A View from above
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Together we opened the Book of Revelation on the first Sunday of this year.
We learned that the Apostle John was sent as a prisoner to a prison colony on the island of Patmos.
Where he had a physical and spiritual encounter with the Lord Jesus.
It was on this island that the Apostle John was given the revelation of Jesus Christ through an angel.
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
After this initial celestial introduction, Jesus told John to write seven letters to seven churches.
In each letter are commendation and condemnations to the various churches within these seven.
Apostolic church at Ephesus
The Persecuted church at Smyrna
The Perverted church at Pergamos
The Medieval Jezebel infused church of Thyatira
The Dead denominational Church of Sardis
The original “WOKE” missionary church of Philadelphia
And finally the apostate lukewarm church of Laodicea
1 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.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 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. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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!” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “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.”
It is through the Futurist view that we are walking our way through the Book of Revelation.
The Futurist view holds that these seven letters represent seven different ages of the church here on earth.
One of the confirmations of this view, at least in the eyes of this minister, comes at the last half of
1 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.”
“Which must take place after this!”
If Jesus was speaking only of the literal churches, then the grammar used here wouldn’t make sense.
But if we interpret these letters as the Futurist does, then Jesus is sayin
“Come up here so I can show you whats coming after the last church age”
I believe the letter to the church of Laodicea was written to that specific church that did exist, and to the angel of the church age.
To which, we find ourselves, you and I here right now and hearing my voice.
We are living in this last church age
We would do well to be obedient to what Jesus says in
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
How many of us in here believe in Jesus?
How many believe every word He said is true?
Then we should really pay attention to what He’s telling us here?
The end is coming, and it is near!
And every chapter beginning with this chapter, chapter 4 reveals whats to come in the future.
The Book of Revelation is a very sequential book.
I was asked a question the other day about the book of Revelation being in Chronological order.
Although “Chronological” is not the word, it probably one of the most “Sequential” books in all of scripture.
Chronological refers to the or based on time
However sequential is the best word to describe the book because it does lay out an order of events in sequence, irrespective of time or when they happen.
Rev. 4-1 / Reveals the Rapture
Rev. 6.2 / Reveals the anti-Christ
Rev. 6.17 / Reveals the beginning of the tribulation period.
So, what happens after the last church age, the one we are living in now?
The event that happens next according to the futurist view is a controversial event that has caused division and arguments for centuries.
It is none other than the Rapture.
The Rapture event is what will happen when God decides its time,
He will sound a trumpet, and in the twinkling of an eye, those who have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus will be “Caught” up to meet Christ in the air.
After this event the dreaded anti-Christ will assume global power and begin a treaty with the Jewish people that last for seven years.
The first half of this seven year period is known as the Tribulation period.
But at the mid-point of the seven tribulation years, the anti-christ will break his treaty with the Jewish people which will begin the last half of the seven year period which is call by Jesus the Great Tribulation.
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The tribulation is a period of such misery and global calamity, that no other time in world history will compare to it.
But, we aren’t told WHEN or HOW long after the Rapture event the things he describes to John in the chapters to come take place.
Or the, “After This statement.”
Jesus warned the seven church ages of what is coming, and we should do all we can to avoid it.
There are 3 views, not on the time or When it will happen but rather, on the “sequence” of how it will happen.
Pre-Tribulation= means the Rapture will come first, then at some point “after” this, the tribulation will begin. The last seven years of life on earth as you and I know it.
Mid-Tribulation= means the tribulation will happen first, meaning the anti-Christ rising, along with all that comes on the earth described in this chapter through until the millennial reign of Jesus starts.
Post Tribulation= means the tribulation first, then the rapture at the end.
As I said this is the interpretation from the futurist point of view,
The other three views on the Book of Revelation do not hold to a literal thousand years reign of Christ and choose to interpret it as figurative instead of literal.
But, as a side note, this interpretation of the Rapture theory, contrary to some beliefs, was the original interpretation of the very early church,
It was the view of the Apostolic church age, through the persecuted church age of Smyrna.
The figurative view of the thousand year reign of Christ didn’t creep in until the church age of Pergamos and beyond, up until the “Woke” age of the church of Philadelphia, as a result of people reading the Bible for themselves, instead of being force fed by the church power of the previous ages.
for instance, there is a theory called the 7,000 year theory which has been around as I said from the apostolic times.
It says, that God created all things in six days, and the SEVENTH day was a day of rest.
Peter, Hebrews, and this book of Revelation tell us that one day is like a thousand years to God.
So we have 6000 years after creation, and the coming millennial or thousand year reign of Jesus, the SEVENTH day, will be the His day of rest.
Now, if we look at the chronological time of history, it goes like this.
Creation to the flood- about 2000 years,
The Flood to Jesus- about 2000 years. Equals 4,000 years.
Jesus death and resurrection to about…. now, we have about 6,000 years.
Take that with the futurist view of the seven church ages, and this last age of Laodicean being the representative of our present time,
This means the end of the world as we know it,
Is coming at anytime now!
Which, after this the end comes, beginning with the sudden disappearance of millions of true Christians, then
At some indeterminate time, the anti-christ will emerge and assume global control,
And the rest of the events laid out in detail in the chapters that follow, will play out in supernatural precision.
There are many prominent early church writings that suggest the Rapture theory was the expectations of the early church.
For instance, an Early church writer and poet, Ephraim the Syrian 306-373 AD, was a Byzantine theologian.
(The Roman empire eventually got so big it had to split to avoid collapse, which it did and the other half of the Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire, will survived the collapse of Rome by a thousand years before its end. Today Roman Catholic church is a remnant of the Roman Empire, and the Eastern Orthodox church, which my sister’s late husband was a member. )
When his writings were finally published in English, they reveal a Pre-Tribulation Rapture expectation as early as his fourth century writings.
Now, to be clear, the word RAPTURE doesn’t appear in the English translations of the Bible.
It also the Bible has been translated into many languages.
It was Jerome in 405 AD that first published his translation in Latin, where the word makes its translated debut, written as the Latin word,
Raperé = which means, “Caught up, or taken away by force.
Which its from this word, that the English version comes in as Rapture.
In honor of this first verse in the fourth chapter of the Book of Revelation, I have titled this sermon,
“A View From Above”
Because thats exactly what the Apostle John received after this verse.
He was Raptured into heaven by Jesus.
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
Many may suggest that this was a figurative experience in the mind of John, like he was somehow in a trance, or likewise.
those who believe this way, haven’t quite read the beginning of the Book very well.
For John was there in his physical body on the Island of Patmos, it wasn’t some type of new age meditation, or transplanting or whatever.
Verse one has his standing there, in the Physical, looking at a door, with the eyes, use of his senses, and he heard an audible voice with a description of how it sounded.
1 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…
Immediately, right after this saying, he was “Caught up” Taken by force, or Raperé in the Latin, or Raptured in the English into heaven, and what he records for us while he’s there fill the rest of the chapters in this most precious book.
Notice, he heard a trumpet before the Rapture?
You know, you and I Christian are waiting to hear that blessed Trumpet call too aren’t we? Amen!
John heard it and he saw it because he was literally there.
Because of this, many believers and competent Bible scholars believe he was Raptured in representation of the entire believing church, like you and I Church.
AMEN! Even so Come Lord Jesus.
John is not the first to have been Raptured in the Bible.
There are several examples of others that experienced this supernatural experience.
Enoch was taken and was no more in the book of Genesis.
Elijah was taken up before Elisha in a whirlwind and fiery chariot
Jesus was taken up in the book of Acts
Phillip was whisked away after baptizing an Ethiopian Eunuch
Paul was taken up to heaven
Also, the two coming witnesses will ascend into heaven
Before we close this message on the opening of Chapter four of Revelation, we notice in the very first opening verse something interesting.
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven…
The first thing he saw was a door.
Isn’t it interesting that there are a total of four doors mentioned in this book?
The Door of opportunity that Jesus opened for the missionary church of Philadelphia, Rev. 3.8, (Which began the missionary movement, to which this church is a part of, as we are set to send out nine missionaries to the country of Mexico as we seek God’s favor in completing multi-year plan there.
The Door to ones’ heart for salvation, Rev 3.20
The Door to Heaven that John mentions in Rev 4.1
The Door of Heaven in Rev. 19.11
You have to answer for yourselves,
Are you willing to open them?
If you are, then let me tell you, you came to the right place.
If you are ready to open the door to the knocking of our Lord Jesus, then raise your hands Christians
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