This article is developed from a transcript of Truthwatchers podcast, accessible here.
The question under examination is, “Where is the Rapture in the Book of Revelation?” Numerous scholars and theologians have attempted to answer this question, leading to a variety of interpretations. The most common views include the pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, pre-wrath, and post-tribulation rapture positions. Proponents of each view claim scriptural support from various passages in Revelation.
This study finds the evidence strongly favoring the pre-tribulation rapture. This conclusion is not derived solely from Revelation but is supported by numerous passages throughout the broader canon of Scripture, as well as from the writings of early church fathers and even ancient Rabbinic literature. Within the Book of Revelation, the pre-tribulation view is often defended on the basis of the noticeable absence of any direct mention of Christians after chapter 3. This absence is interpreted by some as implying that Christians have been raptured to heaven, since the remainder of the book primarily describes events occurring on earth during the tribulation period.
However, it must be stated that an argument from silence is inherently weak. While silence can occasionally provide circumstantial support within a broader cumulative case, Revelation does not merely omit reference to Christians—it positively depicts Church-age saints in heaven during the tribulation.
Chapters 2 and 3 contain letters addressed to seven literal churches in Asia Minor, dictated to the Apostle John by the Lord Jesus. Following these epistles, Revelation transitions to a heavenly scene. Revelation 4:1 states, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven,” which serves as a literary device transporting the reader into the heavenly realm to observe events that follow the Church Age. It is worth noting that these seven churches should be understood as literal first-century congregations, and not, as some dispensationalists assert, symbolic representations of successive eras of church history.
In Revelation 4:4, twenty-four elders are introduced, seated around the throne of God. Their identity becomes clearer in chapter 5, which presents a series of liturgical scenes marked by hymnic praise within the heavenly throne room. In verse 8, the elders fall before the Lamb, each holding harps and golden bowls of incense. In verse 9, they sing a new song to the Lamb.
Of particular interest is the speech of one elder in Revelation 5:5, who refers to the Messiah as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” a clear allusion to Genesis 49:9–10. He also calls Him “the Root of David,” echoing Isaiah 11:1 and 11:10. Isaiah 11:10 states: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek” This detail is highly relevant to the hymn sung by the elders in Revelation 5:9–10:
“thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Notably, the redeemed group is comprised of individuals “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation,” implying a Gentile identity. These Gentiles are declared to have been redeemed by the Jewish Messiah and are made kings and priests who “shall reign on the earth.” The future tense of the verb “shall reign” implies that, at the time of this vision, these saints are in heaven and awaiting their future reign on earth—an event which chronologically occurs after the tribulation in the structure of Revelation.
Furthermore, the broader context of Revelation 5 establishes that this enthroned Messiah is about to break the seals of the scroll, initiating the judgments that unfold during the tribulation. The presence of redeemed Gentiles in heaven at this point, contrasted with the Messiah’s designation by Jewish titles, signifies a redirection of divine focus back to Israel. The redemptive mission to the Gentiles is thus seen as completed. This aligns with the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Romans 11:25:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
In summary, Revelation 4–5 does not present a silence regarding Christians but instead explicitly portrays the redeemed Church-age saints in heaven before the tribulation judgments commence. This vision supports a pre-tribulational framework and aligns with broader biblical eschatology.
Identifying the Twenty-Four Elders as Church-Age Saints
Our focus in this section will be on identifying the twenty-four elders in Revelation, with particular attention to the evidence suggesting they represent the redeemed saints of the Church Age.
First, it is important to recognize that the twenty-four elders constitute a group of redeemed individuals with a universal scope. This is indicated in Revelation 5:9, where they sing praises to the Lamb, declaring, “for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” This multinational and multiethnic character suggests a collective identity encompassing the global body of believers—an identity consistent with the Church.
This heavenly group is in contrast to another group of redeemed individuals introduced later in Revelation 7:9–14—those who are saved during the tribulation:
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
This passage makes a clear distinction between the elders—who are already present in heaven—and the great multitude, who come out of the great tribulation. While both groups include individuals from every nation and are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, only the multitude is explicitly said to have emerged from the tribulation. The elders, by contrast, appear to be in heaven prior to these events, consistent with a pre-tribulation rapture of Church-age believers. Notably, other references in Revelation to “every kindred, tongue, people, and nation” describe the unredeemed on earth during the tribulation period (e.g., Rev. 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15).
Second, as already noted in Revelation 5:9, the elders are not only redeemed but are already located in heaven before the Lamb begins to open the seals that unleash tribulation on the earth. This timing reinforces the identification of the elders as Church-age saints who were raptured prior to these judgments.
Third, the elders are described as clothed in white garments and wearing golden crowns (Rev. 4:4, 10):
“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold…. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne”
White garments are frequently associated with the righteousness of the saints (cf. Rev. 19:8), and the crowns may symbolize rewards given to faithful believers (cf. 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 3:11), further supporting their identification as Church-age believers.
Fourth, the elders serve a revelatory function in the heavenly visions. In Revelation 5:5, one of the elders speaks to John, saying, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” Likewise, in Revelation 7:13–14, one of the elders explains to John the identity of the great multitude. Significantly, John himself is present in heaven during these interactions, having been summoned there in Revelation 4:1: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven… and the first voice… said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” The elders are thus portrayed not merely as passive worshippers but as informed participants who aid in interpreting heavenly events to John.
Fifth, the elders offer worship specifically centered on Christ’s completed work of redemption. Revelation 5:8–9 states:
“four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood”
The language of personal redemption—“hast redeemed us”—indicates that the elders are not angelic beings but members of the redeemed community. Their posture of worship and the content of their song reflect gratitude for Christ’s salvific work, consistent with the experience of the Church-age believers.
Sixth, the twenty-four elders are said to have been made “kings and priests” and are promised future reign on the earth. Revelation 5:10 states, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” This designation is never ascribed to the great multitude who come out of the Great Tribulation in Revelation 7.
Seventh, in Revelation 11:16–18, the elders worship God for His judgments being executed during the Tribulation period:
“And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
Eighth, the elders are also seen worshiping God for His judgment of Babylon in Revelation 19:1–4:
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.”
Ninth, the elders are present as the 144,000 Jewish evangelists sing before the throne. Revelation 14:1–3 states:
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”
These 144,000 are explicitly identified as Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7:4–8.
Taken together, the evidence demonstrates that the twenty-four elders are saints redeemed by the blood of Christ, worshiping the Lamb. They are distinguished from both the great multitude (tribulation martyrs) and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. They are already present in heaven before the judgments of the Tribulation begin, and their description aligns with that of church-age believers.
The next question is the significance of the number twenty-four. Given that these elders are described as kings and priests who offer worship through song and harps (Revelation 5:8–10), the symbolic connection to the twenty-four divisions of priestly musicians in the Old Testament is compelling (1 Chronicles 25:1, 3, 6–9, 31). These priestly divisions ministered at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (2 Chronicles 5:12–14), the rededication under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:25), and again at the dedication of the Second Temple (Nehemiah 12:27).
The Temple motif is especially relevant for the raptured saints. Revelation 3:10–12, addressed to the church at Philadelphia, promises:
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
Compare this to Revelation 11:19:
“and the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament”
Further references to the heavenly temple occur throughout Revelation:
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14:15, “And another angel came out of the temple…”
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14:17, “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven…”
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15:5–8 describes the temple as the origin of the seven angels who administer the vials of God’s wrath.
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16:1, “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels…”
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16:17, “And the seventh angel poured out his vial… and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.”
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Revelation 21:22 concludes with, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
This progression supports the view that the raptured saints minister in the heavenly temple during the Tribulation and participate in inaugurating its worship, just as the twenty-four priestly orders did in the earthly temple.
This priestly identity is further affirmed in 1 Peter 2:5 and 9:
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
“but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”
Revelation 1:4 identifies the message as directed to the seven churches of Asia, and verse 6 adds:
“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
This designation is reiterated in Revelation 5:10—“hast made us” (present identity), “we shall reign” (future function). The future reign finds its fulfillment in Revelation 20:6:
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection… they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
This reign occurs during the millennial kingdom, which follows the Tribulation and the binding of Satan.
In conclusion, the twenty-four elders in Revelation symbolize the raptured saints of the church age. They are distinct from tribulation saints and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. They are present in heaven prior to the Tribulation, functioning as kings and priests and participating in temple worship throughout the Tribulation. Their number and activities align with the twenty-four priestly orders ministering during significant temple events in Israel’s history. While the term rapture is not used in the text, the placement and role of the elders provide compelling evidence for a pre-tribulational rapture of the church.