Candace's eunuch was returning

home, after worshiping in Jerusalem.   Sitting

in his chariot he was reading a scroll of Isaiah.

"So he arose and went. And behold, a man of

 Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under

 Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who

 had charge of all her treasury, and had come

 to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And

 sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the

 prophet."  Acts 8:27-28  NKJV 

The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip saying, Run and

overtake the chariot.

"Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and

 overtake this chariot.”  Acts 8:29  NKJV 

Out of breathe, Philip heard him reading

Isaiah; asking the eunuch if he understood

what he was reading.

"So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading

 the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you

 understand what you are reading?” 

"And he said, “How can I, unless someone

 guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up

 and sit with him.  The place in the Scripture

 which he read was this:   "He was led as a

 sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before

 its shearer is silent, so He opened not His

 mouth.  In His humiliation His justice was

 taken away, and who will declare His

 generation?  For His life is taken from the

 earth."  Acts 8:31-33  NKJV

The eunuch asked if Isaiah was talking about

himself or another man.

"So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I 

 ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, 

 of himself or of some other man?”  

Acts 8:34  NKJV 

Philip talked about Jesus.

"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning

 at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

  Acts 8:35  NKJV 

The eunuch comes to some water and wants

to be baptized.

"Now as they went down the road, they came

 to some water. And the eunuch said,

 “See, here is water. What hinders me from

 being baptized?”

"Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your

 heart, you may.”

And he answered and said, “I believe that

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”  

Acts 8:36-37  NKJV 

The eunuch went down into the water.

"So he commanded the chariot to stand still.

 And both Philip and the eunuch went down

 into the water, and he baptized him." 

  Acts 8:38  NKJV 

When the eunuch came up, Philip had

disappeared.  The Lord "caught" (harpazo )

Philip away.  

 

Harpazo is the Greek word; and

Rapura is the Latin word; where we get the

word RAPTURE from.

"Now when they came up out of the water, the

 Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that

 the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on

 his way rejoicing.  

Acts 8:39  NKJV 

The Lord snatched up Philip from the desert

 road and was brought to the coastal town of

 Azotus, about 30 miles north of Gaza.

"But Philip was found at Azotus.

 And passing through, he preached in all the

 cities till he came to Caesarea."  

Acts 8:40  NKJV (New King James Version)