REV.4: 1-4 # 12 RAPTURE
Today we’ll continue our study of the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
We’re here in chapter 4, this is where the rapture takes place, the time that all believers have been longing for, even the whole creation its self is earnestly awaiting this glorious happening.
Romans 8:22-23
22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ***In other words, the whole creation is groaning & travailing much as a woman might do when she is having labor pains.
23And not only they, but ourselves also,--- in other words, we also have been waiting with pain inside us--.
-- but ourselves also which have the firstfruits of the Spirit- that is, we have the Holy Spirit as the first part of God’s promise.
--even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ---We’re looking forward to having our new glorified body.
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Chapter 4 is where we begin to study the 3rd and final division of the book of the Revelation.
Ø Let me remind us that in every book of the Bible there is always a key verse, for instance in 1st John 1:4 the key verse says, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
And the key verse to the book of the Revelation is found in chapter 1:19.
1:19: Write the things which thou hast seen,** and the things which are,** and the things which shall be hereafter;**
“The things which thou hast seen”**—the vision of the glorified Christ in chapter 1.
“The things which are”**—the history of the Church on earth prewritten from Pentecost to the Rapture as seen in the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3.
“The things which shall be hereafter”—found in 4:--22. The future events to take place after the true Church have been taken out of the earth.
The seven letters back in chapters two and three sketched the prophetic history of the Church on earth.
We have seen that the local assemblies had in them many who were only professors of the faith but were not possessors of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit only abides in born again believers.
Romans 8:9--- Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
As the Church Age ran its course, there was a growing apostasy and turning from the faith.
Remember today as you and I are reading and studying together, the Laodcean church is in full bloom, the apostate church, they’re mingled among the True professing church of Philadelphia.
We have a President that made the statement that America was no longer a Christian nation. That was President Barrack Hussan Obama.
With the passing of time Christendom has become increasingly corrupt doctrinally. The world has not gotten better, but worse.
And all the while God has kept busy with His program of calling out “a people for His name” (Acts 15:14).
One by one He has been adding to His true Church as many as would believe on Christ and receive Him.
Ø From 4:1 to the end of the book are all the events that follow the rapture of the Church. The church age is over.
The word “church” does not appear again in the book until the end, where Jesus says;
(22:16). I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.---
And the reason is, the church is not on earth any more.
Ø So chapters 4&5 we have the rapture, and a scene that we will see just as soon as the rapture takes place. 4-5 go together.
Some people find it difficult to believe that Christendom will end in apostasy and defection, since many have always believed the delusion of Modernism, that the world will gradually become better and better until all men are converted and the age of peace is ushered in.
But the age will end not in a great revival, but in a great apostasy. We are not looking for a world revival, but for Jesus Christ return to receive His Church.
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4:1-4 1After 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.
2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
--vs. 1 After this means; {after the Church age has run it’s coarse,} remember that we just finished chapters 2 & 3, in those two chapters we read and studied about the 7 named churches there and pointed out several times that those 7 churches were typical of what would be going on here on earth during the church age.
And so 4:1 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,
The Bible tells us that there is only one door into Heaven. Jesus said, "I am the door: John 10:9
The Door opens here in 4:1 as the True church is caught away to meet the Lord in the air, and the next time we see heaven opened is in 19:11 with the literal return to earth of Jesus Christ with the True church that He caught out back in 4:.
19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war
Most believers have heard of the rapture, and what it means so we want go into it very much at this time, its found in 1st thess.4: as well as 1st cor. 15:.
We’re told in 1st thess.4:16 That this voice is the voice of the Arch angle. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
Did you know that there are some people even here in this country that have never heard of the rapture?, I talk to a man one time about the rapture and he said he’d never heard of it.
Ø John tells us here in chapters, 4 & 5 of all creatures worshipping God before he gets into God’s judgments that are going to come on the earth as they begin in chapter 6: as The Tribulation gets under way.
vs2 And immediately*** I was in the spirit:
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In 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.
Vs.2--and, behold,** a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper*{clear} and a sardine stone:*{red} and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
The ONE here on the throne is God the Father, because the Son approaches the throne in
Revelation 5:6-7 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain----- 7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
God has never vacated His throne. He has never relinquished His sovereignty and Majesty.
Ø The key word in chapter 4 is "throne." It appears twelve times in the next eleven verses and thirty-seven times in the entire book.
The book begins with a "throne" (1:4) and concludes with a "throne" (22:3). Revelation is the "throne book" of the Bible.
3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper*{clear} and a sardine{red} stone: --
These colored gems possible symbolize the holiness and justice of God. These stones are chosen as being pictures of God’s glory as displayed in His righteous government. They are precious stones which speak of what the triune God is.-Holy, Just & Righteous.
3-b---and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.{green} ** --MERCY AND UNENDING— there is no rainbow at the White Throne Judgment of the lost in Rev.20: because there will no mercy.
Ø The 1st time we read about a rainbow in the Bible is found in Gen.9: 8-18 it represents a covenant of mercy;
8And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
Ø A covenant of mercy:
The rainbow from Heaven’s viewpoint is a complete circle; all things are complete in Heaven. When we see a rainbow here on Earth it ends with the horizon.
But the throne in Heaven is encircled with green, as it is the pledge of God’s faithfulness, and never ending mercy. --------
God is about to begin judgment against all the earth dwellers that were left behind at the rapture -, they rejected His Son, and by doing this HE IS preparing the earth for Christ’s reign. He is going to get rid of sin and sinners.
"Usually, a rainbow appears after the storm; but here, we see it before the storm.
Ø There is no way in our words to describe what God is like in His essence.
He is robed in light, according to
Psalm 104:1-2 1Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 2Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:
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4And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, [their work is over] clothed in white raiment; [the righousness of Jesus has been imputed to them] and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Only saints of the church age are promised crowns of gold as rewards. They evidently have already received them, and that means the judgment seat of Christ has taken place.
II Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
>>4And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,------
~~The Greek word for “elders” is pres-bu-teros. This is where the word “Presbyterian” comes from.
Ø I read of a story about a little girl who came home from her Presbyterian Sunday school, and her mother asked her what they had talked about. “We talked about heaven,” the little girl replied. “Well, what did they say about it?” her mother asked. The little girl answers,“The teacher said that there were only twenty-four Presbyterians there!”~~
These twenty-four elders seated on thrones are not angels, because angels are not numbered (Heb. 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,), also angels are not crowned, or enthroned.
When Daniel saw the thrones set up (or cast down] they were empty; but when John saw the thrones, they had been filled. –And the reason is Daniel saw the thrones 500 + years before the rapture, John sees them just after the rapture.
Since there were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles, the number twenty-four symbolizes the completion of God’s people. All the redeemed.
4b--clothed in white raiment; they have been made righteous by the washing of Jesus Blood.
4c-- and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
The golden crowns on their heads disclose their royal dignity. Having been washed from their sins in Christ’s blood, they have been made both "kings and priests" (Revelation 1:5-6).
They are the over comers, therefore all are crowned with the royal authority.
Evidently the Judgment Seat of Christ has already taken place at this point because we see these saints with crowns. You and I will be judged and rewarded according to our stewardship; we’re putting our own wedding garment together right now.
19: 7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. –DEEDS—WORKS—
--Righteousness of God –Rom.10:3
There are 5 crowns that can be won :
Title Reason Reference
An incorruptible For leading a disciplined life 1 Cor. 9:25
A Crown of Rejoicing For evangelism and discipleship 1 Thess. 2:19
A Crown of Righteousness For loving the Lord’s appearing 2 Tim. 4:8
A Crown of Life For enduring trials James 1:12;Rev. 2:10
A Crown of Glory For shepherding God’s flock faithfully*** 1 Pet. 5:4
