The
Rapture
Ἁρπάζω; Harpazó
‘Raptūro
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; and
behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. Revelation 4:1-2.
As we cross the threshold from Revelation chapter
three, to four, our gaze turns to the future. The imminent future.
Do you remember way back in chapter one, when we
discovered an outline for the entire book of Revelation, in one short verse?
Write the things which you have seen,
and the things which are, and the things which will take place after
this. Revelation 1:19.
1. Things
which you have seen. Chapter 1; the appearance of Christ.
2. Things
which are. Chapters 2-3; the Church age. The seven
letters.
3. Things
which will take place after this. Chapters 4-22.
After this,
in Revelation 1:19 is the Greek phrase, Μετὰ Ταῦτα. Jesus uses
the same phrase to start and end Revelation 4:1. Making it abundantly clear, we
have just transitioned to, things which will take place after this. Μετὰ Ταῦτα.
Are you ready?
What we’re looking at, will happen. It may
happen in our next breath, or blink.
Are you ready?
After
these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.
John sees an
open door. Have you noticed a theme? In our last two letters, there was a door.
Now, here we are again; another door, in chapter four.
In the
letter to the Church of Philadelphia, Jesus sets an open door, and says,
I will keep you from, the hour of tribulation, which will come on the whole
earth. Revelation 3:8-10.
He stands at
the door and knocks, in Laodicea, and tells them, I chasten, and rebuke,
those I love. Revelation 3:19-20.
The Laodicean
church and the Philadelphian Church are the last two standing. They exist
today. There’s an open door in one; a
closed door in the other. One will be taken, the other left.
Jesus isn’t
just writing a letter; He’s painting a picture.
Check out the
awesome picture. In the first three chapters, the Church (Ekklesia), is
one of the main characters, mentioned over and over, nineteen times. However, after
John licks the last stamp, for the last letter, he sees an open door in heaven,
and hears a voice like a trump, “Come up…” And just like that, in the
twinkling of an eye, the rest of the Book is viewed from the safe vantage point
of heaven.
The Church disappears.
Through all
the Great Tribulation, all the blood and guts and plagues, and death and wars
and storms, not one mention of the word, Church…until the end, the very end,
of the last chapter, after the new heaven, the new earth, the New Jerusalem,
adorned like a bride for her Husband; then, after that, it reappears in Revelation 22:16.
With just a
few strokes of the pen, Jesus paints a picture of the Pretribulation Rapture.
What’s that?
Pretribulation
Rapture, is the belief that at any moment, before the start of the Great
Tribulation, Christians will be caught-up, into heaven, with Jesus.
It’s
interesting that this portion of scripture, (chapters four and five), precede
twelve chapters of hell on earth. Chapters six through eighteen, detail
horrendous events. Out of the twenty-two chapters, twelve are about the Great Tribulation.
Twelve chapters, get really messy. Ten chapters, clean it all up. Ten
represents, completion. Five before and five after. Five represents grace;
amazing grace. Isn’t that amazing?
Can you see,
how John, is a type of the Church, called up, caught up, raptured
up, before the tribulation which will come on the whole earth?
Not everyone
can see it. Not all believe it.
There Are
Three Schools of Thought Regarding the Rapture.
Post Tribulation,
folks believe the Church will go through the tribulation. After all, Jesus said
in, John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation…”
Mid Tribulation,
is the belief that the Church will go through half of the tribulation. Jesus
did say in, Matthew 24:22,
regarding the tribulation, that it would get so bad that nobody would survive,
unless for the sake of elect, the days would be shortened.
Pre-Tribulation is
the belief that Christians will be raptured before the tribulation.
It is my belief that the preponderance of scripture agrees
with a pretribulation rapture.
Jesus says the last days will be, as the days of Noah,
and the days of Lot. Matthew
24:36-42, Luke 17:26-30.
We could elaborate on that, all day, but let’s just
draw one parallel.
In the days of Noah and of Lot, God delivered the
righteous, before, His wrath, (pre-tribulation). Just as He says He will do for
the Church of Philadelphia, (Revelation 3:10), as we already mentioned. And as
He declares in, 1
Thessalonians 5:9, For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hold on a doug-gone minute. I heard the word rapture
isn’t even in the Bible.
Well, that’s true…kind-of.
The word rapture isn’t in the original Greek text. Neither
is any other English word; not even the word, trinity.
However, tucked within a beautiful picture of the rapture,
in, 1 Thessalonians
4:17, we find the Greek word, ἁρπάζω; harpazó. It means,
to seize, catch up, snatch away, to be caught up. When translated to
Latin it became, ‘raptūro. Which is where we get our English word, rapture.
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, (ἁρπάζω;
harpazó), together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. 18
Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1
Thessalonians 4:16-18.
Can you hear the harmony, between this passage, and
our text in Revelation 4:1? The whole counsel of the Word of God, is woven
together like a tapestry,
in harmony, like a symphony.
And the first voice which I
heard was like a trumpet…
Notice the sound, of a trumpet, is in the Thessalonians
passage, and also in our text, and then again, in, 1 Corinthians
15:51-52.
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 trump. For the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
When God says something once, it’s important. Twice, sit
up and scoot to the edge of your seat, it’s really important. Three times,
stand up, draw close, take notes, it’s vital.
In all three places, where He mentions the sound of a trump,
He’s talking about the rapture.
Coincidence? Or, Providence?
Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Could it be, that He, who chooses the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise, chose to use the sound of a, Trump,
blaring and blasting, around the globe, to be a harbinger, a warning, an alarm,
to expose and declare the iniquity of the gentiles is full; the end of the age
is at hand, the rapture is near, even at the door; the open door? 1 Corinthians 1:27.
{Side
note: God has never been, nor ever will be, under any obligation, to be
politically correct}
“Come up here, and I will show you things
which must take place after this.”
Jesus adds yet another picture of the rapture.
The only other time in Revelation where God calls
from heaven, “Come up here” is to the two witnesses in Revelation 11:12.
The two witnesses, witness.
They’re murdered.
The wicked celebrate.
After three days the witnesses are raised to life,
and the wicked are scared to death.
A loud Voice calls from heaven, “Come up here…” And,
guess what? Just like that, the witnesses ascend, into heaven.
Star Trek’s beam me up Scotty’s got nothing on this.
After that, the earth quakes, a
tenth of Jerusalem collapses, seven thousand are killed; the remnant give glory to
God. Revelation 11:7-13.
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and
behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. Revelation 4:2.
The Voice like a trumpet sounds and John is
immediately (in the twinkling of an eye) in heaven.
Jesus adds the finishing touches to His Masterpiece,
by painting John (The Church) into the throne room of heaven.
Remember, we opened talking about an open door in heaven? Well, the next time we see an open heaven, is when Jesus is on a white horse, riding back to earth, with His saints. Revelation 19:7-14.
Obviously, the saints, (the Church), must be in
heaven, to be able to return from heaven, with Christ, after,
the Tribulation.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear that He returns, with
His saints, as mentioned above in Revelation 19:14; and then again in, Jude 14-15,
Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, and
then, yet again in, 1 Thessalonians 3:13,
so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God
and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
Did we mention how important it is to pay attention when
God repeats Himself?
What Jesus wants us to hear, loud and clear, is that
He is coming.
Are you ready?
What we’ve looked at, will happen. It may
happen in our next breath, or blink.
Are you ready?
Therefore
comfort one another with these words. 1Thessalonians 4:18.
For God
did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ. 1
Thessalonians 5:9.
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