THE REVELATION 4:1 RAPTURE: THE CERTAINTY OF OUR DISAPPEARANCE

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2).

Beginning with these verses, the Apostle John opens a new vision after the vision of the Seven Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 discussed in the previous nine articles. He takes us on a journey from this earthly existence into a heavenly sphere.

Through the pen of the aged apostle, we are given a view of the rapture and resurrection at the close of the Church Age. In the first three chapters, John has been given a vision of the entire dispensation, from it’s inception under the leadership of the Apostles to the concluding years of two major historical developments – world wide evangelism and the rise of liberal theology – as seen in the letters to Philadelphia and Laodicea. As such, we see the departure of all true born-again believers in Christ off of the earth in Revelation 4:1 before judgment strikes.

Before entering upon the subject of our glorious future, we should take a moment to reflect upon the attitude of the Savior, Jesus Christ, who will make it all possible. In most of these letters, we find that Jesus is displeased with man’s continuing failure. These letters reveal the story of apostasy and defection. Everything that man touches is corrupted. Even Ecclesiastical history discloses one corruption after another until, at the end, the Savior is seen standing unwelcome outside the Church, knocking at the door as seen in the previous study of the Seven Church Ages ending in Laodicea, the very church age where Jesus is knocking on the door as a result of being thrown out by man.

Those who, in every age, have excelled to spiritual perfection have done so by grace through faith in Christ alone. They are commended in spite of the ecclesiastical failures that surround them.

Looking back over the history of Christendom, we can readily see it’s failures, but had we lived in Ephesus, we might not have detected the cooling of our love. Had we lived in the age of Smyrna, we might have tried to escape the persecutions that befell the Church. Had we lived in the age of Pergamos, we might have been blinded to the spiritual corruption of imperial favor. Like the vast majority of ministers in the third century, we might have been all too willing to accept funds from government coffers with which to build our churches. Had we lived in the age of Thyatira, we might not have recognized the compromises of a metaphoric “Jezebel.” Had we lived in the age of Sardis, we might have been a part of the Reformation, yet not be aware that our works still were not perfect before God. And, during this present age of Philadelphia and Laodicea, most do not realize the influential weakness of evangelical Christianity, or the spiritual poverty of mainline denominations … but the Savior is painfully aware.

In the end, all that man has done in the name of Christ will vaporize and all that Christ has done through us will endure. When we stand before the “Judgment Seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10), we will finally recognize our total inability to please God apart from our faith in his finished work upon Calvary’s cross. The “wood, hay and stubble” with which most have labored in this life will at last be remarkably understood. We may only be able to “see through a glass darkly” as we busy ourselves with religious activity. We may be as busy as Martha in the serving of Christ, when what the Savior really wants is for us to sit at his feet and be as eager as Mary to learn more about him. After all, our works of righteousness are looked upon as nothing more than “filthy rags.” Only what we allow Christ to do in and through us will endure beyond this life and be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

If we are to show ourselves “approved unto God,” then we are to do what?” STUDY!

We learn our Bibles to learn more about him. We attend church and Sunday school in order to learn more about him. We invest in reading materials that guide us into a deeper walk because we want to learn more about him. The more we learn about him, the more we will love and serve him. The busy activity of a Martha should be the outgrowth of a Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus – not the other way around.

Joseph A. Seiss, in his book The Apocalypse, has likened us to children playing on the seashore, picking up a delightful shell here or an interesting pebble there, while a vast ocean of divine knowledge lies undiscovered at our feet. Seiss poses the question …

“… how is it that the great author of Christianity has permitted the history of it’s realization to include so much that is painful and revolting; how is it that he did not keep unpolluted his own sacred institutions – that he did not save the light from being dimmed – that he did not preserve the church, an unblighted garden, a home of unruffled love?”

To better understand the question, let alone the answer, we should review every other dispensation of human history and observe that each concluded in failure. The Dispensation of “Innocence” ended with the fall of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Eden.

The Dispensation of “Conscience” ended with the imagination of men’s hearts being “only evil continually” and their destruction in Noah’s Flood. The Dispensation of “Human Government” ended with the building of a tower to idolatry. The dispensation of “Promise” ended with slavery in Egypt. The dispensation of “Law” ended with the crucifixion of Christ and the exile of the Jews. Therefore, it stands to reason that the dispensation of “Grace” will also end in failure. Everything man touches is tainted.

So, why did the Savior allow the corruption of Christendom? That question might also be applied to every other dispensation. It is the age-old question: If God is God, then why has he allowed war, poverty, etc? It is not that such depravity is somehow made righteous by the fact that God allows it, but rather to demonstrate that God alone is righteous in the midst of our sea of wickedness.

At the end of this Church Age, all believers born again in Christ, will stand before him and admit that he alone is worthy, for he is the one who was slain and has redeemed us to God by his blood (Revelation 4:9). We have no righteousness of our own. None. As noted in a previous article, each chapter of Revelation follows the meaning of the Hebrew letter ascribed to it: chapter 1 follows the meaning of the first letter aleph   as the letter of the Creator and King; chapter 2 introduces the theme of the second letter beit  as the letter of the house or church; chapter 3 follows the theme of the third letter gimelas the letter of nurturing until the planted seed bears fruit (see the article titled “REVELATION RIPPED OPEN: THE DIVINE MARK OF AUTHENTICITY” in the Recommended Reading” section at the end of this article for a full exposition on this phenomenon.

In the case of the Church Age, Christ is faithful in following through with what he started, in spite of the corruption on man’s part. It is Christ who is faithful, not man.

We can be no more critical of Christ for establishing the Church than a criminal can condemn the excellence of the law that prosecutes him. It is not the ideal of Christianity that should be condemned, but the corruption of it by the free-will antics of sinful man. Heaven was shaken by the rebellion of Lucifer, but that is no reflection on the purity of God who created both Heaven and Lucifer.

If we did not have so many prophecies to assure us of man’s failure and God’s grace, then we might have a right to become thoroughly discouraged with the corruption of Christendom throughout history. Some believers are all too quick to equate Christian fundamentalism with Islamic fundamentalism. They paint with a brush far too broad without a proper understanding of the relationship we have in Christ. But, they don’t have the advantage of understanding the prophecies in these chapters, that corruption will indeed be part of the historic Christendom. While condemning the Laodicea characteristic of Christendom, unbelievers also want to condemn the Philadelphia characteristic as well.

Perhaps you know someone who either refuses to go to church because of all the hypocrites that go there. Perhaps you know someone who was disgusted by some moral failing of a pastor, and therefore, no longer wants anything to do with Christianity or church. Without the benefit of knowing in advance that the Church will be fraught with various failures, it is possible to be permanently discouraged. But Christ has already told us in advance through these seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation 2 & 3. We should not be surprised that the institution will be less than perfect.

Is it any surprise that in the end time, there will be many false prophets who will perform great “signs and wonders?” Is it any surprise that there will be “wars and rumors of wars” – in which nations will rise against nations or kingdoms against kingdoms? Is it any surprise that a man’s foes will be those of his own household? Is it any surprise that Jesus, “When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” 

It would be a wonderful thing if we could rid the world of all wrong that harms mankind and bring in everlasting righteousness, but we cannot. It is time that we understood that only Christ can do that. In fact, when the rapture occurs, we the body of saved, born again believers (the true church) will be taken out of a Christ-rejecting, God-hating world. We will be spared from the wrath of an offended God.

It was to the age of Philadelphia that the Savior gave the reason for the rapture …

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

We are kept from the “hour of temptation” by the scene described in the second verse of chapter 4. John writes that he was immediately in the spirit.” It took no length of time for the transformation to occur. And though John describes his personal departure from this plane, it can be reasonably assured that the rest of us appeared with him in the heavenly realm. From this point, we hear no more of the term “church.” This leads us to believe that the events which follow concern Israel and those Gentiles of Gentile nations. The Church no longer exists on a physical plane.

Since the promise was made to the Philadelphians, it is certain that the rapture will soon occur. We are aware of the historical developments over the past three centuries, as the characteristics of both Philadelphia and Laodicea have emerged. Therefore, we are positioned quite well for the shout and the Trumpet.

The Hebrew Letter Dalet: The Menorah Design

The fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet fits perfectly with the theme of this chapter. Dalet stands for a “door” or “way.” This is exactly what we see as the Apostle John writes:

“After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven” (Revelation 4:1).

This is no ordinary door. The “door” in the meaning of the fourth Hebrew letter offers, not just a simple opening as seen in the door of the church in the previous chapter, but a passage from this earthly plane into the heavenly realm. In fact, Jesus uses the term “door” in “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20) to point out the vast difference the two uses of the term. The “door … opened in heaven” (Revelation 4:1) meets the criteria of the dalet as the most important of the first seven Hebrew letters. A menorah design emerges, with the elevation of the dalet and it’s relationship with the first and seventh chapters. The first seven Hebrew letters and their meanings are as follows …

• Aleph stands for the Creator and King.
• Beit refers to the house and division.
• Gimel expresses the nurturing of a planted seed.
• Dalet sets forth the door or way.
• Hay presents the breath or Spirit.
• Vav alludes to the heavenly hook or Messiah.
• Zayin points to the focal point of struggle

In the Tabernacle of Moses, the center lamp of the Menorah was elevated above the others and faced out into the center of the Holy Place. The three lamps on either side were turned facing the center lamp. This middle lamp was the most important – being called the shamesh or servant lamp. It was also referred to as the ner Elohim – the lamp of God.

Note that the dalet lamp is elevated above the others, leading us from this earthly plane into a heavenly realm. Note also that the aleph lamp, standing for Revelation 1, finds John “in the spirit on the Lord’s day.” This is another view of the raptured believer. But that is not the end of the story. The zayin lamp in Revelation 7 shows an innumerable host of believers from all nations standing before the throne of God. I am convinced that these are the raptured saints that were taken in chapter 4.

The first three lamps (Revelation 1,2,3) are prophecies that look into the future to the dalet lamp of chapter 4. The last three lamps (Revelation 5,6,7) are fulfillments, looking back to the dalet lamp of chapter 4.

We shall look closer at the remaining Hebrew letters chapters 5,6 and 7 are discussed. Suffice it to say at this point that the raptured Saints appear in Revelation 1,4 and 7, with the most important reference appearing in chapter 4. In chapters 1 and 4, the rapture is seen from a personal viewpoint of John himself. But in chapter 7, John notices that the rest of us are there as well.

Bear in mind, in the menorah, lamps 1 and 7 are connected by a circular rod – both are attached to the middle rod that supports lamp 4.

Furthermore, both lamps 1 and 7 are turned facing lamp 4. Both receive their illumination from lamp 4. Therefore, when John said that he was “in the spirit on the Lord’s day,” he was referring to the event that occurred in chapter 4. When he described the “great multitude … of all nations” in chapter 7, he was referring to the event that occurred in chapter 4. These seven chapters hinge upon the “door” of chapter 4.

Old Testament References: Enoch

There are several scriptural passages throughout the Bible that allude to the resurrection and rapture. The earliest biblical reference can be seen in the story of Enoch. He was the seventh generation from Adam and lived 365 years before his departure. He is referred to by some as “the calendar man” and may give us a clue as to the timing of the rapture. Being the seventh generation, he may be pointing us to the seventh millennium. Having lived the same number of years as we have days in a year, his departure may be a prophecy that adds weight to the concept of the seventh millennium. We are told …

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him“ (Genesis 5:24).

Though he lived for 365 years, Enoch never died. He was taken alive into the heavenly realm where he lives to this very day.

It is for this reason that some theologians think that he will return as one of the “two witnesses” in Revelation 11. After all, generally speaking, every man must die. However, Revelation 4 demonstrates that many of us will never die. Therefore, the other more likely alternative to Enoch being one of the two witnesses with Elijah is Moses for various reasons, but that is a discussion for another article. In keeping with the theme being discussed here, we who are alive at the time of the rapture will be taken in the same manner that Enoch was caught up into Heaven.

Elijah

Another Old Testament illustration of the rapture is seen in the dramatic departure of Elijah. We are told …

“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).

Elijah lived in the days of the wicked King Ahab, and his dominating wife, Jezebel. Because the wicked queen is mentioned in the book of Revelation, we can see a prophetic scenario in the Old Testament story. Ahab seems to be a type, or prophetic foreshadow, of the Antichrist that will appear on the world scene in the future (Revelation 6), while Jezebel offers a view of the future Mystery Babylon (Revelation 14, 17 & 18). In illustrating this concept of types or foreshadows of the future that exists in the past, one needs only to look at the following passage of scripture to get a biblical lock on the concept …

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).

“That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). 

Suffice it to say that the translations of Enoch and Elijah offers irrefutable evidence that it will happen again before God pours out his wrath upon an unbelieving world.

Another Old Testament view of the resurrection and rapture can be seen in the prophecies of Isaiah …

“Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

“In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea” (Isaiah 26:19-21;27:1). 

The context of these verses place the events of the resurrection and rapture just prior to the judgment of God upon “the inhabitants of the earth” and the “dragon … in the sea.” We are told that “dead men shall live” and that the saints will be hidden “until the indignation be overpast.” 

Later, Isaiah alludes to the possibility that our departure could be hidden under the cover of some worldwide catastrophe …

“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come” (Isaiah 57:1).

The Hebrew word for “perisheth” is ovad, meaning, “to cause to disappear.” It is the only term, out of fifteen Hebrew words for perish, that does not refer to a bloody destruction. Therefore, it is quite possible that the world will think that we have perished when, in fact, we have been rescued from the “evil to come.” The Hebrew word translated “taken away” is asaph, a harvest term that means, “taken up into a place of safety.” The only catastrophe that could be large enough to hide our departure, while causing the world to think that we perished, is a worldwide nuclear exchange or perhaps some other military catastrophic exchange.

Such an event could happen without warning in a matter of minutes. The book of Micah seems to concur with this concept …

“Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity” (Micah 7:1-4).

Micah uses the same Hebrew term ovad and adds that the “good man” or saint has departed from “the earth.” He describes a world where all who are left are wicked (the unsaved or all those individuals who have rejected Christ as their substitutionary payment) and that on the very same day of the saint’s departure, Israel will be invaded from the north. The term “watchmen” is translated from a Hebrew word referring to a northern invasion. He may be referring to the Russian invasion described in Ezekiel 38 & 39), called the Gog/Magog war.

Further still, to add another prophetic layer or hint to this intriguing biblical narrative of the true church’s departure under the cover of a possible nuclear or other military exchange between major powers, we also see what I strongly suspect to be a hidden prophecy in the book of 2 Kings chapter 2 where Elijah disappears. The story of Elijah’s disappearance involves an attack upon 42 mockers by two bears “after,” and not before, Elijah’s disappearance. Given America’s very peculiar prophetic parallel with ancient Israel, it is quite possible, and even likely, that with the severe tension rising between the United States of America and Russia currently, we may be seeing the foreshadowings of this hidden prophecy soon to occur with a “bear” strike (Russia’s national emblem is the bear) upon America and vice versa retaliation. For more on this intriguing prophecy, see a previous article titled “THE BEAR RAPTURE PROPHECY AND COMET ATLAS” in the “Recommended Reading” section at the end of this article. For more on America’s peculiar prophetic connection and parallel with ancient Israel, see a previous article titled “AMERICA AND A FOUR DIMENSIONAL TRIP THROUGH THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES” in the “Recommended Reading” section at the end of this article.

Zephaniah also alludes to the rapture …

“Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord‘s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3).

The prophet strongly suggests that the saints will be “… hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets are consistent to remind us that saints are saved from the day of God’s wrath. That can only be a pre-tribulation rapture. For a more detailed study of Zephaniah’s pre-tribulation rapture narrative, see a previous article titled “ZEPHANIAH’S PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE” in the “Recommended Reading” section at the end of this article.

New Testament References

The view of the rapture and resurrection is even better in the New Testament. At the tomb of Lazarus, Christ addresses the subject in clear and concise terms …

“Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:23-26). 

This entire passage offers clear teaching about both the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of the living saints – perhaps even the timing of this glorious event. We are told that Jesus delayed his journey to Bethany for two days after he heard the news that Lazarus was gravely ill. He waited two days so that Lazarus would die before resurrecting him. It is my feeling that he did so in order to imply that the resurrection would occur after two thousand years.

Now that we have witnessed the passing of two millennia, we can expect the rapture and resurrection at any moment.

Jesus spoke of the resurrection when he said, “… though he were dead, yet shall he live.” He spoke of the rapture when he said, “… whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus promised his disciples that he would someday return for them. He was going to “prepare a place,” then return to “receive” or rapture the saints …

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).

He was speaking of his impending journey into Heaven and his return to take us with him – both the living and the dead in Christ. His departure and the promise of his return is recorded in the opening verses of the book of Acts …

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).

Following the Savior’s promise, the disciples taught the resurrection as perhaps the most important subject of the saints. Peter boldly taught that the resurrection was available for all who believed in Jesus …

“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:1-2). 

This was the message that caused 5,000 people to believe in Christ – in spite of the fact that Peter and John were arrested. This blessed hope of resurrection has been the motivating factor for all true conversions to Christ down through the ages.

Later on, in the ministry of the Apostle Paul, the resurrection became the dividing factor between faith in Christ and every other religion in the world …

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18).

His primary message to the Greeks was that resurrection was available through faith in Christ …

“Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them” (Acts 17:31-33).

Here again, the resurrection is associated with the “day” of God’s judgment. The saints will be raised when judgment day arrives. This “day” is looked upon throughout the scriptures as the seventh millennium.

The Earliest New Testament Book

Only 19 years after the crucifixion, the Apostle Paul wrote an epistle to the church at Thessalonica, in which the rapture and resurrection were an essential part. This is the earliest New Testament book. So soon after Calvary, this was the most important doctrine taught. Paul wrote …

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

In the following verses, Paul goes on to say that “sudden destruction” will follow quickly:

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5,9).

In Paul’s second epistle to Thessalonica, he addresses the question of the rapture and resurrection again, for some people in Thessalonica may have questioned whether the Tribulation period had already begun. After all, Nero had just ascended the throne of Rome and his name had a Hebrew gematria of 666. Paul had to write and assure them that the rapture would not take place until the “man of sin be revealed.” It appears that we will be taken out of this world before the Antichrist commits the “abomination of desolation.” Paul writes …

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8). 

In many of the scriptural passages alluding to the resurrection and rapture, the context places our departure within the time frame of Isaiah’s “indignation” and his “the evil to come”; or Daniel’s “time of trouble”; or Paul’s “in the which he will judge the world” or “sudden destruction,” or “then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume…” Those verses assure us that we will depart from this world just before God’s judgment falls.

This is consistent with the Revelation passages. This is the case of those seen standing before the throne in Heaven from all nations that “came out of great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14).

Though some believe that they are the repentant Tribulation saints, I think we have a better reason to believe that they are the ones redeemed and raptured in Revelation 4:1. The menorah design of these first seven chapters, being a Hebrew concept, carries more theological weight than the Greek term ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ translated “came out of” – a term from which some believe that those are the people who will emerge from the midst of the Great Tribulation – meaning the last half of the Tribulation Period. I believe we have sufficient evidence  to assume that the passage was originally written in Hebrew, from which the Greek text was translated. Therefore, the Greek term translated “came out of” may not have the weight of Divine inspiration. The view of the first seven chapters would be considerably less complicated, were that to be the case.

Paul’s Letters to Corinth

The Apostle Paul stands out as a leading expositor of the resurrection, explaining it’s profound importance to the entire Divine plan. First, it was absolutely necessary for Christ to rise from the dead …

“Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:12-26). 

Paul explains that we would have no reason for living, no reason for enduring the heartaches of life, and no reason to aspire to greatness without the promise of our future resurrection. If men are born, live and die with no hope of an existence after this life, then all that we are, all that we say and all that we do is futile. But there is a bright future for all who believe in Christ. Paul assures us that resurrection is the central doctrine of our faith.

Paul also explains that the concept of resurrection has a sequence of fulfillments – “every man in his own order.” The first phase occurred two-thousand years ago with the resurrection of Jesus on the day of the Jewish festival of Firstfruits. His was the “firstfruits” of our future resurrection. It is quite possible that the Old Testament saints were resurrected with him on that glorious day. The account of a resurrection is given in Matthew’s Gospel …

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matthew 27:52-53). 

The Old Testament saints were raised when Christ raised.

The New Testament saints will be raised in the days of his return. Though Paul does not take the time to be explicit, we learn from other New Testament writings that Christ will come in the air to receive us into Heaven. Then, at the close of the Tribulation Period, we will return with him to establish the Heavenly Kingdom.

Paul also explains that all of this was a mystery not explained in the Old Testament. It was not clear to the Old Testament saints …

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). 

Here, we are told that the resurrection will be as quick as the blink of an eye. The reference to the “last trump” places the timing of the resurrection in the end of days. According to old rabbinical teaching, God removed the horns from the ram used by Abraham as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac, and fashioned the two shofar trumpets. The first was blown at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19 – at the marriage of God to Israel. The other trumpet, here called the “last trump,” will be blown at the resurrection.

Both the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of living saints are explained here. The dead shall be raised “incorruptible” because their bodies have long ago decayed. They are the “corruptible” who will “put on incorruption.” Then, Paul writes that “we shall be changed.” Our mortal bodies will “put on immortality” – all in the blink of an eye. In his second letter to Corinth, Paul speaks of the metaphysical aspects of our existence …

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:1-8).

Paul likens our existence to the Tabernacle of Moses.

The Outer Court alludes to the physical nature of our bodies; the Holy Place can be compared to the services and functions of our soul; and the Holy of Holies alludes to our spirit and it’s connection to the Heavenly realm by means of the primeval light, also called the shekinah glory – that wispy cloud with the brightness of fire that extended up from the Ark of the Covenant.

Paul had already referred to this concept in his earlier epistle to the church at Corinth …

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Paul reveals our immortality in these verses. Upon our death, even before our resurrection, we do not cease to exist. When we close our eyes in death, we open them in the presence of the Lord (that is, only for those who are born again in Christ). There could be no better hope than to be given “eternal life.”

The First Resurrection

The final New Testament reference to the resurrection is given in Revelation, chapter 20. Here, the entire concept, with it’s “order” is divided between two basic orders of resurrections. All resurrections from that of Christ and the Old Testament saints, to the resurrection and rapture of New Testament Christianity at the end of the Church Age, to the resurrection of the Tribulation saints at the end of the Tribulation Period are called the “first resurrection.” The second resurrection will be reserved for the unsaved only. The Apostle John writes …

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4-6).

It is not possible for New Testament Christianity to be resurrected with the Tribulation saints at the end of the Tribulation Period because we are in the “armies of Heaven” that accompany the Savior at his return in Revelation 19. Therefore, we can only suggest that this subject is only alluded to in Revelation 4:1 and specifically taught in Revelation 20 because it remains a mystery until then. It is not complete until then. Christ is our “firstfruits” of the resurrection and the rest must follow it’s “order” of events. With the seventh millennium being presently introduced, we can expect to hear the shout and trumpet at any time. This specific time when it occurs is not an arbitrary time that God will decide when he feels like it. It is a specific and set time known only to him. But be assured, he has promised us the signs to watch for when we will know it is near … even at the door.

Be Ready!

THE RAPTURE AND YOUR ESCAPE FROM THE COMING JUDGMENT

The demonstratably divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a coming horrendous seven-year Tribulation period of judgment upon Earth for all of mankind, no matter what your religion, belief or creed is, and even to those who don’t believe anything spiritual at all.  We can now clearly see the signs of this approaching nightmare.  However, as we’ve already seen, this same divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a dramatic escape from off the face of the earth before this horrendous time of judgment only to a certain category of people.  

Put simply, an event is coming that will be so stupendous that it strains the mind to contemplate such an event happening.  It is an event that will see millions upon millions of people across the globe suddenly disappear without warning.  The millions of disappeared will have literally ascended into Heaven itself after instantaneously receiving a new glorified body fit for Heaven.  A body that will be able to withstand the atmosphere and glory of Heaven.  This event is known as the “Rapture.”  But the promise of escape is only to those who are “born again” in Christ.  This is why it is crucial to understand what Christ meant when he declared in no uncertain terms that only those who are “born again” in him will enter the Kingdom of God.  For the explanation of this, keep reading below.

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of …

1. Agreeing – A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation.  The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife.  Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation.  The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself.  The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The Bible describes these three kinds of death:

• physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).

• spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …

• the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell.  He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul.  But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4).  So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin.  Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you.  Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin.  Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him.  Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God.  Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort.  Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you.  The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this:  while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you.  You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope.  You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised.  This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers.  Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it.  Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.”  It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is:  “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?”  The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God.  To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals.  God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms.  In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”  While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I realize that I need you.  I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin.  But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness.  I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf.  I come to you and open my heart to you.  I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child.  I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be.  I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved.  I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer.  The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart,  God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).

Recommended Reading:
REVELATION RIPPED OPEN: THE DIVINE MARK OF AUTHENTICITY

THE BEAR RAPTURE PROPHECY AND COMET ATLAS

AMERICA AND A PROPHETIC FOUR DIMENSIONAL TRIP THROUGH THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES

ZEPHANIAH’S PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE

IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE: DECIMATING THE MID AND POST – TRIBULATION RAPTURE VIEWS

Questions and comments can be left in the comment section below (sometimes comments end up in my spam box – will approve them as soon as I check it every day).