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.
What John experiences here is what every true follower of Christ will experience in the future. The Rapture (harpazo). What is the Rapture? It's an event in which Jesus will return in the clouds with the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God to bring all believers to heaven with Him. Every believer living and dead will be a part of this. The dead believers will rise first and then the living believers will join them in the clouds and we'll be ushered immediately into the presence of God. Nobody knows when this event will happen. A lot of people have tried to set dates, but they’re always proven to be wrong. There's also a debate as to when the Rapture will happen. Some say it will happen before the Tribulation. Others say it will be in the middle. Others say it will be after the Tribulation. And others still are saying that Rapture is a false teaching. I'm going to tell you right now that the Rapture IS real. Jesus will come back, and it will be before the Tribulation according to the following verses: Luke 21:36, John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:5-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, and Revelation 3:10-11
The Rapture will happen very suddenly, in the blink of an eye. Christians everywhere will disappear right out of their clothes, in the presence of friends, families, enemies, coworkers, strangers. Funeral homes will find bodies missing from their coffins, cremated bodies will be gone from their urns, graveyards will look like they've exploded. There will be many accidents due to drivers, conductors, and pilots disappearing from behind the wheels. Houses and apartments will burn down due to kitchen fires. Many people will drop dead due to the shock of seeing their loved ones disappear in front of them and seeing the chaos that will happen afterwards. Others will take their own lives due to people realizing they weren't saved like they thought and others grieving for their missing loved ones. It will be so terrible for those left behind on earth. But it will be wonderful for those who make it in the Rapture because this is what they will experience as soon as it happens.
And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."
Wow! Can you imagine seeing the Creator of the universe face to face? To see the throne room and all the activity that goes on in heaven? As we can see, the activity is worship. When we worship God from a pure heart, I believe that God gets even more glory. I believe that the lightning and thunder increases as we give God praise. Jesus said that a time was coming in which true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in truth and He's right. John 4:23-24 We need to remember to make sure our hearts are right before we sing praise songs, before we raise our hands, before we play a single note. A person can sing louder than the person next to them, but if their heart isn't right before the Lord, it means nothing. It's probably a stench in the nostrils of God. Isaiah 65:5 Once the Rapture happens and you realize you've been left behind, it will be too late to go into the sky. You'll have to endure the 7-year Tribulation and all the chaos that will happen.
