“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this’” (Revelation 4:1).
Earlier in our study of Revelation chapter one, we encountered one of the most important verses in this book: “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this” (Revelation 1:19). That passage functions much like a “Table of Contents” for the book of Revelation. To better understand that portion of Scripture and how it relates to our text from chapter four, let’s start with a look at its constituent elements.
Revelation 1:19 begins by saying, “Write, therefore, what you have seen…” (NIV). This encompassed the events that transpired in the opening verses of chapter one and everything that John, the author of Revelation, had witnessed to that point.
Next comes a reference to “…the things which are [now happening]” (AMP). In other words, our author was assigned to record certain events that were unfolding within the church of that era. We explored many of those topics in our look at Jesus’ letters to seven first-century churches in Revelation chapters two and three.
Finally, we have this: “…write down… what is going to happen after these things” (GW). This is where the book of Revelation begins to talk about the future, or “…what will be after these things” (NET). With this in mind, we can say that this passage speaks of…
- The past, or what John had witnessed to that point.
- The present, or the contemporary events of John’s day.
- The future, or what will take place later.
If that assessment is accurate, then it undoubtedly leads to a critical question: “Where are we in this ‘Table Of Contents’ today?” At the risk of over-analyzing this passage, the answer may hinge on the very last thing we read in Revelation 1:19…
- The NIV translation refers to “what will take place later.“
- The NKJ says, “after this.“
- The KJV and ASV render this as, “hereafter“
- The NASB has the words, “after these things.“
- The NLT reads, “the things that will happen later.“
These translations point us to a series of future events. But where do we fit on that timeline and what is the connection between Revelation 1:19 and our text from Revelation 4:1? We’ll unravel the answers to those questions next.
Image Credit: picryl, Public Domain