Was the rapture mentioned anywhere in the Bible before Paul?
No. Scripture indicates there is not even a hint of the rapture anywhere in the Old Testament, the Gospels, or the Book of Acts. It is a Church Age phenomenon, a mystery first revealed through the Apostle Paul, the only writer who addresses the Church.
Les teaches that there is not a hint, not even the foggiest hint, anywhere up through the Old Testament, all through the Gospels, into the Book of Acts, of a group of people who are alive and suddenly taken off the scene, which we call the rapture. He explains this is because it is a Church Age phenomenon. Only one writer in Scripture writes concerning the Church, the Apostle Paul. So from this man's writing we get the teaching concerning the Church, which includes the rapture. It is a Church Age doctrine, a mystery revealed to Paul.
More Questions
Is the rapture mentioned in the Old Testament, the Gospels, or Acts?
There is not a single hint anywhere from the Old Testament, through the Gospels, and into the Book of Acts of the rapture—a group of living people being suddenly taken off the scene.