Revelation 4-5, Part 2

Revelation 4-5 set the stage for events that unfold
in the rest of the Book of Revelation. Where do
these events occur? When do they take place?
Where are those who believe in Jesus for eternal
life during this time? Time to look for clues…

Where does this occur?
· The scene begins in heaven
· Subsequent events pertain primarily to earth (chapters 6ff)

When does this occur?
· “…what must take place after these things.” (4:1)

· Flashback to Rev 1:19: Three-fold outline of Revelation

· “These things”: The Case of the Disappearing Church!

Where is the Church (the Body of Christ)?
Clue #1: The wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6:16; 1 Thess 1:10; 5:9)

Clue #2: 24 elders – Who do they represent? (Rev 4:4)

Clue #3: The bride and the marriage supper (Rev 19:7)

How did the Church get there?

Key Question: Will you be there? Are you living like it?

“…what must take place after these things.”
Revelation 4:1

For Further Study

1. Read Revelation 4 and 5, then contrast those scenes in heaven with what is happening on earth in chapters six and following. How is the holiness of God and the ‘worthiness’ of the Lamb reflected in both settings?

2. Read chapters 4-22 of Revelation, underlining each time you encounter the words “(and) when,” “(and) I looked,” “(and) I saw,” “(and) I heard,” “(and) after this,” “after these things,” and other phrases that ‘move’ the prophecy along. How long does this one prophecy take for John to recount? When does it finally come to an end?

3. What evidences are these that Christians (the Church) are in heaven in Revelation 4 and following? If the 24 elders are representative of believers, what will we be doing? Can we do this here and now?

4. What can we learn about the 24 elders from the description in Rev 4:4? Sitting on thrones (Matt. 19:27-30; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26; 3:21; 20:4)? Clothed in white (Rev 3:4-5; 6:11; 7:9, 13-14; 19:8)? Golden crowns (the same Greek word, stephanos, is found in 1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 4:8; James 1:12)?

5. The 24 elders – representing the Church – are described as having received rewards for suffering and faithful service for Christ. What future event is spoken of in Scripture as being the time when believers will receive such rewards? See Romans 14:10-12; 1 Cor 3:12-15; 4:5; 2 Cor 5:9-10.

6. If the Church is in heaven in Revelation 4-5, it had to get there by being taken out of the earth. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, and John 14:1-3. What suggestion is there that all three of these passages are talking about the same event? What do they have in common? If you combine the three accounts, what do they reveal about this event?

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