This is part two in a series of articles examining pretribulationist interpretations of the book of Revelation as put forth by Dr. Robert Gromacki. For part one in this series, click here.

Is the Church “pictured” in Heaven?

As mentioned previously, while it is not directly referenced as being in heaven during the Great Tribulation, Gromacki believes that the church is nonetheless “pictured” as being present there:

"Where is the church during the seven-year Tribulation, as outlined in Revelation 4-19? If posttribulationism were correct, you would expect to see the church mentioned as being on earth during this time. However, that is not the picture one sees in Revelation 4-19…the church is pictured in heaven with Christ, having been raptured before the Tribulation began." (source)

Gromacki offers a number of points in defense of his view that the church is “pictured” as being in heaven with Christ during the Great Tribulation. I will examine these arguments in turn, beginning with one that he spends the least amount of time on but which is foundational to his interpretation of the book and its symbolism.

The Chronology of Revelation

Gromacki writes:

The typical futurist interpretation of the book contends that chapters 4-19 describe what will take place in the seven years preceding the second coming of Christ to the earth (19:11-21). Consistent advocates of premillennialism hold this position regardless of their particular view on the rapture of the church.

This is a key aspect of dispensationalist, pretribulationist interpretations of Revelation, and I believe that it is demonstrably false no matter how widely accepted it may be, even by other schools of prophetic interpretation.

Consider the opening of the book:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to his bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and he sent and communicated it by His angel to his bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. – Revelation 1:1-2

The term “revelation” is translated from the Greek word apokalypsis. Vines Expository Dictionarydefines it as meaning “an uncovering, unveiling (apo, “from,” kalupto, “to hide, cover”), denotes a revelation, or appearing (Eng., apocalypse).” Thus, the “revelation” of Jesus Christ could be either the revealing of Christ himself or else something revealed by him. The latter is strongly indicated in Revelation 1:1-2, as we are told that the revelation is given to Christ by God, meaning the Father. This is a crucial point that is often overlooked in studies of the book. The entire book is usually taken to be “the revelation,” when we’re told in the first two verses that the revelation is actually something quite specific. It came from Jesus, after being given to him by God the Father, and was then communicated to John.

Note the progression: The revelation was given by God the Father, to Christ, who then communicated it to John, who went on to share it in the letter he wrote to the seven churches. This transference is actually pictured in the book of Revelation, and it clearly shows us where the future events are “uncovered” or “unveiled.”

In chapter 1, after introducing himself and the purpose of the book, John describes a vision he had of Jesus Christ while being held in prison on the island of Patmos. It was during this vision that Jesus dictated the letters to the seven churches, which comprise chapters 2 and 3. Then, in chapter 4, the scene shifts:

After these things, I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” – Revelation 4:1

John then says that he was immediately “in the spirit.” I do not take this to mean that he experienced some kind of “out-of-body” event, but simply that he was caught up in a new vision after writing down the letters to the churches as he had been instructed. Several times during the revelation, John is told to “write” what he has seen or been told (Revelation 14:13; 19:9; 21:5), and one occasion he was about to write something down and was told not to (Revelation 10:4). These things indicate to me that he was still physically on Patmos during the revelation.

The voice that speaks to John “like a trumpet” is the voice of Christ, who is identified by this description in chapter 1, verses 10-18. John then sees a throne and God the Father seated upon it while angels, various “living creatures,” and twenty-four “elders” worship him (4:2-11).

We then move into chapter 5, where John writes:

I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth was able to open the book or look into it. – Revelation 5:1-3

John begins to weep because no one is able to open the book, but then one of the twenty-four elders tells him to stop weeping because “the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals” (5:4-5):

And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a lamb standing, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. – Revelation 5:6-7

The Lamb (Christ) takes the book from the Father, after which the angels, creatures, and elders all fall down and worship both the Father and Christ (5:8-14). Christ then begins to open the book:

Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with the voice of thunder, “Come and see.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. – Revelation 6:1-2 (NKJV)

So, let’s summarize what we’ve seen here:

The word “revelation” refers to “unveiling” or “revealing” something. The book begins by telling us that an “unveiling” is given to Christ by God the Father to be shown to John and conferred to those to whom John would write. At the beginning of chapter 4, Christ tells John to “come up here.” Why? Because “I will show you what must take place after these things.” We then see John’s vision of heaven, a vision in which God the Father gives a book to Christ, who alone is able to open the book and view its contents. Christ then opens the book, “unveiling” or “revealing” its contents, and John is told to “come and see.”

Thus, the future portion of Revelation—the “unveiling” or “revealing”—does not begin with chapter 4 when John is told to “come up here.” It begins with chapter 6, when Christ opens the book and “unveils” or “reveals” its heretofore hidden contents to John. Before this, nothing is “unveiled” or “revealed.” Chapters 4 and 5 depict the setting of the revelation and the ceremony that surrounded its giving, but they are not part of the revelation itself! The events of chapters 4 and 5 are not future; they occurred two thousand years ago when John was given the revelation, and this fact is crucial to resolving misunderstandings that have arisen in regard to the book and its prophetic content.

Some might object that the “revelation” begins by “revealing” what is going on in heaven prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation, but I note that Christ says specifically that he will show John what will “take place after these things.” When John first sees the throne room, Christ is not visible and does not speak to John. It is only after no one is found who can open the book that Christ appears, and it is only after Christ opens the book that John is told to “come and see.” It is Christ who told John that hewould show him what was yet to come, and in the opening of the seals we see that very thing depicted. The content of the book is the “revelation,” not the scene in heaven that precedes its opening.

To be continued...

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are from the NASB.

Robert Hawes is the author of "In Search of God: A Look at Life's Most Essential Question," as well as many articles on various subjects ranging from politics to theology and Christian apologetics. His blog is: http://takeupyourcross73.blogspot.com.