Kings And Priests

Q. You have said on your web site that Revelation 5 has the church in heaven.  I have read it and I can’t find any mention of the church there.  Can you explain?  ( It says…”I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands”….I see angels, elders, and living creatures, but no saints or church.)

A. Look at the song they’re singing.

“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10 NKJV)

No group but the Church can sing these words. If you do a study of the 24 elders you’ll see that’s exactly who they represent.  They don’t appear in any Old Testament views of God’s throne, showing up for the first time in Rev. 4.  They’re wearing the crowns of overcomers (Greek, stephanos), are dressed in white, and are seated on thrones surrounding the Throne of God.  Skeptics have tried in vain to make them into some other group, but no reasonable alternative has been found.  This is the Raptured Church.