John is Caught Up

Danny McDowell

Revelation 4:1-2:

The Pre-tribulationists claim that John’s experience in Revelation 4:1-2 is representative of the Rapture of the church. The fact that John hears a voice “as the sound of a trumpet” is in reference to the “Last Trump” of I Thessalonians 4:16, “¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” I Corinthians 15:52, “⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Since John is caught up into heaven at the sound of this “trumpet voice” then certainly the church of all ages will be caught up at that same time.

Revelation 4:1, “¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

This passage is commonly cited as proof that the church is caught up at this time because the 24 elders around the throne of God represent 24 elders of the church. It is also said that Revelation 4:10-11 proves that the 24 elders of heaven are the raptured church because they “cast their CROWNS before the throne,” this being the crowns that the saints receive at His coming.

Also cited as proof that the church is immediately in heaven at Revelation 4:1 are the verses of

Revelation 5:2-4, “²And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? ³And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. ⁴And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.”

It is said that the angelic exclamation that “NO MAN was worthy in heaven,” shows that MEN (the church) are in heaven. Verse 4 says “I wept much because “NO MAN” was worthy to open the book.” The reference to “NO MAN” is also said to be proof of the church resurrection of Revelation 4:1-2. Does the “catching up” of John in Revelation 4:1-2 represent the Rapture of the church?

Let’s take a look.

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The Rapture

The Gathering of the Elect

Let’s begin by a close examination of Revelation 4:1-2:

“¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. ²And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”

It is said in pre-tribulation theology that this experience of John being caught up is representative of the rapture of the church. It is cited that John hears “the voice as a trumpet” and this could ONLY be the trump of God when the dead in Christ are resurrected. There are many problems with this notion, and yet this position is consistent with the pre-tribulationists approach to “text interpretation.”

To begin – John hears a “Voice” as a trumpet. Not a trumpet! Look closely at Revelation 1:10-11,

“¹⁰I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, ¹¹Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

What does John hear at this time? THE VOICE AS A TRUMPET! Any RAPTURE HERE? Of course not. Just because John heard a “Voice” as a trumpet in Revelation 4:1-2 certainly does NOT mean that this “VOICE” is the trump of God.

This is an incredible S-T-R-E-T-C-H. Can you say C-O-N-J-E-C-T-U-R-E? Secondly, John was then taken “INTO HEAVEN” through an “OPEN DOOR.” Does this sound like the gathering of the elect to you? Where do the elect GO at the sounding of the TRUMP of GOD?

INTO THE AIR!

The trumpet will sound. The dead in Christ will be raised. We shall be “CHANGED”

I Corinthians 15:52,

“⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

then we will be gathered BY THE ANGELS –

Matthew 24:31:

^“31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Matthew 13:39-41:

“³⁹ The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. ⁴¹The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;”

Matthew 13:49:

“⁴⁹So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,”

And taken to meet the Lord IN THE AIR!

I Thessalonians 4:17:

“¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Where? IN THE AIR!

This experience of John in Revelation 4:1-2 has NOTHING to do with THE RAPTURE!

The claims regarding the 24 elders of Revelation 4:4 and 4:10 are preposterous. Where do you find 24 CHURCH ELDERS in the New Testament! This is simply another outrageous claim in an attempt to create a pre-tribulation RAPTURE. Things in heaven are the reality of types and foreshadows in things of earth.

The four and twenty elders of heaven are those realities of the Twenty four elders of Israel who are the TYPES of things heavenly! There is also that matter of the Old Testament Saints who were resurrected at Christs’ resurrection, and presented to the Father in the THIRD HOUR of the day as FIRST FRUITS!

These are much more likely to be those TWENTY FOUR ELDERS of the Book of Revelation, since Israel did INDEED have TWENTY FOUR ELDERS.

As to the references of Revelation 5:3-4, “NO MAN;” the correct interpretation from the Greek text is precise – “NO ONE” was worthy to open the scroll! No creature in Heaven or Earth!

Frequently cited as proof to the resurrected church in heaven prior to the opening of the “70^th week of Daniel” are these verses as well!

Revelation 5:9-10:

“⁹And 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; ¹⁰And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Using the term US as representing those already gathered to heaven prior to the opening of the First Seal., is proof positive to the Pre-Tribulationist, that the Church is in Heaven before the Great Tribulation begins.. Once again the pre-tribulation proponents will NEVER tell you the truth of these terms (KJV).

“US.” The fact is that the word “US” translated in the KJV is actually, “THEY” in the Greek text! The passage reads “he has redeemed THEM to God” (those on earth)! “and hast made THEM (on earth) unto our God, Kings and priests.”

Note in Revelation 5:8-9:

“⁸And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. ⁹And 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 [them] to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”

It is the 24 elders who hold “VIALS” full of THE PRAYERS of the SAINTS. The 24 elders (the church ?) having VIALS FULL OF THE PRAYERS of the SAINTS [ who they say are already in Heaven]?

Ridiculous! This pre-tribulation interpretation of scripture is the most prominent representation of pre-tribulation perversion in the entire doctrine.

This twisted perversion of the word of God represents the desperation involved in proving this doctrine. It is more blatant than that of the pronouncement of the “Holy Spirit” as the restrainer of II Thessalonians 2.

Please Note in Rev 7:13-14 , it is one of the " 24 elders "which points out the fact that-------

“THESE ARE THOSE THAT CAME OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION”

The more PhD’s you hold, the more shameful it becomes to pervert the Book of Revelation! This is the Modus Operandii of Pre-Tribulation eschatologists.

Revelation 22:19:

“¹⁹And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

These 24 elders are the heavenly representatives of types and foreshadows on earth. They hold in their hands “VIALS” containing the PRAYERS of the SAINTS on EARTH! What are these prayers? Turn the page and begin to read the events of the SEALS of the SCROLL and you will fully understand THE PRAYERS of the SAINTS!

Is the Church of all ages Caught up with John at Revelation 4:1-2?

IMPOSSIBLE!