Revelation 4:1-2 The Rapture of the Church

Revelation 4:1-2 The Rapture of the Church Parkdale Grace Fellowship Sunday AM, April 29, 2012 Based upon as literal as possible of an interpretation of prophetic scripture, the rapture of the church is an event believed to take place immediately before the Tribulation, in which Jesus will call all true believers with a shout and we will be immediately and supernaturally caught up into the sky to meet the Lord and go with Him into heaven. The rapture is different from the second coming of Christ after the Great Tribulation when He will come to live on this earth and to set up His Kingdom and rule the earth for 1,000 years. At the rapture Jesus doesn t actually come all the way down to the earth but only to the clouds and He calls us up to meet Him in the air. Revelation 4:1-2, "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne." Now, look at the opening words of verse one, "After these things... This phrase sets the chronological context for what takes place next. Chapters 2 and 3 have been all about the church, they described a variety of conditions and characteristics that have been true of churches all throughout church history. Chapter three ends describing a lukewarm church living in prosperity. Then chapter four begins with the words, After these things and John is called up to heaven. Revelation 4:1 is believed to represent the rapture of the church. The word rapture is not found in the Bible but the meaning of the word is Biblical. The word rapture comes from the Latin word, rapio, which means caught up, which is the exact phrase used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up [rapio/ raptured] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Revelation 4:1-2, "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. Immediately I was in the Spirit. Once again, I believe that the act of John being called up to heaven with a trumpet call at this point in the prophecy is very significant. I believe that what happened to John was representative of the church being caught up in the Rapture. Let me show you why I believe these first two verses of Revelation chapter 4 to portray the rapture of the church. Notice the key words in this passage remember them because they are the same words that are used in other passages we will look at describing the rapture: Heaven the call was to heaven; the rapture will take us to heaven. He heard a voice at the rapture those who are followers of Jesus will hear a voice calling us. It was described as the sound of a trumpet there will be the sound of a trumpet at the rapture. He was called to come up (from earth to heaven) which is what the rapture is all about we will be caught up. And what happened next was immediate he was in the spirit, in the heavenly realm. The rapture will take place suddenly and we will be

2 instantly translated from the earthly to the heavenly. Now look for those same key words in the description of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Because of the many various interpretations of end time prophecy many Christians have chosen to ignore end times prophecy. But the apostle Paul and the early church placed great emphasis on the return of the Lord for his church. In fact God s introduction to His teaching of the rapture in First Thessalonians was with these words, I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren... (1 Thessalonians 4:13). God does not want us to be ignorant about these things but He wants us to understand so that we have hope in the future. In fact the rapture was so important that every single chapter of both first and second Thessalonians makes mention of the return of Christ for His church. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 says, Therefore comfort one another with these words. Comfort one another with what words? With the instruction about Christ s return for His church. Let s read the whole teaching on the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, beginning in verse 13. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep [those who have died physically], lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus [NLT says, when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died]. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord [by revelation from God], that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede [be caught up to heaven before] those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout [a military command], with the voice of an archangel [elsewhere referred to as Michael, the head of God s angels], and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. [this refers to N.T. Christians. The expression, in Christ never refers to O.T. saints or to Tribulation saints. They will rise after the Tribulation (Rev. 20:4-6)]. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air [Jesus doesn t come all the way to the earth]. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words." [Bracketed comments added here and throughout this study] When Christians die physically on earth, their bodies are laid in the grave, but their souls and spirits go to be with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8,indicates that, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." When Jesus returns, at the rapture, He will bring with Him the souls and the spirits of those who have died in Christ (1 Thess. 4:14). Then when the dead bodies of the believers are resurrected their souls and spirits will re-enter their bodies which will be restored and transformed. (John Walvoord, The Church in Prophecy, p. 75) So if we were caught up in the rapture today we would not be reunited with our dead loved ones in heaven but in the clouds above the earth (vs. 17). Then we will go together with them and the

3 Lord into heaven where we will all live with Him (John 14:1-3). From the time of the rapture onward we will always be with the Lord, and with each other, never to be separated from Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. This passage from 1 Thessalonians is usually only used at funerals as a comfort for the loved ones who are left behind. However this should be a passage that we frequently use on many occasions because the word translated comfort implies much more than simply comfort after the death of a loved one. It expresses the idea of exhortation, of urging on in the task, and of encouragement. (Walvoord, p. 84) The hope of the rapture is to be shared with one another as believers in times of special stress when the cares and trials of life on this earth become heavy. In times of distress the comfort of knowing that the Lord could return at any time to take us home is meant to give us strength to carry on. It is not a form of escapism but a reminder of the reality that this earth is not our home we are only here temporarily on assignment and one day soon we will all be going home. The shout of Jesus that raises the dead at the time of the rapture reminds us of the shout of Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11:43 where Jesus called into the tomb with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! And Lazarus rose from the dead and came out of the tomb. Jesus promised that there would be another time in the future when all who are dead will one day rise from the dead at His command. John 5:25-29, "Most assuredly [that means without doubt this will absolutely take place], I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live... 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life [this takes place for the church at the rapture and later again after the Tribulation there will be a resurrection of the OT saints and those saved during the Tribulation (Rev. 20:4-6)], and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation [this takes place 1,000 years later after the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:5,13)]." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 tells us a little more about the Rapture (Remember that when John heard the voice like a trumpet the effect upon him was immediate as he was instantly taken up to heaven): Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. We shall all immediately receive our new glorified, sinless, spiritual bodies (as John was immediately in the spirit when the trumpet sounded Rev. 4:2). 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord [referring to the time of God s wrath which comes upon the earth following the rapture] so comes as a thief

4 in the night [again the idea of an unexpected event without warning]. 3 For when they say, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape." In contrast to the church which will escape in the rapture, those who are left behind are inevitably doomed to pass through this time of unprecedented trouble. When the rapture of the church takes place the restraining, preserving, blessing influence of God s grace will be lifted from the earth and the Day, or period, of the Lord s judgment will begin and Satan will be free to work his evil on earth for 7 years. The sudden, unexpected rapture of the church will trigger the beginning of the Tribulation, which is the wrath of God against sin. This sudden judgment will come at a time when the world is expecting peace and safety they will not be expecting all of hell to literally break loose on earth. Like the labor pains of a pregnant woman, she may know the time to give birth is near but she cannot know the day or the hour in which it will begin. So we as believers will know that the return of the Lord is near but we do not know the day or the hour in which it will begin. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness." The day of God s judgment will not overtake the believer like a thief when that day comes the believer will be safely gone. The world is in the dark when it comes to future events. They deny the existence of God; they reject any idea of accountability or judgment; they believe that they can save the planet and create a peaceful world by doing it their own way. On the other hand we are in the light, though we don t know when everything will happen we do know what will happen none of it will be unexpected if we know God s word as the Thessalonians did. 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation." Typically late at night the world is either asleep or they are not sleeping it is often because they are getting drunk. But either way night is a time when most people are oblivious to what is going on. However, followers of Jesus are not in the dark when it comes to spiritual matters but are living by the light of the Lord and His word. Knowing what is coming and knowing that the time is short should motivate us to make the most of every opportunity for the sake of those who are lost and held bondage in the darkness of sin. Notice in verse 8 that as Christians we have what is compared to a helmet, it is the hope of salvation. The word hope in the Bible means looking forward with a confident expectation of that which is sure because it has been promised. Therefore this hope of salvation which is like a protective helmet is not referring to salvation from our sin that is not future, it is already ours, but knowledge of the promised rapture in the future gives us hope for salvation from the suffering and judgment of that is coming upon this world.

5 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep [that means whether we are still alive or have already experienced physical death before Jesus comes], we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." This is as close as you can get to a categorical declaration that the church will not go through the tribulation which is clearly described in scripture as the great day of God s wrath (Rev. 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10; 15:7; 19:15, etc.). And this glorious truth of our deliverance from the coming wrath is meant to be a source of comfort for all Christians. The teaching of the rapture which will deliver God s people from the earth before God s wrath comes upon the earth is totally consistent with the way the Lord has acted in the past when He has brought judgment on the earth. We are not always spared from the wickedness of man and many believers have suffered as martyrs, but believers are always saved from the wrath of God. The first time that God brought judgment upon the earth was at the flood. But immediately before the flood began God put those who were His righteous followers safely inside the ark so that they were spared from the judgment of the flood. Genesis 7:1, Then the LORD said to Noah, Come into the ark, [like John was called to come up here in Rev. 4:1] you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me... Jesus Himself while on the earth directly linked His return with the days of Noah. Matthew 24:37-39, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." And when the Lord brought judgment upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah He sent His angels to rescue righteous Lot and his family and to take them out of the city before destroying the city with fire and brimstone. When sending the family to a neighboring town for refuge from the coming judgment, the angel said, Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there. (Genesis 19:22) Then when the Lord brought judgment upon the land of Egypt, God s people were protected from experiencing the plagues that came upon the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22; 9:4, 6, 26, etc.). Regarding believers being supernaturally snatched up and removed from the earth without experiencing death, the historical record of Enoch and Elijah gives evidence that in the past God has already done something similar to what He says He will do in the future at the rapture. In Genesis 5:24 we read that Enoch walked with God and then disappeared before he died because the Bible says, God took him. Also the prophet Elijah did not die but he was supernaturally caught up to heaven in a whirlwind.

6 2 Kings 2:11-12, "Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen! So he saw him no more." Let me ask you this question, If Jesus were to return today would you be ready? Would you be one of God s children who will be called up to meet Him in the air or would you be left behind? The Bible says, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). As many as receive Jesus by putting their faith in Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Jesus said, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believers in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed [or crossed over] from death into life. John 5:24. I invite you today to put your faith in Jesus and cross over from death into life that you may become part of the family of God. Copyright 2012 by Parkdale Grace Fellowship Permission: You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.