When the apostle John saw the visions of the Revelation, which is “Apocalypse” in Greek, he faithfully wrote down everything he saw and heard. He did not draw upon the prophecies of Daniel or any other prophecy, because he did not write it from his own intellect. It is not a work of fiction or imagination. Nor did he write it from a Jewish context; he merely wrote down what he saw and heard; anything else and it is not the Word of God.
(1) Revelation 4: The Scene in Heaven
Revelation 4 is a brief description of the throne room in heaven. The most important thing to notice is that Jesus is nowhere described or even mentioned:
After this I looked. And there was an open door in heaven. The first voice 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 there was a throne set in heaven with One sitting on the throne! 3 And He who sat there appeared like a jasper and a sardius stone. There was a rainbow around the throne, appearing like an emerald. 4 Twenty-four thrones were around the throne. And I saw twenty-four elders sitting on the thrones, clothed in white garments. They had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 Lightnings and thunderings and voices proceeded from the throne. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne was a sea of glass like crystal.
In the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures covered with 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 creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures had six wings each, and they were covered with eyes all around. All day and night, without ceasing, they were saying:
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”9 When 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. Then they cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory and honor and power;
for You have created all things,
and by Your will they exist
and were created.” (4:1-11)
Many commentators place the rapture at the start of Rev. 4 because it says, “Come up here.” But there is no mention of a grand celebration in heaven or any mention of the coming of the Kingdom of God; only a mention of the 24 elders and four living creatures. However, in Rev. 11, a loud voice from heaven says, “Come up here,” and two dead people come to life and ascend into heaven. This is followed by the coming of the Kingdom of God, rewards for the prophets, and total judgment on Earth. Which is more likely to be the rapture?
Also, it said that John is about to be shown things that will “happen after this,” Baca says, “after this way” is a Hebrew idiom of the 2nd Temple period. But the Jones translates it “soon” (JT).
There is no evidence to believe the 24 elders are raptured saints, but there is plenty of evidence that the rapture does not take place in Rev. 4, as we shall see.
(2) Revelation 5: Victory of Christ
In Rev. 4, Jesus was neither seen nor heard; now in Rev. 5, take careful notice of the search made for someone worthy to open the book:
Then I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look in it. 4 I began to weep loudly, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look in it. (5:1-4)
No one in all of heaven or on Earth was found worthy to open the scroll– absolutely no one! It does NOT say that no one but Jesus Christ was found worthy; it says NO ONE was found. John wept because no one was found. But he does not just weep, he “wept and wept” (NIV); “wept much” (NKJV). If Jesus had been found worthy, then why did John weep? John wept because no one was found. (Forgive my emphasis on this point, but it is necessary because the expositors and theologians are not grasping what it says.)
Why wasn’t Jesus found worthy? Because this is a vision of the entire Gospel Age, beginning at the beginning. Like dreams, visions are not bound by time or space. Though Jesus actually died and rose from the grave many years before this vision was seen, his death and resurrection have not yet taken place in this vision. That is why Jesus was not seen in heaven in Rev. 4 and why he was not found worthy to open the book. Only the crucified, resurrected Christ is worthy to open the seven-sealed book.
Those trying hard to support the pre-trib rapture will say, the KJV says “no man” was found worthy; but because Jesus is divine, he can open the book, right? The original Greek says “no one,” not “no man.” No one was found, and that includes Jesus. The next verses describe Christ entering heaven for the first time after his death, burial, and resurrection:
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6 I saw a Lamb in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, standing as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
8 When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
and to open its seals; for You were slain,
and have redeemed us to God by Your blood
out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 and have made us kings and priests unto our God;
and we shall reign on the earth.” (5:5-10)
Jesus has “triumphed,” or literally, overcome. Other translations of 5:5 say, “has overcome” (NAS); “has won a victory” (Beck); “has prevailed” (KJV). He is seen symbolically as a lamb slain as a sacrifice for our sins: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But the Lamb is seen standing, for he has risen from the grave and has taken his rightful place in heaven.
Notice how verse 9 is worded; “have redeemed us to God by Your blood.” The wording of the passage suggests that it has just happened. Here are two other translations:
You are worthy to take the scroll and to break its seals, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought people for God of every race, language, people and nation . . . (NJB)
. . . With your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. (ISV)
Why would that statement be made 2,000 years after it actually happened? Why would it be placed here if the rapture has already taken place? No, the statement occurs here because Christ has just now died on the cross and purchased people for God in this vision. If a vision can show future events, it can also show past events.
Some people claim, because it says “us,” that the rapture must have taken place, but the rapture is not the purchase. The purchase was made when Jesus died on the cross. Since Christ just now enters heaven in this vision, great celebration naturally follows:
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voices of many angels, numbering ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 Then I heard every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that are in them, saying:
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and power,
forever and ever!” (Rev. 5:11-14)
Notice the statement, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” The inference is that Christ is just now receiving these things, that is, immediately upon his entrance into heaven, not 2,000 years later!
The newly resurrected Christ has received the little book and is about to open it. If the Great Tribulation is about to start, then why are they celebrating? Are they happy that the Antichrist is about to come upon the world? Nonsense! Not one word is said about the coming of the Wrath of God upon the world, but there is another passage later in Revelation, where it says the Wrath of God has come upon the world, accompanied by thunder and lightning (Rev. 11:15-19) right after the Two Witnesses come to life!
In Rev. 4, the seven spirits of God were seen in the form of lamps. The golden menorah of the Jewish Temple represents these spirits on earth. But because of the victory of Christ, God’s spirits are now seen as the eyes of Christ, “sent out into all the earth.” Salvation is no longer just for the Jews but for all mankind.
Rev. 4 says there was only “one sitting” on the throne, and praise is given only to God; in Rev. 5, praise is given to “him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” Immediately following the praise and celebration, Christ opens the first Seal.
Endless arguments can be raised against the above interpretation, so rather than include a whole chapter of apologetics, I will simply say that it would not have said no one was found if Jesus had been worthy at that point. And John would not have wept. Was Jesus hiding in a closet? No, therefore, he was not yet worthy. Period, case closed.
