Last week we talked about how the first three chapters of Revelation speak a lot about the church. It talks about the sevens churches in chapters 2 &3. In fact that’s the church is the only thing talked about in those two chapters.
Then Revelation chapter 4 comes into play. The word church isn’t used again and yet we couldn’t get enough of it in the first three chapters.
Revelation 4:1 – 1After 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.”
Wow, what a verse. It would be easy for one to say that John was getting a vision and now he’s in Heaven. However, the words he used are familiar. Let’s break them down.
The voice I had first heard speaking to me. That was Jesus, or was it God? Right on both. That’s part of another series of posts, back to the rapture.
So Jesus is speaking to John. What’s he saying? First more importantly how’s he saying it? He is speaking to me like a trumpet John says. He uses the words, “Come up here…”
Why is this so familiar? Wait?
1 Thessolonians 4:16-17 – 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The Lord Himself….check. The trumpet call of God….check. People going up to be with him ….check.
Not only is the church not mentioned again after Revelation 4:1, but what a great verse that appears to all the makings of a rapture verse.
Next week, lets get back to those Lampstands.