30 After the vision had been completed, Jesus alone was seen.

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. (Matthew 17:8)

As soon as the Church has become married to Christ, having come into perfect and complete oneness with Him, and the world has come to believe God indeed has sent the Lord Jesus Christ, and accepts His Lordship, then the Lord Jesus Christ will be seen by everyone who "lifts up his or her eyes."

Notice the similarities between I Thessalonians 4:16, and Revelation 11:12-15:

In I Thessalonians 4:16, a verse dealing with the resurrection of God’s elect, we have three elements: (1) a shout; (2) the voice of the archangel; and (3) the trumpet of God.

In Revelation 11:12-15 we have three elements: (1) a loud voice from the heaven; (2) the sounding of the trumpet of the seventh angel; and (3) loud voices in the heaven.

Notice also the mention of the cloud, or clouds.

In I Thessalonians 4:17: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, . . . ."

In Revelation 11:12: ". . . they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, . . . ."

In Daniel 7:13: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, . . . ."

In Revelation, Chapter 11 the two witnesses "ascended up to heaven in a cloud", and then, two verses later, "the seventh angel sounded."

In I Corinthians 15:52: ". . . for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

In I Thessalonians 4:16 the order is: "and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." There is a conflict in order here. The passages of Scripture with which we are familiar, with the exception of Revelation, Chapter 11, inform us that the trumpet of God will blow and then the dead will be raised.

The Old Testament feast of Trumpets typifies the resurrection from the dead: first spiritually, and then in the body. The Divine order is: the trumpet blows, and then the dead are raised into the state of incorruptibility.

How, then, can we account for the fact that in Revelation, Chapter 11 the order appears to be reversed, with the two witnesses being resurrected and lifted from the earth into the heaven, and after that the sounding of the trumpet by the seventh angel?

We may speculate that the two witnesses represent a special group of the elect that is raised from the dead and ascends prior to the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6) from the dead. This does not appear to be probable, because the events that follow the sounding of the seventh angel (the events enumerated in Revelation 11:15-19) do not mention a further resurrection of the saints.

It is more likely that the apparent reversal of the customary order is due to one or the other, or both, of the following: (1) the lack of chronological consistency in the Book of Revelation; (2) the fact that there is a period of time referred to as "the days of the voice of the seventh angel," during which events take place as he is about to sound.

The Book of Revelation generally is chronological, with the events of the beginning chapters taking place before those described in the concluding chapters. Certainly the new heaven and earth reign of Christ will take place after the opening of the seven seals.

However, it also seems true that many of the events of history depicted here in symbolic form will take place at the same time, or over long periods of time that overlap. What the Apostle John saw are often different aspects or perspectives of the same spiritual reality.

For example, it no doubt is true that the events described in the eleventh and twelfth chapters take place at the same time and involve the same people. Chapter 11 is describing the testimony of the elect in the last days. Chapter 12 is portraying the forming of Christ in the same elect during the same period of time.

If such is the case, the chronological order of the events of the Book of Revelation cannot always be determined by the order in which they were presented in the vision given to John.

Chapter 11, as we have stated, sets forth in symbolic form the end-time latter-rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s remnant so they can preach the Gospel to every nation for a witness before the Lord returns.

Chapter 12 portrays in symbolic form these same saints over the same period of time, during the last days of the Church Era. While the elect are busily bearing witness under the anointing, another work is taking place in them. Christ, the eternal Conqueror, the "male son" of God Almighty, is being formed in them in preparation for their rule over the earth and its peoples, as coheirs with Christ.

All this is taking place today. We Christians are bearing witness of the Lord’s atoning death and triumphant resurrection, while at the same time Christ is being formed in us by the travail of the ministries of the Body of Christ. The forming of Christ in us is in preparation for our eternal service as the members of the Body of Christ, the Lampstand of God. Isn’t this true? Aren’t we growing in Christ while we are serving?

We are ministering by the Spirit and at the same time Christ is being formed in us in preparation for our role in the coming Kingdom of God.

Therefore the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the Book of Revelation do not occur one after the other in order of time. Rather, they are describing the witnessing of the saints, and the maturing in Christ of those who are bearing the witness.

It is obvious the forming of Christ, the male Son, in the sons, does not take place after the sounding of the seventh angel. Antichrist does not rise up out of the sea (Revelation 13:1) after "the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ" (Revelation 11:15).

In the Book of Revelation, as in the writings of the Prophets of the Old Testament, the visions are not always in order of time. In this respect, the Book of Revelation is not like a history book.

In the books of history, such as First and Second Chronicles, and the Book of Acts, the events are in chronological order.

Some passages of Scripture, such as the writings of Paul, are to be taken literally and factually. Other passages of Scripture, such as the types and prophecies of the Old Testament, and the Book of Revelation in the New, are symbolic and must be interpreted by the Spirit of God. They cannot be analyzed and interpreted by the scholar’s mind. The apparent reversal of the customary order (the trumpet blows and the dead are raised) may be due, as we have indicated, to the lack of chronological consistency in the visions of the Book of Revelation.

Or it may be due to the fact that the protracted period of time referred to as "the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound," are considered to be an integral part of the blowing of the seventh trumpet. We know that the trumpet will sound and we know the dead will be raised at that time. But the chronological sequence may not be significant.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52) When we picture mentally an angel with wings blowing a trumpet we may not be understanding what actually will take place.

In Revelation 10:7, before the two witnesses are charged to bear the Divine testimony, we have the following declaration:

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)

Notice carefully: "in the days of the voice of the seventh angel."

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