The Rapture of the Church – John's Vision of Heaven
Revelation Chapter 4 begins the eschatology portion, the study of the future times. Revelation is written primarily to and for Church Age believers so we will understand the future times in enough detail to comprehend the plan of God for the remainder of time and also for the eternal state after history has been completed. It is also for believers during the Tribulation so they will understand that God has not abandoned them despite all the disasters and misery going on around them. And they will be very tempted to abandon their faith because of what they see happening, as they must endure many hardships, and will see many believers martyred because of their faith in Jesus Christ. But God has provided enough information so all believers of all time can live by faith knowing He has a plan and that history is under His control, even when world events would suggest otherwise. Chapter 4 starts with John being shown a scene in Heaven so the remainder of human history can begin to be revealed to him.
Rev 4:1 “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Jesus Christ speaks to John from Heaven. This verse says the voice of the Lord will sound “like a trumpet” saying “come up here”, as will happen when the Church is called off the earth to come up for resurrection at the end of the Church Age. The “door standing open in heaven” shows the Rapture (resurrection) of the Church has just occurred with the Church having entered through this open door in Heaven. The Apostle Paul revealed the “trumpet call of God” will be sounded at the Rapture when Jesus Christ takes the Church to Heaven, and He will give us a “loud command” calling the Church off the earth:
2 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise 10
first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
1 Corinthians15:51 “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
The Rapture must occur before the Tribulation begins to comply with Rev 3:10 written to Church Age believers which says: “... I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
And as will be discussed later, all Church Age believers in resurrection bodies will return with Christ during the Second Advent at the end of the Tribulation, therefore the Church must first go up to Heaven in order to return from Heaven with Christ seven years later.
The first three chapters of Revelation dealt with the Church on earth during the Church Age, which is the time period from just after the Cross through the Rapture. Now that John is about to be shown the future times beyond the current Church Age, the Church is first removed from the picture. Indeed, despite all the discussions about the churches on earth during the first three chapters of Revelation, the Church is not mentioned again as being on the earth until the summation in the last chapter of Revelation after the eschatology discussion has been concluded.
At the Rapture all living Church Age believers are removed from the earth apart from death and receive their eternal resurrection bodies in the earth's outer atmosphere. At the same time all Church Age believers who had previously died come out of Heaven to receive their resurrection bodies along with those living believers who were just called off the earth apart from death. Then the entire resurrected Church enters Heaven together with the Lord.
Note that the Rapture is not an “Advent” of Jesus Christ since He does not come down to earth, but only comes into the “air” (outer atmosphere) where all Church Age believers, alive and dead, will meet Him to receive their eternal resurrection bodies. The Rapture must not be confused with the Second Advent of Christ. The two events occur seven years apart, with the Rapture occurring just before the 11
Tribulation begins, and the Second Advent occurring at the end of the Tribulation. At the Rapture Christ does not come to earth, but only into the outer atmosphere to provide all Church Age believers with an eternal body, then immediately returns to Heaven with the newly resurrected Church. At the Second Advent Christ comes to the earth to rule and remains for 1000 years. So the Rapture and Second Advent of Christ are two very different events.
Resurrection provides the believer with a permanent body far superior to any angel. In fact, believers will have an eternal body equivalent to the body Jesus Christ received at His resurrection three days after the cross. Philippians 3:20 says: “...And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” And the resurrection body also includes the eternal rewards for each believer. The Church is the first group of believers to receive this eternal resurrection body, and until the Rapture occurs only Jesus Christ has such a body. Prior to the Rapture all believers residing in Heaven are in a temporary body without rewards awaiting resurrection. After the Rapture of the Church all Old Testament believers residing in Heaven will continue to remain in a temporary body until they are resurrected just prior to the Second Advent. This shows the priority Jesus Christ gives to the Church.
So the various resurrections of believers (collectively called the “First Resurrection”) occur in stages, starting with Church Age believers (Rapture of the Church), then Old Testament and dead Tribulation believers (just prior to the Second Advent), and finally Millennial believers (at the end of the Millennium). The “second resurrection” of all unbelievers of all time occurs as a single event after the end of the Millennium and is called the Great White Throne Judgment. Unbelievers are dealt with in two stages after death, first they are put temporarily in Torments (Hell) after they die, then after their final trial at the Great White Throne Judgment all are put into the eternal Lake of Fire.
At this point in the vision all Church Age believers have been removed from the earth leaving only unbelievers remaining as the seven year Tribulation begins. After the Church is removed by
resurrection the Tribulation starts immediately and will last for seven years. The Tribulation is the completion of the Age of Israel which was interrupted by the Cross and does not involve the Church.
Although not part of this study due to its complexities, a brief explanation of “Ages” is necessary to 12
understand how the future times fit into God's overall plan. God has divided human history into four Ages which are:
1) Age of the Patriarchs: from Adam until Moses
2) Age of Israel Part I: from Moses to the Cross, then an interruption inserts the Church Age 3) Age of the Church: from the Cross until the Rapture
4) Age of Israel Part II: resumes and finishes during the seven year Tribulation
5) Millennium: the 1000 year reign of Christ completes human history.
We see there are four Ages, however they cover five separate periods of time since the Age of Israel is split into two separate parts, with the Church Age inserted between those two parts. The Tribulation will resume and finish the Age of Israel, since it was interrupted seven years short of completion when the Church Age was instituted after the Cross on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3). It is important to understand that the Tribulation is part of the Age of Israel since this explains many things about events which will occur during that period of time. But since the cross has occurred, this last seven years of the Age of Israel will not be subject to the requirements of the Mosaic Law and other provisions of the Old Testament which Jesus Christ fulfilled by His salvation work. The Mosaic Law was set aside by the cross. Believers during the Tribulation will live by mostly New Testament instruction instead of under the Old Testament, even though they will not be part of the Church. This means no animal sacrifices, no rituals from the Old Testament, and no requirement to live under Old Testament laws and ordinances unless reiterated in the New Testament. There will be a temple in Jerusalem, but it will be a center of apostate false worship using animal sacrifices and other rituals which are no longer valid.
The Tribulation will be a time between covenants. The Old Covenant of the Mosaic Law was canceled forever by the cross, the new covenant for the Church Age does not apply to them, and the new covenant to Israel will not be put in place until the Millennium begins. So the spiritual life of believers during the Tribulation will be one with little direction and few resources. The teachings of Moses and Elijah who will be back on earth will need to fill them in at the time.
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So the study of the future times begins with the next prophetical event in history, namely the Rapture of the Church, which initiates the seven year Tribulation, followed by the 1000 year Millennium. But where does the Tribulation come from, and why is it necessary? Why such intense judgment and destruction before the perfect environment of the Millennium? There are several components to this issue, and God has a good reason for including the Tribulation in His divine plan for the future times.
The first reason the Tribulation is necessary is because it will serve as the final battleground for the defeat of Satan. Satan's original coup attempt occurred long before the creation of man when he revolted against God and declared “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Satan's fall resulted in a very long-running angelic conflict in which mankind plays a significant role, and it continues even now although Satan has already been judged guilty and sentenced to the Lake of Fire.
This ancient angelic conflict comes to a head during the Tribulation, when Satan and his army of fallen angels (demons) will engage in frenzied activities aimed at trying to gain some advantage in this long-running but futile battle against God. Essentially, Satan is trying to avoid being thrown into the Lake of Fire which is his ultimate end, a judgment already pronounced by God but not yet carried out. In the meantime, Satan will use unbelieving mankind in the form of future world leaders (the Antichrist, False Prophet, and others) to help him attempt to achieve his evil goals. This futile quest will result in much disaster, misery, judgment and destruction on the earth during the Tribulation for mankind because of Satan's evil activities. Time is short for Satan, and he is out of options like a cornered animal who lashes out, and he uses unbelieving mankind to help him. So lacking any other viable options, Satan opts for destruction, violence and chaos as his game plan. It is not much of a plan, but it is all he has.
He will focus on destroying Christians and Jews while also trying to destroy the earth itself, since achieving any of those would thwart God's plan to create a Millennial Kingdom as He has promised.
The entirety of human history has been leading up to this final showdown. Acts 2: 34-35: “The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Jesus Christ is in Heaven at the right hand of the throne of God waiting until the end of the Tribulation when Satan will finally be defeated when Christ returns to earth. During the current Church Age God the Holy Spirit restrains Satan from engaging in the types of activities which will occur during the Tribulation. Since the Tribulation will be a resumption of the Age of Israel, the restraints by the Holy 14
Spirit will be lifted and the frenzied satanic activities will be allowed for this short period of time, enabling Satan to make his final arguments as to why he should not be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The Tribulation is Satan's last stand. That is why the earth will suffer such destruction as Satan seeks to avoid his certain doom, and will use evil dictators to carry out his last desperate plans. Christ will return at the end of the Tribulation, imprison Satan and all fallen angels awaiting their final judgment, and institute His Millennial Kingdom which will last for 1000 years.
At the same time mankind is at a peak of degeneracy and unbelief during the Tribulation. All believers will have been taken off the earth by the Rapture before the Tribulation begins, so the Tribulation starts with only unbelievers which allows evil to be spread more easily. The timing will be such that these unbelievers will be in a cycle of extreme hardness of soul during one of the most degenerate periods of all human history. These unbelievers will be ready and willing to succumb to Satan's overtures and most will end up actually worshiping Satan through an idolatrous false religion set up by the Antichrist and False Prophet. As God always does, this widespread idolatry and satanic worship will be judged harshly, especially because it will severely persecute His believers. This period of time will also be used by God to prepare the Jewish people for their future by returning them to His plan. The blindness which Jews have shown toward Jesus Christ will generally end when they see the Rapture has
occurred, and they will believe in Him in significant numbers which sets the stage for the Millennium when Jesus Christ will finally rule the earth from a regathered Israel for 1000 years. This is one of the very important reasons for the Tribulation, to prepare the Jews by turning them toward Jesus Christ paving the way for having large numbers of Jewish believers by the end of the Tribulation so they can populate the Millennial Kingdom as regathered true Israel. The Jews have been and will again be God’s chosen people for two main reasons: 1) to evangelize the world, and 2) to be the keeper of the scriptures. God does not offer Jews salvation by race, but rather by the same means as everyone else.
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So the intense judgment during the Tribulation is used by God to: 1) convince mankind, and Jews in particular, of the need for salvation to prepare the way for the Millennium, 2) judge unbelieving mankind for extreme degeneracy and evil which expresses itself in satanic worship, 3) fulfill prophesies from the Old Testament, and 4) serve as a final battleground for resolving the angelic conflict between Satan and God. Not wanting to spoil the ending, but Satan loses, the earth is turned into a paradise during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, then after 1000 years eternity begins and believers live happily ever after with Christ and the entire Trinity. But there is much more to it than that.
The remainder of the story regarding the Tribulation revolves around a prophecy from the Old
Testament which has not yet been fulfilled. God provided information through Daniel the prophet over 500 years before Jesus was born about the future of the Age of Israel in God's plan, including the coming Messiah and the Tribulation. Daniel prophesied how Israel would reject their Messiah, which would result in the Kingdom (Millennium) being postponed. This resulted in the interruption of the Age of Israel, although Daniel was not told the Church Age would be inserted. Daniel prophesied (Daniel 9:24-27) that the Age of Israel would continue for “70 weeks” (“weeks” are 7 year periods of time, so 70 x 7= 490 years) after the order was given to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. That decree was made by the Persian King Artaxerxes Longimanus in 444 BC. When the Age of Israel was interrupted just after the Cross, 69 “weeks” (483
years) had elapsed, which is seven years short of the 490 years prophesied by Daniel. Note there are conversions required from the ancient lunar year calendar used in the Old Testament to our present calendar (see Dr. Harold Hoehner's calculations along with Sam A. Smith’s inputs for more detailed information on this issue). So the Jewish Age must resume in the future and continue for seven years in order to complete Daniel's prophesy. Daniel 9:24-27 [with added notes inside brackets] shows the sequence:
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ [490 years] are decreed for your people [Israel] and your holy city
[Jerusalem] to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place [to complete the Age of Israel in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom]. 25 “Know and understand this: 16
From the time the word goes out [decree of Persian King Artaxerxes] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem
[after destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC] until the Anointed One, the ruler, [Messiah, Jesus Christ] comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ [69 “sevens”, which is 483 years of the total 490 years promised, leaving 7 years remaining].”
Then Daniel goes on to talk about what will happen during the “70th week”, meaning the seven years of the Tribulation:
Daniel 9:27 “He [the Antichrist] will confirm a covenant [treaty] with many [Israel] for one ‘seven’
[the 7 years of the Tribulation]. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he [Antichrist] will put an end to sacrifice and offering [breaks the treaty]. And at the temple he [Antichrist] will set up an abomination that causes desolation [idol of himself], until the end that is decreed is poured out on him [at Armageddon].”
As we see from Daniel, The Messiah was prophesied to come 483 years after the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem. That was literally fulfilled on Palm Sunday, 33 AD, the week Jesus was crucified.
Since Christ was rejected by the Jews as their Messiah, the Kingdom (Millennium) was delayed. Now God owes Israel 7 years (called Daniel's 70th Week) to fulfill the prophesy of the “seventy sevens”, and this last seven years will be the Tribulation. When doing the math, remember that all years in the Bible are lunar years with only 360 days, since that was customary at the time of writing.
The Beast-Antichrist will be revealed for who he is early in the Tribulation (not during the Church Age) and he will initially make a treaty with Israel, which treaty he will later break. The current State of Israel has nothing to do with the prophesy of a regathered Israel recognized by God, since we are currently in the Church Age which must continue until it is completed after an unknowable period of time, so this issue is not about the presence of a Jewish state in the Middle East sanctioned by God, but an apostate Jewish nation called Israel led by an evil dictator will exist during the Tribulation. We will discuss the miraculous regathering of all Jews into Israel later, which occurs after the Tribulation is completed and sets up the true nation of Israel recognized by God during the Millennial Kingdom. The Tribulation is the last of these 70 “weeks” (each “week” a seven year period of time), so it will be the final seven years of the Age of Israel which is currently under suspension after 69 “weeks” because the 17
Jews rejected their Messiah. Since God does not mix the Church Age with the Age of Israel, the Church cannot go through any part of the Tribulation and therefore must be removed by the Rapture before it begins. And the Church does not replace Israel or inherit Israel's covenants since the Church and Israel remain separate entities in God's plan throughout history.
Back to the narrative of Revelation, John now tells us what he sees after entering through the open door of Heaven as the Tribulation begins on the earth below.
Rev 4:2: “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.”
The post-Rapture eschatology discussion begins with the Trinity. John is “in the Spirit”, both the filling of the Holy Spirit, and being a witness to future events and spiritual issues he is also in a temporary state of “spirit” which is a vision status. Whether these visions actually involved physical transport of John to Heaven outside of his body is not known. Most of what he would be shown was future, so these events were not occurring in Heaven at that time. But he literally saw and talked with the teaching angels involved, since he would make the mistake of falling down to worship two of them, for which he was scolded. Regardless of the method, John was provided details about the future times which he recorded to complete the Bible. Both the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-5) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-4) recorded similar “spirit” visions of Heaven while still alive. Additionally, what John saw in Heaven needed to be partially shielded from him since “no man can see God and live” (Exodus 33:20). Father and Son are both on the throne with the Son seated at the Right Hand of the Father since His ascension on the day of Pentecost (fifty days after the Cross). The Holy Spirit is there also, having removed His restraining ministry from the earth during the Tribulation, so the entire Trinity is in view.
The Father is never visible to man until eternity, and the Holy Spirit does not take a form visible to man so is described in other terms. Jesus Christ as the God-Man is the only Member of the Trinity physically revealed to man. The throne in Heaven and what surrounds it shows authority, hierarchy, order and protocol in Heaven, which contrary to the view of many these are required by God for both angels and man to have a relationship with Him, and is also necessary for man's happiness.
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Rev 4:3 “And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.”
The One who sat there is Jesus Christ on His throne, the only member of the Trinity ever physically revealed to man. In this vision He is described as having the appearance of literally “a translucent stone and a red stone” or diamond and ruby. Although John knows what the resurrected Jesus Christ actually looks like, he describes instead what he is shown since the vision conveys symbolic meaning as a method of teaching John about the future times in terms he could understand and record. Precious gems are a sign of ruler ship and leadership, as with the high priests of Israel, and are also a symbol of perfection, highest value, and great beauty, so are used throughout this chapter to describe the Trinity.
The point of showing the Throne of God as gem-like conveys the character of God. While too much can be made of the colors involved, generally the gems indicate in this context the diamond-like perfect Righteousness and the perfect Justice (red stone) of the One who performs judgment, Jesus Christ.
These traits will be prominently on display during the Tribulation due to the judgments which are about to be revealed. The phrase “A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne” refers to the rainbow as God's sign of promise regarding man's continuation on earth, as with the rainbow after the Great Flood in Noah's time. This promise will be important to remember during the Tribulation because of the disastrous judgments on the earth which will cause great destruction. God does not have an “end times” in store for the earth during the Tribulation, just a time of greater judgment and cleansing. The current earth has a role far past the Tribulation, as we shall see later.
Rev. 4:4 “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.”
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Surrounding the throne of God are twenty-four Elders who are high ranking angels wearing golden crowns of victory. These crowns and high rank were earned before man was created, during an ancient time when only God and angels existed. At the point of this vision just after the Rapture no human in Heaven has yet received a crown. The first crowns go to Church Age believers, and that reward process for the Church occurs during the seven year period while the Tribulation is happening on the earth below. Old Testament believers in heaven receive rewards at the end of the Tribulation since the Age of Israel will not be completed until that time. So these are twenty-four angels, and the honors were earned during the early part of the angelic conflict which arose from Satan's revolt against God, when all angels chose sides, and 1/3 of them chose for Satan. Satan revolted against God long before man was put on the earth when he said:
"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars [angels] of God.” (Isaiah 14:13) Ezekiel also covers the fall of Satan due to arrogance:
Ezekiel 28:12 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘You [Satan] were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”
Satan and the other fallen angels battled God and His elect angels, and of course Satan's side lost. A trial occurred in Heaven, and Satan and all fallen angels were judged guilty and sentenced to the Lake of Fire before mankind ever existed. Apparently Satan objected to his punishment by saying an eternity in the Lake of Fire was unfair, and not what a loving God would do, leading to an appeal trial.
As a result, man was created and placed on earth to resolve the issue of God's fairness. When man eventually sinned, following a similar pattern of Satan's sin, God provided salvation through Jesus Christ, proving God's love and fairness to unworthy mankind. Man's role is to accept the gracious gift 20
of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ the Savior, showing Satan that God is not only perfect righteousness and justice, but also perfect love and completely fair. These combined traits can legitimately put Satan and all fallen angels into the Lake of Fire as punishment due to the finality of their rejection of God. This sentence will be carried out after human history has ended when Satan and all fallen angels go immediately into the Lake of Fire, showing how human history is tied directly to the angelic conflict. And unbelieving humans will also be put into the Lake of Fire since they joined Satan's side by rejecting God. In the meantime the ancient angelic conflict continues, with Satan attempting by any means to avoid his ultimate fate in the Lake of Fire which has already been decreed.
And contrary to popular belief, Satan has never been to Hell, and he certainly does not rule over it.
Hell (Torments) is a temporary holding cell for human unbelievers until they are judged at the end of history.
The twenty-four elect angels seen in this verse distinguished themselves long ago during the ancient angelic war and were given high rank (close proximity to the Throne of God) and rewards (wings, golden crowns and special clothing). Elect angels are in their eternal status now.
Rev. 4:5 “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.”
God does not judge mankind without warning. Just as lightning and thunder warn of an approaching storm so all can seek cover, the lightning and thunder from the Throne of God are a sign of coming disaster on the earth providing mankind time to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior to avoid judgment.
The gathering storm of judgments will certainly come, but deliverance is available. From the time of the Rapture until the Great Tribulation begins, 3 ½ years is provided during which time mankind can watch the approaching storm build and intensify and make a decision to change over to God's side. But most will ignore the warnings.
The seven burning torches are a sign of judgment as in Zechariah 12:6. In agricultural times burning torches were used to set chaff on fire after a wheat harvest. Chaff is used to denote unbelievers (Matthew 3:12). The “seven spirits of God” shown as blazing torches are judgment angels which will carry out the decrees from the throne and execute judgments on the earth during the Tribulation. These 21
judgments, as we will see, come in sevens as with the 7 Trumpet and 7 Bowl Judgments.
Rev. 4:6a “Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.”
The glassy sea resembling a crystal is the resurrected Church, having just preceded John through the open door in Heaven. Church Age believers are the only ones with resurrection bodies at this time, and their bodies are like the resurrection body of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:49). Such a body has a translucent quality, which is shown in the crystal sea analogy.
The Church will be united in Heaven with the