I did not say that the Rapture was seen in Revelation 4:1-2.
What I did say was..........
"As A Premillennialist,
I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is Raptured in Rev. 4:1."
The word Church is last seen in Rev. 3:22.
In Rev. 4:1-2 we see..........
"After 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".
Now, "
a door was opened" is
ἠνεῳγμενη in the Greek [ēneōgmenē], and it is a perfect tense: .....
Literally then is........“a door already having been opened.”
Lets dig a little deeper here. The door was opened prior to John seeing it and now stood ajar. In Rev. 3:8
Jesus set an open door before the Philadelphian church.
The Philadelphia church is the 7th one and it corresponds to the church of today, the age of Grace/Church Age. This door is not for evangelism, but provides passage for John to heaven to be shown the events recorded hereafter. T
When we study the whole Bible prophecy on this topic, we can see that there are numerous parallels between this passage and the other Scriptures.
1. Ezekiel said “the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” (
Eze. 1:1).
2. The “heavens were opened” at Jesus’ baptism (
Mat. 3:16;
Luke 3:21),.
3. The stoning of Steven (
Acts 7:56).
4. Peter’s vision of the unclean animals (
Acts 10:11),
5. The Second Coming of Christ (
Rev. 19:11)
Then in Rev. 4:1 we read.....: “The first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said.”
This is the voice John heard at the first, on the Lord’s day, which sounded like a trumpet.
So then......Having written the letters to the churches, John is called
“to Heaven that he might look down upon all that should follow from the point of view of Heaven itself.
It seems clear to ME, that any true understanding of the course of world events must be based on Heaven’s perspective of those events....."HEREAFTER"!
Further it may be said that here is a typical teaching in the very act of John’s translation to Heaven for the vision that is to follow. . . . all believers will be caught up to Heaven before the judgment is actually poured out upon the earth.”
Now may I say to you that the specific, literal words Rapture are NOT seen in Revelation 4:1, however that is MY personal understanding.
I agree and accept that there are those people who are averse to seeing any possible connection between the experience of John recorded here and the
Rapture of the church and that is OK with me.
You said: "The book of Revelation concerns Israel and non-believers, and not the Church. As A Premillennialist, I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is Raptured in Rev. 4:1."
Right there it shows you do not believe the book of Revelations is for today as much as in the day John wrote this book.
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Church, which represents the bride of Christ, will face seeing much tribulation as it will be hard to bare seeing Gods wrath poured out on the unjust as we are sent out to preach to them before we enter into the kingdom of God (New Jerusalem). There are many false teachings that teach we are taken out of here before some seven year Great Tribulation, which is not found in scripture no matter how they make scripture to line up with this false theory. There is no seven years, but that of only seven trumpets sounding. If you read about the first six trumpets they have a beginning and an end before the next one sounds. The seventh trumpet has a beginning, but no end until that of Christ return on the last day.
Some also teach that after Rev Chapter 4 the Church is no longer here on earth. If this were the case then why did Jesus say that those who endure until the end will be saved. The end of what, the end of days or as scripture calls it that great and terrible day of the Lord when final judgment will be passed as the Sheep are separated from the goats and the goats are cast into the lake of fire with Satan, the beast and false prophets.
By studying all the scriptures below in Revelations I come to the conclusion we will see much tribulation, but not to fear what must come first before the return of Christ, but stand strong in the faith of Christ Jesus so we can endure until the coming of the Lord. We need to be His witnesses as a faithful servant until He returns. God's wrath is not for the elect of God as they are kept from it falling on them and when we see the abomination that causes desolation, Daniel Chapter 7; Matthew 24:15-22; Rev Chapter 13, we are to flee from taking its mark as we stand in a greater faith in Christ that we need not fear that which has to come first before Christ returns, Matthew 10:28, but that we need to be prepared as His Bride when He does return on the last day and destroys the beast and false prophet at His coming, Rev 19.
Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God as we are also His disciples.
Mat 24:13,29-31 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matthew 24:29-31; Rev 3:5; 19:8 Jesus is telling us to watch for the signs of His coming and to overcome so that our names are not blotted out of the Lamb's book of life.
Rev 5:13; 6:17; 7:1-5 On earth and under the earth are those who are still here until the end of days as God's wrath begins with the opening of the seventh seal.
Rev 6:9-11 Note where John says fellow servants and brethren that should be killed as they were, which means those of the elect of God who refuse to take the mark of the beast and will die a martyr's death for their faith in Christ.
Rev 7:13-17 Which came out of great tribulation is the fullness of the Gentiles who also died a martyr's death for the sake of Christ.
Rev 8:13 Three woes are that of warning the people on earth that the last three trumpets are about to sound.
Rev 13:11-18 Here John is showing us about mystery Babylon ruling the world as a one world government. 666 represents the number of the beast and the mark is the action of the hands and thoughts of the mind as many will be deceived and accept this mark.
Rev 14:14-20 The harvest of Gods Children who are still alive at this time as they are being protected against the vial judgments that will fall on those who have rejected Christ.
Rev 16:11,15 And they repented not. The elect of God are told to watch for the return of Christ as He comes like a thief and we are to keep our garments clean and not found in shame
Rev 18:23, 24 We have now come out of great tribulation through the persecution of the revived Roman Empire and Christ is about to return for His Bride
Rev 19:7,8 We being the Bride of Christ have now made ourselves ready for His coming as those who are still alive at this time and asleep in the grave have endured until the last day when Christ returns and destroys the beast and false prophet and sends His angels out to gather the Bride up to meet Jesus in the air.
Rev 20:4-6 These verses show that we went through much annihilation and endured until the end being the last day when Christ returns.
Rev 20:12-15 The Great White Throne judgment and Jesus judgment for the works we did or did not do for him here on earth
.