Revelation 11 Verse 15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth.
15. The seventh angel. This marks the beginning of the third woe (see on v. 14) and the end of the parenthesis between the sixth and seventh trumpets (chs. 10:1 to 11:14; see on ch. 11:1). Seventh-day Adventists date its beginning as 1844 (see on v. 19).
Great voices. These were probably those of the heavenly hosts (cf. ch. 5:11, 12). Similarly, in the seventh plague, a great voice is heard from the temple in heaven (ch. 16:17).
Kingdoms. Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 10) the reading “kingdom.” Christ receives the kingdom a short time prior to His return to this earth (see on Dan. 7:14). At the time of His coming all earthly opposition is crushed (see on Rev. 17:14).
His Christ. That is, His Anointed (see Ps. 2:2). The hosts of heaven, who themselves have not received salvation through Christ, refer to Him as “his [God’s] Christ,” probably because the title “Christ” particularly refers to the second person of the Godhead in His function as the One anointed for the work of redemption.
He shall reign for ever. See Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 27; Luke 1:33.
16. The four and twenty elders. See on ch. 4.
Fell upon their faces. Compare ch. 4:10.
17. Lord God Almighty. See on ch. 1:8. A particularly fitting title for God as victor.
Which art. See on ch. 1:4.
And wast. See on ch. 1:4.
And art to come. Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 10) the omission of these words. They probably are omitted from the complete formula of ch. 1:4 because here the focus of the elder’s praise is on the past and present position of God rather than on the future.
Hast taken … hast reigned. The tenses of the Greek may be rendered better, “hast taken … didst reign,” that is, hast taken and didst begin to reign. The triumphant reign begins with God’s asserting His omnipotence. God has ever been all powerful, and the reign of sin has been only by His sufferance, that the true nature of evil might be revealed to created beings. When that purpose has been accomplished, then He takes His “great power” and once more reigns supreme. See 1 Cor. 15:24–28.
18. Nations were angry. Compare Ps. 2:1. Such will be the condition of the nations prior to the coming of Christ. They will band together to oppose the work and people of Christ (see on Rev. 13:12; 14:8).
Wrath. The wrath of God is summed up in the seven last plagues (ch. 15:1). The work of opposition against Christ is brought to a halt by these plagues.
That they should be judged. The mention of both reward and destruction indicates that John is speaking of the final judgment, which takes place after the millennium (ch. 20:12–15).
Reward unto thy servants. See Matt. 5:12; 6:1; 1 Cor. 3:8; Rev. 22:12. Since the events enumerated are sequential (see EW 36), the reward here spoken of is the inheritance of the new earth at the close of the millennium.
Prophets. God’s special servants, who speak forth for Him. This class has borne heavy responsibilities and has often suffered most severely for their Lord.
The seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15–18) signals the conclusion of this earth’s history. The time has come for God to reveal His power and to reign. This rebellious planet, which has been under the dominion of Satan for thousands of years, is about to come back under God’s dominion and rule. It was after Christ’s death on the cross and His ascension to heaven that Christ was proclaimed to be the legitimate ruler of the earth (Rev. 12:10, 11). Satan continues to wreak all the havoc he can, knowing that his time is short (Rev. 12:12). The seventh trumpet heralds that the usurping powers have been dealt with and that this world finally has come under Christ’s rightful rule.
The seventh trumpet outlines the content of the remainder of the book: (1) The nations were angry: Revelation 12–14 describes Satan as filled with anger (Rev. 12:17), who with his two allies—the sea beast and the earth beast—prepares the nations of the world to fight against God’s people. (2) Your wrath has come: God’s answer to the anger of the nations is the seven last plagues, which are referred to as God’s wrath (see Rev. 15:1). (3) The time for the dead to be judged is described in Revelation 20:11–15. (4) And to reward God’s servants is portrayed in Revelation 21 and 22. (5) To destroy those who destroy the earth: Revelation 19:2 states that end-time Babylon is judged because it destroyed the earth. The destruction of Satan, his hosts, and his two allies is the final act in the drama of the great controversy (Rev. 19:11–20:15).
The seventh trumpet message is revealed in Revelation 11:15-18. It provides the signal that earth’s history is finally over. We anxiously await the time when we will join the ranks of the faithful angels and take our place as worshipers in the heavenly Kingdom above.
Revelation 11 Verse 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
The Temple Opened. —Once more the prophet carries us back to the beginning of the trumpet. After the introduction of the seventh trumpet in verse 15, the first great event that comes to mind of the seer is the transfer of the kingdom from earthly to heavenly rule. God takes to Him His great power, and forever crushes the rebellion of this revolted earth, establishes Christ upon His own throne, and remains Himself supreme over all. We are next referred back to the state of the nations, the judgment to fall upon them, and the final destiny of both saints and sinners. (Verse 18.) After this field of vision has been scanned, our attention is called back once more in the verse now under notice, to the close of the priesthood of Christ, the last scene in the work of mercy for a guilty world.
The temple is opened, and the second apartment of the sanctuary is entered. We know it is the holy of holies that is here opened, for the ark is seen; and in that apartment alone the ark was deposited. This took place at the end of the 2300 days, when the sanctuary was to be cleansed. (Daniel 8:14.) At that time the prophetic periods ended and the seventh angel began to sound. Since 1844, the people of God have seen by faith the open door in heaven, and the ark of God’s testament within.
These seven trumpets have announced the judgments that are predetermined for God’s oppressors. We have only to sit back and know that God’s justice will prevail. His protecting hand will guard us from the seven last plagues we hear about later in John’s book. We’ve been sealed and will be shielded from the awful consequences of sin that fall upon the earth in the last days.
