Revelation 11:15-19 NKJV – 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!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 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. 18 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.” 19 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.
Seven Trumpet
V15 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!
Everything is God’s (Psalm 24:1). These are loud voices of praise and thankfulness. Jesus is King, but to look at the world, one would think He is not. He has allowed everyone to understand the dangers and horrors of sin and the impossibility of humans to think or do what is right. Jesus comes to reign and straighten everything out. Compare Zechariah 14:9, Psalm 45:6, Daniel 2:44-45, and Revelation 11-21.
V16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God.
Kneeling down, thanking Him, and rejoicing that the Lord is king and will reign forever and ever, a king of righteousness, goodness, and unchanging. Our hearts should be slow to complain and quick to offer thanksgiving.
V17 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.
They praise the Lord God Almighty who never ceases to exist. He who is to come, a prophecy yet to be fulfilled, and here—when this was written—it was still future. The Greek word “taken” is (G2983) λαμβάνω lambanō, which means take in many senses. Here, He takes it by claim. He claims His kingdom, where He actually will have His throne in Jerusalem shortly after the final punishments and war on antiChrist and his forces. (Zechariah 14:1-9).
V18 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.
Judgment is going to be worse. People have not repented and believed in Jesus as Messiah. Salvation was offered but rejected by most.
Lex talionis, which is an eye for an eye.
- Those who reject God and His ways are rejected and destroyed.
- Those who feared God (believing Him as Abraham believed) are rewarded.
- Those who destroyed the Earth will be destroyed.
It is time for 3 things:
- The dead to be judged, referring to both physical dead (those in Hades) and spiritually dead (separated from God). They should have believed in God as Abraham did.
- The believers in Jesus Christ to be rewarded. It is summed up in the term: those who fear your name, which is an Old Testament term for believers in God and His ways.
- The destroyers of the Earth by pollution, poisons, tampering with the weather, soil, and living things.
Most scholars do not accept Earth as referring to the sphere we live on but rather all people who sin, are depraved, and have committed moral depravities.
Alter AI summarizes:
For the vast majority of conservative evangelical scholars, the focus remains primarily on moral and spiritual retribution. In this framework:
- Sin as Destruction: The “destruction” here is typically viewed through a lens of judgment against those who have corrupted the world’s moral fabric. The “destroyers” are those who have rejected God’s sovereignty, persecuted the saints, and led humanity into idolatry and wickedness.
- The Anthropocentric View: Traditional commentary often emphasizes that the “earth” represents the domain of human history. The destruction caused by the wicked is seen as the moral pollution of humanity, rather than the physical degradation of the biosphere.
- Divine Prerogative: The Greek verb diaphtheirō (to ruin, corrupt, or destroy) is understood as the lex talionis—the law of retaliation. God is simply bringing the same ruin upon the oppressors that they inflicted upon the world through their rebellion.
Those who do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah and King were angry about everything that has happened so far from the judgments. In essence, they say, “We defeated these witnesses; now they came to life and went into heaven.” They are angry at their defeat. “Your wrath has come” is the final judgment. The time for the dead to be judged is the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The reward of faith is the blessings of Jesus’s reign and rewards for faithfulness of the believers. Compare Romans 14:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, and Matthew 25:21 (faithful servants). There are 4 terms for believers—servants, prophets, saints (holy ones), and God fearers. Those who destroy the earth do so by their sin, their false environmental actions, wars, harmful practices to animals and plants, etc.
Those who do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah and King were angry about everything that has happened so far from the judgments. In essence, they say, “We defeated these witnesses, now they came to life and went into heaven.” They are angry at their defeat. “Your wrath has come” is the final judgments. The time for the dead to be judged is the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The reward of faith is the blessings of Jesus’s reign and rewards for faithfulness of the believers. Compare Romans 14:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, and Matthew 25:21 (faithful servants). There are 4 terms for believers—servants, prophets, saints (holy ones), and God fearers. Those who destroy the earth do so by their sin, their false environmental actions, wars, harmful practices to animals and plants, etc.
V19 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.
This is the Temple where Jesus ministers as High Priest. The rest of the verse lists some of the effects of this announcement. Compare Exodus 19:18 and Exodus 20:18.
We learn:
- Sinners are angry that God wins all battles and judges evil.
- Jesus is the king and has set His claim.
- Believers receive rewards for all they have experienced because they believed in God.