Consciousness in the Book of Revelation prior to the resurrection

[Jennifer Johnson]

I would have to preface this argument with the fact that it makes sense if one subscribes to a post tribulation rapture/resurrection. In which case, the “first resurrection” does not take place until the events written in Revelation chapter 20. (Satan is bound and the Christ’s thousand year reign begins.)

With this view in mind, we find that the Apostle John is already talking about conscious saints in heaven as early as Revelation chapter 4 – prior to the judgments on the earth.

A.)Revelations 4: 10:

“……the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne saying, ‘Worthy art Thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.'”

B.) Revelation 5:5:

“……and one of the elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping; behold, 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.’ ”

C.) Revelation 6:9-11:

“9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.”

D.) Revelation 7:9-10:

“9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and the Lamb, clothed in white robes…….
10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'”

E.) Revelation 19:11-14:

(Here is mentioned Christ’s second coming, and the saints are with him; but, the resurrection is not mentioned until chapter 20)

“11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.”

This does raise some questions. The people are clothed in linen and some have crowns on their heads. Is that possible if they are only spirits? Could it be possible with spiritual bodies, which aren’t our resurrected bodies? I don’t know.

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Those who hold to a pre-tribulation rapture/resurrection believe that it takes place before chapter 4 of Revelation because the church is not mentioned again after chapter 3, and chapters 4 and 5 come before the judgment. And pre-tribulationists believe Christians will be saved out of the judgment. So, in a sense, I think the pre-tribulation view is that these people would already be in their resurrected bodies, though the word “resurrection” is not mentioned until chapter 20.

It should be noted, however, that the context of the resurrection in chapter 20 seems to be that it is the people who were beheaded for their testimony and did not worship the beast who are resurrected. (But again, in Rev. 6:9-11 it seems these particular “souls” are already alive and crying out for justice before Jesus comes back to earth.)

So could it be that the saints who died before the tribulation already have resurrected bodies? And then, prior to the millenium, the saints who have died in the tribulation are given resurrected bodies?

Interestingly, chapter 20, verse 14 does not refer to a second “resurrection” for the lost, but rather a second “death.” So, are the lost even given new bodies?

Lots of questions, but it seems evident that, at the very least, there are souls that are alive in heaven with Christ prior to his second coming.

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