Revelation 4:1-2
Verse 1 begins with John looking up and a door being opened in Heaven. John describes for us hearing a “voice” like a trumpet saying to him “come up hither.”
In verse 2 John states he was ‘immediately in the spirit’ and found himself at the Throne of God.
Most Bible Teachers and Scholars agree the Bible is full of “types and shadows” revealing things to come. This is one of those times where many believe John was representative of the Church and finding himself at The Throne of God is a type of The Rapture or the Catching Away of The Church.
When we understand the revelation that the Apostle Paul received concerning the end times and the Rapture, we then can understand how this “type and shadow” would fit Pre-Tribulation.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes Paul’s revelation of the resurrection of the dead and “those of us who are alive and remain being caught up together with the Lord in the air!” That is where we get the understanding of the Rapture as well as many other “types and shadows” in scripture.
Notice the similarities of Revelation 4:1 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 concerning the “Voice of the Arch-Angel” and “the Trump of God.”
The Greek rendering for being “caught up” defines out as:
Carried or Seized away by force
Snatched out or away
To pluck up
An online Dictionary defines Rapture as: to carry away to another place or sphere of existence.
Some would say the word ‘Rapture’ is not in the Bible, yet they will use words they believe are in the Bible such as; millennium, demon or trinity. These too are not found in the Bible. Rapture is found in “a” Bible Translation called the Latin Vulgate in which it uses “rapiemur” which means to be caught up; it is translated in English as Rapture, so technically it is in the Bible.
A study of the history of the Jewish Wedding Ceremony is also an illustration of Christ and His Church as well as the act of taking His Bride away.
There are many scriptures that state, “God did not appoint His Church to suffer His wrath, and therefore I subscribe to the Rapture taking place prior to the Tribulation period. I for one choose to be with the Bridegroom at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the Awards Banquet at the Judgment Seat of Christ while the Tribulation period is happening on Earth. We will discuss these events later in this study.
Paul said, ‘we are to be caught away in the air with the Lord.’ Those who believe in Post Tribulation will be caught up as Jesus is returning with the saints in a U-Turn. When it comes to the Mid-Tribulation belief, it seems they confuse the great multitude in Chapter six with the Bride being caught away. So they believe in the Rapture, but later. We will address this understanding when we come to that chapter.
However one believes concerning verse one and John being caught up, it is important to note that the Church is no longer mentioned beyond this point until Chapter 19 concerning the Marriage Supper of The Lamb. This clearly indicates that the Church is missing during the time of the Tribulation Period.
John also says that he is in the spirit when all this is happening to him. There are varying levels of what it means to be ‘in the spirit.’ For instance, he stated in Chapter 1 that he was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day. Without going into a lot of detail, to be in the spirit is to have the physical senses suspended for a period of time.
In reference to what John experienced of being ‘caught up,’ this was one of the highest levels in which he either was having an out of the body experience or he was translated. Just as the Apostle Paul experienced and shared in 2 Corinthians 12:2, it is uncertain what they actually experienced.
