A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 85
After hearing the voice summoning him, John was instantly translated from the earthly realm into the heavenly realm.
“And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.”—Revelation 4:2 (NLT)
To enter Heaven in this way, John had to be “in the spirit.” This was not just a vision or a trance. This was an out-of-body experience. John’s spirit actually left his body and traveled to the throne room of God in Heaven. John’s body stayed on the island of Patmos.
Today, we have the testimonies of other reliable, mature leaders who have experienced similar translations to the heavenly throne room, and we can compare these testimonies.
In Roland Buck’s experience, his spirit also left his body. This is how he described it:
“I heard a voice say: ‘Come with me into the Throne Room, where the secrets of the universe are kept!’ I didn’t have time to answer; space means nothing to God! It was like a snap of the fingers — boom — and I was right there! Only then did I recognize that the voice I had heard speaking to me was the voice of the Almighty God!” (Buck, p.51)
It wasn’t until he returned from his experience that Pastor Buck realized that he, like John, had been in the spirit, and not in his body.
“I was totally at ease the entire time I was in the Throne Room, but it was all over too quickly. Suddenly I came back into my office, and I saw myself with my head on my desk where I had been praying. Until that very instant, I thought I was in the Throne Room in my body, but I was not!” (Buck, p.59)
John Paul Jackson also experienced the throne room of God. He has detailed his experience several times in recorded messages. In his experience, like Roland Buck’s, his spirit was taken to Heaven, but his body stayed on earth.
The Spiritual Body
And yet, when Jesus ascended into Heaven after His resurrection, He was taken bodily into Heaven.
“Jesus led his followers out of Jerusalem almost to Bethany. He raised his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he was separated from them and carried into heaven”—Luke 24:50-51 (ICB)
“So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”—Mark 16:19 (AMP)
When Elijah was taken into Heaven in 2 Kings chapter 2, he also was taken in his body, not just his spirit. But as he was taken, a chariot of fire came between Elijah and Elisha, separating them and preventing Elisha from entering into the same experience. Then Elijah was taken up into Heaven by a whirlwind.
How can we explain this?
It seems that people are only taken to Heaven in their bodies when their lives here on earth are finished. Otherwise, if they still have more to do here on earth, only their spirit is taken. Then later, their spirits return to their bodies on earth.
And yet, before Jesus and Elijah were taken to Heaven bodily, there was a dramatic transition that took place. Something happened to Jesus’ body in His resurrection. His resurrected body was not the same as the body that died on the cross. He still had the scars of His crucifixion, but the pain was gone. Something had happened that brought massive healing to His body that had been so brutally damaged in his crucifixion and the cruel tortures leading up to it.
There were also many other people resurrected when Jesus was resurrected, and their bodies were also different. There were no signs of decomposition. These were fully formed, fully functioning bodies. They were healthy and free of any physical problems that may have plagued them in life—health problems that may have even led to some of their deaths.
“The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life]; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people.”—Matthew 27:52-53 (AMP)
Although Scripture does not tell us, it appears that these people must have been taken to Heaven later, in their resurrected bodies which had undergone transformations that allowed them to live again.
How do we explain all of this?
Paul gives us some clues to this mystery in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:
“So it is with the resurrection of the dead. The [human] body that is sown is perishable and mortal, it is raised imperishable and immortal. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in strength; it is sown a natural body [mortal, suited to earth], it is raised a spiritual body [immortal, suited to heaven]. As surely as there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.”—1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (AMP)
This helps us to understand that when Jesus ascended into Heaven, he was not in his natural, earthly body. Instead, the resurrection transitioned Him into His spiritual body that is suited to eternal life in Heaven.
We can think of it like changing clothes. During His life on earth, he wore the clothing of His natural, physical body, but in His resurrection, He put off that clothing and put on His immortal, spiritual body that is suited to life in the heavenly realm. We can also assume that this is what happened with the other people who were raised from the dead with Jesus.
Paul goes on to explain that we will all go through this transformation when the Lord Jesus returns to earth at the sound of the last trumpet. Our bodies will have to be completely transformed in order for us to transition into life in the heavenly realm.
“Now I say this, believers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit nor be part of the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (mortal) inherit the imperishable (immortal). Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed]. For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us that is capable of dying] must put on immortality [which is freedom from death].”—1 Corinthians 15:50-53 (AMP)
Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel also had their own experiences of seeing the throne of God and the activity within the heavenly throne room, but Scripture seems to indicate that these experiences happened to them in the form of visions. If they were actually translated into Heaven, the Bible gives no indication that their bodies went with them. In fact, whenever God appeared to these men, the glory of God was sometimes so overwhelming that these men collapsed and fell to ground as if they were dead. Their natural bodies could not stand in the presence of Almighty God. This happened to Ezekiel at least four times. It also happened to John in Revelation chapter 1.
So, it seems that when the Bible tells us that John was “in the spirit,” it means that his spirit had left his body. Since his life on earth was not finished, his natural body had not been transformed into a spiritual body, and so, while his spirit was in Heaven, his body was waiting for him back on earth.
Reference:
Buck, R. (2005). Angels on Assignment. Whitaker House.
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