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QUESTION 6 — What and who is John referring to when he says “to the one who conquers” (Revelation 2:7, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21)?

John uses this phrase “the one who conquers” as he writes to each of the seven churches of Revelation. There are two referents of application. Obviously, since it was written to the historical seven churches, and specifically, the true Christians within those congregations are being addressed. But the second referent of application is addressed to anyone (throughout church history) who is faithful to God. This triumph will allow those who have “overcome” to the privileges and rewards promised to those who trust in Jesus alone for their salvation. Jesus conquered sin and death. Therefore, we are empowered to be conquerors like Jesus was and continues to be as He spiritually reigns at the right hand of the Father.

QUESTION 7 — Is Revelation 3:10 referring to the pre-tribulational rapture of the church?

This question is a source of intense debate and for some, the legitimacy of a pre-tribulational rapture hinges on this verse.

The main issue is this: Is this verse referring to the spiritual protection of the church or the physical removal of the church?

To attempt to answer this, I will address four key contextual interpretative grids: the context of the Old Testament, the context of the New Testament, the context of the Seven Churches of Revelation and the context of John 17:15.

1 — The Context of the Old Testament.

Did God (as a general rule) spiritually protect or physically remove the nation of Israel from divine judgment of the nations? The main example is God’s judgment on the nation of Egypt right before the exodus in the Wilderness. It seems that God did not physically remove Israel, but rather protected them spiritually, through supernatural means, concluding with the spiritual protection of the firstborn as the Angel of Death passed over the Israelite homes.

Of course, there are other examples. Noah is the most common one, protecting him and his family spiritually through the means of the ark. This example is often used since it is clear that the flood was God’s judgment on evil, whether local or global. The bottom line is that there are no examples of God physically removing His people or His prophets from impending doom.

2 — The Context of the New Testament

The authors of the New Testament, specifically James, Peter and Paul, clearly wrote of both 1) the imminent return of Jesus and 2) the reality that Christians are called to endure through trials (1 Pet. 2:20–21; James 5:7–11; Rom. 8:35–39). In other words, these authors did not give any indication that the church would be removed from trials and tribulations. Furthermore, did these NT authors state clearly that “wrath of God” will not fall on those who are “sealed in the Holy Spirit”? Absolutely. But once again, that “sealing” seems to be one of spiritual protection, rather than the promise of physical removal.

But what about the words of Jesus in Matthew 24–25, where He is obviously talking about signs connected to the end of the age? Let’s see. Jesus tells His disciples that they will “deliver you up to tribulation” and the one “who endures to the end” will be saved (Matt. 24:9, 12). They are told to flee to the mountains (Matt. 24:16) and if those days (i.e. the Great Tribulation) were not cut short no human being would be saved (Matt. 24:22). Again, I don’t see evidence for physical removal.

3 — The Context of the Seven Churches of Revelation

To get right to this issue, there are two churches that Jesus commends: Smyrna and Philadelphia. Smyrna is going to suffer terribly and many will be martyred for their faith. Philadelphia, on the other hand, will be “kept from” the hour of trial. But why Philadelphia and not Smyrna? Both churches are faithful.

Now of course, the two tribulations are different. One is local and one is global. One is for ten days and one is described as for “an hour”. Obviously, both the timeframe of “ten days” and “an hour” must be understood symbolically and not literally. So the duration of these tribulations are difficult to establish. But again, if these churches are universal in scope, meant to represent all churches from every era of church history, and additionally, if we are unable to conclude that the church of Philadelphia represents the church right before the Great Tribulation, then a pre-tribulational view of Revelation 3:10 though it is possible, seems foreign to the mantra of the NT and therefore somewhat forced.

4 — The Context of John 17:15

Much ink has been spilt on the similarities of John 17:15 and Revelation 3:10. Here are the two verses:

Revelation 3:10

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

John 17:15

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

John wrote both verses. And these are the only two verses in the NT that put “tereo” (“keep) and “ek” (“from”) together. Furthermore, the context of John 17 is clearly talking about spiritual protection, not physical removal. Now some pre-tribulationalists claim that John wrote understanding that Jesus’ prayer in John 17 assumes that believers had already been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Ryrie). Therefore, the church is removed from the sphere of Satanic influence, because they are in a sense, not there anymore. I think Ryrie’s interpretation is a stretch. Is it possible that the phrase “keep them from” could be understood as “removed out of” rather than “protected through”. Yes, it is exegetically possible, but the burden of proof is on the pre-tribulational view.

Finally, I heard just recently someone say, “I just don’t see the church being around in Revelation 4–19.” This is an argument from silence, which is not the strongest type of argument.

Again, maybe the church isn’t there (though many scholars understand the 144,000 as the church), but this position comes more from a particular theological interpretation/application which states that because the wrath of the Lamb is poured out on the world, therefore, the Church can’t be there. But if the 144,000 are Jewish believers, then they are enduring the wrath of the Lamb, through the lens of spiritual protection, right? My point is, even with the view that the church has been raptured before the Great Tribulation, there is still spiritual protection, rather than physical removal throughout the book of Revelation.

So, in conclusion, does Revelation 3:10 refer to the pre-tribulational rapture of the church?

Technically, Revelation 3:10 would be describing the result of a pre-tribulational rapture (if that is the correct interpretation), not the rapture itself. But regarding the above question, I would say “NO” if the reader objectively studies the entirety of biblical revelation. In other words, I would argue another interpretation is necessary, required by what is known as the analogy of faith hermeneutic. That being said, because of the precedent of “progressive revelation”, which revealed the concept of the rapture” only in the NT and the possibility that the phrase “kept them from” could exegetically mean “removed from”, I will admit a pre-tribulational interpretation is possible. Yet I still believe the burden of proof is on the pre-tribulational view to present a compelling case against the totality of biblical data. Is their case strong enough from Revelation 3:10 alone? No, I don’t think so.

QUESTION 8 — What does the phrase “After this” in Revelation 4:1 mean?

Identifying the flow (or structure) of the book of Revelation is not an easy task. But it would make it slightly easier if the phrase “After this” could be determined to say that the visions of Revelation were chronological. But is this the case? Well, my first off, the apocalyptic genre in the bible does not like to be boxed in. In other words, it is rarely chronological. And since the book of Revelation is clearly in the apocalyptic genre, the reader should take this into consideration. That being said, my answer is no. I believe the visions jump around, giving the reader a snapshot of the birth of Christ all the way to Jesus’ Second Coming and back again. Even dispensational scholars such as Ryrie admit this. Therefore, “After this” must mean simply “the next vision after the last one”.

QUESTION 9 — Who are the four creatures in Revelation 4:6–8?

Not a lot of debate on this question. It is clear these are the same creatures mentioned in Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6. A consistent interpretation of the entire throne room vision requires us to understand the living creatures as an exalted order of angelic beings who, as the immediate guardian of the throne, lead the heavenly hosts in worship and adoration of God (Mounce, Revelation).

QUESTION 10 — Who are the 24 elders mentioned in Revelation 4:4?

There is not an easy answer to this question. Here are the most common interpretations (I took these from Beale’s commentary on Revelation):

1 — Entire Community of the Redeemed

In this view, the 24 elders are represented by the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, which represent the people of God in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The main support for this view is found in the description of the New Jerusalem, which if this is referring to the entire community of the redeemed, states that the inscription of the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles are inscribed on the gates and walls of this heavenly city. The main objection is the strangeness of separating these elders from the Christian multitudes in Revelation 7:9–17.

2 — Exalted OT saints

The Elders are specifically distinguished as a separate group from the angelic cherubim (4:9–10; 5:8, 14; 7:11; 19:4). Therefore, the elders can be identified as OT saints or their representatives. Furthermore, angels are never called “elders” elsewhere in biblical literature (although Isa. 24:23 is the possible exception) and are rarely called “elders” in Jewish writings. Additionally, in Revelation angels never wear crowns or white clothing or sit on thrones, but such descriptions are predicated only of saints who are in Heaven or of the saints’ reward after death, as a result of their perseverance.

An OT background in 1 Chronicles confirms an identification of the elders as saints. The number 24 is perhaps based on David’s organization of the cult of temple servants into 24 orders of priests (1 Chr. 24:3–19), 24 Levitical gatekeepers and 24 orders of Levites commissioned to “prophesy in giving thanks and praising the Lord”. In addition, “elder” is used in Hebrews 11:2 of the great OT saints.

3 — Angels

The theophanic background of this vision would favor an angelic identification, since the heavenly beings around the divine throne in these visions are clearly angels (especially in Ezekiel 1, Daniel 7, and Isaiah 6). And we have seen how “stars” are metaphorical for angels in the OT, Jewish apocalyptic, and Revelation 1 itself. In addition, the elders have a typical angelic mediating function in presenting the saints’ prayers to God and in interpreting heavenly visions. Also, they are closely associated with and perform the same function as the angelic beings in various passages of Revelation 4:9–10; 5:8, 14; 7:11; 19:4.

4 — Angels who corporately represent OT and NT saints

If angels represent the churches in Revelation 1–3, then it is not a far stretch to say that there could be a group of angels that represent both OT and NT saints in the heavenly throne room (i.e. the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles). This is consistent with the observation that a key function of “elders” in the OT, NT and early fathers is to rule and represent the people of God. However, some have argued that the representative aspect would be even more applicable to deceased or idealized saints in Heaven, since with few exceptions, the term “elders” in the above literature is reserved for humans.

So what interpretation is correct? I am convinced that views 1 and 3 (maybe 4) are the most likely interpretations. I lean slightly towards view 1, because of the language of the white garments and crowns and in general, the weight of biblical support.

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In the next post I will deal with questions 11–20.

  • What does it mean “they shall reign on the earth”?
  • Who are the four horsemen?
  • What is the purpose of the seven seals?
  • Who are the martyrs of the fifth seal?
  • Is the wrath of the Lamb synonymous to the “day of the Lord”?
  • What is the sixth seal?
  • How do we understand the number “four” in Revelation?
  • Who are the 144,000?
  • What does it mean “they are sealed”?
  • Is the “great multitude of Revelation 7:9 the same group as the 144,000?