“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
11:15
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail“
The seventh trumpet and the six bowls cover chapters 11:15-16:16. The trumpets include the bowls. Between the blowing of the seventh trumpet (11:15-18) and the six bowls are three separate interludes (12:1-14:20).
This section of Scripture sets forth the assumption by Christ of His Kingdom.
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
A dramatic introduction to the seventh trumpet begins with an exciting announcement. God now openly exercises His judgments on man and His sovereign reign over the world. This trumpet extends to the Second Coming of Christ and announces the elimination of all obstacles to Christ’s reign over the world. This is the fulfillment of the purpose of the world, where Christ will glorify God in time on earth. This is Christ’s reign over the world as King Jesus, King of the World.
“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
The kingdoms of the world were always Christ’s by right. Now He claims them at the end of the Tribulation as His own. Rule of the earth now proceeds from the rule of man to the rule of God.
This is no temporary victory. Instead, this victory will go beyond the 1000 reign of Christ into eternity – “forever and ever.” The first 1000 years establishes Christ’s authority on earth. Man will never again rule. Jesus will reign forever.
“Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).
11:16
And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God,
At this proclamation, the 24 elders fell on their faces in worship. The time has come for God to deal with the nations and take the reign of the world.
11:17
saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
John describes God as “Almighty” (1:8; 4:8; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15; 21:22) and eternal (is, was, is to come). God will take this great power and reign. “Almighty” means that God possesses all power and authority. God is sovereign and supreme over the world. Therefore, they offer thanks to God that He is in control, and now He exercises that control. There will be no more tyranny. Not since the fall of Adam has there been freedom from the tyranny of man and of man’s government. Jesus will straighten out all injustice at that time.
11:18
The nations were angry,
A pagan world loyal to the Antichrist in the Tribulation now shows its anger to Christ (Psalm 2:1-5). The nations of the world meet the anger of God with their own anger. He will rise rebelling against God’s program. God meets anger with wrath. Man will receive his just desert.
and Your wrath has come,
God’s wrath is omnipotent; man’s is impotent. While people in heaven rejoice, those on earth seethe in anger. They will express this anger by one final rebellion against God in a world war, the battle of Armageddon.
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
One day God will cast Hades into the Lake of Fire.
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great,
God will judge the righteous dead at this time in the Millennial Kingdom. God will reward Israel after their resurrection for faithfulness in the Tribulation (Daniel 12:1-3; Revelation 20:3-4).
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
God will even things up at the Second Coming of Christ. He will balance the ledger at that time.
11:19
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.
Another dramatic scene closes the chapter. John looks into a temple in heaven. There he saw the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant was in the Holy of Holies. The ark indicates God’s presence. The ark also represents God’s mercy and faithfulness. We cannot enter the presence of God without the blood sacrifice of Christ.
The opening of the temple reveals the glory of God. People will see God’s glory; God will manifest Himself fully. The glory of God will explode upon men. Men will see this in His judgments.
And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”
Atmospheric disturbances result from the opening of the temple in heaven. All this signal judgment. God has no option but to judge man. John will resume the introduction of the seventh trumpet in chapter sixteen, where he will give the full details.
Principle:
We live in the day of the silent sky, but there will come a day when Jesus will assert Himself sovereign over the world.
Application:
Jesus will come one day to take over the governments of the world. He will take the reign of the earth. He will finally declare Himself to be King of the world. Today we live in the day of the hushed heaven. God is not presently asserting His rights in the world in the absolute sense. He does not judge man according to His aberrations. There will come a day when that will end.
At present, we are “a stranger here” (Psalm 119:19). Our “citizenship” is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Believers are not in step with the world. We march to a different drumbeat, the drumbeat of heaven. We do not buy into the world’s ideas or values. They live for themselves; we live for God.
Today, people are at-bat. There will be a day when that will cease. Man’s Day will come to an end, and God’s Day will begin. One day God’s forecasting clock will strike suddenly and surely. Only God knows the timing.
God will rule in one universal government over the world. In the Millennium, God assumes complete control over the world. He finally takes what is rightfully His. No wonder the elders fell down in worship. When we recognize God’s sovereign working in the world and our lives, it instills worship in our hearts.
Good eveving Dr. Richison, In Revelation 11:15, If this is the millenium, how does Christ reign forever and forever when Satan will be loosed after a thousand years to decieve the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. I am having trouble understanding this. I would very much appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you, Mark
Mark, Revelation 11:15 is not the Millennium but an indication that Christ will eventually reign over the earth. The Millennium does not begin until Revelation 20. Satan will be loosed for "a little season" during the Millennium to test those who did not accept Christ born in the Millennium.
Hi Dr. Grant, I’d like to ask a question if you don’t mind.
1) When does the seventh Trumpet sound? Does it sound on the very last day of the Tribulation? Or does it sound a few weeks before the end of the Tribulation, or does it sound at mid-Tribulation?
2) In view of the fact that Revelation 10:7 says the mystery of God should be finished when the seventh Trumpet BEGINS to sound, does this not imply that the great Tribulation will have been completed at the moment the seventh Trumpet BEGINS to sound? If this is correct, it would be consistent with the chronological placement of the 7th Trumpet AFTER the resurrection and ascension of the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11. Since the Two Witnesses minister in the second half of the Tribulation, their resurrection and ascension will occur at the end of the great Tribulation (on the last day of the Tribulation). And since the sounding of the 7th Trumpet chronologically follows the resurrection and ascension of the Two Witnesses, it means the seventh Trumpet will also sound on the last day of the Tribulation. But this presents some difficulty: if the 7th Trumpet contains the seven bowls of wrath, how can it possibly sound on the final day of the Tribulation? Can all 7 bowls of wrath be poured out on a single day (the last day of the Tribulation)? If the 7th Trumpet sounds on the last day of the Tribulation – the same day that Jesus returns to earth – then there will be no time for all 7 bowls to play out before the second advent of Christ.
I’d like to know what you think?
Many blessings,
Victor.
Victor, I do not have time to answer your question because we are in a hurricane situation. Check the introduction for where I place the general situation.