The Throne Room of God in Heaven

The Book of Revelation is sometimes referred to as the Throne Book. In the first eleven verses of Chapter 4, the word "throne" appears 12 times in scripture. The Old Puritans used to refer to the Book of Revelation as The Throne Book because it deals with God's authority, it deals with God's position over the affairs of men over the face of the earth, it deals with God in His last eschatological movement, God is now dealing with the dwellers of earth, the nation of Israel, by the time we get to John in Chapter 4, we see that the church is now in heaven and the wrath of God is about to begin to be poured out on the earth, and so it's all about His authority, His judgment being brought before the earth. John opens up this chapter and gives us an eye witness report of what he is seeing as He is transported into Heaven. If we have any loved ones that are now in heaven, as we read what John is seeing in Heaven, that is what they are seeing as well. They are seeing these stones, this layer of glory, their looking at the streets and this emerald rainbow around the very throne of God.

We are going to get a new resurrected body in the moment the rapture takes place, and those that are in heaven now, will get their resurrected bodies as well when the rapture occurs. We need our heavenly bodies to dwell in heaven just like we had earthly suits while we were on the earth. It will be our march into eternity and we will be changed by the power of God.

John says in verse 2, "Immediately I was in the Spirit," that doesn't mean he was Pentecostal, it doesn't mean he got into some kind of trance, the word means he was transported by the power of God, from that moment on, what he heard, what he saw, what he experienced, was in heaven. He was changed, transformed.

1 Corinthians 15:49-50 ~ " And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, not does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of any eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. "

We are made of dirt, it is referring to the earthly body. Right now we have the earth suit, we will get our heaven suit when the rapture happens. We have to remember that when it says we shall not all sleep, it doesn't mean you sleep in the grave. For the Bible says "that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,"  as long as you are a believer in Jesus Christ. So why is the word sleep used? Because it is in reference to the body, when you see a dead person, it looks like they are sleeping. This the Bible's way of telling you it talking about the body, the resurrection, the context in which it is written, the body being resurrected. Even though our consciousness and our presence is before the Lord. We shall not all sleep which means we shall not all die. But we will all need to be changed in order to obtain our glorified bodies. So how do we get them?

Jesus says in Matthew 22:2-13, for the bulk of that chapter, talks about how we need to get our suits changed for heaven. He taught them a parable that you can read later, but He basically taught them that there is an invitation made to all people to come and experience a celebration, a wedding feast, but you have to get a garment to wear to get in. The garment by the way is given by the owner or the one who is presenting the wedding. Jesus says you have to have a garment. The festivities are underway and people are coming in and you can almost see the music is playing and people are having a great time in this setting, and the record needle suddenly scratches across the record and stops, and there is silence. The custodian of the service comes over and says, "my friend, what are you doing in here? You don't have the right garment on. You're not wearing the proper attire for heaven for the wedding."  Jesus says, that attendant will remove that person. He will be cast out to a place where they is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Most scholars believe that an attempt to put a garment on and to be in a religious setting is in fact that, a religious act. Not a personal relationship with God. Have you been clothed in the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ? By faith only? You can't buy it. It won't get you any clothes. He gives it freely all we have to do is ask, but we also have to shed the clothing we have worked all our lives to put on. Maybe it's a good reputation, you have a blue blood name. It will only be the name Jesus gives us, new garments, clothed in His righteousness in heaven.

It will be our entrance into eternity when we see the Lord, face to face. Can you imagine?

Revelation 4:2 ~ "and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne!" 

Why does he say that? Why won't he tell us who it is. He is looking, completely impressed by what he sees. An awesome sight to behold.  I've always wondered, the Bible tells us that no man can look upon the face of God, and live. Did you know that? That is why God took Moses and stuffed him into the crack of a rock and then God didn't exactly physically pass by, He let His afterglow go by. And Moses took a peek and remember what happened? He got zapped. I don't know what it looked like, either he was burned, suntanned or glowed, so bright and remember he put a bag over his head when he came down from Mount Sinai, so that the people wouldn't see the glory of God fade from Moses' face. Can you imagine that? Moses saying I want to see you. God saying, "Well you can see Me, because I am totally different, it would kill you! Moses still cries that He wants to see God! God finally relents and stuffs Moses in a rock and tells him, that when I come by I'll cover you with My hand and when I am gone, I will move My hand away and then you'll take a peek at Me, and it will completely blow your mind. But it will answer your question. And it happened.

The Bible says you can't look upon God and live. How in the world are we going to see God? John sees Him, so how does that happen? Because we have to be changed? That will happen at the rapture. We're changed. What a great hope in heaven! No matter how hot it gets here on earth, that is as hot as it will be for Christians, because we are going to heaven!

Matthew 5:8 ~ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

Is there a contradiction in the Bible? No, a change!

Revelation 20:11 ~ "Then I saw a great while throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them."

Revelation 22:3-4 ~ "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." 

1 Corinthians 13:12 ~ "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

God knows everything about you. In heaven we will have absolute knowledge, and we will know. It will be like nothing we have ever seen before when we see the Almighty God.

Revelation 4:3 ~ "And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald encircled the throne."

 Here is that symbolic talk. Is he sitting there a Jasper? No, "was like" means it wasn't but was like. John is doing his best to describe what he is seeing. There is an emerald around the throne. It is green and it is unbroken. When we see a rainbow today and it's what? It's multi-colored and at best a half a rainbow. But if you are a pilot and looking around, you have a neat meteorological vantage point as you are looking down at the earth, have you ever seen a rainbow that is in a complete circle? When you get up in the atmosphere, you look down and you'll see a rainbow, based on certain meteorological conditions, and you look down at the ground, or near the earth and you'll see a rainbow that is in a complete circle! If the conditions are right! In heaven, there is an unending rainbow, about the throne. It will be like nothing we have ever seen before. The first thing is that we will see Almighty God.

When you read the Bible, you always have to ask yourself, Why? How come? Why just these two stone-like appearances?

Revelation 4:3a ~ "He who sat there was like jasper and carnelian (sardis)." 

In the Old Testament, the twelve tribes of Israel were represented by twelve stones, which appeared on the breastplate of the High Priest. Each stone was given a name, the name of each of the 12 sons of Jacob, according to birth. The first stone was Jasper = The Tribe of Reuben. The last stone was Sardis or Carnelian = The Tribe of Benjamin. They are the first and last stones! But it gets better!

Reuben's name means "Behold This Son."

Benjamin's name means "The Son of Righteousness."

"Behold This Son." "The Son of Righteousness."

Proverbs 30:4 ~ "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!"

I know, "Behold This Son." "The Son of Righteousness!" Jesus, God's only begotten Son.

It will be like nothing we have ever seen before, when we see the throne room of Heaven.

Revelation 4:3 ~ " And there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald."

In Chapter 4 of Revelation, in the first 11 verses, the word "Throne" is mentioned 12 times. The word "throne" is mentioned more in this book than other. That is why the book of Revelation is referred to as The Throne Book!

1 Timothy 6:16 ~ "Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."

Psalm 103:19 ~ "The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all."

Hebrews 4: 16 ~ "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. "

The Throne of God:

1. Is where God, the Father is.
2. The Holy angels are there.
3. All the Old Testament saints are around the throne.
4. Seraphim and Cherubim are there in worship.
5. It is where Jesus is enthroned until He comes again.
6. There is a sound like thunder there and there is a flashing of light.
7. There are scenes of glory that cannot be humanly communicated.

It is where we are going!!!

John 14:1-3 ~ "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

2 Corinthians 12:4 ~ "Paul was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell."

1 Corinthians 2:9 ~ "However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

When this happens it will fulfilled this verse in Scripture.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~ "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And do we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words."

I believe what Paul wrote. We have hope that believe in Jesus that when this life ends, it is just the beginning. Paul believed he was going to be raptured any day. He lived what he believed that it could happen at any time. This promise will be fulfilled one day. You will never be separated from God. Do you believe? 

You need Jesus to save you. If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, you will have that same opportunity. Are you ready to give your life to Jesus? Simply say this prayer, right where you are at.

Father, 

“Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, I repent of my sin and turn to you. Please come into my life, forgive my sins and save me. I trust in You for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life. In Jesus Name, AMEN!”

If you have prayed that prayer and meant in your heart, YOU have the gift of eternal salvation. It's a gift. You don't have to do anything to earn it. Jesus paid the price for you, by giving His life for your old sin filled one.  Now you simply need to spend some time, getting to know Jesus by picking up a Bible and reading about all that He has done for you, to restore and redeem you. I'd start in the Book of John in the New Testament first.

This is not a fairy tale, although it may seem like it. Some people watch movies and act out their lives by what they see. Jesus is coming back. He will appear in the atmosphere to collect his church. For 2000 years, He's been preparing a place for us. How does the church get to heaven? The Rapture! There is no other way to read these scriptures and think anything differently. Time is running out.

Join me on tomorrow, when we take a look at Heaven!

Is the Rapture of the Church on the Horizon?

There are ministries out there that say that the rapture is not going to happen. If that is true, we would need to eliminate John 14:1-3 out of the Bible.

John 14:1-3 ~ "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

You'd also have to cut out portions of every single chapter of 1 Thessalonians as well because Jesus has promised to come back before the wrath of God is poured out on the world. You have to figure out why the historical church since Paul the apostle, himself when he said, "We who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who have died in Christ. Every generation of believers has believed in the rapture or the word "harpazo" or the catching up of the church in the presence of God. It is a doctrine of immanency, meaning that there are no precursors, or pre-prophecies that must happen before the rapture  That is concerning the Second Coming of Christ to earth at the end of the Tribulation Period. We are talking about the rapture that we should be ready to meet Jesus today. That should be the very thrust behind how we live, and what we do. It should be the very definition of how we should be living our lives.

Let's recap where we left off before from Revelation 4:1-3 ~ "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had an appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald encircled the throne."

We need to get our perspective straight when it comes to church. Instead of being so concerned with what time church gets out, why can't we be hopeful it will never end. Why can we sit through a three hour movie and hope it never ends, but have the exact opposite reaction when it come to the things of God? I hate to break it to you, but the time we spend in church and in worship service is just a preview of coming attractions! We should be excited about when we are going to church next. We should enjoy our worship service because we are going to be doing that a lot in heaven.

What are the features of the rapture? There in an association with a door. A door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, was like a trumpet speaking with me.

A Door:

John 10:9 ~ "I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture."

Revelation 3:8 ~ "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that on one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

Revelation 3:20 ~ "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my oice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Isaiah 26:19-21 ~ "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer."

You might want to ask yourself where God's people had gone that they had to shut themselves behind a door? Where are His people? Isaiah tells us, that it be like dew, which rises up in the morning. The dead in Christ will rise first, and there will be a set of doors that opens up to allow for God's people to enter, then they are shut as the wrath of God (the Tribulation Period) comes upon the whole earth.

Another characteristic of the rapture in how it relates to the church is a "voice." 

1 Thessalonians 4:16 ~ "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

Revelation 1:10-11 ~ "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

The third and final characteristic of the rapture regarding the church is that of a "trumpet."

1 Thessalonians 4:16b ~ "with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

1 Corinthians 15:52 ~ "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raise imperishable, and we will be changed."

Paul is trying to describe the rapture of the church. If you try to explain this scripture any other way, you really have to bend things to make it work.  The twinkling of the eye is approximately 18000/of a second. When this moment happens, the dead will be raised and then we who are alive will be changed or metamorphized in the twinkling of an eye. To define that event, you can only come to the realization of this being the rapture. There is no other way to explain it.

Revelation 1:10 ~ " On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,"

We see a trumpet saying, "Come up here!"  There is no other Biblical event that has the definition ascribed to it, but the rapture of the church! It's a military command, "Come Up Here!" In the Greek the word rapture is "harpazo" which means to seize violently, to catch  quickly (away, up) to pluck, pull, or take (by force). It is also used when applied when a lamb was wandering away from the shepherd and about to fall into harm, the shepherd would use his crook to grab any part of that lamb and jerk him away from whatever was about to bring him harm. It's found in various Scriptures.

2 Corinthians 12:2 ~ "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows."

2 Corinthians 12:4 ~ ""was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell."

1 Thessalonians 4:17 ~ "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

Revelation 12:5 ~ "She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne."

Isaiah 26:19-21 ~ "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Come up, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer."

In the Hebrew the word "come" is "yalak" which means to be carried away, to be led in a departure, to exodus or leave, a vanishing. It is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek word to be "caught up."

Why is all this teaching so important? Because the doctrine of the rapture brings hope to the believer. Are you excited?


Titus 2:13 ~ "While we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

So what is that blessed hope? Oh that you have to go through the great Tribulation Period, deal with the Antichrist, keep dodging everybody who is trying to put a mark on your hand or forehead, you can't buy or sell, so you'd probably starve to death, or because if you have lived long enough, and you've dodged the mark, you're going to get captured, (according to the book of Revelation) and your head is going to get cut off, because you loved Jesus Christ, during the Tribulation Period. The Bible says that all of those that do not receive the number of the beast or bear the mark of his name, are beheaded for their testimony and faith in Christ. Wow! When does that happen? During the Tribulation Period! Could that be your blessed hope? No, your blessed hope is that Christ could come today!


1 John 3: 2-3 ~ "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be had not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

1 Thessalonians 2:19 ~ "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?"

It means you're waiting! It's hard to get caught up in things of this world if you're waiting for Christ. Be ready! The Bible teaches that the rapture can happen at any time.

At the moment of the rapture, the Revelation will be from God.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "and I will show you things that which must take place after this."

God delights in telling us about the future. 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic in nature. He only tells us what we need to know.

Hebrews 1:1-2 ~ "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, who he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."

That means that if God is going to speak anything to you today, it is going to be through the Bible. It could come through a Christian friend, radio broadcast or a sermon.

John 13:19 ~ "I am telling you know before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he."

John 21:20-23 ~ " Peter turned and saw that the disciple who Jesus loved was following them, (This is the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and who had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?'

Jesus knew that He was going to be taking John to the day of His return by revelations and visions. Why would Jesus say that about John to Peter? Who is the human author of the Book of Revelation? John! Could it be that Jesus was cryptically saying that it would be the apostle John would see Jesus' return in Spirit? John saw it! Be careful how you read the Bible, every line, every word of detail the Lord will fulfill. The hope of the rapture is a practical hope.

Revelation 3:3 ~ "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what time I will come for you."

The rapture is a message of hope.

It will be our entrance into eternity. When will we see eternity if we are alive at the rapture? Immediately!

Revelation 4:2 ~ " At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it." 

This does not mean that John was in a trance. He was transformed. It will be our entrance into eternity when we changed by the power of God. The transformation from the earthly physical to the heavenly spiritual. (1) That he is seeing things yet future, (2) that he has been transformed. The Bible makes it clear we can't go into heaven wearing what we are wearing. We are wearing our earth suit now, but need a heavenly suit to get into heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:49-50 ~ "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."

Like a little baby, we need changing.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 ~ "Listen, I tell you a mystery; We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

Don't mistake this statement about sleep that when you die, you simply go to sleep. Not at all! The Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So why does he use the word "sleep?" Because it is in reference to the appearance of the body. When you see a dead person, it looks like they are sleeping. This is the Bible's way of telling you that what I am saying is referencing the body, the resurrection of the body. The body will be resurrected. Are you ready?

Are You Ready for the Rapture of the Church?

In light of the events happening around the globe like never before, we have to ask the question, how close are we to watching the end time events line up for the possible rapture of the church? That should cause most people to fear what is lining up to happen, while we as believers in Christ, rejoice that once again the Bible is clearly outlining the seasons and times we see coming to light, in reference to Bible prophecy being fulfulled. Trust me, you don't want to be left behind.

God makes sure in the previous chapters in the Book of Revelation, that our hearts are in the right place, when we took an in-depth look at the seven churches written to in letters from Jesus. Which church are you most like in your current spiritual life? Who are you as a Christian? You've been invited by Jesus to get your heart ready for what starts right now in the Book of Revelation 4. All these previous chapters up to this point has simply been an introduction as we discovered who Jesus is, who the church is and needs to be before we really dig into the meat of this powerful book. This is where we get into the actual study of the book of Revelation. The best commentary we could ever have on the Bible is the Bible! Let the Bible interpret the Bible! It is easy to get swayed by people, we hear biases from people. We need to test everything against the word of God. You will never go astray when we do that.

In Revelation, chapter 4, we see John being transported somewhere. John is no longer talking about the things he has seen in the past, he has now been removed and sees heaven in the first three verses of Chapter 4. So you have to ask yourself, John, who is a member of the body of Christ, the church, is now come up here is now viewing everything that happens from heaven what is happening on earth. Who is John? Where is he? What is he seeing? These are the questions we will look at. From this point on, the church on earth is no longer talked about. It is gone. In fact, the next time we meet the church isn't until Revelation 19, where she is with Jesus, in heaven, getting ready to return with Him. The thing most people are searching for in life, is hope. Jesus is Your hope! You can't read the Bible without the star of the Bible, and that is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53 is a great commentary on the Bible. It is a great commentary on what we will be studying today.  " I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable, must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." 

He's telling us that something has to change before we get into heaven. The apostle Paul is telling us that a change must happen. As we look at the Book of Revelation, we already know 5 key points from what we have studied.

1. That all those that read this book and hear this book will be blessed.
2. That when something is symbolic or typological, it tells us.
3. That Jesus Christ is revealed as Creator God of all things. (Chapter 1)
4. That Jesus has written seven (far reaching) letters to His churches.  (Chapters 2-3)
5. That there is a divine outline that interprets this book (Revelation 1:17-19)

Revelation 1:17-19 ~ "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said; "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later."

"Write what you have seen," that is Chapter 1 of the Book of Revelation.
"what is now," that is Chapters 2-3 in relations to the letters to the seven churches.
"and what will take place later." that is Chapters 4-22.

The Book of Revelation is divided up into three distinct divisions. The first part, "the things which you have seen," Chapter 1. The second part, " what is now," Chapters 2-3 in the letters from Jesus to the seven churches and finally, the third part, "what will take place later." This includes from the beginning of Chapter 4, all the way to Chapter 22.

Revelation 4:1-3 ~ " After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I head first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was the throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne."

There is an undeniable transition that takes place here in Revelation 4 beginning in verse 1. The question you have to ask yourself is this undeniable transition that takes place here has happened already in verse 1 that has gone on from the closing verse of Chapter 3 to the beginning verse of Chapter 4?

Chapter 4:1 is a clear indication of the rapture of the church. It happens between the earthly events of Chapters 2-3 and the heavenly vantage point from Chapter 4 onward to the end of the book. There is an undeniable transition that has taken point.

It will be at the moment of the rapture.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I head first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

Here you cannot escape the fact that from Revelation 3:22 to Revelation 4:1, something radical and drastic has occurred. The scene has taken a dramatic shift, from the earthly situation of the church to it's new heavenly position. Special consideration of Chapter 4 to the end of the book, from here on out, you no longer hear about, nor see anything of, the church on earth in any form. The apostle John's vantage point is now in heaven looking down to earth, and the cataclysmic events of the Tribulation Period. It's not until Chapter 19 that we hear from or see the church again, and it's in heaven with Jesus Christ.

The $64,000.00 question is this....How did the church get from earth to heaven in just one chapter?

The answer is priceless, by the rapture of the church! The church is now in heaven.

We now come to those things that take place after the church has been removed from the earth via the rapture of the believers. The timing will be of God.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "After this I looked," 

"After this?"  After what ? After the things of the church are done on earth.  You can't get away from the fact that something radical has happened. When the church age is complete. When will Jesus come again? When He comes again! Seven times to the seven churches the Bible says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." But the church is gone after Revelation 4:1.

Revelation 13:9 ~ "If anyone has an ear, let him hear." There is no church, only individuals. It's (the church) never again spoken to or referenced except in heaven. So how did they get there? People now come to Jesus independently, there is a body of believers but there is no longer any church. These are the Tribulation saints.

If timing is everything, then understand this, the church is gone from the earth, gone from the Book of Revelation until Chapter 19, contrary to the teachings of Mormon, the Seventh Day Adventists and the Roman Catholic Church. You can't find any other proof of the church in Scripture after this moment, unless you do damage to the Scriptures, which cults are famous for. Their very background of the churches mentioned here shows that they believe the church has to endure this all the way to the end. They do damage to other portions of scriptures when they take away the security we have in the Lord.

At the moment of the rapture, the place will be with God. That's the wonderful thing about the rapture is it takes us to the glory of the Lord.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I head first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here,"

The very next event that pertains to the church in a global sense is the opening of a door in heaven. There is an invitation, to "Come up!" with a strong military command and the Holy Spirit will obey that command. It is not an option to decline. The rapture of the church.

Revelation 2:5 ~ "Behold, I will come to you quickly." That is urgent!

Revelation 2:16 ~ "Behold, I will come to you quickly." That is urgent too!

Revelation 3:3 ~ "Behold if you do not watch, I will come to you as a thief." That is serious.

Revelation 3:11 ~ "Behold I am coming quickly." That is even more urgent.

Revelation 3:20 ~ "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." That is intense!

Jesus is warning and warning for us to pay attention and take heed. There is an urgency in each of these progressions of these verses. There is going to be one amazing worship service when we get to heaven. There will be horns, shouting, praising, throwing down of crowns.

The Throne Book

The Book of Revelation is sometimes referred to as the Throne Book. In the first eleven verses of Chapter 4, the word "throne" appears 12 times in scripture. The Old Puritans used to refer to the Book of Revelation as The Throne Book because it deals with God's authority, it deals with God's position over the affairs of men over the face of the earth, it deals with God in His last eschatological movement, God is now dealing with the dwellers of earth, the nation of Israel, by the time we get to John in Chapter 4, we see that the church is now in heaven and the wrath of God is about to begin to be poured out on the earth, and so it's all about His authority, His judgment being brought before the earth. John opens up this chapter and gives us an eye witness report of what he is seeing as He is transported into Heaven. If we have any loved ones that are now in heaven, as we read what John is seeing in Heaven, that is what they are seeing as well. They are seeing these stones, this layer of glory, their looking at the streets and this emerald rainbow around the very throne of God.

We are going to get a new resurrected body in the moment the rapture takes place, and those that are in heaven now, will get their resurrected bodies as well when the rapture occurs. We need our heavenly bodies to dwell in heaven just like we had earthly suits while we were on the earth. It will be our march into eternity and we will be changed by the power of God.

John says in verse 2, "Immediately I was in the Spirit," that doesn't mean he was Pentecostal, it doesn't mean he got into some kind of trance, the word means he was transported by the power of God, from that moment on, what he heard, what he saw, what he experienced, was in heaven. He was changed, transformed.

1 Corinthians 15:49-50 ~ " And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, not does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of any eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. "

We are made of dirt, it is referring to the earthly body. Right now we have the earth suit, we will get our heaven suit when the rapture happens. We have to remember that when it says we shall not all sleep, it doesn't mean you sleep in the grave. For the Bible says "that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,"  as long as you are a believer in Jesus Christ. So why is the word sleep used? Because it is in reference to the body, when you see a dead person, it looks like they are sleeping. This the Bible's way of telling you it talking about the body, the resurrection, the context in which it is written, the body being resurrected. Even though our consciousness and our presence is before the Lord. We shall not all sleep which means we shall not all die. But we will all need to be changed in order to obtain our glorified bodies. So how do we get them?

Jesus says in Matthew 22:2-13, for the bulk of that chapter, talks about how we need to get our suits changed for heaven. He taught them a parable that you can read later, but He basically taught them that there is an invitation made to all people to come and experience a celebration, a wedding feast, but you have to get a garment to wear to get in. The garment by the way is given by the owner or the one who is presenting the wedding. Jesus says you have to have a garment. The festivities are underway and people are coming in and you can almost see the music is playing and people are having a great time in this setting, and the record needle suddenly scratches across the record and stops, and there is silence. The custodian of the service comes over and says, "my friend, what are you doing in here? You don't have the right garment on. You're not wearing the proper attire for heaven for the wedding."  Jesus says, that attendant will remove that person. He will be cast out to a place where they is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Most scholars believe that an attempt to put a garment on and to be in a religious setting is in fact that, a religious act. Not a personal relationship with God. Have you been clothed in the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ? By faith only? You can't buy it. It won't get you any clothes. He gives it freely all we have to do is ask, but we also have to shed the clothing we have worked all our lives to put on. Maybe it's a good reputation, you have a blue blood name. It will only be the name Jesus gives us, new garments, clothed in His righteousness in heaven.

It will be our entrance into eternity when we see the Lord, face to face. Can you imagine?

Revelation 4:2 ~ "and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne!" 

Why does he say that? Why won't he tell us who it is. He is looking, completely impressed by what he sees. An awesome sight to behold.  I've always wondered, the Bible tells us that no man can look upon the face of God, and live. Did you know that? That is why God took Moses and stuffed him into the crack of a rock and then God didn't exactly physically pass by, He let His afterglow go by. And Moses took a peek and remember what happened? He got zapped. I don't know what it looked like, either he was burned, suntanned or glowed, so bright and remember he put a bag over his head when he came down from Mount Sinai, so that the people wouldn't see the glory of God fade from Moses' face. Can you imagine that? Moses saying I want to see you. God saying, "Well you can see Me, because I am totally different, it would kill you! Moses still cries that He wants to see God! God finally relents and stuffs Moses in a rock and tells him, that when I come by I'll cover you with My hand and when I am gone, I will move My hand away and then you'll take a peek at Me, and it will completely blow your mind. But it will answer your question. And it happened.

The Bible says you can't look upon God and live. How in the world are we going to see God? John sees Him, so how does that happen? Because we have to be changed? That will happen at the rapture. We're changed. What a great hope in heaven! No matter how hot it gets here on earth, that is as hot as it will be for Christians, because we are going to heaven!

Matthew 5:8 ~ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

Is there a contradiction in the Bible? No, a change!

Revelation 20:11 ~ "Then I saw a great while throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them."

Revelation 22:3-4 ~ "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads." 

1 Corinthians 13:12 ~ "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

God knows everything about you. In heaven we will have absolute knowledge, and we will know. It will be like nothing we have ever seen before when we see the Almighty God.

Revelation 4:3 ~ "And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald encircled the throne."

 Here is that symbolic talk. Is he sitting there a Jasper? No, "was like" means it wasn't but was like. John is doing his best to describe what he is seeing. There is an emerald around the throne. It is green and it is unbroken. When we see a rainbow today and it's what? It's multi-colored and at best a half a rainbow. But if you are a pilot and looking around, you have a neat meteorological vantage point as you are looking down at the earth, have you ever seen a rainbow that is in a complete circle? When you get up in the atmosphere, you look down and you'll see a rainbow, based on certain meteorological conditions, and you look down at the ground, or near the earth and you'll see a rainbow that is in a complete circle! If the conditions are right! In heaven, there is an unending rainbow, about the throne. It will be like nothing we have ever seen before. The first thing is that we will see Almighty God.

When you read the Bible, you always have to ask yourself, Why? How come? Why just these two stone-like appearances?

Revelation 4:3a ~ "He who sat there was like jasper and carnelian (sardis)." 

In the Old Testament, the twelve tribes of Israel were represented by twelve stones, which appeared on the breastplate of the High Priest. Each stone was given a name, the name of each of the 12 sons of Jacob, according to birth. The first stone was Jasper = The Tribe of Reuben. The last stone was Sardis or Carnelian = The Tribe of Benjamin. They are the first and last stones! But it gets better!

Reuben's name means "Behold This Son."

Benjamin's name means "The Son of Righteousness."

"Behold This Son." "The Son of Righteousness."

Proverbs 30:4 ~ "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!"

I know, "Behold This Son." "The Son of Righteousness!" Jesus, God's only begotten Son.

It will be like nothing we have ever seen before, when we see the throne room of Heaven.

Revelation 4:3 ~ " And there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald."

In Chapter 4 of Revelation, in the first 11 verses, the word "Throne" is mentioned 12 times. The word "throne" is mentioned more in this book than other. That is why the book of Revelation is referred to as The Throne Book!

1 Timothy 6:16 ~ "Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."

Psalm 103:19 ~ "The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all."

Hebrews 4: 16 ~ "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. "

The Throne of God:

1. Is where God, the Father is.
2. The Holy angels are there.
3. All the Old Testament saints are around the throne.
4. Seraphim and Cherubim are there in worship.
5. It is where Jesus is enthroned until He comes again.
6. There is a sound like thunder there and there is a flashing of light.
7. There are scenes of glory that cannot be humanly communicated.

It is where we are going!!!

John 14:1-3 ~ "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

2 Corinthians 12:4 ~ "Paul was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell."

1 Corinthians 2:9 ~ "However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

When this happens it will fulfilled this verse in Scripture.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~ "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And do we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words."

I believe what Paul wrote. We have hope that believe in Jesus that when this life ends, it is just the beginning. Paul believed he was going to be raptured any day. He lived what he believed that it could happen at any time. This promise will be fulfilled one day. You will never be separated from God. Do you believe? 

You need Jesus to save you. If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, you will have that same opportunity. Are you ready to give your life to Jesus? Simply say this prayer, right where you are at.

Father, 

“Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. Jesus, I repent of my sin and turn to you. Please come into my life, forgive my sins and save me. I trust in You for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life. In Jesus Name, AMEN!”

If you have prayed that prayer and meant in your heart, YOU have the gift of eternal salvation. It's a gift. You don't have to do anything to earn it. Jesus paid the price for you, by giving His life for your old sin filled one.  Now you simply need to spend some time, getting to know Jesus by picking up a Bible and reading about all that He has done for you, to restore and redeem you. I'd start in the Book of John in the New Testament first.

This is not a fairy tale, although it may seem like it. Some people watch movies and act out their lives by what they see. Jesus is coming back. He will appear in the atmosphere to collect his church. For 2000 years, He's been preparing a place for us. How does the church get to heaven? The Rapture! There is no other way to read these scriptures and think anything differently. Time is running out.

Join me on tomorrow, when we take a look at Heaven!

We Shall Not All Sleep!

There are ministries out there that say that the rapture is not going to happen. If that is true, we would need to eliminate John 14:1-3 out of the Bible.

John 14:1-3 ~ "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

You'd also have to cut out portions of every single chapter of 1 Thessalonians as well because Jesus has promised to come back before the wrath of God is poured out on the world. You have to figure out why the historical church since Paul the apostle, himself when he said, "We who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who have died in Christ. Every generation of believers has believed in the rapture or the word "harpazo" or the catching up of the church in the presence of God. It is a doctrine of immanency, meaning that there are no precursors, or pre-prophecies that must happen before the rapture  That is concerning the Second Coming of Christ to earth at the end of the Tribulation Period. We are talking about the rapture that we should be ready to meet Jesus today. That should be the very thrust behind how we live, and what we do. It should be the very definition of how we should be living our lives.

Let's recap where we left off before from Revelation 4:1-3 ~ "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had an appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald encircled the throne."

We need to get our perspective straight when it comes to church. Instead of being so concerned with what time church gets out, why can't we be hopeful it will never end. Why can we sit through a three hour movie and hope it never ends, but have the exact opposite reaction when it come to the things of God? I hate to break it to you, but the time we spend in church and in worship service is just a preview of coming attractions! We should be excited about when we are going to church next. We should enjoy our worship service because we are going to be doing that a lot in heaven.

What are the features of the rapture? There in an association with a door. A door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, was like a trumpet speaking with me.

A Door:

John 10:9 ~ "I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture."

Revelation 3:8 ~ "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that on one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

Revelation 3:20 ~ "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my oice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Isaiah 26:19-21 ~ "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer."

You might want to ask yourself where God's people had gone that they had to shut themselves behind a door? Where are His people? Isaiah tells us, that it be like dew, which rises up in the morning. The dead in Christ will rise first, and there will be a set of doors that opens up to allow for God's people to enter, then they are shut as the wrath of God (the Tribulation Period) comes upon the whole earth.

Another characteristic of the rapture in how it relates to the church is a "voice." 

1 Thessalonians 4:16 ~ "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

Revelation 1:10-11 ~ "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

The third and final characteristic of the rapture regarding the church is that of a "trumpet."

1 Thessalonians 4:16b ~ "with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

1 Corinthians 15:52 ~ "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raise imperishable, and we will be changed."

Paul is trying to describe the rapture of the church. If you try to explain this scripture any other way, you really have to bend things to make it work.  The twinkling of the eye is approximately 18000/of a second. When this moment happens, the dead will be raised and then we who are alive will be changed or metamorphized in the twinkling of an eye. To define that event, you can only come to the realization of this being the rapture. There is no other way to explain it.

Revelation 1:10 ~ " On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,"

We see a trumpet saying, "Come up here!"  There is no other Biblical event that has the definition ascribed to it, but the rapture of the church! It's a military command, "Come Up Here!" In the Greek the word rapture is "harpazo" which means to seize violently, to catch  quickly (away, up) to pluck, pull, or take (by force). It is also used when applied when a lamb was wandering away from the shepherd and about to fall into harm, the shepherd would use his crook to grab any part of that lamb and jerk him away from whatever was about to bring him harm. It's found in various Scriptures.

2 Corinthians 12:2 ~ "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows."

2 Corinthians 12:4 ~ ""was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell."

1 Thessalonians 4:17 ~ "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

Revelation 12:5 ~ "She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne."

Isaiah 26:19-21 ~ "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Come up, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer."

In the Hebrew the word "come" is "yalak" which means to be carried away, to be led in a departure, to exodus or leave, a vanishing. It is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek word to be "caught up."

Why is all this teaching so important? Because the doctrine of the rapture brings hope to the believer. Are you excited?


Titus 2:13 ~ "While we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

So what is that blessed hope? Oh that you have to go through the great Tribulation Period, deal with the Antichrist, keep dodging everybody who is trying to put a mark on your hand or forehead, you can't buy or sell, so you'd probably starve to death, or because if you have lived long enough, and you've dodged the mark, you're going to get captured, (according to the book of Revelation) and your head is going to get cut off, because you loved Jesus Christ, during the Tribulation Period. The Bible says that all of those that do not receive the number of the beast or bear the mark of his name, are beheaded for their testimony and faith in Christ. Wow! When does that happen? During the Tribulation Period! Could that be your blessed hope? No, your blessed hope is that Christ could come today!


1 John 3: 2-3 ~ "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be had not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

1 Thessalonians 2:19 ~ "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?"

It means you're waiting! It's hard to get caught up in things of this world if you're waiting for Christ. Be ready! The Bible teaches that the rapture can happen at any time.

At the moment of the rapture, the Revelation will be from God.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "and I will show you things that which must take place after this."

God delights in telling us about the future. 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic in nature. He only tells us what we need to know.

Hebrews 1:1-2 ~ "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, who he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."

That means that if God is going to speak anything to you today, it is going to be through the Bible. It could come through a Christian friend, radio broadcast or a sermon.

John 13:19 ~ "I am telling you know before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he."

John 21:20-23 ~ " Peter turned and saw that the disciple who Jesus loved was following them, (This is the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and who had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?'

Jesus knew that He was going to be taking John to the day of His return by revelations and visions. Why would Jesus say that about John to Peter? Who is the human author of the Book of Revelation? John! Could it be that Jesus was cryptically saying that it would be the apostle John would see Jesus' return in Spirit? John saw it! Be careful how you read the Bible, every line, every word of detail the Lord will fulfill. The hope of the rapture is a practical hope.

Revelation 3:3 ~ "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what time I will come for you."

The rapture is a message of hope.

It will be our entrance into eternity. When will we see eternity if we are alive at the rapture? Immediately!

Revelation 4:2 ~ " At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it." 

This does not mean that John was in a trance. He was transformed. It will be our entrance into eternity when we changed by the power of God. The transformation from the earthly physical to the heavenly spiritual. (1) That he is seeing things yet future, (2) that he has been transformed. The Bible makes it clear we can't go into heaven wearing what we are wearing. We are wearing our earth suit now, but need a heavenly suit to get into heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:49-50 ~ "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."

Like a little baby, we need changing.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 ~ "Listen, I tell you a mystery; We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

Don't mistake this statement about sleep that when you die, you simply go to sleep. Not at all! The Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So why does he use the word "sleep?" Because it is in reference to the appearance of the body. When you see a dead person, it looks like they are sleeping. This is the Bible's way of telling you that what I am saying is referencing the body, the resurrection of the body. The body will be resurrected. Are you ready?

The Time of the Church is Drawing to A Close!

God makes sure in the previous chapters in the Book of Revelation, that our hearts are in the right place, when we took an in-depth look at the seven churches written to in letters from Jesus. Which church are you most like in your current spiritual life? Who are you as a Christian? You've been invited by Jesus to get your heart ready for what starts right now in the Book of Revelation 4. All these previous chapters up to this point has simply been an introduction as we discovered who Jesus is, who the church is and needs to be before we really dig into the meat of this powerful book. This is where we get into the actual study of the book of Revelation. The best commentary we could ever have on the Bible is the Bible! Let the Bible interpret the Bible! It is easy to get swayed by people, we hear biases from people. We need to test everything against the word of God. You will never go astray when we do that.

In Revelation, chapter 4, we see John being transported somewhere. John is no longer talking about the things he has seen in the past, he has now been removed and sees heaven in the first three verses of Chapter 4. So you have to ask yourself, John, who is a member of the body of Christ, the church, is now come up here is now viewing everything that happens from heaven what is happening on earth. Who is John? Where is he? What is he seeing? These are the questions we will look at. From this point on, the church on earth is no longer talked about. It is gone. In fact, the next time we meet the church isn't until Revelation 19, where she is with Jesus, in heaven, getting ready to return with Him. The thing most people are searching for in life, is hope. Jesus is Your hope! You can't read the Bible without the star of the Bible, and that is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53 is a great commentary on the Bible. It is a great commentary on what we will be studying today.  " I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable, must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." 

He's telling us that something has to change before we get into heaven. The apostle Paul is telling us that a change must happen. As we look at the Book of Revelation, we already know 5 key points from what we have studied.

1. That all those that read this book and hear this book will be blessed.
2. That when something is symbolic or typological, it tells us.
3. That Jesus Christ is revealed as Creator God of all things. (Chapter 1)
4. That Jesus has written seven (far reaching) letters to His churches.  (Chapters 2-3)
5. That there is a divine outline that interprets this book (Revelation 1:17-19)

Revelation 1:17-19 ~ "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said; "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later."

"Write what you have seen," that is Chapter 1 of the Book of Revelation.
"what is now," that is Chapters 2-3 in relations to the letters to the seven churches.
"and what will take place later." that is Chapters 4-22.

The Book of Revelation is divided up into three distinct divisions. The first part, "the things which you have seen," Chapter 1. The second part, " what is now," Chapters 2-3 in the letters from Jesus to the seven churches and finally, the third part, "what will take place later." This includes from the beginning of Chapter 4, all the way to Chapter 22.

Revelation 4:1-3 ~ " After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I head first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was the throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne."

There is an undeniable transition that takes place here in Revelation 4 beginning in verse 1. The question you have to ask yourself is this undeniable transition that takes place here has happened already in verse 1 that has gone on from the closing verse of Chapter 3 to the beginning verse of Chapter 4?

Chapter 4:1 is a clear indication of the rapture of the church. It happens between the earthly events of Chapters 2-3 and the heavenly vantage point from Chapter 4 onward to the end of the book. There is an undeniable transition that has taken point.

It will be at the moment of the rapture.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I head first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

Here you cannot escape the fact that from Revelation 3:22 to Revelation 4:1, something radical and drastic has occurred. The scene has taken a dramatic shift, from the earthly situation of the church to it's new heavenly position. Special consideration of Chapter 4 to the end of the book, from here on out, you no longer hear about, nor see anything of, the church on earth in any form. The apostle John's vantage point is now in heaven looking down to earth, and the cataclysmic events of the Tribulation Period. It's not until Chapter 19 that we hear from or see the church again, and it's in heaven with Jesus Christ.

The $64,000.00 question is this....How did the church get from earth to heaven in just one chapter?

The answer is priceless, by the rapture of the church! The church is now in heaven.

We now come to those things that take place after the church has been removed from the earth via the rapture of the believers. The timing will be of God.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "After this I looked," 

"After this?"  After what ? After the things of the church are done on earth.  You can't get away from the fact that something radical has happened. When the church age is complete. When will Jesus come again? When He comes again! Seven times to the seven churches the Bible says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." But the church is gone after Revelation 4:1.

Revelation 13:9 ~ "If anyone has an ear, let him hear." There is no church, only individuals. It's (the church) never again spoken to or referenced except in heaven. So how did they get there? People now come to Jesus independently, there is a body of believers but there is no longer any church. These are the Tribulation saints.

If timing is everything, then understand this, the church is gone from the earth, gone from the Book of Revelation until Chapter 19, contrary to the teachings of Mormon, the Seventh Day Adventists and the Roman Catholic Church. You can't find any other proof of the church in Scripture after this moment, unless you do damage to the Scriptures, which cults are famous for. Their very background of the churches mentioned here shows that they believe the church has to endure this all the way to the end. They do damage to other portions of scriptures when they take away the security we have in the Lord.

At the moment of the rapture, the place will be with God. That's the wonderful thing about the rapture is it takes us to the glory of the Lord.

Revelation 4:1 ~ "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I head first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here,"

The very next event that pertains to the church in a global sense is the opening of a door in heaven. There is an invitation, to "Come up!" with a strong military command and the Holy Spirit will obey that command. It is not an option to decline. The rapture of the church.

Revelation 2:5 ~ "Behold, I will come to you quickly." That is urgent!

Revelation 2:16 ~ "Behold, I will come to you quickly." That is urgent too!

Revelation 3:3 ~ "Behold if you do not watch, I will come to you as a thief." That is serious.

Revelation 3:11 ~ "Behold I am coming quickly." That is even more urgent.

Revelation 3:20 ~ "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." That is intense!

Jesus is warning and warning for us to pay attention and take heed. There is an urgency in each of these progressions of these verses. There is going to be one amazing worship service when we get to heaven. There will be horns, shouting, praising, throwing down of crowns.