There is a phrase in Rev.4:1 that state, \u201c\u2026..Come up hither\u2026..\u201d\u00a0 Is this a reference to the rapture of the saints?\u00a0 No, this is not the rapture of the saints.\u00a0 This is an invitation extended to John, only.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, this isn\u2019t referencing the rapture of the saints, or a rapture of John. \u00a0John was invited to take a peek at heavenly things and scripture also tells us why he was invited.\u00a0 He received this invitation, so that future events could be revealed to him; Rev.4:1, \u201c\u2026..and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter\u2026..\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Remember, it was John that wrote the book of Revelation, which is the same book we are referencing right now.\u00a0 If this is the rapture of the saints, why would the saints have to be shown the future?\u00a0 They are the future, and it was recorded by John, several centuries ago.<\/p>\n
There is no mention of saints in the entire chapter.\u00a0 The only possible candidates for saints are the twenty-four elders.\u00a0 This is a far cry from the great multitude standing before the throne, mentioned in Rev.7:9.\u00a0 No, the phrase \u2018come up hither\u2019 is not a reference to the rapture.<\/p>\n
John isn\u2019t participating in any type of rapture at all. John was merely under the anointing of the Holy Spirit: Rev.4:2, \u201cimmediately I was in the spirit \u2026..\u201d\u00a0 This is similar to what Daniel experienced in his dreams and visions mentioned in Daniel Chapters eight and nine.\u00a0 Physically, John never entered heaven.\u00a0 He was supernaturally given a glimpse of heavenly things.<\/p>\n
Here is something else to consider. if John was in heaven, it would have been necessary for his physical body\u00a0 to be transformed into a spiritual body, because flesh and blood cannot be in the presence of God; 1 Cor.15:50, \u201c\u2026..flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God \u2026..\u201d\u00a0 Remember, if John had taken part in the rapture, he could not come back to earth in a physical body and write the book of Revelation to the seven churches. Receiving a spiritual body is a one way trip, where one no longer experiences pain and death, (Rev.21:4).\u00a0\u00a0 John did not participate in the rapture.\u00a0 While under the anointing, he remained in his physical body and he wrote a physical book, named the book of Revelation.<\/p>\n