The Rapture in Revelation

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Discovering Who the Firstfruits are by Comparing the Three Versions of the Rapture in Revelation.

Verses 6-20 of Revelation 14 stand alone as a complete timeline of the end times. Only after removing them from the surrounding text will that surrounding text flow together and make sense. Everything in these 15 verses is laid out in the order of occurrence like a written timeline. The 15 verses describe for us the five main events of the end times that God wants us to be familiar with. Those five points in the order that they appear in the text and the order that they will occur are:

1: the final preaching of the gospel which will precede all other end times events,

2: the defeat of Satan in heaven and deportation to the earth (Babylon is fallen),

3: the Tribulation,

4: the Rapture of the Church,

5: the Wrath of God.

Verses 13-16 are the ones that speak of the Rapture. It occurs right after the third event which is the Tribulation, and the fifth event which is the Wrath of God. These verses show Jesus coming in the clouds to gather His New Testament elect, which includes all believers. The verses fail to differentiate between the 144,000 and any other part of the Church in relation to the Rapture. That is an important point because when it comes to the Rapture there is very little difference. Everyone goes in the same Rapture. However, the placement of the 15 verses from Revelation 14 help to accentuate the one major difference that there is between the 144,000 and the rest of the Church, which we will look at after reading these verses.

Revelation 14

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

14 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.

15 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.

16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

We just saw one of the renderings of the Rapture in the Book of Revelation as it was set in it’s proper order of occurrence among the five main events of the end times. Again those events in order are the preaching of the gospel to all the world, the removal of Satan from heaven as he is cast to the earth, the Tribulation, the Rapture and then God’s wrath.

The second description of the Rapture occurs at the beginning of Revelation 14, skips over versed 6-20 as mentioned above, and continues into Revelation 15. In verses 1-5 we see the Rapture of the 144,000. They are called the firstfruits unto God. All throughout the Bible firstfruits always refers to that which is first reaped or the first increase of some type of labor. The 144,000 are the first to be reaped off the land (in this case the whole earth) and they are the firstfruits of the labor of God in the earth, which is the salvation of those who will return unto Him. Many people have tried to remove the Church from the earth before the Tribulation and leave the 144,000 on the earth to go through it, only to be raptured or joined together with the rest of believers later on. This defies what the Revelation teaches us about the entire Church being Removed from the earth at one time. The description of the 144,000 is of redeemed Christians who serve Jesus Christ, but in this setting they are gathered into heaven before the throne of God as they sing a song that only they are able to learn. They appear with Jesus before the throne of God with only the four beasts and twenty four elders, who remain before the throne, present with them. They are the first to arrive before all other believers, not the last.

Revelation 14

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The 144,000 firstfruits do not remain alone for long. They need only the time that it takes to sing their private song before the rest of the Church arrives. Everyone is Resurrected and carried into heaven by the same clouds that Jesus appears on when He comes for His New Testament elect (Blood bought saints of God, saved by grace through the faith of Jesus Christ), but only the 144,000 are allowed to enter before the throne at first. The rest of the resurrected and raptured saints of God are somewhere close by. Perhaps still waiting to disembark from the cloud shuttle, but not until the 144,000 finish the new song that they sing alone before the throne.

After skipping the final 15 verses of Revelation 14 we arrive Revelation 15 where the angels of the final plagues of the Wrath of God are awaiting the command to commence with their work. They must wait until after all of the saints are safely gathered into heaven and have a chance to praise God.

Revelation 15

1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

Verse 16:1 shows the command of God to the seven angels to begin pouring out their vials after the Rapture party is well under way.

We have to back track to Revelation 6 for the first time the Rapture is recorded in Revelation. The end of Revelation six shows the skies going dark, which is the sign that Jesus gave to His disciples of His appearing to gather His elect after the Tribulation. The wicked of the earth declare that it is indeed the day of God’s wrath. Before that wrath can begin, however, the Church must be removed.

Revelation 6:12-17

6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The first thing that happens after the skies go dark is the 144,000 are sealed in their foreheads. The reason that we are looking at the first explanation of the Rapture from Revelation last is because it will help us to understand some other things.

1. First, it shows us who the 144,000 actually are. They are Jews. We learn this as we see 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel sealed. They are not called firstfruits in this setting, but in Revelation we saw the same 144,000 who are called the first fruits. In this setting they are understood to be the firstfruits as they are being dealt with before any other of the redeemed by having a seal placed on their foreheads.
2. Here we do not learn what the seal in their foreheads is, but in Revelation 14:1 we saw that it was the name of God.
3. Here they are still on the earth, but in Revelation 14 they are shown in heaven after the Rapture takes place.
4. Here it may appear that they are sealed and left behind, but Revelation 14 and fifteen show us otherwise. Also, after they are sealed in verses 1-8 below, the remaining verses show the entire Church of redeemed saints from every tribe and nation in heaven, which would include Israel and her twelve tribes.
5. In Revelation 22:4 we are told that all of the servants of God will have God’s name in their foreheads. Here we see the 144,000 receiving the seal, but that does not mean that the rest of the multitudes that are gathered into heaven are not sealed at the same time. Actually. not at the same exact time, but after the firstfruits.

Revelation 7:1-15

7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

9 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 palms in their hands;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 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.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Conclusion:

The Rapture is recorded in three different places in the Book of Revelation, and each time it is recorded in the proper chronological order­at the conclusion of the Tribulation and right before the Wrath of God begins. In each of the places where we read about the Rapture, things are recorded differently, but it is in these differences that we gain a broader understanding of the full extent of what is taking place.