The Rapture in Revelation./The 144,000./The Firstfruits.

The first thing that we are going to look at is the first time that the Rapture occurs in the Revelation. Everything that we read in Revelation Chapters 4 and 11 is recorded in order. After Chapter 11, the whole sequence of the end times begins again in Chapter 12 from a new perspective. The first time that the Rapture occurs in the Revelation is in Chapters 6 and 7, with a whole progression of things beginning in Chapter 6 when the sixth seal is opened. The first five seals reveal the Tribulation, the sixth seal reveals the Rapture and the seventh seal the Wrath of God, thus presenting things in the order of occurrence.

In Verse 12, the sixth seal is opened and the sky goes black. That is the sign that Jesus gave of His return for the Church in the Gospels.

Matthew 24

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus could very well have been condensing and paraphrasing the verses out of Revelation 6 and 7 when He spoke to His disciples about His return for His elect, had they actually been written at the time. The truth, in fact, is nearly the opposite. Jesus is the one who presented the Revelation to John after His death and resurrection, and He is simply expanding on what He told the disciples.

After the Sky goes dark in the first three verses, the great men of the earth attempt to hid in the ruble of the great earthquake that occurs at the appearing of Jesus. They are the ones who declare that it is the day of God’s wrath. They were well aware that it was coming, but they fought against the Lord and His people anyway in an attempt to destroy them, and now it’s playback time when God will recompense vengeance on them. In Matthew 24 above, He declares that the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see Him appear to rescue His New Testament elect. That’s exactly what they are doing below­Mourning with a capitol M

Revelation 6 & 7

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?

Everything in Chapter 7 has something to do with the Rapture. In Verse 1, the four winds are restrained. These are the same four winds that Jesus mentions in the Gospels when He comes for His New Testament elect. They are being restrained here while the 144,000 of Israel are sealed in their foreheads. After these servants are sealed, the Rapture will occur. We learn in a later description what the seal in their foreheads actually is, and another important fact about these saints. In Verse 3 the angels are told not to hurt not the earth or the sea until after these Jewish saints have been sealed. The first several trumpet and vial plagues of the wrath of God, which occur simultaneously, are all directed at the earth and the waters of the earth, but they must be restrained until God’s entire family of saints is removed from the earth.

Revelation 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.

1. In Verses 5-8 (Not included here) 12,000 members of each tribe are sealed for a total of 144,000.
2. Immediately after the 144,000 Jews are sealed we see a great multitude in heaven of all nations subgroups of people. Verse 9 tells us that the number of them is to great to count, so we are not talking about the 144,000. By the same token, they are the nation of Israel, the direct natural descendants of Abraham and the Jews who speak Yiddish along with many other languages, making them part of the nations, kindreds, peoples and tongues. We are not told that the 144,000 are sealed and left behind. In fact, when we get to the final description of the Rapture in Revelation we will see that they precede the rest of the church by only moments.
3. The saints from all people and nations are standing before the throne, they are worshipping God and they all in white robes. This is the same group of people in heaven clothed in white robes as we see in Revelation 19:8 as they participate in the wedding feast of the Lamb, and in 19:14 where they follow Jesus out of heaven to the Battle of Armageddon, in which Jesus forcefully takes back control of the earth from Satan and the anti-Christ. The difference is that the 7 year wedding feast of the Lamb is about to begin here where the Rapture is occurring, and it is coming to an end in Revelation 19 where heaven is opened and the wedding guest are recruited into the army of the Lord.

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.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

The seventh seal of the heavenly book of Revelation is opened in Chapter 8, immediately after the entire family of God is gathered into heaven in Chapter 7. The seven seal reveals the seven trumpets, which are seven plagues of the Wrath of God.

The second occurrence of the Rapture in Revelation occurs in Revelation 14. Revelation 14:6-20 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 Verses 6-20 is laid out in the order of occurrence, in keeping with the true nature of a timeline. After removing the verses, everything from Revelation 12 through 22 flows pretty much in order, repeating the same theme and sequence of events as Chapters 4-11 and the 15 verses of Revelation 14. The 15 verses convey to us 5 main points that God wants us to understand about the end times as follows

1: the final preaching of the end times,

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 point which is the Tribulation, and the fifth point which is the Wrath of God. These verses show Jesus coming in the clouds to gather His New Testament elect, which is all believers, but fail to differentiate between the 144,000 and any other part of the Church in relation to the Rapture. That is an important point for two different reasons. First, when it comes to the Rapture there is very little difference. Everyone goes in the same Rapture. And second, 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 is what we will look at after reading these verses. For further information on these verses you should refer to the Bible study named Revelation 14. The reaping that is occurring in the following verses is the reaping of the righteous from the earth. Verse 17-20, which we are not going to look at, display the reaping of sinners to the winepress of the Wrath of God. Between the two sets of verses we are able to make that distinction.

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.

As we get to the first five verses of Revelation 14, we see for the third time the Rapture of the Church. However, in these five verses it is just beginning to unfold. In the first verse we see the 144,000 once again, but this time they are in heaven. Here some of the important details that need to be noted.

1. They are on Mount Sion. This is not an earthly place, but rather, the Mount Sion of Hebrews 12:22. “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.”
2. Verse 3 verifies that they are in heaven with the words “before the throne,” and “redeemed from the earth.”
3. Verse one tells use what the mysterious seal is that the 144,000 received in Revelation 7 in their foreheads.
4. They are without fault before the throne of God. The only way to accomplish this feat is to be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. They are born-again Jews.
5. They follow the Lamb. Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and follow in all forms of submission­faith, actions and attitudes.
6. They stand with the Lamb before the throne. Jesus has redeemed them from the earth by rapturing them.
7. The reason that the 144,000 stand alone with Jesus is because they are the firstfruits in the Rapture, and the others have not been allowed to enter yet. That occurs in Revelation 15.
8. One reason that no other person is allowed to learn the song is because they sing it with no other person around to hear it.
9. The reason for the first fruits is because God made a promise to Abraham concerning his natural lineage as well as a spiritual lineage by faith. Faith is the common denominator between the two lineages. Through the natural lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to Moses and David and Jesus, to the 12 disciples and the Apostle Paul, and finally the 144,000, God has , and will continue to fulfill His plan of salvation. The 144,000 may be instrumental in getting many saved during the Tribulation, (not to be confused with t he Wrath of God) but their real work may only begin after the establishment of the Millennial kingdom of Christ. We should expect that the firstfruits will have some form of leadership position in the ages to come, similar to the 24 elders who appear to remain before the throne of God.
10. The next five verses closely parallel Revelation 7:1-8, and together they give a much fuller view of the rapture of the 144,000 firstfruits. Revelation 7 shows the 144,000 being sealed on the earth before they are rapture, and then the next verse shows them in heaven after their part of the Rapture is completed.

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.

With the 15 final verses (6-20) of Revelation 14 removed, we see the end times progress from the Tribulation in Revelation 13, the Rapture of the firstfruits in Revelation 14:1-5, and the completion of the Rapture with the rest of the Church raptured in Revelation 15. The points to consider in this chapter are as follows:

1. In Verse 1 seven angels are holding the seven last plagues of the Wrath of God. However, it is not until the first verse of Revelation 16 that they are allowed to pour them out. Before they receive clearance to do so, the entire Church must be received into heaven as part of the Rapture.
2. In Verse 2 we see those that have survived the beast. This should be taken figuratively to represent all generations that make it to the end of their time here on earth committed to the Lord, and rejecting the sins of this life.
3. However, many take it to mean only those who go through the Great Tribulation, and become convinced that this is a second rapture, unrelated to the one in Revelation 7. But, we only have to look back to the words of Revelation 7 to see that they are one and the same. In Revelation 7:13-17 the question is asked, “Who are these who are gathered into heaven from every nation, kindred, people and tongue, and where did they come from?” The response was that they came out of Great Tribulation, and made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. We are simply seeing different views of the same Rapture, and the same people, whether the whole group is being recognized by the statement in Verse 2 or not.
4. In Verses 3 and 4, whether it is all the saints or just those who come out the Great Tribulation, sing the song of Moses. This is not the song of the firstfruits, it is different. The 144,000 are counted among those who actually go through the Tribulation, but they are only a small portion of the overall number from all nations. They are counted among those who are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord immediately after the Tribulation of those days.
5. In Verses 5-8, after the Rapture is complete, the 7 angels are being prepared with the 7 last plagues, and then they go to release them in Revelation 16. These are the same seven last plagues as the 7 trumpets that follow the Rapture in Revelation 7.

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.