I love to read the Book of Revelation.If you want to know where are you in the future or what will be your life condition a thousand years from now,read the Book of Revelation!.The moment I woke up this morning,as usual I pray,spend my private devotion with the Heavenly Father.As I began to meditate upon God's word,I immediately began to read aloud the whole chapter 4 of the book of Revelation.As you all know by now,I have memorized this whole chapter 4 that whenever I read it,I don't need to open my bible to see, rather I just read it aloud from my memory.Whenever I read this book,I will always receive fresh revelation or inspiration.What a book!The Holy Spirit keep bringing fresh inspiration on God's word to us that we will never get bored even though we have read the same content of it.
Reading the first 2 verses of Chapter 4 where it says:"After these things I looked,and behold,a door standing open in heaven.And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying,"Come up here,and I will show you things which must take place after this." Immediately I was in the Spirit;and behold,a throne set in heaven,and One sat on the throne"(Revelation 4:1-2)
I was inspired to note something very interesting which related to the "Rapture"of the church.John the prophetic Apostle was given a prophetic revelation in which he is now writing all the things which he has seen in his time and the things which are and the things which will take place in the future as Jesus continues to reveal to him.
John had just finished writing all seven letters to the seven churches in Asia minor which existed in his time(81-96 AD) as the Lord has instructed him to do so (Revelation chapter 2 and 3).It was historically known that John the apostle was the overseer for all these known churches (Ephesus,Smyrna,Pergamos,Thyatira,Sardis,Philadelphia and Laodicean).The seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev 1:4) was chosen by the Lord as the significant symbol and representation of the past,present and future church of Jesus Christ.Therefore the letters to the seven churches is still relevant today.
After that,John was "caught up" from Patmos island (Earth)by the Holy Spirit to the throne of God in Heaven where there he was told by Jesus :"...I will show you things which must take place after this"(Rev 4:1b).Jesus Christ was about to show him all significant events that will gonna take place in in the future.This scenario is beginning to be unfold.
1.John completed his seven letters to the seven churches.These seven churches represent all the redeemed church of Christ from the time Jesus was caught up to heaven (33 A.D.) until today (2011), even in churches that will exist future before being "caught up"to meet the Lord in the air on the Rapture day.
2.While on earth,John looked up a saw a door standing in heaven (Rev 4:1a).He then heard the same voice of Jesus commanding him to"Come up here..."(Rev 4:1b).With that strong command,John was raptured or caught up to heaven.I believed he was divinely transported by the Spirit of God,passing through the heavenly door and entered into the heavenly throne of God (third heaven).I look at John the prophetic apostle as the prophetic symbol of the "church of Jesus Christ"being raptured or caught up to meet the Lord just before the seven year Tribulation period in which Jesus had spoken by saying:"and I will show you things which will take place after this".Seven year Tribulation is part of such future even or things which will take place after the rapture of the church
3.The divine "Transporter"was definitely the Holy Spirit as John wrote :"Immediately I was in the Spirit;and behold,a throne set in heaven and One sat on the throne"(Rev 4:2).Again,just like Philip the evangelist who was transported or "caught up"by the Holy Spirit to another place (Acts 8:39-40),we see this similar divine operation where the Holy Spirit divinely transported John to heaven.Few holy man of God had experienced this so called being "Raptured"or being "caught up"to heaven or to another place by the Holy Spirit to name the few are:
i.Enoch the prophet (Genesis 5:24)
ii.Elijah the Prophet (2 Kings 2:11)
iii.Paul the Apostle being "caught up"to the third heaven (2 Cor 12:2-4),
iv.Philip the evangelist (Acts8:39-40)
v.Few current man and woman of God such as :Roland Buck (His book "Angel on assignment"), Choo Thomas (Her book:Heaven is so Real).Even this writer himself have experienced being "caught up"to heaven (His book:Fondasi Iman Kristian-Indonesian version).But the time will come when a great company of saints will experience this so called being "caught up"physically by the Spirit of God and to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air.The day of the Rapture is coming because Jesus Christ,the Lord is coming!
It is therefore so important that every child of God live a holy life,walking closely by the Spirit,filled with the Holy Spirit and intimately in fellowship with the Holy Spirit because only such child of God will be raptured by the Lord Jesus.Carnal christians who don't walk in the Spirit will not be raptured and will go through the seven year tribulation period under the rule of the Antichrist.They are still save by the blood of Jesus Christ as long as they don't deny Jesus the Saviour during the tribulation period but such carnal christian will not be raptured by the Holy Spirit on the rapture day of the Lord.
Another interesting statement to be noted in chapter 4 and verse 1,is how John heard the commanding voice of Jesus.He said that he heard vocal audible voice of Jesus speaking to him like "a trumpet"sound
".And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me,saying "Come up here..."(Revelation 4:1)
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet"(Rev
1:10)
To John,he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus so loud just like the sound of a trumpet or as of a trumpet voice and just before he was "caught up"to heaven,Jesus spoke to him:"COME UP HERE...!!!"
Wow!I am not emphasizing a new rapture theory or a new doctrine here ,but there might be some truth in this revelation.On the Rapture Day,Lord Jesus Christ will come down from heaven and standing in the mid air,He will actually speak with such a strong loud supersonic commanding voice as of the sound of a trumpet saying "COME UP HERE!" and then all the redeemed,Spirit filled child of God around the world will be "caught up"being transported up by the Holy Spirit to meet the Lord on the air.What a revelation,
what a view and what a glorious day will it be!It is also very interesting to note that the two witness in the book of revelation who after they came back to life,heard the same commanding voice from the Lord :"And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them ," Come up here"And the ascended to heaven in a cloud and the enemies saw them" (Revelation 11:11).The bible tells us that on that rapture day,not only the living saints was caught up to heaven,but also the dead in Christ will rise first and together with the living saints will be caught up to to meet the Lord in the air.Will this dead in Christ hear the same commanding voice "Come up here!"just like the two witness who head the Lord's voice just after they were rise up from the dead?
We need to have a sense of sensitivity in our spirit to be able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.The bible said: "he who has an ear,let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches"(Rev 2:7).Now let us look at Paul's writing pertaining to the rapture day:"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of an archangel,and with the trumpet of God.and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
This verse look like it is saying that an archangel will shout out loud and a trumpet of God will be blown by angel and Jesus will descend from heaven to rapture His saints and meet Him in the air."SHOUT,VOICE and TRUMPET"will be heard.Well,John heard the Voice of Jesus as of a Trumpet speaking to him in a loud voice (because this how the trumpet sound like a loud blasting sound).Either Jesus Christ Himself will go down from heaven and shout with a loud voice:"Come Up Here!" or we shall hear the real trumpet of God being blown out loud and the shout of an archangel be heard,this glorious day of saints being raptured will be truly those day in which I am looking forward to participate.Maranatha!
