The Strand Study Bible

REVELATION 4:1  4:8

2152

Written From the Island of Patmos

and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty 7 elders sitting, clothed in 8 white raiment; and they had on their heads 9 crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded 10 lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the 11 seven SPIRITS of God. 6 And before the throne there was a 12 sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four 13 beasts full of eyes be- fore and behind. 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

1. that is, “ after the Church Age” 2. I Cor 15:52 & I Thess 4:16 & Lev 23:23-24 3. See- Rev 4:1 4. or, “God the Father” - Rev 5:6-7 5. or, “clear stone” - Rev 21:10-11 6. or, “red stone” 7. or, “Christians” 8. Rev 3:4-5 & 19:8 9. I Cor 9:25 & Phil 4:1 & I Thess 2:19 & Rev 2:10 10. Rev 16:17-18 11. or, “perfect Spirit” - Rev 1:4 12. or, “multitudes of people” - Rev 15:2 13. or, “creatures” - Ezk 1:5-14 14. Isa 6:3 15. Rev 1:4 & 11:17 & 16:5-7 & 21:22

Revelation 4 “The things which shall be hereafter” The Rapture of the Church (Phase I of CHRIST’S Second Coming) Date Written - c. AD 96

1 1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a 2 trum- pet talking with me; which said, 3 Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. PF New Testament Saints to receive their new resurrected bodies ; rewards to be given 2 And immediately 3 I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and 4 ONE sat on the throne. PF PF The scene in Heaven after the Rapture 3 And 4 HE that sat was to look upon like a 5 jasper and a 6 sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four

8 And the four 13 beasts had each of them six wings about him ; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, 14 HOLY , HOLY , HOLY , LORD GOD ALMIGHTY , 15 which was, and is, and is to come. 4:1a This term ( Come up hither ) is the “shout” signifying the Rapture (I Thess 4:16). Clarence Larkin in The Book Of Daniel notes: In chapter 4 the Church is “caught out,” and passes through the “ OPEN DOOR ” (verse 1) into Heaven. This is the “Rapture” of the Church as described in I Thess. 4:13-18.” 1 There are 41 New Testament verses that prophesy about the Rapture : Jn 14:3,28, Rom 5:9, I Cor 1:8 & 5:5 & 15:23,51-52, II Cor 1:14, Phil 1:6,10 & 2:16 & 3:20 & 4:5, Colo 3:4, I Thess 1:3,10 & 2:19 & 4:14-17 & 5:23, II Thess 2:1-3,7, II Tim 1:12,18 & 4:8, Titus 2:13, I Pet 1:7 & 5:4, I Jn 2:28 & 3:2, Jude 24 and Rev 2:25 & 3:11 & 22:7,12,20. The Rapture of the Church is considered Phase I of the MESSIAH’S Second Coming ( I Cor 15:52 and I Thess 2:19 b ). NOTE - According to the examples given to us of Noah and Lot ( Luke 17:27-28 ), the Rapture is to take place at the beginning of Daniel’s Seventieth Week before all “Hell” breaks loose during the GREAT TRIBULATION . Larkin agrees. He notes: The “Great Tribulation” is not for the “perfecting” of the Saints. It has nothing to do with the Church. 1 4:1b Amazingly, John here was given the ability to see the future before it occurred ( and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter ). Henry M. Morris in The Revelation Record notes: 4:2 a After the Rapture every NT Christian will be in the Spirit , that is, they will have been resurrected and given their new bodies. There are 42 NT verses that prophesy about the NT Resurrection : Lk 14:14, Jn 5:28-29 & 6:39-40,44,54 & 11:24-25, Acts 24:15, Rom 6:5 & 8:11,17-18,23,30, I Cor 6:14 & 15:22-23,38,42-44,49,51-54, II Cor 4:14 & 5:1-4, Eph 1:14 & 4:30, Phil 3:21, I Thess 4:14-17, II Tim 2:11 and I Jn 3:2. 4:2 b Between the “ behold ” and our formal introduction to the FATHER (who is seated upon the throne) is yet another “throne” that we must face. It is called the JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST ( II Cor 5:10-11 ). This JUDGMENT will link our new bodies to our rewards. There are 28 NT verses that prophesy about Rewards that NT Saints will receive: Mt 5:12, Mk 9:41, Lk 6:23,35 & 14:14, Jn 4:36, Rom 14:10, I Cor 3:8,13-15 & 9:17,25, II Cor 5:10, Eph 6:8, I Tim 6:19, II Tim 4:8, Jms 1:12 & 3:1, I Pet 1:7 & 4:17 & 5:4, I Jn 4:17, II Jn 8 and Rev 2:10 & 3:5,11 & 22:12. NOTE - If our bodies are not as brilliant as we thought they should be (Dan 12:3 and I Cor 15:39-42), the JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST will enlighten us as to “why.” 4:4 The " four and twenty elders " here are a representative body of all the redeemed throughout all of the ages for they are clothed in white and wear crowns of gold (Rev 4:10). According to Revelation 21:10-14, it would appear that the twenty-four elders are represented by the twelve tribes of Israel in the OT (vs 12) and the twelve Apostles of CHRIST in the NT (vs 14). Seeing that both Old and New Testament saints get saved the same way - Gal 3:6-8 (Jn 8:56), Heb 4:2 (Heb 11:24-26) and Rom 10:14-16 (Eph 5:14), it is not difficult to picture these twenty-four elders as being a representative body of both Old and New Testament saints. 1 Larkin, Clarence. The Book of Daniel , Glenside, PA, Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1929. Print. God, of course, is outside of “time,” since He created time as well as space and matter, and to Him all events of all time are seen in all their aspects–future, present, and past–simultaneously. Two events separated in time by thousands of years may be viewed by God as essentially a single event, with the first a precursor of the second, and the later a casual effect and continuation of the former. 2