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.” 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.