Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
The Church is frequently referred to in the first three
chapters of Revelation, then seems to disappear for the next
sixteen chapters. Where does the Church go today? On turning point,
Doctor David Jeremiah explains the apparent disappearance as he turns
to the fourth chapter of Revelation, continuing his series Escape
(00:26):
the Coming Night. Here's David's introduced today's message, a look
into Heaven.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, have you ever wondered what it would be like
if you could look past the barriers of heaven today
and see what's going on. We have some idea from
the scripture what you might view. But there was a
time when it was possible for John, the human writer
of the Book of Revelation, to look up into heaven
and to see the throne of Glory and those who
are gathered around the throne to worship God. What a
(00:55):
magnificent scene it is. And we're going to talk about
that today and tomorrow as we take a look into
Heaven in this series Escape the Coming Night. By the way,
the resource for the month is a book called Sixty
Days of Prophecies, The Truth behind End Time Warnings. This
one hundred and forty four page paperback, brand new off
(01:18):
the press, never been offered before. Is yours for the
asking When you send your gift of any size to
Turning Point during the month of May. Just send your
gift and say, please send me the Book on Prophecy.
It will certainly crystallize your thinking. It will give you
the main events in the order in which they occur,
explaining them in detail, so that you will have a
(01:40):
much better grasp on what God has planned for us
going forward. Once again, that book is available for a
gift of any size to Turning Point today. Here is
part one of a Look into Heaven.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Now. When we last opened our Bibles to the Book
of Revelation, our attention was focused on the church here
on the earth. Chapter three ends and we turn to
chapter four, and immediately we recognize that something drastic has
happened before we read at the beginning of the fourth chapter.
(02:17):
After this, I looked, and behold, a door was opened
in heaven. We have moved now from the scene of
the earth to the scene in heaven. We must take
note of some changes that have taken place in the
structure of this book, or we will be lost from
this point on. In order to comprehend the meaning of
(02:38):
John's heavenly vision, we must understand that something very important
has transpired between chapter three, verse twenty one and chapter
four verse one. We may legitimately ask the question, how
did the Church get from the earth at the end
of chapter three to heaven at the beginning of ch
(03:00):
chapter four, And the only answer is between the end
of chapter three and the beginning of chapter four, something
took place.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
We know that to be the rapture.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Now, although the rapture is not dealt with specifically in
the Book of Revelation, it is clearly alluded to here
in this passage of scripture. It is the only possible
explanation for the shift in emphasis between the end of
chapter three and the beginning of chapter four, And there
are some reasons that will help us to summarize this argument.
(03:30):
Number one, the sequence of events in the Book of
Revelation demand that there is a rapture between chapter three
and chapter four. Do you remember the outline of the
book in chapter one, verse nineteen. Refresh your memory for
just a moment by turning back to the nineteenth verse
of chapter one. John is given his assignment as he
(03:52):
writes the Book of Revelation in behalf of the Spirit
of God. And he is told to write, write the
things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,
and the things which shall be hereafter. That threefold division
of the book is the total outline of the whole
Book of Revelation. If you want to know the Book
(04:12):
of Revelation, that's it. There's three sections, the things which
thou hast seen, the things which are, and the things
which shall be hereafter. Now, even though we're only in
the fourth chapter, we have already completed the first two sections. Obviously,
the last section is larger than the first two. Put together.
The first section right, the things which thou hast seen
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covers chapter one, verses one through eighteen. And that was
the vision that John had of the glorified Christ. Do
you remember that how he saw Christ? And he described
him in all of his awesome beauty. The Church age
is summarized and symbolized in chapters two and three of
the Book of Revelation. So John wrote the things which
are by describing the Church agent. We've looked at all
(04:56):
seven of those churches and studied that. Now we're finished
with it. But then he said, thirdly, when you have
written the things which you have seen, and you've written
the things which are right, the things which are hereafter
the things that are going to take place after the.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Things of the Church.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Now notice the second thought that's very important, and that
is the silence concerning the church in the rest of
the Book of Revelation.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
What does the Bible.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Talk about From the fourth chapter all the way through
to the nineteenth chapter of Revelation, it is all about
the tribulation that's going to take place here on this earth.
Every single part of it. Chapters four and five introduce it.
Chapter six is the opening of the seals and the
sounding of the trumpets, and the pouring out of the vials,
and all of the judgment on this earth. All of
(05:46):
chapter four through chapter nineteen is about tribulation on the earth. Now,
watch carefully, there is not one single mention of the
church in chapters four through nineteen.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
It is not even there.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
The Church is not found in the Book of Revelation
from chapter four through chapter nineteen. Why the Church isn't
on the earth, The Church is in heaven. All of
chapter four through nineteen has to do with what God
is going to do when he pours out his wrath
upon the earth. The Church won't be here. The Church
will be in heaven. How do we know that we
(06:21):
just looked in through the door and the Church is
up there already. How did it get there? It got
there between chapter three and chapter four? Right, How do
we know that there's something drastic happening between chapter three
and chapter four? First of all, because of the structure
of the book of Revelation. Secondly, because of the silence
concerning the church in these chapters. Now notice, thirdly, something
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else has happened that signals a drastic change, and that
is the Spirit of God has been transferred. The Spirit
of God has been transferred from Earth to heaven. The
Holy Spirit is said to be in the midst of
his churches on earth in Revelation chapter two and three.
But look at Revelation chapter four and verse five, and
(07:07):
notice and out of the throne preceded lightnings and thunderings
and voices, And there were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
Where is the Holy Spirit in chapter four? He's in heaven.
He's not on the earth anymore. He's been transferred to heaven,
and the Holy Spirit is that part of the Godhead
(07:30):
which in dwells the believer and the believers on earth.
So the Holy Spirit isn't on earth either, He's gone
to Heaven. Now we know something drastic has happened between
chapter three and chapter four, because the Spirit of God
has been transferred from the Earth to heaven. All right, now,
here to me is the most conclusive proof of the
rapture in this passage. And I'm just going to show
(07:51):
you how exciting it is when you compare passages of
scripture together. There is, fourthly, a similarity between Chapter four,
verses one and two, and the two major passages in
the New Testament that have to do with the rapture.
All right, class, where do you find the rapture in
the New Testament? First Thessalonians four. Where's the other one
(08:13):
one Corinthians fifteen. You will find them both alluded to
in those two passages. Now watch, what are the elements
of the rapture that are found in those passages of scripture?
You got your bible open Revelation chapter four, verse one.
Here's the first a voice. Notice what it says in
Chapter four, verse one. And after this I looked and
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behold a door was opened in heaven, and the first
voice which I heard was, as it were, of a
trumpet talking with me, and it said.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Get up here, Come up here.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
There's a voice that speaks out of heaven to John,
the voice calling John to come home to heaven. What
does First Thessalonians, chapter four, verse sixteen say, listen carefully,
for the Lord himself will decid and from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of an archangel. What is that?
(09:05):
That's the rapture. When the rapture comes, We're gonna hear
a voice, all right. Second element of the rapture, the
trumpet Chapter four, verse one of Revelation. And I looked, behold,
a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice
which I heard was, as it were of a trumpet.
First Thessalonians four sixteen. For the Lord him shall shall
(09:27):
descend from heaven with the trumpet of God.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
One Corinthians fifteen.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at
the last trumpet, for the trumpet shall sound. There's a
trumpet in Revelation four. There's a trumpet in First Thessalonians four,
and there's a trumpet in First Corinthians fifteen, all of
them talking about the rapture. All right, we got a voice,
and we got a trumpet. The third thing we have
is a change. Revelation Chapter four, verse two says John
(09:55):
is talking. He said, immediately, I was in the spirit. Imediately,
he said, I was in the spirit. I was changed.
It is the same expression that John used in the
first chapter when he says at the beginning of the revelation,
I was caught up in the spirit. That doesn't mean
he just got excited or he got the baptism or
something like that. It doesn't have anything to do with
(10:16):
being spiritual. When he's in the spirit, it means literally
that he has taken a change. He's been transformed in
shape and in structure into a whole different dimension. He's
no longer in the body. Now he's in the spirit.
He's been changed. Listen to One Corinthians fifteen. For the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
(10:36):
and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must
put on in corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
John said he was immediately in the spirit, and Paul says,
we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling
of an eye. What's going on in this passage? Iohn,
I think it's the rapture. I believe that John is
(10:58):
symbolically representing the Church in this passage.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
He's been raptured into heaven.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
All right, let me just share the fifth thing with you,
the symbolic presence of John in heaven. John represents the
Church in heaven. John is a representative in heaven of
the Church. When the shout came, when the voice said
to John, John, get up here, That's what's going to
happen to us someday when the trumpet sounds and the
(11:25):
voice is heard, and the voice says, come on up here.
John is representative of the Church. Now, you see, John
is the perfect representative of the Church because he has
always had a special relationship to the Lord, just as
the bride of Christ, which is the Church, has a
special relationship to Christ. You know, the Bible says that
(11:46):
Jesus Christ loved the whole world in general, but he
loved the Church in particular, didn't he He loved the
Church and gave himself for it, says the scripture. The
Bible says Jesus loved all the disciples In fact, it
says he loved them unto the end, but he loved
John in particular. He loved John in a way he
(12:07):
didn't love the rest of the disciples. In fact, what
was John's favorite name for himself? He called himself that
disciple that Jesus loved. And you know what the name
John means. It means the beloved one. John was the
beloved one of the Lord. So just as the Church
out of the world is the special loved one of
the Lord, John out of the disciples, is the special
(12:30):
loved one of the Lord. Now he's been called up
as a representative of the church, to represent the church
and the rapture. So what we have going on between
chapter three and four is the rapture of the Church.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
It has taken place.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
The Church is now in heaven, and the Church will
not go through the tribulation period.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Do you understand that.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I have people ask me all the time, how do
you know we're not going to go through the tribulation.
If we're going to go through the tribulation, the whole
Bible is mixed up because the Bible doesn't allow for
an interpretation that takes the church through the tribulation. We
are going to be in heaven when the tribulation is
going on down here on this earth. If you want
to stay and go through the tribulation, you go ahead.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
I'm going up. Amen.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know some folks say you get it straightened out
when you get up there. Right on the way up,
I'll tell you I told you so. Right all right, Now,
the church is in heaven in chapter four. What is
going on in heaven? That's the issue of chapter four.
The Church isn't on this earth anymore. Tribulation is about
to break loose. When we get to the sixth chapter,
(13:38):
we're going to see what that's all about. And it's
an awesome sight. But we're up in heaven. So what's
happening in heaven? Now? We're going to find out, you
know why, because God opened the door so we could
look in Isn't that great? He opened the door so
we could see in heaven. And what we're going to
see when we look in heaven is this We're going
to see in the very first verse through this open
door worship worship. Did you know that the door of
(14:03):
heaven only opens twice in the Book of Revelation? Did
you know that only twice hold your place. In Revelation four,
turn to Revelation nineteen and verse eleven. Revelation four is
the first time. Revelation nineteen eleven is the second time.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse.
(14:23):
And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true,
and in righteousness he the judge and make war.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
And it talks about how we come and watch this.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
The door opens in heaven the first time when we
go up, and the door opens the second time in
heaven and we come down. That's the only two times
it opens, once to go up and once to come down.
We go up in the Rapture, we're there through the
whole tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, chapter nineteen,
the door opens again and we come down with Christ
to reign and rule with him on this earth. Only
two times the door opens, once to go up and
(14:50):
once to come down. All right, now the door is open,
and we look inside the door, and here's what we
see going on worship. Everything in hell is bowing down.
In fact, the key to the fourth chapter is the
word throne. It is found in this chapter basically relating
to God twelve times. The word throne is found forty
(15:12):
six times in the Book of Revelation, but it's found
twelve times right here in chapter four. And if you
want a good outline of this chapter, just use the
word throne as the key. And everything in the chapter
is related to the throne. Something is on the throne,
some things are around the throne, some things are encircling
the throne, some things are bowing down before the throne.
Now just watch this. The throne is the key to
(15:34):
the fourth chapter because heaven is the wonderful, glorious scene
of worship in heaven. Do you ever have people ask you,
what in the world are we going to do in heaven?
Isn't it going to be boring? No, it's not going
to be boring, because we're going to worship God. Now
let's watch what happens in the scene that is in heaven.
First of all, I want you to notice the one
who is seated upon the throne Verses two and three.
(15:55):
And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, a
throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper,
and like a sardine stone. And there was a rainbow
round about the throne in sight, like onto an emerald. Now,
the scripture says that when John saw the throne in heaven,
(16:16):
in the center of the picture of heaven, he saw
this magnificent throne, and one was sitting on the throne.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
And you say, well, why doesn't he just tell us
it was God?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Because the sight that he saw was too wonderful for
him to describe. He could not comprehend it. It was beyond description.
All he could do was say it was something like this.
The description of God is possible only by comparison. Jasper,
which is the stone he says that he compares God to,
is a clear gem.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
It's like a diamond. It's like a huge diamond.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Revelation twenty one, Verse eleven says it this way, and
her light was a most precious stone, like a Jasper stone,
clear as crystal. So John saw the throne, and what
he saw there reminded him of a gigantic diamond, just
sparkling in all of its facets, and like a sardine
stone or a sardias stone, which is a ruby, a
(17:10):
red stone comparable only to the ruby. Someone has said
the diamond refers to the glory of God, and the
ruby reminds.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Us of his sacrifice.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
I don't want to get off into a lot of
rabbit trails in the Book of Revelation, because, believe me,
the greatest task I have is trying to figure out
what I can include and what I can't. There are
so many things I would love to study that we
don't have time for.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
But I want you to listen to this.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Harry Ironside, one of the great students of the Word
of God, made a striking suggestion in regard to these
two stones. Now remember the Jasper and the Sardias stone. Listen,
he said, Remembering that many of the first readers of
Revelation were converted Jews, we might ask what would these
stones suggest to them? Surely every instructed Hebrew would instantly
(17:59):
recall that they were the first and the last stones
in the breastplate of the High Priest found in Exodus
twenty eight. Now watch as these stones bore the names
of the tribes of Israel, arranged according to birth of
the twelve patriarchs. The one would suggest at once the
name Reuben. Reuben would have had the first stone, which
(18:20):
was the Jasper, and the last stone in that list
was the stone that represented Benjamin. Benjamin stone was the
sardiest stone. Reuben the first, Benjamin the last, God in heaven,
Jesus Christ the first in the last.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
But let me tell you what those names mean. Remember them.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Reuben means behold a son. Benjamin means son of my
right hand. So even in the stones, there is a
picture not only of God the Father, but of God
the Son seated upon the throne.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
In fact, look back in chapter three and verse twenty one.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Notice Jesus is talking to him that overcometh, will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame and am set down with my Father
in his throne. So who's on the throne in heaven,
God the Father, and God the Son, The whole Triune
God is there because we already learned in verse five
that the Holy Spirit is standing before the throne. So
the throne is the picture of God in heaven. All
(19:17):
right now, on this huge throne in heaven, God the
Triune God is seated. Now, notice what it says in
the third verse, the last part of the verse, and
there was a rainbow round about the throne. You say,
what is the rainbow. Well, you know about the rainbow,
don't you. The rainbow? According to this passage, this was
a green rainbow, an emerald green rainbow, and it was
(19:40):
a complete circle.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
In heaven.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
The rainbow goes clear around and in the heavenly view
of the throne God Almighty, in his glory and majesty,
is seated upon the throne, and circling around the throne
is the green rainbow.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
Why do you think that's there? I'm going to tell
you why.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
What did the rainbow say in the Old Testament when
the flood came? The rainbow said, no matter how I
may judge the world again, I will always do it
with a measure of mercy.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
For the remnant.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
I will never again destroy the world by a flood.
What's going to happen on earth? While we're looking through
the door into heaven, All hell is going to break
loose down here, And the rainbow circling the Great Judge
of the universe is a reminder to us that the
God of the universe, who is about to judge this world,
(20:29):
judges the world not only in faithfulness to his decrees,
but he is a merciful, righteous judge who will not
judge those who are unworthy of his judgment.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Isn't that a great picture?
Speaker 3 (20:41):
In the Bible, everything is always in perfect balance judgment
and a green rainbow around the throne. All right, Seated
upon the throne is God. Surrounding the throne is a rainbow.
Now notice chapter four versus four. Sitting around the throne
(21:02):
are the twenty four elders. And round about the throne
were four and twenty seats. And upon the seats I
saw four and twenty elder sitting clothed in white raymond,
and they had on their heads crowns of gold. Now,
the four and twenty elder seated upon the twenty four
thrones do not represent the angels. They are not the
(21:24):
twelve tribes of Israel, with two representatives from each tribe.
They are not the twelve Apostles and the twelve tribes
of Israel. I believe I know who they are, and
I'm not any smarter than anybody else who wants to
study the Bible. Let's see if we can figure out
who are the twenty four elders. I think we can
know who they are by three things. First of all,
(21:46):
we can tell who they are by the praise that
is on their lips. The Bible says in chapter five
that the twenty four elders are going to sing. Let's
look at their song. Chapter five, verses eight and nine.
Here's another hymn that is in this book. When he
had taken the book, the four beasts and the four
and twenty elders fell down before the lamb, having every
(22:06):
one of them harps and golden vials full of odors,
which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung
a new song, saying, thou art worthy to take the
book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast
slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation,
(22:27):
and had made unto us our God, kings and priests,
and we shall reign on the earth. Who's that talking about.
There can only be one identity. Those are the believers.
The four and twenty elders in heaven are representing the
entire Church on this earth. They are the representatives of
the Church in heaven. And John sees them. That's the
four and twenty elders. We know that by the praise
(22:48):
that is on their lips, we know it. Secondly, by
the clothes they're on their back watch, what are they wearing?
The scripture says, the four and twenty elders are sitting
clothed in white raiment. Who is clothed in white raymond
in heaven are the angels? No, the only people who
are clothed in white raymond in heaven are believers who
(23:11):
have been translated into heaven through the power of God.
Revelation Chapter nineteen, verses seven and eight says this, let
us speak glad and rejoice and give honor to him.
For the marriage of the Lamb is come. And his wife,
who is the wife of the Lamb, that's the church.
His wife hath made herself ready, and to her was
(23:31):
granted that she should be arrayed in finally and clean
and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness, says
of the saints. Who's dressed up in fine linen in heaven?
Nobody but the Church of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
That I'm aware of.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Amen. Amen, we'll have more of that tomorrow. We'll look
into heaven again, will continue our view into the open
door of heaven. Someone says, there's to open in heaven
when we go up to heaven and one when we
come back down with Christ to reign on this earth.
(24:07):
But in the meantime there's a look into heaven and
we're taking advantage of that as we study Revelation four
one through eleven. Together, say, friends, we have some incredibly
beautiful study guides for this study on the Book of Revelation.
There are four of them. They are one hundred and
forty pages of perf bound, really beautifully designed study guides
(24:31):
that take you through every passage in the Book of Revelation.
If you want a great commentary on the Book of
Revelation that's understandable contemporary, these study guides will really fit
that bill. And you can get them from David Jeremiah
dot org and you'll have them for the rest of
the series and for the future. Thanks for listening, See
you next time.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
For more information on Doctor Jeremiah series Escape the Coming Night,
please visit our website, where we also offer two free
ways to help you stay connected, our monthly Turning Points
magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at
David Jeremiah dot org slash Radio that's Davidjeremiah dot org
slash Radio, or call us at eight hundred ninety four
(25:18):
seven nineteen ninety three. Ask for your copy of David's
timely and valuable new book, Sixty Days of Prophecy, The
Truth behind Endtime Warnings. It's yours for a gift of
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in the English Standard, New International and New King James
versions available in your choice of versatile and attractive cover options.
(25:41):
Get all the details when you visit our website Davidjeremiah
dot org. Slash Radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join
us tomorrow as we continue the series Escape the Coming
Night on Turning Point with Doctor David Jeremiah
The Church is frequently referred to in the first three
chapters of Revelation, then seems to disappear for the next
sixteen chapters. Where does the Church go today? On turning point,
Doctor David Jeremiah explains the apparent disappearance as he turns
to the fourth chapter of Revelation, continuing his series Escape
(00:26):
the Coming Night. Here's David's introduced today's message, a look
into Heaven.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, have you ever wondered what it would be like
if you could look past the barriers of heaven today
and see what's going on. We have some idea from
the scripture what you might view. But there was a
time when it was possible for John, the human writer
of the Book of Revelation, to look up into heaven
and to see the throne of Glory and those who
are gathered around the throne to worship God. What a
(00:55):
magnificent scene it is. And we're going to talk about
that today and tomorrow as we take a look into
Heaven in this series Escape the Coming Night. By the way,
the resource for the month is a book called Sixty
Days of Prophecies, The Truth behind End Time Warnings. This
one hundred and forty four page paperback, brand new off
(01:18):
the press, never been offered before. Is yours for the
asking When you send your gift of any size to
Turning Point during the month of May. Just send your
gift and say, please send me the Book on Prophecy.
It will certainly crystallize your thinking. It will give you
the main events in the order in which they occur,
explaining them in detail, so that you will have a
(01:40):
much better grasp on what God has planned for us
going forward. Once again, that book is available for a
gift of any size to Turning Point today. Here is
part one of a Look into Heaven.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Now. When we last opened our Bibles to the Book
of Revelation, our attention was focused on the church here
on the earth. Chapter three ends and we turn to
chapter four, and immediately we recognize that something drastic has
happened before we read at the beginning of the fourth chapter.
(02:17):
After this, I looked, and behold, a door was opened
in heaven. We have moved now from the scene of
the earth to the scene in heaven. We must take
note of some changes that have taken place in the
structure of this book, or we will be lost from
this point on. In order to comprehend the meaning of
(02:38):
John's heavenly vision, we must understand that something very important
has transpired between chapter three, verse twenty one and chapter
four verse one. We may legitimately ask the question, how
did the Church get from the earth at the end
of chapter three to heaven at the beginning of ch
(03:00):
chapter four, And the only answer is between the end
of chapter three and the beginning of chapter four, something
took place.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
We know that to be the rapture.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Now, although the rapture is not dealt with specifically in
the Book of Revelation, it is clearly alluded to here
in this passage of scripture. It is the only possible
explanation for the shift in emphasis between the end of
chapter three and the beginning of chapter four, And there
are some reasons that will help us to summarize this argument.
(03:30):
Number one, the sequence of events in the Book of
Revelation demand that there is a rapture between chapter three
and chapter four. Do you remember the outline of the
book in chapter one, verse nineteen. Refresh your memory for
just a moment by turning back to the nineteenth verse
of chapter one. John is given his assignment as he
(03:52):
writes the Book of Revelation in behalf of the Spirit
of God. And he is told to write, write the
things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,
and the things which shall be hereafter. That threefold division
of the book is the total outline of the whole
Book of Revelation. If you want to know the Book
(04:12):
of Revelation, that's it. There's three sections, the things which
thou hast seen, the things which are, and the things
which shall be hereafter. Now, even though we're only in
the fourth chapter, we have already completed the first two sections. Obviously,
the last section is larger than the first two. Put together.
The first section right, the things which thou hast seen
(04:34):
covers chapter one, verses one through eighteen. And that was
the vision that John had of the glorified Christ. Do
you remember that how he saw Christ? And he described
him in all of his awesome beauty. The Church age
is summarized and symbolized in chapters two and three of
the Book of Revelation. So John wrote the things which
are by describing the Church agent. We've looked at all
(04:56):
seven of those churches and studied that. Now we're finished
with it. But then he said, thirdly, when you have
written the things which you have seen, and you've written
the things which are right, the things which are hereafter
the things that are going to take place after the.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Things of the Church.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Now notice the second thought that's very important, and that
is the silence concerning the church in the rest of
the Book of Revelation.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
What does the Bible.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Talk about From the fourth chapter all the way through
to the nineteenth chapter of Revelation, it is all about
the tribulation that's going to take place here on this earth.
Every single part of it. Chapters four and five introduce it.
Chapter six is the opening of the seals and the
sounding of the trumpets, and the pouring out of the vials,
and all of the judgment on this earth. All of
(05:46):
chapter four through chapter nineteen is about tribulation on the earth. Now,
watch carefully, there is not one single mention of the
church in chapters four through nineteen.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
It is not even there.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
The Church is not found in the Book of Revelation
from chapter four through chapter nineteen. Why the Church isn't
on the earth, The Church is in heaven. All of
chapter four through nineteen has to do with what God
is going to do when he pours out his wrath
upon the earth. The Church won't be here. The Church
will be in heaven. How do we know that we
(06:21):
just looked in through the door and the Church is
up there already. How did it get there? It got
there between chapter three and chapter four? Right, How do
we know that there's something drastic happening between chapter three
and chapter four? First of all, because of the structure
of the book of Revelation. Secondly, because of the silence
concerning the church in these chapters. Now notice, thirdly, something
(06:44):
else has happened that signals a drastic change, and that
is the Spirit of God has been transferred. The Spirit
of God has been transferred from Earth to heaven. The
Holy Spirit is said to be in the midst of
his churches on earth in Revelation chapter two and three.
But look at Revelation chapter four and verse five, and
(07:07):
notice and out of the throne preceded lightnings and thunderings
and voices, And there were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
Where is the Holy Spirit in chapter four? He's in heaven.
He's not on the earth anymore. He's been transferred to heaven,
and the Holy Spirit is that part of the Godhead
(07:30):
which in dwells the believer and the believers on earth.
So the Holy Spirit isn't on earth either, He's gone
to Heaven. Now we know something drastic has happened between
chapter three and chapter four, because the Spirit of God
has been transferred from the Earth to heaven. All right, now,
here to me is the most conclusive proof of the
rapture in this passage. And I'm just going to show
(07:51):
you how exciting it is when you compare passages of
scripture together. There is, fourthly, a similarity between Chapter four,
verses one and two, and the two major passages in
the New Testament that have to do with the rapture.
All right, class, where do you find the rapture in
the New Testament? First Thessalonians four. Where's the other one
(08:13):
one Corinthians fifteen. You will find them both alluded to
in those two passages. Now watch, what are the elements
of the rapture that are found in those passages of scripture?
You got your bible open Revelation chapter four, verse one.
Here's the first a voice. Notice what it says in
Chapter four, verse one. And after this I looked and
(08:34):
behold a door was opened in heaven, and the first
voice which I heard was, as it were, of a
trumpet talking with me, and it said.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Get up here, Come up here.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
There's a voice that speaks out of heaven to John,
the voice calling John to come home to heaven. What
does First Thessalonians, chapter four, verse sixteen say, listen carefully,
for the Lord himself will decid and from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of an archangel. What is that?
(09:05):
That's the rapture. When the rapture comes, We're gonna hear
a voice, all right. Second element of the rapture, the
trumpet Chapter four, verse one of Revelation. And I looked, behold,
a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice
which I heard was, as it were of a trumpet.
First Thessalonians four sixteen. For the Lord him shall shall
(09:27):
descend from heaven with the trumpet of God.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
One Corinthians fifteen.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at
the last trumpet, for the trumpet shall sound. There's a
trumpet in Revelation four. There's a trumpet in First Thessalonians four,
and there's a trumpet in First Corinthians fifteen, all of
them talking about the rapture. All right, we got a voice,
and we got a trumpet. The third thing we have
is a change. Revelation Chapter four, verse two says John
(09:55):
is talking. He said, immediately, I was in the spirit. Imediately,
he said, I was in the spirit. I was changed.
It is the same expression that John used in the
first chapter when he says at the beginning of the revelation,
I was caught up in the spirit. That doesn't mean
he just got excited or he got the baptism or
something like that. It doesn't have anything to do with
(10:16):
being spiritual. When he's in the spirit, it means literally
that he has taken a change. He's been transformed in
shape and in structure into a whole different dimension. He's
no longer in the body. Now he's in the spirit.
He's been changed. Listen to One Corinthians fifteen. For the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
(10:36):
and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must
put on in corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
John said he was immediately in the spirit, and Paul says,
we shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling
of an eye. What's going on in this passage? Iohn,
I think it's the rapture. I believe that John is
(10:58):
symbolically representing the Church in this passage.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
He's been raptured into heaven.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
All right, let me just share the fifth thing with you,
the symbolic presence of John in heaven. John represents the
Church in heaven. John is a representative in heaven of
the Church. When the shout came, when the voice said
to John, John, get up here, That's what's going to
happen to us someday when the trumpet sounds and the
(11:25):
voice is heard, and the voice says, come on up here.
John is representative of the Church. Now, you see, John
is the perfect representative of the Church because he has
always had a special relationship to the Lord, just as
the bride of Christ, which is the Church, has a
special relationship to Christ. You know, the Bible says that
(11:46):
Jesus Christ loved the whole world in general, but he
loved the Church in particular, didn't he He loved the
Church and gave himself for it, says the scripture. The
Bible says Jesus loved all the disciples In fact, it
says he loved them unto the end, but he loved
John in particular. He loved John in a way he
(12:07):
didn't love the rest of the disciples. In fact, what
was John's favorite name for himself? He called himself that
disciple that Jesus loved. And you know what the name
John means. It means the beloved one. John was the
beloved one of the Lord. So just as the Church
out of the world is the special loved one of
the Lord, John out of the disciples, is the special
(12:30):
loved one of the Lord. Now he's been called up
as a representative of the church, to represent the church
and the rapture. So what we have going on between
chapter three and four is the rapture of the Church.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
It has taken place.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
The Church is now in heaven, and the Church will
not go through the tribulation period.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Do you understand that.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I have people ask me all the time, how do
you know we're not going to go through the tribulation.
If we're going to go through the tribulation, the whole
Bible is mixed up because the Bible doesn't allow for
an interpretation that takes the church through the tribulation. We
are going to be in heaven when the tribulation is
going on down here on this earth. If you want
to stay and go through the tribulation, you go ahead.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
I'm going up. Amen.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know some folks say you get it straightened out
when you get up there. Right on the way up,
I'll tell you I told you so. Right all right, Now,
the church is in heaven in chapter four. What is
going on in heaven? That's the issue of chapter four.
The Church isn't on this earth anymore. Tribulation is about
to break loose. When we get to the sixth chapter,
(13:38):
we're going to see what that's all about. And it's
an awesome sight. But we're up in heaven. So what's
happening in heaven? Now? We're going to find out, you
know why, because God opened the door so we could
look in Isn't that great? He opened the door so
we could see in heaven. And what we're going to
see when we look in heaven is this We're going
to see in the very first verse through this open
door worship worship. Did you know that the door of
(14:03):
heaven only opens twice in the Book of Revelation? Did
you know that only twice hold your place. In Revelation four,
turn to Revelation nineteen and verse eleven. Revelation four is
the first time. Revelation nineteen eleven is the second time.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse.
(14:23):
And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true,
and in righteousness he the judge and make war.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
And it talks about how we come and watch this.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
The door opens in heaven the first time when we
go up, and the door opens the second time in
heaven and we come down. That's the only two times
it opens, once to go up and once to come down.
We go up in the Rapture, we're there through the
whole tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, chapter nineteen,
the door opens again and we come down with Christ
to reign and rule with him on this earth. Only
two times the door opens, once to go up and
(14:50):
once to come down. All right, now the door is open,
and we look inside the door, and here's what we
see going on worship. Everything in hell is bowing down.
In fact, the key to the fourth chapter is the
word throne. It is found in this chapter basically relating
to God twelve times. The word throne is found forty
(15:12):
six times in the Book of Revelation, but it's found
twelve times right here in chapter four. And if you
want a good outline of this chapter, just use the
word throne as the key. And everything in the chapter
is related to the throne. Something is on the throne,
some things are around the throne, some things are encircling
the throne, some things are bowing down before the throne.
Now just watch this. The throne is the key to
(15:34):
the fourth chapter because heaven is the wonderful, glorious scene
of worship in heaven. Do you ever have people ask you,
what in the world are we going to do in heaven?
Isn't it going to be boring? No, it's not going
to be boring, because we're going to worship God. Now
let's watch what happens in the scene that is in heaven.
First of all, I want you to notice the one
who is seated upon the throne Verses two and three.
(15:55):
And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, a
throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper,
and like a sardine stone. And there was a rainbow
round about the throne in sight, like onto an emerald. Now,
the scripture says that when John saw the throne in heaven,
(16:16):
in the center of the picture of heaven, he saw
this magnificent throne, and one was sitting on the throne.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
And you say, well, why doesn't he just tell us
it was God?
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Because the sight that he saw was too wonderful for
him to describe. He could not comprehend it. It was beyond description.
All he could do was say it was something like this.
The description of God is possible only by comparison. Jasper,
which is the stone he says that he compares God to,
is a clear gem.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
It's like a diamond. It's like a huge diamond.
Speaker 3 (16:48):
Revelation twenty one, Verse eleven says it this way, and
her light was a most precious stone, like a Jasper stone,
clear as crystal. So John saw the throne, and what
he saw there reminded him of a gigantic diamond, just
sparkling in all of its facets, and like a sardine
stone or a sardias stone, which is a ruby, a
(17:10):
red stone comparable only to the ruby. Someone has said
the diamond refers to the glory of God, and the
ruby reminds.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Us of his sacrifice.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
I don't want to get off into a lot of
rabbit trails in the Book of Revelation, because, believe me,
the greatest task I have is trying to figure out
what I can include and what I can't. There are
so many things I would love to study that we
don't have time for.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
But I want you to listen to this.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
Harry Ironside, one of the great students of the Word
of God, made a striking suggestion in regard to these
two stones. Now remember the Jasper and the Sardias stone. Listen,
he said, Remembering that many of the first readers of
Revelation were converted Jews, we might ask what would these
stones suggest to them? Surely every instructed Hebrew would instantly
(17:59):
recall that they were the first and the last stones
in the breastplate of the High Priest found in Exodus
twenty eight. Now watch as these stones bore the names
of the tribes of Israel, arranged according to birth of
the twelve patriarchs. The one would suggest at once the
name Reuben. Reuben would have had the first stone, which
(18:20):
was the Jasper, and the last stone in that list
was the stone that represented Benjamin. Benjamin stone was the
sardiest stone. Reuben the first, Benjamin the last, God in heaven,
Jesus Christ the first in the last.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
But let me tell you what those names mean. Remember them.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
Reuben means behold a son. Benjamin means son of my
right hand. So even in the stones, there is a
picture not only of God the Father, but of God
the Son seated upon the throne.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
In fact, look back in chapter three and verse twenty one.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Notice Jesus is talking to him that overcometh, will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame and am set down with my Father
in his throne. So who's on the throne in heaven,
God the Father, and God the Son, The whole Triune
God is there because we already learned in verse five
that the Holy Spirit is standing before the throne. So
the throne is the picture of God in heaven. All
(19:17):
right now, on this huge throne in heaven, God the
Triune God is seated. Now, notice what it says in
the third verse, the last part of the verse, and
there was a rainbow round about the throne. You say,
what is the rainbow. Well, you know about the rainbow,
don't you. The rainbow? According to this passage, this was
a green rainbow, an emerald green rainbow, and it was
(19:40):
a complete circle.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
In heaven.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
The rainbow goes clear around and in the heavenly view
of the throne God Almighty, in his glory and majesty,
is seated upon the throne, and circling around the throne
is the green rainbow.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
Why do you think that's there? I'm going to tell
you why.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
What did the rainbow say in the Old Testament when
the flood came? The rainbow said, no matter how I
may judge the world again, I will always do it
with a measure of mercy.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
For the remnant.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
I will never again destroy the world by a flood.
What's going to happen on earth? While we're looking through
the door into heaven, All hell is going to break
loose down here, And the rainbow circling the Great Judge
of the universe is a reminder to us that the
God of the universe, who is about to judge this world,
(20:29):
judges the world not only in faithfulness to his decrees,
but he is a merciful, righteous judge who will not
judge those who are unworthy of his judgment.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Isn't that a great picture?
Speaker 3 (20:41):
In the Bible, everything is always in perfect balance judgment
and a green rainbow around the throne. All right, Seated
upon the throne is God. Surrounding the throne is a rainbow.
Now notice chapter four versus four. Sitting around the throne
(21:02):
are the twenty four elders. And round about the throne
were four and twenty seats. And upon the seats I
saw four and twenty elder sitting clothed in white raymond,
and they had on their heads crowns of gold. Now,
the four and twenty elder seated upon the twenty four
thrones do not represent the angels. They are not the
(21:24):
twelve tribes of Israel, with two representatives from each tribe.
They are not the twelve Apostles and the twelve tribes
of Israel. I believe I know who they are, and
I'm not any smarter than anybody else who wants to
study the Bible. Let's see if we can figure out
who are the twenty four elders. I think we can
know who they are by three things. First of all,
(21:46):
we can tell who they are by the praise that
is on their lips. The Bible says in chapter five
that the twenty four elders are going to sing. Let's
look at their song. Chapter five, verses eight and nine.
Here's another hymn that is in this book. When he
had taken the book, the four beasts and the four
and twenty elders fell down before the lamb, having every
(22:06):
one of them harps and golden vials full of odors,
which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung
a new song, saying, thou art worthy to take the
book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast
slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation,
(22:27):
and had made unto us our God, kings and priests,
and we shall reign on the earth. Who's that talking about.
There can only be one identity. Those are the believers.
The four and twenty elders in heaven are representing the
entire Church on this earth. They are the representatives of
the Church in heaven. And John sees them. That's the
four and twenty elders. We know that by the praise
(22:48):
that is on their lips, we know it. Secondly, by
the clothes they're on their back watch, what are they wearing?
The scripture says, the four and twenty elders are sitting
clothed in white raiment. Who is clothed in white raymond
in heaven are the angels? No, the only people who
are clothed in white raymond in heaven are believers who
(23:11):
have been translated into heaven through the power of God.
Revelation Chapter nineteen, verses seven and eight says this, let
us speak glad and rejoice and give honor to him.
For the marriage of the Lamb is come. And his wife,
who is the wife of the Lamb, that's the church.
His wife hath made herself ready, and to her was
(23:31):
granted that she should be arrayed in finally and clean
and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness, says
of the saints. Who's dressed up in fine linen in heaven?
Nobody but the Church of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
That I'm aware of.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Amen. Amen, we'll have more of that tomorrow. We'll look
into heaven again, will continue our view into the open
door of heaven. Someone says, there's to open in heaven
when we go up to heaven and one when we
come back down with Christ to reign on this earth.
(24:07):
But in the meantime there's a look into heaven and
we're taking advantage of that as we study Revelation four
one through eleven. Together, say, friends, we have some incredibly
beautiful study guides for this study on the Book of Revelation.
There are four of them. They are one hundred and
forty pages of perf bound, really beautifully designed study guides
(24:31):
that take you through every passage in the Book of Revelation.
If you want a great commentary on the Book of
Revelation that's understandable contemporary, these study guides will really fit
that bill. And you can get them from David Jeremiah
dot org and you'll have them for the rest of
the series and for the future. Thanks for listening, See
you next time.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
For more information on Doctor Jeremiah series Escape the Coming Night,
please visit our website, where we also offer two free
ways to help you stay connected, our monthly Turning Points
magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at
David Jeremiah dot org slash Radio that's Davidjeremiah dot org
slash Radio, or call us at eight hundred ninety four
(25:18):
seven nineteen ninety three. Ask for your copy of David's
timely and valuable new book, Sixty Days of Prophecy, The
Truth behind Endtime Warnings. It's yours for a gift of
any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible
in the English Standard, New International and New King James
versions available in your choice of versatile and attractive cover options.
(25:41):
Get all the details when you visit our website Davidjeremiah
dot org. Slash Radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join
us tomorrow as we continue the series Escape the Coming
Night on Turning Point with Doctor David Jeremiah
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