This document discusses whether Revelation 4:1 depicts the rapture of the church. Some argue it does because it mentions a trumpet and a voice calling someone up to heaven. However, the document argues against this by noting key elements of the rapture are missing from Revelation 4:1, such as the dead rising and saints meeting in the air. The document also argues that chapters 1-3 of Revelation depict tribulation churches, not the church age. Overall, the document concludes Revelation 4:1 depicts a tribulation rapture, not the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, which is found in Paul's letters rather than Revelation.

1. Why Revelation 4 is not the
Rapture of the Church
WHY REVELATION 4:1 IS THE RAPTURE -James L. Melton
It is a Picture of A Rapture but it is not The rapture
of the Body of Christ (the Church)
Rev 4:1
1 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.
We know that Revelation 4:1 is the Rapture because the
verse contains the elements of the rapture (a trumpet, a
voice, and someone going up to heaven), the verse
immediately follows the two chapters representing the
church age (chapters 2 & 3),
There are several key elements of the rapture of the
Church missing from Rev 4:1.
 No dead rise,
 No saints meet him in the air, and

2.  Jesus doesn’t meet him in the clouds and carry
him to heaven.
Chapter 2&3 are only vague types of the Church
age… these churches are Tribulation Churches.
“A great deal is said about the church in this book, and
consequently, most people apply Chapters 1–3 to the
Church Age. I am going to teach them as a type of the
Church Age. However, the more you study Revelation
1–3, the more the Holy Spirit will probably show
you that, doctrinally, the passages apply to a period
in the Tribulation itself. This is difficult because this
puts the localchurch in the Tribulation. Everywhere in
the passages it is spoken of as a local church—
Revelation1:11, 20; 2:1, 8. These are probably
Tribulation churches, although I teach them as
types of the Church Age.”
Ruckman, Dr. Peter S.. Revelation Commentary(The Bible
Believer's CommentarySeries) (Kindle Locations 290-295).
BB Bookstore.Kindle Edition.
“Doctrinally,when you get into the specific, absolute,
exact, doctrinal meaning of the chapters, they are
almost sure to have a Tribulation application.
Notice, Revelation 1:9—the reference to the Kingdom
is a literal earthly kingdom.
Revelation1:7—“kindreds of the earth”;

3. 1:6—“kings and priests,” “glory and dominion”—an
earthly kingdom;
1:10—“Lord’s day.”
We call the Lord’s day Sunday, but of course, this is
conjecture. There is nothing in the Bible to indicate
Sunday is the Lord’s day. We call it the Lord’s day
because He rose from the dead on that day.
Rev 1:10 is not the day Christ arose from the dead; it is
the Lord’s day. It is “the day of the Lord” as you find it
in the Old Testament. “The day of the Lord” is always a
reference to the Advent of Jesus Christ, the Second
Coming.”
Ruckman, Dr. Peter S.. Revelation Commentary(The Bible
Believer's CommentarySeries) (Kindle Locations 313-319).
BB Bookstore.Kindle Edition.
“In Revelation 2:26, there is a statement that you have
to keep His works to the end.
This is like the passage in Matthew 24:13, “But he that
shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Wherever “the end” is mentioned (as in Heb. 3:14, “For
we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;”), the
reference is always to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
at the end of the Tribulation and never at the end of
your individual life.

4. In Revelation 3:5 there seems to be a promise that He
won’t “blot your name out of the book of life,” but
with this, there is an implied threat that under certain
conditions that He will.
Yet, we know in the Age of Grace we have eternal life,
and “shall never perish.” There is no danger of being
“blotted out” at all.
In Revelation 3:16 is a threat that God will “spue”
somebody out of His mouth. The Christian is not in
God’s stomach; the Christian could not be “spit out.” The
Christian is part of Jesus Christ in this age—in 1
Corinthians 12 we are told that we are part of His
body. In Ephesians 5 we are told that we are “bone of
his bone and flesh of his flesh.”
Therefore, these passages seem to have a different
doctrinal application than to the day and age of grace
in which we live. For this reason, it is dangerous to
teach Revelation1–3 as Christian doctrine for the
Church Age.”
Ruckman, Dr. Peter S.. Revelation Commentary(The Bible
Believer's CommentarySeries) (Kindle Locations 326-338).
BB Bookstore.Kindle Edition.
and it precedes the tribulation chapters (chapters 6 thru
19).
Chapters 1-3 ARE Tribulation passages.

5. Rev 1:9
9 I John, who also am your brother, and
companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom
and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle
that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and
for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation4:1 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.”
Those who expect to find a clear-cut verse on the Rapture in
Revelationare misunderstanding the nature of the Rapture.
Yes, Revelationis the wrong place to look for the
Church- age Rapture, it’s finished before the events
of Revelation.
We were told in I Corinthians 15:51-52 that the Rapture is
a “mystery.” In addition to this, the relationship that Christ
has with His church is a mystery (Eph. 5:32). Just as a man
doesn’t discuss the private matters of his marriagewith
everyone, Christ doesn’t lay the doctrine of the Rapture out
in the open for all to see. Just as His parables were hid from
many (Mat. 13:13), so His mystical callingaway of His bride
is hidden from the unbelieving world, being revealed only
in TYPE in Revelation.

6. His bride is not found in Revelationand the info on
her rapture is found in Paul’s books. The type is
pointing to a tribulationrapture (I believe there
will be two).
The type is found in the person of John, the one called up to
heaven, typifying the calling up of the church. There are
some good reasons for John serving as a type of the church:
But a better type of a Tribulation Saint.
(1) The name John signifies “full of grace.” The church age is
called the “dispensation of the grace of God” in Ephesians
3:2.
(2) John is called the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John
13:23; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). He obviously loved all of His
disciples, but this indicates a special love for John, such as
Christ would also have a special love for His bride, the
church (Eph. 5:25).
This is John’s viewpoint. All the disciples should
have felt the same.
(3) At the last supper, John sat closer to Jesus than the
others. In fact, John 13:23 says that he was “leaning on
Jesus' bosom.” One would not be surprised to see a bride
doing the same thing, especially if he were to read Song of
Solomon 8:5 “Who is this that cometh up from the
wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? . . . “
(4) John had more personal assurance than the other
disciples. When Jesus revealed the fact that one of His

7. disciples would betray him, most of them began asking the
question, “Is it I?” (Mat. 26:22-25)
The Bible doesn’t say “most of them” it says, “every
one of them”. [Matt 26:22; Mark 14:19; Luke 22:23]
John had enough personal assurance to know that it was not
himself, so he asked, “Lord, who is it?” (John 13:25).
John does ask this question, but he is relaying the
question from Peter, it’s not his own question.
John 13:24-25
24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that
he should ask who it should be of whom he
spake.
25 He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto
him, Lord, who is it?
This is comparable to the personal confidence and security
that the church has with the permanent indwelling of the
Holy Spirit, unlike any other group on saints in the Bible.
(5) A strange thing is said of John in John 21:22-23: “Jesus
saith unto him, If I willthat he tarry till I come, what is that
to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad
among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet

8. Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he
tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”
The indication is that John would live to see the second
coming.
The second coming is not the rapture of the Church.
Of course, he did not live to see the literal second coming,
since it has not yet occurred, but John did live to see all the
visions of it given in Revelation.
In fact, he specificallystates that he was “in the Spirit on the
Lord's day” (Rev. 1:10). John was transported in a vision
some 2,000 years into the future to witness and write about
the second coming of Christ.
In this sense, he did tarry until Jesus came, which is exactly
what the church does (Mat. 16:18).
The Church is waiting for the rapture, not the
second Advent. The Church (bride of Christ) returns
with Christ at the Advent.
Matt 24:29-31 29 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: 30 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

9. great glory. 31 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. Trib
Matt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only. Mid Trib
Matt 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what
hour your Lord doth come. Mid Trib
Luke 21:34-36 34 And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For
as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on
the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore,
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man. Mid Trib
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, there ye may be also. All 3
1Cor 15:51-57 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the

10. last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put
on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin;
and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Rapture
1Thess 4:13-18 13 But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. 15 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. 16 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: 17
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

11. Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these
words. Rapture
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ; Rapture
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation. Trib
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
him. Even so, Amen. 2nd Advent
Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my
patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of
temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to
try them that dwell upon the earth. Mid Trib
Watch for the unknown:
Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou
shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you
into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have
tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life.

12. Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received
and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore
thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief,
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon
thee.
Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the
day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye
know not when the time is.
Mark 13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you
sleeping.
Watch for a known period:
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies; and power
was given unto him to continue forty and two
months.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple
leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the
Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under
foot forty and two months.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings
of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished
for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face
of the serpent.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against
the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the
most High, and think to change times and laws: and

13. they shall be given into his hand until a time and
times and the dividing of time.
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen,
which was upon the waters of the river, when he
held up his right hand and his left hand unto
heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it
shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the
holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Dan 12:11-12 11 And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination
that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a
thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand
three hundred and five and thirty days.