I’ve been looking a lot at Revelation chapter 6. I wasn’t initially even thinking about the rapture, but as I began to question if the seals are being opened, and I talked to others about it, the concept came up. It’s quite a challenge for many Christians to accept even the possibility that we may be experiencing the opening of the seals now, because it is common theology that the rapture happens before the tribulation, and the tribulation begins before the first seal is opened. The problem with this I’m facing now is, the events described in Revelation chapter 6 appear to have begun to happen. Not only that, but they appear to be happening in order and with increasing precision. I discuss this in my letter, The Four Horsemen and Beyond, which should be read first. What I want to do here is examine several places throughout the book of Revelation that the rapture may occur, or there is indication it has occurred, or there is an indication that God’s people are still on earth after God has shown wrath. My motivation for pointing these things out is simple. I want to make a point to my fellow Christians that, the concepts I discussed are man’s interpretation of God’s word, and we should begin to start reading Revelation in a way that tells us what’s coming next so we can make preparations in the natural world to endure for awhile longer. God told us these things for a reason.
The most common held opinion I’ve encountered is, Revelation 4:1 is the rapture. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven…” People pass through a doors, and this is a door in heaven. I do understand, it’s the beginning of the events in heaven that eventually lead to the opening of the seven seals. The problem I have with claiming this is the rapture is simple. That’s not what the Bible says. It’s an interpretation of what it says. For the record, I’m not saying it’s not the rapture either.
Another reason people cite Revelation 4:1 as the rapture comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:9. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” One obvious problem with this statement is, just because God hasn’t appointed us to wrath, doesn’t mean we can’t suffer Satan’s wrath or wrath from other humans. We went through the dark ages, and there was no rapture.
Revelation 6:17 says, “For the great day of his wrath is come…” This is the 6th seal. I have suggested the rapture could occur around the time of the 5th seal, and the wording in 6:17 is part of the reason why. However, that is also not what the Bible says. I’m also pointing out that my interpretation is still an interpretation. Even if you believe the rapture must occur before this, it is worth considering much of the negative effects of the 4th seal are avoidable. That very statement is why I wrote, The Four Horsemen and Beyond. At the time God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, almost the entire population was worthy of wrath, and they didn’t have access to the entire Bible like we do today. Angels removed Lot and his family before God wiped out the entire city.
In Exodus 12, the Israelites were instructed to place blood on the door posts to avoid the effects of the 10th plague. Today, we can read Revelation and know what is coming next, thus we are presented with the opportunity to avoid the worst of the negative effects. For example, if we know a famine is next, we can store food. That is something that seems different between the 4th seal and the 6th seal. In the 6th seal, there doesn’t seem any obvious way to avoid the effects. However, I am hopeful that it will effect the wicked leaders of this earth the most. Most of the 4th seal seems avoidable. Hunger is avoidable by storing food. If you’re well nourished you may avoid disease. If we are passing through the seven seals, then I also want to suggest, many of the people who have taken recent mRNA drugs may have weaker immune systems by this point, thus avoiding government drugs may mean you’re more resistant to disease. Obviously, you can’t do much about an army marching through your neighborhood, but if you are armed against predators and can still feed your pets, then perhaps attacks from the beasts of the earth is avoidable as well. The same couldn’t be said for a starving drug addict trying to break into a house with a guard dog. We should probably read 1 Thessalonians 5 with this same concept in mind. Verse 8 reads, “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” We should be sober anyway, but this verse isn’t taken out of context. Being sober is part of the instructions given to us to be ready for the day of the Lord.
I find this third candidate for a rapture to be one of the more compelling. Revelation 7:9-17 reads, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes,…And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb…” Rephrase. A multitude which no man could number of all nations suddenly appears in heaven, and it is said they came out of great tribulation. It sounds to me like Matthew 24:40-41 describes the rapture as we see it on earth, and Revelation 7:9-17 describes the rapture as they see it in heaven.
After I just made things so clear, I’m going to muck it up. If you recall a quarter of the earth recently perished during the 4th seal. This could be them showing up in heaven. Even if it isn’t all of 2 billion people, it could still be described as a great multitude. My point continues to be to encourage you to read, because much of what everyone says about this is man’s interpretation.
Before I move on, I want to discuss the 144,000, who receive their seal immediately before the passage we just read. This seal is the mark of Christ, and if you read further, you should notice a few things about the 144,000. The plagues that effect most of the world, don’t effect them (Rev 9:4), and when Jesus stands on Zion, all of them are with him (Rev 14:1). None die. I have heard people suggest the 144,000 are in heaven. That is not what the Bible says. The plagues aren’t happening in heaven, and Mount Zion isn’t in heaven.
Revelation 14:12-16 presents another possible rapture. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus….And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” This is more vague to me than the previous example. The reason I say so is, the verses I quoted seem a bit out of context to me at this point. Right before this passage is mention of torment and right after there’s a second reaping that is cast into the winepress of wrath. This still could be the rapture, but there’s also a chance I’m missing some detail at this point, thus taking the reaping out of context.
Revelation 16:15 is very interesting to me. “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Compare this to two other passages, which I have brought up before. Matthew 24:43, and 1 Thessalonians 5:2. The passage in Thessalonians has almost the exact same wording, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” Both of these are in reference to the day of the Lord.
Revelation 20:5 is a passage favored by those who believe in post tribulation rapture. I find it almost as vague as 4:1, but let’s look at it anyway. “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” My critique of this passage would be, it’s referring to the dead, and it doesn’t take place until a thousand years after the tribulation. Just like 4:1, this seems more like a different event to me, and not the rapture itself.
After all of this, I want to propose a couple more rapture theories. 1) Could there be an early tribulation rapture, rather than pre tribulation rapture? Revelation 7 hints at this. 2) The other theory is, could there be multiple raptures? I’m just proposing theories here. I’m not committed to any one of them. However, I do admit, I favor the chapter 7 rapture over most of these. Remember, even Jesus did not know when the rapture would be, only when the time is getting close. We are instructed several times to remain vigilant. We shouldn’t just stop doing good. We keep going until our appointed time, whether that be rapture or death.