Daily Bread
Revelation 4:1 - "After these things I looked and saw a door open in heaven and the first voice like a trumpet which I heard spoke to me saying come up here and I will show you what must happen after these things."

The Greek phrase 'meta tauta,' after these things, signifies a shift in events. This phrase 'meta tauta' which on its own may be considered a chronological marker is definitely a chronological marker in Revelation. This chronological marker is emphasized in this verse by the fact that it both begins and ends this verse. In Revelation 1:19, God gave John the instructions of how he was to lay out the book of Revelation, "Write therefore what you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which are about to take place after these things". At this point, the events of the church have come to an end and the church will not be addressed again in the book of Revelation except in the final exhortation in 22:16. What John has seen up to this point concerning the churches he was able to view from an earthly position, but now God must call him up into heaven in order to show him the "things which shall be hereafter." The first time the Greek phrase 'meta tauta' is used in the book of Revelation is in 1:19 where it is identified as the marker for the last section of the book of Revelation. John wrote about the "things that he saw" in chapter 1, and the "things which are" in chapters 2 and 3, and finally, the "things which shall take place hereafter" beginning in chapter 4. The Greek phrase 'meta tauta' was first shown to be a chronological marker in John 3:22, designating the event that followed Jesus' visit to Jerusalem. It is also used as a chronological marker in John 5:1; 5:24; 6:1; 7:1; 13:7 and 21:1. The first time that 'meta tauta' is found in the New Testament is in Luke 5:27 where, once again, it serves as a chronological marker. If 'meta tauta' of Revelation 1:19 refers to the 'meta tauta' of 4:1, then the church must be removed before the tribulation of the book of Revelation begins. The first time that these catastrophic events of Revelation 4 through 19 are mentioned in the New Testament is in Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, and Luke 21:20 which refer to the events of Daniel 11:31; 12:11; Revelation 13:5 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4. Revelation chapter 4 begins the series of events that will take place over the course of seven years. The first in these series of events in Revelation focuses on the revealing of the Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3 and Revelation 6:1). Now there is only one primary event that must take place before the revelation of the man of sin spoken by the prophet Daniel, the "one who now withholds" must come (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). This verse may also imply the removal of something. There are only three powers that may be viewed as hindering lawlessness: Human Government, The Holy Spirit, and The Church. We know for certain that through Revelation 4 through 19 we see the working of both Human Government and the Holy Spirit. Human Government is represented as the nations warring against each other, the Ten Kings which are also represented by Daniel's vision as the Ten Toes of the Great image (Daniel 2:34, 44; Rev 16:12; 17:12; 18:9). These governmental powers will ultimately be destroyed when Jesus returns with His saints and fights against the kings of the earth who are led by the Man of Lawlessness or the Antichrist (Dan 2:34, 44; Rev 19:15). The Holy Spirit will still be present because there will be many who will turn to Jesus and there will be the working of miracles all of which are the function of the Holy Spirit. The only power that remains to be taken out of the way is the Church. In Luke 21:36 Jesus tells his disciples to pray that they may be worthy to escape all of the catastrophic events of Revelation 4 through 19 and stand before the Son of Man (Jesus). Of course we know where Jesus is standing before these disasters begin to take place; for this is primarily what chapters 4 and 5 are devoted to; He is in heaven (Rev 4:3; 5:9). The point of convergence for all of these passages of scripture is the revealing of the Man of Lawlessness, or the Antichrist, who will commit the abomination that makes the temple of God desolate by proclaiming himself to be God. We know that when Paul spoke of these final days of the church on earth it was revealed to him that not everyone would die because there would be an event for those who were alive which would cause them to be caught up into heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). There are no reasons to believe that this catching away takes place at any other juncture in the book of Revelation than here.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org