1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ

Before we look at what God has planned for believers at the end of Church age, let us define the difference between two words; wrath and tribulation. Some believe that we suffer through the tribulations but are raptured before the wrath. I don’t.

Revelation 6 KJV 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Sending death and hell upon the Earth is wrath. The third seal was famine. The second seal was war. These are not sent just to upset snowflakes. This is God sending vengeance upon the Earth. Now the Good News

Revelation 1 KJV 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Do you think this verse means that the beloved Apostle John had the Spirit in his heart on Sunday? Guess again. This verse tells us that the LORD removed John’s spirit from his fleshly body and placed it into the time of the wrath, some 2000 years into the future. So that he could see the wrath unfold, in real time, with his own eyes, and write down what he saw. Remember, God is, was and shall ever be. He created time and can see all of it, past, present, future, all at once. Also, remember that the “Lord’s day” can easily be spoken as “the day of the Lord,” which we all know, refers to the time of the end, during which Jesus Christ returns.

So now we have John standing in the future with the first seal about to be opened

and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Why “behind” him? No other time in the Bible does the Lord appear to man behind him, it is always before him. Does this signify that the “voice of the trumpet” was something that had occurred in the very recent past? What does a trumpet signify? The rapture? An event that occurred before the 1st seal was opened?

Now, a quick look at chapter 2 & 3, in which Jesus speaks to the angels of the 7 Christian churches

Revelation 2:10 KJV 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.

Crown of life.

Revelation 3:4 KJV Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Being clothed in white raiment signifies being washed clean in the blood of Christ, a “sign” of believers. There are many other verses in the scriptures that tell of this.

On to chapter 4, no seals have been broken up to this point

Revelation 4:1 KJV 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.

One day, hopefully very soon, all believers will see the open door into Heaven and hear the voice of Jesus Christ saying “come up hither, (insert your name here.)”

2 And immediately I was in the spirit:

Taken out of your fleshy, sinful body

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Christians in Heaven, how about that. Wearing white raiment with crowns on their heads. Before the seals have been opened. 24 Elders? How about the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ?

Amen.