I have heard many great preachers teach fabulous sermons on prophecy, and they almost always say we should interpret Scripture with Scripture, and not take Scripture out of context, etc. They tend to stick with this rule. That is, until they get around to Revelation 4:1. After that, the rules seem to fly out the window.

They say Revelation 4:1 is the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, but that's not what it says. Revelation 4:1 says:

"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 trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

After This

Pre-trib rapturists will say "after this" means after the church age. Baloney! Where in Revelation, before chapter four verse one, is there mentioned a church age? Nowhere. "After this" is referring to after the letters to the seven churches in Asia. Chapter one, verse four starts with "John to the seven churches which are in Asia." After the letters to the seven churches in Asia is the "after this." Friends, these are seven letters, which are epistles, to seven churches. We have other letters to churches in the New Testament - Galatians and Ephesians being just two examples.

If I were to read Galatians and Ephesians, then "after this" would be whatever comes after those letters. In this case, Philippians would be after this, which happens to be another letter to another church. The book of Revelation does not start off with seven church ages, it starts off with seven epistles, to be given to, and read to seven real, literal churches, which were in full operation at the time of John.

Pre-trib rapturists will try to say that "after this" refers to after the "church age." They can say that until they are blue in the face, but that's not what the Bible says.

Friends, there was no such theory as pre-tribulation rapture until the 1800's, when a woman named Margaret Macdonald, a member of the Catholic Apostolic cult, originated it. She originally taught a partial rapture before the tribulation. Later, Darby took the theory and ran with it, but tweaked it to include a total rapture of the church, pre-trib. Scofield then ran with it, and taught it in his notes, in the Scofield Bible, which is still a widely used study Bible today.

WHY the false teaching of pre-tribulational rapture?

That's what the enemy wants. What better way to get people to fall for anti-christ, than for them think anti-christ is not anti-christ, because "the rapture didn't happen yet?"

the first voice which I heard

Moving further in the key verse for this article... Ask yourself this: WHO is being spoken to in this verse? John is. This verse tells us John "looked," he 'beheld,' and he was spoken to. The voice was telling John to come up hither, not the church.

Come up hither

Pre-trib rapturists will say that this is the call, where Christians will be raptured before the tribulation. Yet, as established just a moment ago, the church isn't being spoken to here - JOHN is. The voice told John. Take a look: "the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me." JOHN was told to "come up hither." Why? So that he could see the "things which must be hereafter." This isn't any call to the church to come up hither, it was to John, to come up hither, to receive the revelation.

things which must be hereafter

Okay, so John was called up into heaven to see the things hereafter. Hereafter what? Again, pre-trib rapturists will jump in with their after the church age dance. Remember, that's not valid. The seven letters are to the seven churches in Asia, and are therefore not church ages. The hereafter is simple. The seven letters were and are the now. They are epistles written to the seven churches in Asia, and were to warn, teach, and edify them. These seven letters serve for us the same function as all the other epistles in the Bible - for us to learn from. The seven letters are our "here," until the tribulation starts.

Take a look a the below verse:

"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" -Revelation 1:19

The things he has seen are before the letters. The things which are, are the letters, just like the rest of the epistles elsewhere in the New Testament. The things which shall be hereafter are after the seven letters - which is the future tribulation.

the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me

Pre-Trib rapturists will say that the fact that the voice talking with John was "as it were a trumpet" shows this must be the rapture. They will often reference 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, which says:

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

I agree - there is a trumpet involved. However, the above says "voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." It says "voice of the archangel," not "voice as it were of a trumpet." It also says "trump of God," not "the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me."

Clearly, we are looking for the trump of God, and Revelation 4:1 doesn't have the trump of God in it. However, the rapture will occur, and it will occur at the trump of God. It will not be before the tribulation, however. Let us find out more information about this trump of God, and then zero in on it, and find it. We will use nothing but the Word of God in assisting us in this endeavor. We will not go to what has been taught by famous preachers, we will not go to the Greek and Hebrew, we will not go to commentaries, dictionaries, or lexicons. We will go the Word of God, plain and simple, and simply stated and preserved by God in the King James Bible.

We need to turn to another Scripture that is about this trump of God that the rapture happens at. In other words, we need a parallel passage to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. That parallel passage is 1 Corinthians 15:50-53:

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

We can see via context that both 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 are clearly both referring to the same rapture event. 1 Corinthians 15 gives us more detail about this trump. It tells us which trumpet it is. It is "the last trump." Now, pre-trib rapturists will say the voice as it were of a trumpet in Revelation 4:1 is the last trumpet for Christians, since they will be raptured and not be here for the trumpets in the tribulation. I posit that this cannot be the case, for the same arguments I gave above. The trump of God is not the trumpet voice of Rev. 4:1.

Other pre-trib rapturists will agree with me that the trumpet voice in Rev. 4:1 isn't the trump of God. They also agree with me that the rapture happens at the last trump, but they think the last trump is something besides the last trumpet in the tribulation. They think it's the trumpet being sounded during the Jewish Rosh Hashanah. I cannot abide that teaching in full, because this is something that cannot be derived from the Scriptures alone. To arrive at this interpretation, one must access historical sources outside of the Bible. I cannot say this theory isn't correct, either, however I believe if this is the case, then that trumpet will happen to sound during the last trumpet in the Bible. After all, the bible says "at the last trump." It mentions nothing of feasts in either passage.

We need another parallel passage of Scripture, to shed more light on the "mystery" of the rapture at the "last trump." What does the book of Revelation say about the mystery and the seventh trumpet? If the below doesn't make your jaw drop, then you must be half asleep:

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." -Revelation 10:7

The seventh trumpet is the last trumpet in the tribulation. At the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God should be finished! Now, what did we just read about the last trumpet and a mystery? Oh yes, in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 - the rapture.

Chronologically, the seventh trumpet occurs in the middle of the tribulation. You can map this out yourself via the numbers of days and years given in Daniel 12, Revelation 12, and relevant parallel passages.

Notice Revelation 10:7 also says "as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." This means that the mid-trib rapture was also taught in the Old Testament, which means we should be able to find it in the prophets, and we do. Below is just an example of the middle-tribulation rapture, taught in the Old Testament. Please note the that two resurrections are combined into one, just as in the Old Testament, often the two comings of Christ were pictured in one.

Below is a Scripture from the Old Testament, showing mid trib rapture:

"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." -Daniel 11:45-12:2

NOTE: - "the book" is the Book of Life. See Philippians 4:3.

The above passage starts by describing the Abomination of Desolation. You can read more about this in Matt. 24:25; Mark 13:14, and Dan. 9:27. Again, by studying the chronology of the seven year tribulation, the tribulation "week," we see that the abomination of desolation occurs mid trib. We can see this clearly in Daniel 9:27:

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Even though the official false teaching of the pre-trib rapture started its rounds in the 1800s, the rumor of a pre-trib rapture happening is not new. The church in Thessalonica knew there would be a rapture, but they didn't know when, and wondered if it could happen at any moment. In one of Paul's letters to them, he addressed this, and informed them that those who think the rapture is imminent, are deceived. He then goes on to list what has to happen first, before the rapture can happen. He made it clear that the rapture cannot happen until around the time of the abomination of desolation, which is mid-trib. Take a look at the passage I am referring to, and see this for yourself:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." -2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Paul is telling the Thessalonians not to be troubled or shaken about the rapture being "at hand." The Day of Christ is the rapture - our gathering together unto Him. This is not to be confused with the Day of the Lord, which begins at Armageddon, and continues until after the renovation of the heavens and earth after the millennium of peace. There is a distinction here. Day of the Lord = Armageddon until after the rejuvenation of heaven and earth. Day of Christ = Rapture - his coming and our gathering together unto him. For a parallel passage on this point, see Matt. 24:30-31. If you wish to study Matt. 24 further, may I suggest you read this?

Paul was telling the Christians in Thessalonica to not be worried about the rapture just coming up, any time, or that it was at hand: "That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." This would seem to tell us that there were false pre-trib rapture teachings beginning, even then. However, Paul puts a stop to that, and tells the Thessalonians that that day shall not come until the following occurs:

- "a falling away first" (this is already happening, and will unfortunately get worse)

- "and that man of sin be revealed" - this is the abomination of desolation, as can be gathered from "so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." Clearly, that is the abomination of desolation "standing where it ought not" - see Mark 13:4.

But the Church Isn't Mentioned

The last argument many pre-trib rapturists make at this point, in still trying to hold on to their misinterpretation of Revelation 4:1, is that the word "church" isn't mentioned again after Revelation 4:1. My response to that, is "so what." This doesn't mean a thing, since the only reason we see "church" mentioned at all in Revelation is because of the seven letters written to the seven churches of Asia. That's it.

If we were to use "the word church isn't mentioned" argument, then let's be consistant. The word "church" is only in the Bible 111 times. To argue that the rapture occurred at Revelation 4:1, because "church" isn't written any more after that, would mean one could also argue that the books of Mark, Luke, 2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude were not to the church, because the word "church" does not appear in them at all. Obviously, to argue such a thing would be absurd.

Christians are mentioned all over the place before and after Revelation 4:1. They aren't under the term "Christian," however. The word "Christian" is only in the Bible three times. Instead, Christians are mentioned over and over again under the name they are called the most in the Bible, and that word is "saint." In both Old and New Testaments, the people of God were and are repeatedly referred to as saints.

The word "saint" occurs in the book of Revelation 13 times, and each of those instances are after Revelation 4:1. If Christians are supposed to be raptured at Revelation 4:1, then what are we doing still on earth during the first half of the tribulation? I can tell you. It's because the Scriptures are crystal clear that there is a rapture, but it's mid-trib, at the last trump - the seventh trumpet:

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." -Revelation 10:7

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." -1 Corinthians 15:51-52

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." -Revelation 11:15-18

Christians are not here for the wrath of God during the tribulation. The wrath is not fully unleashed until the seven vials of WRATH, which start after the mid-trib rapture.

To be fair, there are saints mentioned in Revelation after the mid-trib rapture as well. They are people who got saved after the rapture.

While the above could also be an argument by pre-trib rapturists, it won't help them any. For, as you've seen by now, the Scriptures point to a mid-trib rapture. In fact, I'm confident in saying that there is not one Scripture that alludes to a pre-trib rapture - not one. 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that those who believe in a pre-trib rapture are deceived.

Friends, let us take the Scriptures at what they say, and not read things into them things that aren't there, or that we wish are true. Let's honestly take a look at Revelation 4:1 again:

"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 trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

Is there truly any inkling of pre-trib rapture there? No, there is not.

Now, if you are still grasping for that pre-tribulation rapture, then chew on this tidbit… The 144,000 Jews were saved and sealed in Revelation chapter 7, and were on the earth at that time. I believe the mid-trib rapture is in Revelation chapter 11. The next time we read about the 144,000, in Revelation, is in chapter 14, after the mid trib rapture. Where are they then? At that point, they are redeemed from the earth. Take a look for yourself:

"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." -Revelation 14:3

They were redeemed from the earth. When did that happen? It must have happened during the mid-trib rapture, at the last trump of God. To believe in a pre-trib rapture, would mean you'd have to believe in multiple raptures - one pre-trib, one mid-trib, and perhaps one post trib as well, depending on how you read the second half of Revelation 14. Yet, when you take the Word of God at what it says, you see only one rapture at the end time, and it is clearly mid-trib.

The Bible says in 2 Thess. 2 that belief in a pre-trib rapture is a deception. Revelation 4:1 says nothing of any rapture of any sort. It is simply telling John to come up hither, so that he can be shown the future. That’s it. JOHN was called up hither, not the church in that verse. Believing this verse teaches a pre-trib rapture is grasping at straws, and creates contradictions and confusion in the Scriptures, and that’s not God’s way. He is not the author of confusion.