And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and NO MAN was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Revelation xv 8. (My emphasis).
The verse under consideration tells us that "no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." No man was ever able to enter the holy place on earth in the presence of God in a body of sin (the high priest apart), but His resurrected saints will be able to enter the holy place in heaven, in a soon coming Day, in their sin-free glorified and immortal bodies. In the tabernacle and temple dispensations, only the high priest could enter into the holy place one day a year on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and that was only after a series of God ordained complex rituals and purifications that the high priest first had to undergo, and not to do so would have meant certain death!
On the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17, Luke 9, Mark 9) stood Moses and Elijah in their glorified bodies, these are the physical bodies that all the righteous dead (and those alive at His Coming) will receive when the Lord returns to the Earth. Is Rev. 15.8 telling us that after the point that the seventh angel has "poured out his vial" in Rev. 16.17, when the "great voice out of the temple" says "it is done." will be precisely the time that men will be able to "enter into the temple" in their glorified bodies? This, on its own would of necessity invalidate any pre-tribulation, and pre-wrath rapture of the saints. Regarding the pre-wrath rapture theory, if this doctrine were scriptural, then they would be able to enter into God's presence before "the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." Is it possible that Enoch and Elijah (the only men recorded in Scripture who have not tasted the "sting of death") have already received their glorified bodies and are therefore now at liberty to "enter into the temple"? have these Old Testament saints received their glorified bodies as yet? Certainly the event on "the holy mount" is past, as it is recorded in Scripture; but, it must be remembered that it was "a vision" ( Matt. 17.9); this was a prophetic foretaste of what will surely come to pass. The elect in Christ will receive bodies of the same constitution as the three apostles witnessed on "the holy mount".
The question, we must ask regarding Enoch and Elijah, whom I believe to be the 'future' "two witnesses" in Rev. 11.3, is this; were their bodies glorified when they ascended to heaven? If they are the future "two witnesses", it is written that they are yet to die (Rev. 11.7-9), which then, of necessity implies that their bodies are presently not glorified, for how can a glorified, immortal and incorruptible body die? As Paul teaches in 1 Cor. 15.52-54; "this mortal shall have put on immortality"; and "Death is swallowed up in victory." Furthermore, it is written; "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Heb. 9.27. This would then fulfil this scripture regarding Enoch and Elijah! At His Coming, those who "are alive and remain" (1 Thess. 4.16), will also assume glorified bodies. It is written "that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God", so exactly how Enoch and Elijah are sustained in the heavenly realm in their current mortal bodies it is vain to speculate upon! But, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18.14.
The temple in Rev. 15.8, is surely the same as that mentioned in ch. 21.22, where it says "I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof." The apostle Paul says of God in Christ; "Who only hath immortality, which no man can approach unto"; 1 Timothy 6.16. God's word is telling us in no uncertain terms that no man can enter into His presence, that is "the temple" unless he is clothed accordingly. We can only enter into His presence through the blood of the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13.8, and then only behold His glory in a glorified sinless body. Rev. 11. shines much light on the heavenly temple, and in verse 19, it says "the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament." (my emphasis). The aforesaid verse happens at the very point in time when the righteous receive their glorified bodies and will then be able to enter the holy of holies; after "the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." Rev.15.8.
It is true that upon death, God's elect will immediately enter into Christ's presence ( Phil. 1.23, 2 Cor. 5.8, Luke 23.43 etc). Nevertheless, as 2 Cor. 5.8 says, it will be an "absent from the body" presence as Paul clearly states. Is a man, a man without a body? these are deep things, but clearly a man cannot be a man without a body! Yet in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16.19-31) we note that Abraham, the rich man, and Lazarus appear to have bodies, yet have not been resurrected! We know that this scene is not of a future vision, for Dives wanted to warn his five brethren who were yet still in their mortal bodies. Dives is now "in torments" and Lazarus "is comforted"; so how do we account for the obvious sensations they are experiencing if they are "not in the body"? Clearly we believe this 'anomaly' because "it is written". We read in Rev. 6.9 of "the souls of them that were slain for the word of God"; these souls are clearly conscious, and they "cried with a loud voice" (v.10). They, as indeed the participants in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, are also able to perform functions that we would normally limit to being "in the body". Regarding the "souls" in Rev. 6.9, it is said of them that they are "underneath the altar"(RV); the altar was obviously outside of the holy of holies in the temple at Jerusalem, as it would be also in the heavenly temple of which the earthly one was a pattern of (Heb. 8.5). It is noteworthy that though the aforesaid souls in heaven are said to be in the temple precinct, as it were, yet it will only be when they receive their immortal and glorified bodies will they be able to enter into the holy of holies. See also Revelation 11.19; after "the seventh angel sounded, that the way into the holiest place could be seen; "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His covenant". Was it possible for the martyred souls in heaven prior to Rev. 11.19 to enter into the holy place? I don't believe so, for it is said "that they should rest for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Rev. 6.11).
But, this "little season"; exactly how long is it? The fifth seal martyrs cried "how long...?" in verse 10. Have they been resting in bliss under the altar for 2000 plus years, waiting for Jesus to perform His work of judgment? Scripture says that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" 2 Peter 3.8. God is in eternity, so it stands for reason, that when His saints go "to be with Christ" (Phil. 1.23), then they too, have entered into eternity. With this line of biblical thought; Abel has been with Christ for approximately only six days, Noah around four days, the apostles two days, and those martyred for Christ at the start of the Reformation, not even half a day!
It is interesting that in the account of the rich man and Lazarus, the only other person mentioned there was the patriarch Abraham, but the pre-incarnate Christ must have been there as well, in order to relay the parable to us, for God is omnipresent. Christ is the One into whose presence His elect will enter into upon death, for He said "before Abraham was, I Am" John 8.58.
This 'unknown' period as it were, between death and resurrection, has been called the "intermediate state", and is what is known as purgatory by those within Roman Catholicism. Of course, the Bible knows nothing of this false teaching, but it is nevertheless admitted that many within the Reformed Faith have differing views on what exactly happens in the so-called intermediate state. Some believe in soul-sleep, but such a notion can be easily disproved from Scripture.
I can see why many who study God's word refer to extra canonical writings, for it makes it easier as it were, to 'prove' a theory, but this can be a treacherous road to travel down...
Going back to the pre-wrath doctrine, as I understand it to teach, there will still be two Second Comings of Jesus, one to rapture His saints out of great tribulation, the next when He Comes with His saints to Earth. Yet, Hebrews 9.28 clearly says He "will appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (my emphasis).
A work in progress.
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