In the Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation is divided into three general sections. In Revelation 1:19 the angel instructed John to write the things that he had seen, the things that are, and the things that shall be after these things. The Greek for "after these things" is meta tauta. In chapter I John wrote the vision which he saw: Christ in His resurrected glory standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in His right hand. In chapters 2 and 3 John wrote of the things which are: the messages of Jesus Christ to the seven churches of Asia (which also represent the seven periods of Church history).

Chapter 4 begins the third section of the Revelation. The chapter begins with the same Greek phrase, meta tauta, "after these things." The question naturally arises, "After what things?" The obvious answer is, "After the things of chapters 2 and 3." The things of the Church. So, you could begin Revelation 4:1, "After the things of the Church, I saw a door open in Heaven, and the first voice I heard was as a trumpet saying to me, Come up hither, and I will show you things which must be [then another repetition of meta tauta after these things]." This I believe is the account of the rapture of the church; the voice as of a trumpet calling the saints to come up. Paul speaks of the trumpet of God accompanying the rapture of the Church. I Thessalonians 4:16; I Corinthians 15:52

The open door in Heaven takes us back to the message of Jesus to the Philadelphia church, His faithful and true remnant in the last days. He said, "I have set before thee an open door which no man can shut." Now this door is opened in Heaven, and the voice is calling as a trumpet."

The message to the church of Thyatira warned that a portion of that church would go through the Great Tribulation. Jesus said that He had this against them, because they allowed the woman, Jezebel, to teach and seduce His servants to commit fornication and to eat things that had been sacrificed to idols. He gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Therefore, He was going to cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repented of their deeds.

Here the warning to the church is definitely to repent or face the Great Tribulation. The obvious inference is that they could escape the Great Tribulation if they would repent.

In Revelation 3:10 the Lord addressing the church in Philadelphia said "because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which will come upon all the wordl, to try them that dwell upon the earth." This is a definite promise that this church would escape the Tribulation. I must concur that at least part of the Church will face the Great Tribulation. The unrepentant of the church of Thyatira, who will not turn from their spiritual fornication, will go through the Tribulation and miss the Rapture.

As we move along in the Book of Revelation, chapter 4 gives us a description of the throne of God. We see the 24 elders sitting on their lesser thrones and the living creatures, which are the cherubim. We also see a picture of the heavenly praise and worship of God.

In chapter 5 we see a scroll with writing within and without, sealed with seven seals. An angel proclaims with a strong voice, "Who is worthy to take the scroll and loose the seals?" We see John sobbing convulsively, because no man is found worthy to take the scroll and loose the seals. Then Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, steps forth looking like a Lamb that had been slaughtered. He takes the scroll out of the right hand of the Father. Then we hear the song of the redeemed in Heaven. They sing a new song. "Thou art worthy to take the scroll 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; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

Some scholars argue that the translation of the song should be, "For Thou wast slain and hast redeemed them to God. " In one of the old manuscripts, the Alexandrian, the text reads "them" instead of "us." However, the vast majority of old manuscripts do read as translated in the King James Version. Therefore, taking the majority rule law, the text is rightfully translated, "redeemed us to God."

Who can sing of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ from all of the nations and families of people upon the earth? Obviously, only one group can sing that song, the Church. In Luke's gospel Chapter 21 where Jesus is sharing with His disciples the signs of His second coming, He speaks of the events of the great tribulation that shall precede His return. he then said, "Pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, (i.e. the things that will transpire in the great tribulation) and to stand before the Son of Man." That is exactly what we see here in Revelation 5, the church standing before the Son of Man, the Lamb of God, in heaven.

It is significant that the Church is singing before the throne of God the song of praise to Jesus Christ before He ever opens a single seal of the scroll. The Church is singing in Heaven before the Great Tribulation ever starts. The Church as a group isn't seen on the earth again in the Book of Revelation, until the Church comes back to earth riding on white horses with Jesus Christ in Revelation 19.

The group in Heaven in chapter 7 which came up out of the Great Tribulation isn't the Church. John didn't recognize them when the elder asked him, "Who are these?" Their position isn't the same as the Church's. This group stands in the holy Temple and serves God day and night continually, whereas the Church proclaims the glorious prospect of reigning with Christ.

Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation refers to the coming of the man of sin who makes "war with the saints." These "saints" couldn't be the Church saints, because the man of sin overcomes them.

Daniel also testified to this fact. Daniel 7:21 describes the "little horn," the Antichrist. "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." However, Jesus said that the gates of hell wouldn't prevail against His Church. It's impossible that the saints of Revelation 13 and Daniel 7 could be in the Church, because the Antichrist cannot triumph over the Church.

This is another syllogism with negative and positive premises and it can only produce a negative conclusion. Major premise: the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church. Minor premise: the saints are overcome by the Antichrist. Conclusion: the saints are not the Church. The saints must then be Israel, which are also the "elect" of Matthew 24:31.