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- [00:02]
Tim Moore
Welcome to Christ in Prophecy. I'm Tim Moore, director and senior evangelist for Lamb and Lion Ministries. And with me is Nathan Jones, our Internet evangelist. Nathan, you know, from time to time when I book a trip, the airline or hotel will ask, is this for business or pleasure?
- [00:16]
Nathan Jones
Oh, yeah.
- [00:17]
Tim Moore
And when I imagine my final journey up to heaven at the end of my life as a Christian, I'd certainly say for pleasure. After all, heaven is my entry into eternal life, where there are no more tears, no more pain, no more, no more sorrow. It's the place Jesus has been preparing for me in his Father's house. But in Revelation, chapter four, we discover something fascinating. The elderly apostle John went to heaven on business.
- [00:41]
Nathan Jones
That's right, Tim. God didn't send John to heaven for a vacation or to give him a permanent retirement. He sent him up to receive and deliver a message to the church. And that's us. I'm sure John wished his trip to heaven would never end. I can't imagine standing in the very throne room of God and then being told, all right, it's time for you to go back.
- [00:59]
Tim Moore
Exactly. And that's probably not what John wanted to hear, but God had business for him, and we should be grateful that he did, because what John saw and recorded has given us tremendous insight into Bible prophecy and the blessed hope we have in Christ's return.
- [01:15]
Nathan Jones
Well, today we're exploring John's remarkable journey, his rapture, if you will, to heaven. We'll discover what he saw, why it matters, and what it tells us about our own future trip to glory. It's going to be a fascinating sneak peek into heaven.
- [01:27]
Tim Moore
Well, folks, even as we look forward to sharing with you a sneak peek into what lies ahead in our heavenly home, we would invite you to stay connected with us at Christ in Prophecy. You can go to our website@christinprophecy.org where there is a wealth of information and where you can sign up to become a prophecy partner, partnering with us to proclaim the glorious good news that Jesus is coming soon. Also, love to hear back from you if you've been impacted by Christ in Prophecy Radio or any of our other ministry outreach. We'd love to be able to know how the Lord has touched your heart. You can go to our website again at christinprophecy.org or call us at 972-736-3567. We'll hope to hear from you.
- [02:11]
Ministry Announcer
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- [02:56]
Nathan Jones
welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio. I'm Nathan Jones. I'm here with Tim Moore. And today we're returning to our Inquiring Mind series. Asking this question, did the apostle John experience the rapture? Well, let's set the scene. John is the last surviving apostle. He's 96 years old. And all his friends, Peter, Peter, James, Andrew, well, they've all been martyred. Church history records that the emperor tried to kill John by boiling him in oil, but God miraculously protected him. Enraged, the emperor banished him to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, sentencing this elderly man to hard labor. And from there, John heard a voice saying, come up here.
- [03:32]
Tim Moore
Yeah, as a matter of fact, if you open Revelation chapter four, after John has recorded the dictated letters to the seven churches of Asia, dictated by none other than Jesus Christ. It says in verse one of chapter four, after these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, come up here and I will show you what must take place after these things. Immediately I was in the spirit and behold, a throne was standing in heaven and one sitting on the throne. Nathan. I can only imagine John's amazement, his joy, even his anxiety as he's told to come up here. But immediately he finds himself standing, standing in the very throne room of God.
- [04:14]
Nathan Jones
Yes, and it's like he went through a door, a portal, an arch or something, a door standing open to heaven. And I wonder, when we die, the Bible tells us that we will be escorted by the angels up to see Jesus. And the very first face we will see is Jesus face to face. Likewise, John is taken up. We're using the term rapture, but it means to caught up or to be taken up to heaven. And the first thing he saw was God's throne room. Now, a lowly man cannot see the face of God yet, so we know that in the other examples in the Bible that God's throne is enshrouded in a cloud. But he heard a voice and he said it was like a trumpet, it was so loud.
- [04:52]
Tim Moore
Yeah. Nathan, As a matter of fact, there is a lot of information packed into this single verse. You talked about this being a representation of the Rapture. That word rapture we take from 1 Thessalonians 4, 16, 17, where it says, the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. That phrase caught up in some translations, is rendered as snatched away. It means instantaneously transformed, brought up, collected, and that's what will happen at the Rapture. So the Rapture is just a word. It's actually a transliteration of the word in the Latin Vulgate that means snatched away. And in John's record of what happened to him in Revelation, chapter four, he says in verse two, and immediately I was in the Spirit. You could almost say in the twinkling of an eye, he went up to be in the throne room of God. Now, we don't know if he went in his earthly body, in a glorified body, or just in the Spirit the Bible doesn't explicitly say, but we believe that he was physically present there to witness the scene in the throne room of heaven. And this contrasts with what Isaiah experienced in Isaiah, chapter six.
- [06:07]
Nathan Jones
Yeah, Isaiah also was transported up to heaven and he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted. Isaiah 6. But his response was different than John. He says, woe is me, for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Well, Isaiah was terrified because he recognized how sinful he was. And yet he was standing in the presence of a holy and pure God. Under the old covenant, his sins were only temporary, covered by animal sacrifices. Jesus hadn't sacrificed himself yet to allow for all sins to be forgiven. And that's why John's response is so different than Isaiah's, isn't it, Tim?
- [06:48]
Tim Moore
It certainly is. As a matter of fact, Isaiah had to be covered over, if you will, by a burning coal touching his lips. And so that was to give him clean lips to be there in the presence of the Lord, symbolizing, as you said, that he was not yet cleansed because blood had not yet been shed, perfect blood on his behalf. But when John stands there before the throne of heaven. And there's no record of John saying woe is me. He does bow in worship, but he doesn't seem to have any fear because on this side of the cross, on this side of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, which we talked about last week, John's sins were covered. And so there is now no condemnation, as Paul writes. Not a little bit, folks. Not just a wee bit. No condemnation in John's response to being there before the very almighty God seems to reflect that point exactly. He has no fear. Instead he only worships the Lord God.
- [07:46]
Nathan Jones
The Apostle Paul had a similar story. He talks about a man and we don't know if he's actually talking about himself or not, who was brought up to the third heaven. He says he doesn't know if it was whether in the body or out of the body. He assumes that it was by his spirit and the body was left behind. It seems with John that the body was taken with him and maybe he even experienced his glorified body so that he could be not in a 96 year old body, but a young body. But Paul said the same thing. There wasn't a woe is me or no, I'm going to be destroyed. It was a longing to see the Messiah because there was no boundary between them anymore because of our sinfulness.
- [08:19]
Tim Moore
Yeah. As a matter of fact, I often ask myself a question. There's a beautiful song to this effect. I can only imagine how will I respond when I stand before the Lord? Will I fall down in worship? Will I stand just overwhelmed by the holiness of his presence? Will I want to wrap my arms around him? Will I, like Thomas, want to see the nail scars in his hands and the sword pierce in his side? Or will I just be in awe? I don't know. I've tried to imagine how I will respond. But we see here that John indeed falls down to worship. And I think that is the most responsible response that we can have is to worship our great God and Savior. But you know, Nathan, we don't have to wait until we get to heaven. We can do that right now. And that's what we should be doing ongoingly with our lives. Well, folks, we've got more to talk about regarding what John sees there in that throne room of heaven. But before we get to there, we're going to talk about some of today's headlines in a segment we call what's really Going On. Stay with us.
- [09:20]
Ministry Announcer
These days you can't get much of anything for less than a dollar a day. But when you partner with Christ in prophecy, giving $25 a month or more, your spirit change will make an eternal impact. Our prophecy partners pray faithfully for us and give sacrificially to make it possible to proclaim the soon return of Jesus Christ through tv, print, radio and online. Consider joining this remarkable group of people by becoming a Prophecy Partner today. For a commitment of $25 a month or more, we'll send you our outstanding bi monthly Lamplighter magazine, powerful ministry updates and exclusive special offers throughout the year to become a Prophecy partner. Follow the links to donate at christinprophecy.org donate that's christinprophecy.org donate.
- [10:18]
Nathan Jones
Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio. I'm Nathan Jones. I'm here with Tim Moore and we're at a segment that's called what's really Going On. We're going to address current events from a biblical point of view. Now, folks, we're talking about the rapture of the church. And more than likely there's a few of you who probably have an agreement with this guy. His name is Mariano. He's from New York and he wrote the ministry. And he said this. He said, I wish I could believe there is a rapture in the Bible because that would be something really great to look forward to. Sadly, the rapture theory was first spoken of by a sickly woman in 1830, and the ministers at that time just ran with that prophecy. Well, Tim, is Mariano true? Are we just imagining that there is rapture in the Bible, that there is a doctrine there, or is it something that is meant to give us hope?
- [11:01]
Tim Moore
You know, Nathan, I'm reminded even as you say that of what Paul charged the Sadducees and Jesus himself as being so sad, you see that they did not believe in the resurrection. And so at times there was great infighting even among the Jewish leaders because some did not believe in in the resurrection. That was the sect of society that was called the Sadducees. They're scribes. But we do believe in the resurrection because that's exactly what Jesus talks about. He even said that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living, because he referred to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, even David as being alive still in the presence of God. And so we believe in the resurrection and we believe in the rapture because it is in the Bible. We referenced earlier Paul's writings and his promise that we will all be snatched up, caught up, raptured. And that's just a word that describes this context that Paul is giving of the promise that is ours who have put our trust in Christ.
- [11:59]
Nathan Jones
Yeah, you hear this argument all the time that the Rapture is just too new to be true. One of my good buddy pastor friends of mine even said that to me once, as you're teaching the rapture, well, that's just too new to be true. And what they'll do is they'll point to a woman from the 1830s named Margaret MacDonald. She was a teenager. Supposedly she was having fits and visions. And John Nelson Darby, a pastor, took her visions and wrote them out and started teaching this Rapture. Well, that, folks, is a complete urban legend. Her writings, if you read them, have nothing to do with the Rapture. And Darby was teaching a concept that goes all the way back to the New Testament. The apostles themselves, the early church fathers, taught about the rapture of the church. And just as Tim said in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, if you want to find the word rapture, unfortunately you have to go to the Latin Vulgate, where caught up is rapio. But transliterated or translated to English is where we get the word rapture. The Bible doesn't, in our English version say the Rapture, but it says caught up. It's the same thing. And again, 1st Thessalonians 4:17 isn't the only reference to the Rapture. We can go to 1 Corinthians 15. You can go even to the Old Testament. There are hints of it in Isaiah 26, Malachi 3. We read about in the New Testament in John 14. And as we just read and are going through here, John was raptured up to heaven as well. So the Rapture is very much an established doctrine found throughout the Bible.
- [13:26]
Tim Moore
Paul made it clear that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because he knew that even if his son died, he would be raised again. God had the power to raise him from the dead. And indeed we will be raised again. We can point back to Job who said in Job 13:15, though he slay me, I will hope in him. In other words, death has no hold over us. And there is a promise that for those of us who are still alive, we will not even experience death. And this is what Jesus promised. This is what Paul spoke of. This is a concept that is throughout Scripture. And so it is not too new to be true. You know, Nathan, you talked about how there are many who have misguided understandings. I dare say too many have heard the teachings of the world instead of studying the word of God.
- [14:14]
Nathan Jones
Absolutely. And by not believing what the Bible teaches about the Rapture. It steals the hope away from Christians. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18 we are meant to comfort each other with these words. We are meant to be encouraged by the fact that the Lord is not going to leave believers who together are called to suffer his wrath on this earth during the tribulation. But we will be caught up, raptured up to heaven before God's wrath befalls the world. And so, Mariano, if you're still out there, I think you have something really great to look forward to. The fact that Jesus Christ is coming for his bride, the church, and he will rescue us from the wrath to come.
- [14:52]
Ministry Announcer
Four decades ago, Lamb and Lion Ministries was launched by Dr. David Reagan. And today we are continuing his legacy and proclaiming the soon return of Jesus Christ to an international audience. Through tv, radio and online, we're fulfilling the great calling to proclaim the truth of scripture from beginning to the end. Find out more when you go to christinprophecy.org
- [15:20]
Tim Moore
well, as we continue our discussion of John's rapture experience there in Revelation chapter four, I'm sure you've thought about who you would like to see in heaven. Maybe a loved one, a family member who has gone to be with the Lord. So let's return to the throne room and see who John sees as he enters heaven itself.
- [15:37]
Nathan Jones
Okay, folks, we're back to Revelation 4. John has been caught up to heaven. The term is raptured up to heaven. And the very first thing he sees is the one on the throne, the Father himself. Now, we'll see throughout the book of Revelation that this throne is enshrouded in a cloud. Much like when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, the Lord enshrouded him with a cloud. Because a fallen man cannot look upon the face of God. That is for the eternal state. But what he did see was an amazing thing. A throne that looked like a chariot, that had four seraphim. These four living creatures, the Bible calls, they're angels. And. And they each have different faces. A man, an eagle, a lion, a cow. And they have six wings and they're covered in eyes. And they cry out to the Lord day and night, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.
- [16:32]
Tim Moore
As a matter of fact, I think that's instructive to us as we see the throne room of heaven. What is taking place? Worship, ongoingly worship and praise. There are some people say, I don't know if I could stand to be in a forever and eternal worship service. You know, folks, I think it will be inherent with our joy of being in the presence of the Lord that we will overflow in worship at all times. We'll still be involved in another activity, but we will be worshiping him always. And so in Revelation 4:11, it captures this song. Worthy are youe our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power for your created all things, and because of youf will, they existed and were created. But Nathan, there's another group that John sees which is different than what Isaiah saw. And those are 24 elders that are seated around the throne.
- [17:22]
Nathan Jones
Yes, and this is something interesting. We talked about how what Isaiah and Ezekiel and all saw when they went to the throne room, they did not see the 24 elders. But when John goes to the throne room, There are these 24 elders sitting on 24 thrones that surround God's throne. And folks, because of this change, we believe that, that those elders are representations of the church. We're talking about church age saints and we talk about the church age that's from Pentecost to the Rapture up in heaven sitting on thrones. Because folks, Christians are promised to rule and reign with God one day. So I believe that this is a revolving thrones. There is a good chance, folks, that you, if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, might be sitting on one of those thrones one day for a period of time.
- [18:08]
Tim Moore
I am thrilled by the very idea that I will be there at all and whether or not get to be on a throne. The point is that Isaiah does not see the thrones because he was ushered into heaven. Prior to the cross, there was no church. And yet John in this church age sees the heavenly scene, including these thrones of 24 elders. Well, we know that from Revelation 4:18, the church is not seen on earth. After this episode of John's Rapture, there is no more mention of the church on earth. It's as if Jesus says, all right, now you're seeing what's taking place in heaven. And I'm going to show you scenes from Earth of the tragedy that's going to befall all of the poured out judgments, the seal, the bowl and the trumpet judgments. But the church is not there. And so John's experience gives us a preview of what will happen when Jesus calls us to come up here. And I actually think that may be the words that we hear when in the twinkling of an eye we rise to meet the Lord in the air.
- [19:09]
Nathan Jones
Absolutely. And folks, we believe that John's Rapture isn't The rapture of the Church. But it's a type. It kind of gives us a foretaste of what we're to expect, that one day, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, if you're dead already, you will be resurrected first. But as a live believer, we will experience this first. Thessalonians 4, 16, 17. I'll reiterate what we read earlier. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, and with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up, raptured up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. Tim, I don't know about you, but there's been times where I've heard a trumpet blast and I stop and like, is this it? Is this it? And usually it's a car or something on the radio. My hopes are up. But, you know, the Lord told us to be ready. In Luke 21, he said that. That we should be looking out for his return. So he wants us to be anticipating his arrival.
- [20:09]
Tim Moore
He certainly does. I don't think we'll have time even to think about it when that trumpet sounds.
- [20:13]
Nathan Jones
Absolutely.
- [20:14]
Tim Moore
As a matter of fact, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, he says that our translation will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. I actually looked up how long it takes for an eye to twinkle, and it is estimated to be such a microsecond. It's not the blink of an eye that takes a longer period of time. A twinkle is such a fraction that almost you don't have even time to think. Well, folks, in 1 Thessalonians we return to this letter written to the church at Thessalonica. In chapter 1, verse 10, Paul instructs them and us to wait for his son from heaven, whom he, the Lord God raised from the dead. And that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. And that is our hope, that we will be rescued from the wrath to come. Many scoff and say, well, we don't deserve to be rescued from the wrath to come. And Nathan, I actually agree with him. We don't deserve to be rescued from God's wrath. We deserve hell. But that's the good news of the gospel. We don't get what we deserve. Christ took upon himself all the wrath, all the punishment I deserve, and instead of getting what I deserve, I get heaven. And that is the promise that we will not endure wrath, but will be rescued before it is poured out.
- [21:24]
Nathan Jones
And that is meant to give us hope. Well, John was given a vision of heaven as a testimony of that tremendous hope. The promise of Christ to rescue his church from the wrath to come is repeated throughout the New Testament. And just as John heard come up here someday very soon, Jesus will call those who are his to come home to live with him forever in heaven. Well, stay with us. Tim's going to give us some final words of encouragement.
- [21:50]
Ministry Announcer
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- [22:45]
Tim Moore
John's experience in Revelation 4 is more than just a fascinating vision. It's a prophetic preview of the Rapture that awaits every believer in Jesus Christ. When John heard that trumpet like voice commanding come up here, he was immediately transported into the very presence of God. And unlike Isaiah, who cried out in terror at his own unworthiness, John could stand before the Almighty without fear or condemnation because the blood of Jesus Christ had already been shed for his sins. That's the glorious difference the cross makes. Isaiah looked forward to the coming Messiah living under a system of temporary animal sacrifices that could never truly take away sin. But John and all of us who are in Christ today can look back at the finished work of Calvary. When God looks at us, he doesn't see our sin and unworthiness. He sees the righteousness of His Son covering us completely. The promise Jesus made is crystal clear. He is coming back for his church. We do not know the day or the hour, but we do know that when the trumpet sounds and the archangel cries out, those who are in Christ, both the dead and the living, will rise to meet him in the air. Scripture tells us that he has been preparing a place for us in His Father's house and that eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for those who love him. Paul wrote that all who love the Lord and eagerly anticipate his appearing will receive a crown of righteousness. That promise should fill us with hope. Someday very soon our blessed hope will shout come up here. And in the twinkling of an eye we will be caught up to meet him in the air. Until that glorious moment arrives, let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, share the Gospel with boldness and live as people who are watching and waiting for our King. If that includes you, we hope you'll reach out to us here at Lamb and Lion Ministries and share your testimony of how this ministry is has touched your life. Help us pay it forward into the lives of others so that they too will hear the words of Jesus. Come up here. Call us at 972-736-3567 or visit us at christinprophecy.org Godspeed.