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The Rapture in Revelation 7, Part 2
Revelation 6:12-14 ESV
12When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,
13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
14The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
I think Revelation 6:12-14 clearly describes the rapture, and is a paralel to Matthew 24:29-31.
Revelation 7:1-4, 9-10 ESV
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.
2Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,
3saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."
4And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
The seals are a quick overview of what happens. Revelation 7, is the finer detail of what happens during the sixth seal. Notice 7:3 says the elect have the seal placed on their forehead. This sealing is figurative for the realization of the saints receiving eternal life.
The woman who rides the beast has a seal on her forehead (Revelation 17:5) and those who are lost have a mark (seal) on their forehead (Revelation 14:9). These are figurative seals that are seen by God as to whether you are a believer or not. This is the sheep and goats judgment (Matthew 25:33), which is the same as the beaming seat judgment (Romans 14:10).
Revelation 7:13-14 ESV
13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”
14I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
In these verse 9-10 we see saints in heaven and find out in verse 14 that they have come out of the great tribulation. They have physical glorified bodies. They are not spirits. Verses 9 says that they have "white robes" and the have "palm branches in their hands." Spirits can't hold branches or wear clothing, and therefore, these saints must have glorified bodies. This is extremly problematic for the pre-trib position.
Revelation 7:15-17 ESV
15“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
17For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
In verse 17, it says "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is connected with eternity in other parts of the Bible. It also agrees with the most popular rapture passage, that after the rapture there will be no more death.
1 Corinthians 15:54 ESV
54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
In 1 Corinthians 15:54, Paul is quoting from the Old Testament (Isaiah 25:8), with a passage that also says in connection with death being swallowed up,
Isaiah 25:8-9 ESV
8He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
9It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
This wiping away of tears is also connected to Revelation 21:4, a passage that also pictures eternity. This also again demonstrates that Revelation is not strictly chronological as Revelation 7 and Revelation 21:1-27 are paralell passages.
Revelation 21:1-27 ESV
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
I am not dogmatic on millennialism, however, I do believe that no matter what your millennial position is, after the rapture occurs there will be no more death. This disproves the pre-trib position.
HOME | ABOUT | ARTICLES:
We Are Not Appointed to Wrath
The Timing of the Rapture
The Testimony and Parables of Jesus
Does apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refer to the rapture?
The Church Not Found In Revelation
The Resurrection
1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, New Doctrine or Just a Clarification?
Who Escapes What in Revelation 3:10?
Imminence Refuted
John 14 - In My Fathers House
Harpazo the Greek Word for Rapture
Behold! I tell you what mystery means
The Dead in Christ & Tribulation Saints
Andy Woods
Revelation is NOT Chronological
Is the Holy Spirit the Restrainer?
What I believe - Day of the Lord Timeline
Understanding Zechariah 14
Blasted Hope or Blessed Hope?
Understanding Greek Pronouns and Their Importance
The Comfort Given by Paul
The Rapture in Revelation 7, Part 1
The Rapture in Revelation 7, Part 2
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