The book of the Revelations of Jesus Christ – part 2:
In our examination of the book of Revelation so far, we have looked at a general introduction showing us the author, receiver, and the interpretive and literary styles of the content. And we learned how to grow stronger churches by being stronger Christians – simultaneously preparing ourselves for Christ’s second advent.
Let’s continue:
Immediately after John had received the content for the letters to the seven churches, Christ called him up to God’s throne room in heaven:
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”
And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. The one sitting on it was a brilliant as gemstones…And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Rv. 4:1 – 3. NLT
We see then that Revelation is now shifting its perspective both heavenward and towards future events. John is being called up to witness his next divine vision. Jehovah is on His throne, but His visage / glory was so remarkable and transcendent over anything else in the universe that His (invisible) form could not be accurately fathomed by John’s (or our) finite, fleshly vision.
At this point, we need to explore another biblical concept. This immediately cited Scripture is seen to be, in many biblical scholar’s views, a major example of a ‘rapture’ of the church that delivers the living saints from the wrath of God, which will be poured out upon all unbelievers in the interval of time referred to as the ‘tribulations.’
The word ‘rapture’ is not found anywhere in the Bible. The first description of this concept has been attributed to an evangelist, Nelson Darby, who preached it in the early 1800s.
‘Rapture,’ as it is defined in biblical schools of thought, means to be ‘caught up’ or ‘taken away’ – referring to the moment of Christ’s second advent, when it is believed that He will deliver God’s children from harm’s way that will be manifested during the tribulations.
How and when this rapture occurs (or not), depends on which biblical camp of scholars is doing the interpreting.
There are also other Scriptures that are used as proofs of this rapture. One of these is spoken by Jesus Himself:
“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” Lk. 21:34 – 26. NLT
Another cited Scripture describing this event is from the Holy Spirit-inspired apostle Paul:
(For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. NLT)
These two scriptures tell of our Savior, (Son of Man), who is urging us to stay in right-standing with Jehovah. And to remain on spiritual alert for Jesus’ return. So that we, God’s children, can escape the fate reserved for those who deny Him.
So, Christ comes and gathers all of God’s children, both dead and alive, and swoops them up to heaven. Why does He do that?
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour his anger on us. 1 Thess. 5:9 NLT
Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed, in a moment, it the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of] the last trumpet call.
For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believe in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed]. 1 Cor. 15:51, 52. AMP
Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. Rv. 3:10 NLT
I understand these Scriptures above to mean that we, (the children of God), will not suffer the tribulations.
Let’s recap the sequence of events in Revelation so far: After John gathered all of Jesus’ context for the letters to the church, (regarding how to remain a steadfast follower of Christ), he is taken up to heaven.
Note: Some biblical scholars interpret the ‘risen John’ as a symbol of the raptured church.
They see the church caught up to heaven before the tribulations occur. Seeing it as a hidden event, separate from Christ’s publicly global second advent.
Others center their interpretation around an Old Testament prophecy in the book of Daniel:
…another king will arise…He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and a half of time. Dn. 7:24, 25. NLT
Their interpretation of this description of the Antichrist leads them to believe that the saints will have to suffer through the first half of the 7-year tribulation period, before they are ‘raptured.’
Finally, there are those who consider the final ‘timeline’ is that which Jesus sequenced in Mt. 24:27 – 31:
For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes…Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world – from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Mt. 24:27 & 29 – 31. NLT
Those who root their apocalyptic reasonings in these Scriptures believe that the ‘rapture’ will unfold after the tribulations.
The important thing to understand is that these are the best interpretations that humankind has to offer.
What we can know with certainty, is that God will indeed rescue His children through Christ at some specific point in time. And separate them from the stiff-necked unbelievers, whose outcome is thankfully not ours…
Now that we’ve dug through the ‘rapture concepts, let us return to the throne room of our Creator. John is seeing the face of He who fashioned the universe. As you remember, he can only see God’s glory.
John sees 24 thrones surrounding Jehovah’s throne as well:
Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. Rv. 4:4 NLT
These ‘elders’ are interpreted by some as a unification of the church consisting of the 12 apostles of Christ and leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. They feel supported by the apostle Peter’s instructions to the church elders of his time:
As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock God has entrusted to you…lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. 1 Pt. 5:1 – 4. NLT
Others see the elders as angels. I cannot find a Scriptural basis for that.
John continues his throne room vision:
From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. Rv. 4:5, 6. NLT
The number 7 often denotes ‘complete perfection’ in the Bible. Thus, we see the Holy Spirit in His complete glory. Some interpreters see this as the completed fullness of the Holy Spirit within the saints. Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would be with the saints forever (see Jn. 14:16).
These same interpreters see this coming together of John with the unified Holy Spirit as an indicator that the saints are ‘raptured’ at this time, before the tribulations, because they cannot be separated from the Holy Spirit after being unified with Him.
Regarding the ‘sea of glass,’ some interpret it to represent ‘tranquility;’ others claim that when the word ‘sea’ is not used in the Bible to describe a body of water, it refers to a vast throng of people. So, they see this sea of glass as a symbol for the redeemed saints. (Seems a bit of a stretch to me.)
What else does John see in the throne room?
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.
Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Rv. 4:6-8 NKJV
These ‘living beings’ are the ‘cherubic’ form of angels (see Eze. Ch. 1 & Is. Ch. 6.), all-seeing, praising God for His timeless rule.
This spurs the elders on to worship as well:
Whenever the living beings give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever.
They cast their crowns before the throne and say, “Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.” Rv. 4:9 – 11. CSB
Finally, we look at the beginning of the purpose for John to see the machinations of the almighty Jehovah God. As told by the apostle John himself:
Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found to open the scroll and read it. Rv. 5:1 – 4. NLT
The scroll contains God’s final plan for redemption – the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is written on both sides and sealed, denoting its completeness. There will be no further additions.
When no one steps up to open the scroll, John begins to despair. But Jehovah did not bring him to the throne room to languish in hopelessness. There is someone who can open the scroll…
Everything is set in motion. Hold onto your seats. Next time…
Goodnight and God bless.