02.35. LECTURE No. 35 -- Rev_11:15-19
LECTURE No. 35 -- Revelation 11:15-19 The Kingdoms of This World to Become the Kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ - A Synopsis of Things to Follow - The Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet and the Voices Which Follow - A Prophetic Announcement - All Heaven Will Be Moved with Excitement - The Elders in Heaven Will Worship - What the Elders Will Say As They Worship - A New Order of Government Will Come in Due Time to the Whole Earth - The Nations Will be Angry and God Will Judge Them in Wrath - The Time of the Dead Will Come - Resurrection a Necessity - God Will Destroy Those Who Destroy the Earth
IN our last message we concluded our study of the Two Witness, whom God will send from heaven back to earth, as judgment and restoration Prophets during the Tribulation period, which is to follow the completion and rapture of the Church.
Our last lesson concluded with these words;
“The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”
Our Lesson Text We are now ready to advance in our study by reading what is written in Revelation 11:15-19, where it says,
“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.
“And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 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.
“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
“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.”
Certainly, my friends, we have here a passage of scripture full of meaning, and one which well deserves our prayerful consideration. Let us remember that we are here studying concerning those things which will follow upon the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which, as we know, is the last of the Trumpets. A Synopsis
What we have here is not a detailed discussion of those events which are to occur upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, but is rather a synopsis of things which are to follow.
The importance of the things which are to occur following the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, is impressed upon our minds by what is stated in Revelation 10:7, where it says,
“But in the days of the voice of the Seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the Prophets.”
We remind you that it says here, “In the days of the voice of the Seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished.”
In this passage the word “days” is plural which would indicate that not a single day, but rather a period of time will be necessary for the fulfillment of those events which will come to pass at the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet. There is no way of telling how long or short that period of time may be, but since the word “days” is used in the plural, we know that a continued period of time will be required. To the End of the Revelation From what was stated in Revelation 10:7, we have every reason to believe that the events which are to follow upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet include everything on through to the very conclusion of the mystery of God!
The mystery of God will be finished according to the Revelation until the seven vials of the wrath of God have been poured out upon the world of wicked men, as indicated Revelation 16:1-21.
We also know that the Revelation will not be finished until great Babylon has fallen, as indicated in Revelation 17:1-18!
And it is unreasonable to believe that the mystery of God will be finished until the harvest and the vintage of the earth have been gathered in, as suggested in Revelation 14:14-20.
What we have therefore, in our lesson text, is an announcement or preview, or synopsis of all these things which will come to pass under the Seventh Trumpet, wherein and whereby the mystery of God will finished. When the 7th Trumpet Is Sound
Now let us notice from our lesson text what happened when the Seventh Angel sounded the Seventh Trumpet.
In verse Revelation 11:15 it says,
“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 shall reign for ever and ever.”
- Upon the sounding of the First Trumpet you will remember, hail and fire, mingled with blood were cast upon the earth, and the third part of the trees was burned up and all green grass was burned up.
- At the sounding of second Trumpet a great mountain, as it were, burning with fire was cast into the sea.
- At the sounding of third Trumpet, “There fell a great Star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters.”
- At the sounding of the fourth Trumpet a third part of the Sun was smitten, and a third part of the moon, and a third part of the Stars.
- Upon the sounding of the fifth Trumpet, John said, “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.”
- At the sound of the sixth Trumpet John said, “I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the Sixth Angel, which had the Trumpet, Loose the four Angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates, and the four Angels were loosed which were prepared for an hour and a day, and a month and a year for to slay the third part of men.”
Thus, my friends, we see that the judgments which are to follow upon the sounding of these Trumpets, will be of great consequence, and are of interest to Angels in heaven, and men upon earth and to those who occupy the bottomless pit.
All Heaven Will Be Moved
We do not wonder, therefore, that when the Seventh Trumpet sounds there will be great voices in heaven! This would indicate that when this Trumpet sounds, all heaven will be moved with activity and with excitement because of those things which they know are about to happen.
Voices
Although it is not stated in our lesson text just who will speak and what these voices are all about, we can judge somewhat by the rest of the narrative what some of them will be.
Somehow the inhabitants of heaven will realize that the final crisis of the ages has come, so far as God’s administration of affairs upon the earth is concerned, and it will be impossible for them to keep still.
In Revelation 14:2, John said, “I heard voice from heaven as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, and I heard the voice of harpers with their harps.”
And in Revelation 14:6-7, he said again, “I saw another Angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud Voice, Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
Again in Revelation 18:1-2, the Apostle said, “And after these things I saw another Angel come down from heaven having great power; and the earth was lightened with its glory. And He cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hole of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” A Great Voice In Revelation 16:1, John spoke saying, “I heard a great voice out of the Temple saying to the Seven Angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
Another Voice
Also in Revelation 18:4, John said, “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” A Voice of Much People And again in Revelation 19:1-2, John said, “After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and Glory, and Honor, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments.”
These references which we have given will serve to indicate the nature of the voices which will be heard in heaven upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet; for all of these things will come to pass in fulfilling the mystery of God under the judgments of the Seventh Trumpet. All of these voices, therefore, will unite together, 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.”
What Will Follow?
Now when the combined voices in heaven utter this cry in anticipation of what is to follow, it says in verse Revelation 11:16 :
“The four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, 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.”
We need not question as to who these elders are, because they were mentioned in our study in Revelation 4:4-5, where they were represented as being robed and crowned, and enthroned upon twenty four seats or lesser thrones round about the Throne which was in heaven.
In our study at that time we discovered them to be representatives of the first born of the resurrection.
Dr. Seiss, in his book on the Apocalypse, says,
“They are the Seniors of the Celestial Congregation of the Redeemed. They are the ones accounted worthy to ‘escape’ the sad scenes and tribulations of the judgment times, taken away and hid in the pavilion of God, while the anger of the Almighty sweeps the guilty world, and enthroned in heaven for their valiancy and faithfulness when yet on earth. They are already glorified, but that does not diminish their interest in the ongoing and completion of the same process in the case of others. They have their golden crowns, but that does not withdraw their hearts and sympathies from those still in the graves, or from the still remaining fulfillment of God’s Word -the Crowned elders on their Thrones are even more concerned over the conflict still pending, and the victories yet to be achieved, than they were in those through which they had won their own crowns.” When we understand who these elders are, and realize their intense interest in the unfulfilled plan of redemption provided of God for those who are still upon the earth, we do not wonder that when the combined voices of heaven say it unison, “The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever,” that they will fall upon their faces, and worship God.
In our study of Revelation 5:1-14 we learned that when the Lion of the Tribe of Judah had stepped forward and had taken the Book out of the hand of Hin that sat upon the Throne, the twenty four elders fell down at that time before the Lamb and worshipped, having everyone of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the Saints.
But in our present lesson, when the Seventh Trumpet is sounded we are told that they will fall upon their faces and worship God. Formerly they worshipped by singing and playing their harps, but in this instance they will literally prostrate themselves upon their faces and worship God, because in this way only will they be able to express themselves, 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.”
What the Elders Will Say Now let us note further what the elders will say in their act of worship! In verse Revelation 11:18, it says, “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 to them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth.”
Surely, my friends, all that is stated here will be enough to cause them to worship and fall upon their faces before God. A Change in Government Will Come
Now, let us note a little more carefully what is included in these wonderful events which will come to pass at the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.
The first thing we notice in Revelation 11:15 is that the Kingdoms of this world are to become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and that He shall reign for ever and ever. In other words, “He shall reign to the ages of the ages.”
This statement implies a great change in the Government of the earth. We have all been taught to pray, saying, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” This will not come to pass until after the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, but under, and by, and through the judgments of God, which will follow the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, this very condition will be brought about.
Before this can be done, however, present day republics and democracies and dictatorships, all of which are builded upon systems of man philosophy, must be destroyed, and the whole world must come under the theocratic government of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not need to wonder at this, because Isaiah in prophesying of Christ, said,
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the Government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
“Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the Throne of David and upon His Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment, and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.”
Isaiah
Also in Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 42:4, the Lord said of Christ,
“Behold, my Servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles-He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His Law.”
What Jesus Himself Said
We do not need to wonder at the fact announced here that the Kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, because in Matthew 28:18, after His resurrection, and just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus said to His disciples: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
We should not be surprised therefore that someday Christ will come again and assume the authority over the earth, which is rightfully His, and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
What, therefore, does the present deterioration of world governments mean? What does all this sweeping change from dying republics and weakened democracies to dictatorships mean? It could only mean one thing, and that is that the world is now being prepared for the time when the Kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. The political changes that are now taking place are but stepping stones in the mind and purposes of God for the accomplishment of this great objective. The Nations Will Be Angry
Now, in Revelation 11:18 verse we are told that when the 7th Trumpet is sounded, the nations of the earth will be angry, and that the time of God’s wrath will have come. That the nations will be angry is confirmed in Psalms 2:1-3, where it says, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. The Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.”
Thus we see that because the nations will be angry with God, God will find it necessary to visit them with His wrath, and punish them for their wickedness. The Time of the Dead
Now, we are told in this same passage that when the Seventh Trumpet is sounded, it will be “The time of the dead that they should be judged.”
This is a very great subject, implying the intermediate state between death and resurrection. We shall not endeavor to discuss this phase of the subject, however, because what the lesson text seems to impress upon us most forcibly is that there is to be a resurrection of the dead; for the express purpose of judgment and reward.
We are told in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 that all will be made alive. It says,
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.”
We know also that there is to be a resurrection of the just and of the unjust. This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Acts 24:15. The Resurrection a Necessity
Every reasonable minded person can see the necessity of a resurrection. The reason the dead will be raised to life again is because, “It is not all of life to live, nor all of death to die.”
We must all agree that full justice is never done or meted out in this life, either for the righteous, or for the wicked. No man who does his best to live right, and to do what is right here upon earth, received his full reward when he comes to die. And the same thing applies the wicked.
You know as well as I do that thousands upon thousands of people live wickedly, and are guilty of many different kinds of sin. Many people live selfishly. Many live and grow rich by the fruits of deceit and craftiness, while they live, they pass as duly respected citizens!
Fortunes are made by fraud and oppression, and by the exercise of injustice, and yet those who live and enjoy themselves at the expense of others, live out their days and are buried in pomp and style without the law of justice even once being brought again them.
It stands to reason, therefore that in the economy of God, there must be a resurrection of the dead, else it would seem as if the justice and the judgments of God had been perverted.
But this fact remains that the souls and bodies of men, having wrought together, either in matters of righteousness or wickedness, must share both judgments and the rewards of God together, as the case may be. Even those who commit suicide, to escape from things in this life, will be raised from the dead and be compelled to face the issue from which they sought to escape. This will be at the time of the sound of the Seventh Trumpet.
Reward for Others
Another thing that will occur at this time is, that God will give reward unto His servants the Prophets, and to the Saints, and them that fear His name small and great.
What a glorious time that is going to be.
At that time Moses will receive the blessings and the reward he had in view when he forsook Egypt, “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt.”
Then shall Daniel stand in his lot, and the rest of the Prophets and the saints of the Old Testament.
Then the Apostle Paul will receive the crown of righteousness, which he said was laid up for him against that day. Jesus promised the Twelve Apostles, that because they had forsaken all to follow Him, they would one day sit upon Twelve Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
They too, therefore, will enter into their reward.
We also, who may be counted among the lesser saints of the Lord, will receive our reward. Certainly we who are Christians, who labor for Christ, and suffer persecution here below, do not feel that we are receiving all of our rewards here and now. No, indeed! But we have the promise that if we are faithful over a few things, in the day of final rewards, He will make us ruler over many things. And a part of our reward will be when Jesus confesses us before the Father and before the Angels in Heaven, as His very own, as sinners saved by grace through faith in His shed blood.
All these things cannot and will not come until after the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, at which time God will give rewards unto His servants, the Prophets, and to the Saints, and them that fear His name, small and great.
God Will Destroy Them Who Destroy the Earth
Another thing we are told is that when the Seventh Trumpet is sounded, God will destroy them which destroy the earth, as stated in Revelation 11:18. Just how God will do this is described in the following chapters of the Revelation. Therefore we shall not enlarge upon this thought.
What John Saw
Now in Revelation 11:19, it says, “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.”
We haven’t time to enlarge upon this verse in this lesson, except to say that there is a Temple of God in Heaven, which served as a pattern of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, and of the Temple which was later built in Jerusalem.
We know also that the Ark containing the two Tables of Stone, on which were written the Ten Commandments, pertains to the Children of Israel who are everywhere in the scriptures recognized as God’s chosen people here upon earth.
The presence of the Ark, therefore, in the Temple of God, which John was given to see, was a symbol of the fact that God will again remember His covenant with Israel, and will deliver His people.
~ end of lecture 35 ~