The concept of rapidity, or events occurring swiftly, is present throughout the Bible, often highlighting the urgency and immediacy of God's actions or the unfolding of prophetic events. While the term "rapidly" itself may not frequently appear in the Berean Standard Bible, the idea is conveyed through various narratives and teachings.

Divine Intervention and Judgment

In the Scriptures, God's interventions often occur with great speed, underscoring His sovereignty and the certainty of His will. For instance, the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt was marked by rapid and decisive plagues that demonstrated God's power over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt (Exodus 7-12). The swiftness of these events emphasized the urgency of God's command to let His people go.

Similarly, the judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah was executed with sudden destruction, as described in Genesis 19:24-25: "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground." The rapidity of this judgment serves as a warning of the consequences of sin and disobedience.

Prophetic Fulfillment

The Bible also speaks of the rapid fulfillment of prophetic events, particularly concerning the end times. In the New Testament, Jesus warns of the suddenness of His return, urging believers to remain vigilant. Matthew 24:27 states, "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." This imagery of lightning conveys the swift and unexpected nature of His second coming.

The Apostle Paul echoes this theme in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, where he writes, "For you are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and security,' destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." The rapid onset of these events serves as a call for readiness and spiritual alertness.

Human Response and Action

In response to God's rapid actions, the Bible often calls for immediate obedience and action from His people. The urgency of repentance and faith is a recurring theme, as seen in the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus. In Mark 1:15, Jesus proclaims, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel." The immediacy of this message underscores the necessity of a prompt response to God's call.

The early church also exemplified rapid growth and expansion, driven by the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:41 records, "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." The swift spread of the Gospel highlights the dynamic and transformative work of God in the world.

Conclusion

The theme of rapidity in the Bible serves to emphasize the urgency of God's actions, the certainty of His promises, and the necessity for human readiness and response. Whether through divine intervention, prophetic fulfillment, or the call to repentance, the swift unfolding of events in Scripture calls believers to live with a sense of urgency and anticipation of God's work in their lives and the world.(adv.) In a rapid manner.1998. episuntrecho -- to run together again
... Word Origin from epi and suntrecho Definition to run together again NASB
Word Usage rapidly gathering (1). come running together. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1998.htm - 6k

5143. trecho -- to run
... Word Origin a prim. verb Definition to run NASB Word Usage ran (7), run (7),
running (3), runs (1), rushing (1), spread rapidly (1). run. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5143.htm - 8k

5032. tachion -- more swiftly
... Neuter singular of the comparative of tachus (as adverb); more swiftly, ie (in manner)
more rapidly, or (in time) more speedily -- out (run), quickly, shortly ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5032.htm - 6k

5030. tacheos -- quickly, hastily
... hastily, quickly, shortly. Adverb from tachus; briefly, ie (in time) speedily, or
(in manner) rapidly -- hastily, quickly, shortly, soon, suddenly. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5030.htm - 6k

1858. dar -- perhaps pearl or mother-of-pearl
... Apparently from the same as drowr; properly, a pearl (from its sheen as rapidly
turned); by analogy, pearl-stone, ie Mother-of-pearl or alabaster -- X white. ...
/hebrew/1858.htm - 6k

1711. dagah -- to multiply, increase
... grow. A primitive root; to move rapidly; used only as a denominative from dag; to
spawn, ie Become numerous -- grow. see HEBREW dag. 1710, 1711. dagah. 1712 ...
/hebrew/1711.htm - 6k

7431. remes -- creeping things, moving things
... that creeps, creeping moving thing. From ramas; a reptile or any other rapidly moving
animal -- that creepeth, creeping (moving) thing. see HEBREW ramas. ...
/hebrew/7431.htm - 6k

4116. mahar -- to hasten
... 1), impetuous (1), impulsive (1), made haste (1), make haste (1), make speed (1),
prepare (1), quickly (16), quickly thwarted (1), rapidly (1), soon (2), swift ...
/hebrew/4116.htm - 6k

1675. daah -- to fly swiftly, dart through the air
... 1), swoop (1), swoops down (1). fly. A primitive root; to dart, ie Fly rapidly --
fly. 1674, 1675. daah. 1676 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1675.htm - 6k

7415. rimmah -- a worm
... worm. From ramam in the sense of breading (compare ruwm); a maggot (as rapidly bred),
literally or figuratively -- worm. see HEBREW ramam. see HEBREW ruwm. ...
/hebrew/7415.htm - 6k

5518. ciyr -- a pot
... ciyrah {see-raw'}; or cirah (Jeremiah 52:18) {see-raw'}; from a primitive root meaning
to boil up; a pot; also a thorn (as springing up rapidly); by implication ...
/hebrew/5518.htm - 5k

1865. deror -- a flowing, free run, liberty
... liberty, pure. From an unused root (meaning to move rapidly); freedom; hence,
spontaneity of outflow, and so clear -- liberty, pure. 1864, 1865. deror. 1866 ...
/hebrew/1865.htm - 6k

1468. guz -- to pass over or away
... bring, cut off. A primitive root (compare gazaz); properly, to shear off; but used
only in the (figuratively) sense of passing rapidly -- bring, cut off. ...
/hebrew/1468.htm - 6k

Petilianus Said: "But to Pass Rapidly through These Minor Points.. ...
... Book II. Chapter 29. " 66. Petilianus said: "But to pass rapidly through
these minor points? "66. Petilianus said: "But to ...
/.../chapter 29 66 petilianus.htm

The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth.
... Our notions of the physical universe are rapidly altering, with the new discoveries
of science; and our notions of ethics and theology are altering as rapidly. ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon viii the shaking of.htm

Introduction
... It comes late in the volume, but those who are writing it and those who are reading
it realize"as never before"that the Sunday school is rapidly coming to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/alexander/the boy and the sunday school/introduction.htm

Praying Saints of the Old Testaments
... A prolonged battle was on between the Israelites and their enemies, and when night
was rapidly coming on, and it was discovered that a few more hours of ...
/.../bounds/prayer and praying men/i praying saints of the.htm

Introductory.
... The country increased rapidly in strength and in material prosperity; its growth
was uninterrupted; its resources continued to develop; its political ...
/.../abbey/the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter i introductory.htm

The King.
... the cities of Judah?" (2 Samuel 2:1). He will do nothing in this crisis of his fortunes,
when all which had been so long a hope seemed to be rapidly becoming a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/the life of david/ix the king.htm

The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth (Preached at the Chapel ...
... Our notions of the physical universe are rapidly altering with the new discoveries
of science; and our notions of Ethics and Theology are altering as rapidly. ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon vi the shaking of.htm

Chapter twenty-one
... The Auditorium attendant was shouting out the numbers of different carriages and
the carriage doors were slamming as the horses were driven rapidly up to the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter twenty-one.htm

He Shall not Keep Silent.
... Rapidly the day is nearing when the Lord Jesus Christ will be completely
rejected. ... The day of vengeance is rapidly approaching. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the lord of glory/he shall not keep silent.htm

Letter xxxvi. --On Life and Death.
... Although I am always in perfect health I feel that the years, so rapidly passing,
will soon bring me to that eternal goal to which we are all hastening. True! ...
/.../de caussade/abandonment to divine providence/letter xxxvi on life and death.htm

Rapidly (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (adv.) In a rapid manner. Multi-Version Concordance
Rapidly (7 Occurrences). Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that ...
/r/rapidly.htm - 8k

River (189 Occurrences)
... After little more than an hour's rain, the water rose so rapidly in the previously
dry wady that I had to run for my life, and with great difficulty succeeded ...
/r/river.htm - 52k

Run (147 Occurrences)
... 25. (v.) To be popularly known; to be generally received. 26. (v.) To have
growth or development; as, boys and girls run up rapidly. 27. ...
/r/run.htm - 43k

Shoot (51 Occurrences)
... down which timber, coal, etc., are caused to slide; also, a narrow passage, either
natural or artificial, in a stream, where the water rushes rapidly; esp., a ...
/s/shoot.htm - 24k

Whirl (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate
with velocity; to make to revolve. 2. (vt) To remove ...
/w/whirl.htm - 8k

Fly (33 Occurrences)
... bird. 2. (vi) To move through the air or before the wind; esp., to pass
or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse. 3. (vi ...
/f/fly.htm - 26k

Rapid (1 Occurrence)
... of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber
is laid in the walls, and this work proceedeth rapidly, and prospereth in ...
/r/rapid.htm - 7k

Dash (30 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To form or sketch rapidly or carelessly; to execute rapidly, or with careless
haste; -- with off; as, to dash off a review or sermon. ...
/d/dash.htm - 19k

Dart (9 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To throw suddenly or rapidly; to send forth; to emit; to shoot; as, the
sun darts forth his beams. 7. (vi) To fly or pass swiftly, as a dart. ...
/d/dart.htm - 10k

Dictionaries
... With the immense increase in literary material there was a rapidly growing appreciation
of the advantage of alphabetical arrangement, over the chronological or ...
/d/dictionaries.htm - 38k

Who was the real historical Jesus? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about uniformitarianism vs. catastrophism? | GotQuestions.org

What is Mithraism? | GotQuestions.org

Rapidly: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus