Part 12

The NT records only two people who were actually taken to heaven in a vision—namely, the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12), and the apostle John, as we see here in Revelation.

John’s vision—recorded in Revelation 4 and 5— give us the most informative view of what heaven is like.

It is interesting how different John’s view of heaven is than the current day testimonies of those who claim to have been there.

Normally, the stories of those who claim to have visited heaven, are very man-centered and fanciful and lighthearted. They focus on who else was there—their grandmother for example.

John’s testimony is very different than contemporary accounts: His vision of heaven is very God centered.

Furthermore, He uses symbols to describe what He saw, because heaven is too glorious to be described in human language.

I am very skeptical of those bestseller “heaven testimonies,” from which people have made fortunes.

If you are particularly interested in heaven, you will love Rev. 4 and 5. This heavenly revelation is a testimony we can trust!

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Transition

Chapters 2 and 3 Consist of the seven letters written to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

The scene now shifts, from what is happening on the earth, to what is happening in heaven.

Why?

What is the point of this transition? Why does John write about heaven?

This vision is a pulling back of the curtain to show what is taking place in the heavenly realm . It is meant to encourage believers that God is at work and his purposes have not been—and will not be—thwarted!

As made clear in the letters—the believers throughout Asia Minor are experiencing many hardships:

Persecution, owing to their faith

Poverty

Temptation to give into the secular culture

Temptation to worship the many pagan gods of the Roman world.

They faced the imperial cult: Caesar worship. If these believers don’t bow down to Caesar as Lord, their very lives are jeopardized. They cannot be part of the trade guilds, which means they can’t work… they can’t buy or sell. And, in extreme cases, they will be executed for their faith.

It it is a war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world.

By giving John this Revelation of heaven, God is pulling back the curtain—as it were—to show the believers under persecution that God is still in control—not Caesar. His sovereign purposes and His redemptive plan are being played out.

This text shows that those who endure til’ the end, will ultimately be victorious in Christ.

This text ought to give us the same hope:

Christians all around the world are facing persecution. They can read Rev. 4 and 5 and be reminded that God has not forgotten them; He is still on the throne!

We look at what is going on morally and politically in our country, and we think “why would God allow these things to happen?” Why would God allow this person in office?

We may become discouraged and think, “man, it seems the kingdom of this world is winning.”

But we read this text and remember, God is at work! He is Sovereign and no-one can thwart is purposes!

I. John’s Experience

Revelation 4:1 (ESV)

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

A) Who is the I?

It is John

Revelation 1:9 ESV

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

B) What is the Significance of an Open Door?

An open door in heaven—is connected to what openings in heaven signify throughout the Bible: namely, God’s Revelation.

Ezekiel 1:1 ESV

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

Mark 1:10 ESV

And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

Revelation 11:19 ESV

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

This “open door” in heaven, allows John to receive—and to communicate to the church— God’s Revelation.

C. Come Up Here

And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here,

i. Voice Like a Trumpet

This voice like a trumpet, is the voice of the risen and exalted Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:10–13 ESV

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

D. Is this “come up here” in reference to the church being snatched away?

There are some who think that this verse is about the church being Raptured before the rest of Revelation takes place.

This, though, is clearly a call for John to “come up here”

The Lord says I will show “you” what must take place after this.

Others says, that John’s experience is a foreshadowing of the Rapture

(Bob Millsaps, Graduate of North Central Bible College and Pastor of Fountain of Life Christian Center)

In this verse we have the following just like in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

We have the voice of Jesus. That voice was saying Come up here.We have the mention of a trumpet.We have John being snatched away or caught away up into heaven.We have John being found in the presence of God

I think that all of this is very important. Here is why. This verse is a type of the rapture of the church. It prefigures the rapture.

I don’t think this is about the Rapture at all; even for those who believe in the Rapture, this is a bad prooftext.

i. John is taken to heaven “in the Spirit.”

Revelation 4:2 ESV

At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

John was not physically taken to heaven.

This is a vision, not a rapture.

ii. What Must Take Place After This

Revelation 4:1 ESV

Some believe that the phrase “what will take place after this” is a clear division of what has happened and what will happened “after the church is removed from the earth.”

While some of the Revelation given to John is about future events, much in the vision are happening or have already happened

(Rev. 12:1-6) which refers to the birth of Christ.

Today’s text (chapter 4): God has always reigned on the throne.

Chapter 5:1-13 is a past event (the Lamb has already been slain).

The phrase “after this,” though, refers to the next vision, rather than the sequence of events throughout history.

NT Wright: This is not, as some people have supposed, anything to do with God’s people being snatched away to heaven to avoid awful events that are about to take place on earth. It is about a prophet being taken into God’s throne room so that he can see ‘behind the scenes’ and understand both what is going to take place and how it all fits together and makes sense.