A Personal Rapture Experience Described by John

A Personal Rapture Experience Described by John

By Bruce Warner

Following the Jesus' last communication to the Church through John in Revelation 3:21, John has a personal rapture experience. This is the revealing to us, through John, of God's plan for the rapture of the Church as an event yet to come.

Revelation 3:21: "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my father on his throne."

To better understand the personal rapture experience John describes in Revelation 4:1-4, we must first carefully read two Scriptures that describe the rapture in detail:
  • <LI class=style7>1 Corinthians 15:51-52: "Listen, I will tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet."
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; the dead in Christ shall rise first; then 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 we shall ever be with the Lord."

Notice the similarity of detail between the previous verses and John's personal rapture experience as follows:


"After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven, and the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.' At once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it" (Revelation 4:1-2).

Similarities Describing the Rapture

The phrase "after this" tells us that what is about to happen to John occurs just after Jesus' last communication to the Church through John (Revelation 3:21).

"Before me was a door standing open in heaven" tells us the door to Heaven is, at that time, standing wide open as an invitation for the raptured Church to enter.

"The voice" speaking "like a trumpet" is a similar description to "the voice" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, described as "the voice of the archangel" and "with the trumpet of God."

"Come up here" is a direct quote from Jesus to John, and is similar to the phrase, "the Lord himself ... with a shout," in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

"What must take place after this" tells us that all the future events in Revelation occur after this particular event that John is experiencing. This indicates that the rapture is a pre-tribulation event.

"At once" in the Revelation passage is similar to "in a flash" and "in the twinkling of an eye" as described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

"I was in the Spirit" correlates to the phrase, "we will all be changed," of 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

"There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it" indicates that John is now in Heaven in the presence of God; the only way to get to Heaven without your body dying a mortal death is with a glorified body through rapture.

Conclusion
The personal rapture experience that John relates in Revelation 4:1-2 reveals how the Church will be raptured to Heaven after the Church Age and before the Great Tribulation, because Scripture tells us: "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Come Lord Jesus!
 
I do not understand.

Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ

Can you prove that the suffering mentioned is not Hell? Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation and leave others to suffer through it, if they will go to Hell anyway? Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation but not save us from our trials now? I do not understand your assertions.
 
I do not understand.

Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ

Can you prove that the suffering mentioned is not Hell? Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation and leave others to suffer through it, if they will go to Hell anyway? Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation but not save us from our trials now? I do not understand your assertions.


Please do not mistake this article for my assertions, in that, I did not write this article, HOWEVER, I completely agree with it 100%

To answer your questions. The Great tribulation is the Final 7 years of Jacobs trouble, also known as Daniels 70 weeks.

Simply put, the Great Tribulation is Gods wrath poured out on an unbeleiving world. Jesus took Gods wrath in our place on the cross. There is no need for Christians to go through it. However Jews (reject Jesus) and all other unbelievers WILL go through the Tribulation because they have not accepted Jesus sacrifice in their place. It is prophecied though that the Jews will all turn to Jesus during this time.

Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation but not from our every day trials? Simple, because our every day trails are not the wrath of God.
The Great Tribulation is a specific time period reserved for pouring out the entire cup of Gods Judgment and Wrath on the entire world.

Please excuse my brief answer, I just woke up and am preparing for church. When I return I'll add more in depth explanations including Bible refrences.
 
These are my essential questions.

  • Can you prove that the suffering(wrath) mentioned (in Thessalonians) is not Hell?
  • Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation and leave others to suffer through it, if they will go to Hell anyway?
 
These are my essential questions.

  • Can you prove that the suffering(wrath) mentioned (in Thessalonians) is not Hell?
  • Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation and leave others to suffer through it, if they will go to Hell anyway?


Well Honestly I think the burden of proof is on you to prove that it IS Hell. Lets break down the verse.

1 Thessalonians 5:9
NIV
"9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
KJV
"9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

If Wrath represents Hell, then this verse would support the idea that God chooses who does and does not go to Hell. It would mean God appoints who does and does not receive salvation. Salvation is free to all who trust in Jesus. So wrath cannot mean Hell in this verse, because God gives everyone the choice whether or not they choose salvation, God does not pick and choose.

Let me show you another verse that supports 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Revelation 3:10
"10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

God is certainly going to save believers from the coming tribulation.
Because God poured out His wrath on Jesus, we are saved. Jesus took our place. Jesus took our part of Gods wrath that we deserved but instead he took it in our place. So if we believe in Him we are saved. But those who reject Him are still under Gods Wrath, and it will be poured out on them in that day.

Now for your other question:
"Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation and leave others to suffer through it, if they will go to Hell anyway?"

God raptures away all those who trust in Christ as Savior, leaving an unbelieving world behind to face His Holy Judgement.
Your question presumes that once left behind everyone is doomed to Hell. And thats simply not true. During the tribulation there will be an inumerable amount of people who come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
The only difference between now and then will be that to follow Christ in the Tribulation will virtually guarantee your physical death. You will have to become a martyr.
The Tribulation will be the very last wake up call for unbelieving people to accept Jesus as their savior before He returns to set up His Kingdom.
When Jesus comes back to earth physically with the armies of heaven, he's going to divide all the remaining people who are still living on earth into believers and non-believers. Sheep and Goats. Believers/Sheep will be welcomed into His Kingdom. Unbelievers/Goats will be cast into the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
 
Well Honestly I think the burden of proof is on you to prove that it IS Hell. Lets break down the verse.

1 Thessalonians 5:9
NIV
"9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
KJV
"9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

If Wrath represents Hell, then this verse would support the idea that God chooses who does and does not go to Hell. It would mean God appoints who does and does not receive salvation. Salvation is free to all who trust in Jesus. So wrath cannot mean Hell in this verse, because God gives everyone the choice whether or not they choose salvation, God does not pick and choose.

Yes- those who choose God are spared the fires of Hell because of their choice. But do you not think that God could, if he wished, send any of us to Hell? However, your interpretation does not much help matters- God still chose some people to be saved and others to suffer. If a person were to become a Christian post-rapture, why could he not be taken up as well?

Now for your other question:
"Why will God save us from the Great Tribulation and leave others to suffer through it, if they will go to Hell anyway?"

God raptures away all those who trust in Christ as Savior, leaving an unbelieving world behind to face His Holy Judgement.
Your question presumes that once left behind everyone is doomed to Hell. And thats simply not true. During the tribulation there will be an inumerable amount of people who come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
The only difference between now and then will be that to follow Christ in the Tribulation will virtually guarantee your physical death. You will have to become a martyr.
The Tribulation will be the very last wake up call for unbelieving people to accept Jesus as their savior before He returns to set up His Kingdom.
When Jesus comes back to earth physically with the armies of heaven, he's going to divide all the remaining people who are still living on earth into believers and non-believers. Sheep and Goats. Believers/Sheep will be welcomed into His Kingdom. Unbelievers/Goats will be cast into the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Your last reference- the sheep and the goats- seems to be more of a contrsat between Christians and pseudo-christians. If anything, it would seem to support the contrary view- that when the world ends, it ends!
 
Hi , I just wanted to drop by and say that I appreciate everyones zeal. Being as this subject can get volatile at times I am simply requesting that everyone maintian the respectful attitudes that they have shown thus far. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation, your brother Larry.
 
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