TP 32 WEEKLY

Today on Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis, she presents scriptural evidence why she believes the Bible supports a pre-tribulation rapture of the church.

Here's Dr. Davis. You've taken a self-introspection into your own Christian life as well as your own church as to see where you are and looked at God's X-ray of your church and really look to see, are we that remnant of the Church of Philadelphia in which the Lord is coming back for in the rapture? As I said before, in Revelation Chapter 4, we will begin to look at the coming judgment on the earth, those things which will be. Chapter 4 gives us a look into heaven. But in Revelation Chapter 1, verse 19, write the things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which will take place after this. Revelation Chapter 3, we finish the letter to the Laodiceans. The church is not mentioned anymore until Revelation Chapter 22, verse 16. Chapter 4 begins with a look into heaven.

We will see what will happen to the church after the end of the church age at the end of Chapter 3, which shows us in Chapter 4. Let's begin in Revelation Chapter 4, verses 1 through 11. After these things, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, I will show you things which must take place after this. Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sarda stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeding lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within, and they do not rest day or night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is to come. Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever.

And cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. First, let's talk about the rapture of the church. Today I want to present the evidence to support a pre-tribulation rapture. The first tenet is that there is a silence concerning the church from Revelation chapter 4 to chapter 19. Revelation chapter 4 through 19 covers the tribulation on earth.

Everything is about judgment that's going to come upon the earth. The church is not mentioned in these chapters. The church is in heaven during the tribulation. Chapter 4 proves this to us. The second tenet I'd like to prove is that the Spirit of God's transfer from the earth to heaven. In Revelation chapter 2 through 3, we see the Holy Spirit in the midst of the churches on earth. But in Revelation chapter 4 verse 5, we find that the Holy Spirit is now in heaven before the throne of God.

I'd like to read 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 6 through 8 to reinforce this concept. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. That someone who is now restraining the lawless one, who is the antichrist and Satan, will be taken out of the way. The lawless one is the man of sin, or the antichrist. The antichrist will have free reign during the tribulation. The restrainer is the Holy Spirit who works through the church, which he indwells currently.

When he is taken out of the way, the lawless one is free to do his work unrestrained. When the church is raptured to heaven, the Holy Spirit will be transferred back to heaven. The tribulation is a period described in chapters 4 through 19 that he will break loose upon the earth.

This can only happen because the Holy Spirit and the church has been removed. There are three common elements of the rapture. The rapture is covered in Revelation chapter 4 verses 1 through 2, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and 1 Thessalonians chapter 4.

There are three common elements from these books. First is a voice, second is a trumpet, and three is a change. In Revelation chapter 4 verse 1, After these things I looked, and behold a door standing open, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet. Here we see the voice of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 16, For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel.

Here we see the voice of the Lord again. The second common element is the trumpet. The trumpet is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4 16, which I just read, with the trumpet of God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 52, In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. And in Revelation chapter 4 verse 1, The voice which I heard was like a trumpet. Here the commonality is the voice of the Lord, also there's a sounding of the trumpet of God.

The third common element is a change. In Revelation chapter 4 verse 2, it says, Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold a throne in heaven, and one sat on the throne. John was changed from the physical to the spiritual. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 52 through 53, In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortality must put on immortality. There is a change from the physical to the spiritual. The next point in the pre-tribulation rapture is the symbolic presence of John in heaven. When John is called to heaven by the Lord in verse 1, he says, Come up here.

This is symbolic of the church being called to heaven. John was the disciple whom Jesus loved, and we know this in John chapter 21. If I will that John remain till I come, what is that to you? Jesus here is predicting that he was going to give John a view of his second coming. The fact that John is in heaven is symbolic of the church's ultimate presence in heaven before the tribulation. But let's look into an open door in heaven, or the throne room of heaven, which is described in Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4 verse 1 says, After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.

And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet, speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which much takes place after this. God wants us to know what is happening in heaven while there is tribulation on earth. Through the open door, we see worship. Worship will be the primary activity in heaven.

It is good for us to get in practice now. Some of us that have a hard time with praise and worship, I think you're going to struggle in heaven. But if you have a hard time with praise and worship, I question if you're truly saved, and that is what we are created to do. The central element in chapter 4 is the throne.

It occurs 12 times in chapter 4. And there are two things that they worship. They worship the Creator in chapter 4 and the Redeemer in chapter 5. Seated upon the throne in this look into heaven or in the throne room of heaven is the triune God. John saw God the Father sitting on the throne by saying the One was seated on the throne. There's no possible way to describe what God is like in human essence. John can only use comparisons. Jasper is a clear gem.

Sardine is red. The Lord is robed in light. And we know this through other places in the Bible where the Lord is described. If you turn to Psalms, chapter 104, verse 2, who cover yourself with light as with a garment who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. The Lord is robed in light. These stones are the first and last stones of the high priest's breastplate, which is described in chapter 28 of Exodus.

Picture the one who is the first and the last. We know in verse 5 there are seven lamps of fire that were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. We know that Revelation chapter 3 21 has Jesus promising the overcomers the right to sit with him on the throne. The whole Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is found in the throne room of heaven. But surrounding that throne is a rainbow, and we find that in Revelation chapter 4, verse 3.

He who sat on there was like Jasper in a sort of stone in appearance, but there is a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. The rainbow first appears in the Bible in Genesis chapter 9, verses 3 through 16. It is God's promise of mercy never to destroy all things again. But notice that the rainbow is emerald only, green, which means mercy.

Usually we see a rainbow after the storm, but here we see it before. And the storm that is coming is God's judgment on the earth. This is telling us that God's judgment is coming with mercy mixed within. And I'd like to read Matthew chapter 24, verse 22. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Here it's saying even God knows how far to go even in judgment. While judgment is taking place on earth during the tribulation, the church is safe in heaven.

Thank God that we're going to be out of here. When I was teaching this to my church, you know, I stress that point, I would like to stress this with you, is that the time to be saved is now. Sitting around the throne we see are the 24 elders. The 24 elders are the church.

And how do we know them? We know them by the praise on their lips. And this is in Revelation chapter 5, verses 8 through 9. In the song they sing, the elders refer to having been redeemed by the Lamb.

That can only mean one thing. Those that have been redeemed are the elders of the church. We are the only ones who are redeemed.

We are the only ones who can sing. They're also known by the clothes on their bodies, and this is referenced in Revelation 19, 7 through 8. The elders are clothed in white robes, and we have white robes because we have been justified by the blood of Christ which occurred on the cross. And in chapter 19, 7 through 8 tells us it is the bride of the Lamb that is clothed in white robes of righteousness.

The church is the bride of the Lamb. The church is also known by the crowns upon their heads, and this is in Revelation chapter 4, verse 4, where it says they're clothed in white robes and they had crowns of gold on their heads. One of the two types of crowns or kinds of crowns mentioned in the Bible, the crowns the elders wore on those or on their heads which are the victor's crown.

It's not the crown of a king. The crowns worn by the elders represent the rewards given to the church at the judgment seat of Christ. The elders are the church. We already know that the rapture has occurred, the judgment seat of Christ has occurred because they have their crowns on their heads, but they are known as the elders of the church. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that day where we'll be like Him and in perfect peace and be in heaven where we have finally overcome.

And thank you for listening. This has been Truth Matters. Jesus said in Revelation 20 that if those who are living outside of the Christian faith would open their heart to Him, allowing Him to come into their lives, that He would indeed forgive their sin and save them from the coming judgment that Dr. Davis has spoke up today.

If you have not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior and have been living an ungodly life, we would encourage you to pray, seeking God's forgiveness and inviting Jesus to come live in your heart. Learn more about the Truth Project and Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis by visiting our website at ProjectTruthMatters.com or contact us by email at CherylDavis at ProjectTruthMatters.com or connect with us on Facebook. You can also write Dr. Davis and the Truth Team at P.O. Box 159, St. Paul's, North Carolina 28384. We would appreciate hearing from you. This has been Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis.