Revelation 11:15-19 The Seventh Trumpet

Woodland Hills Church of Christ

The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15-19

Introduction: When the first seal of the scroll was opened in chapter 6, we watched in amazement as horses ran across the stage, souls of those slain cried out under the altar, judgments were promised, trumpets bringing partial judgments warning of the end, and thunders warning that there would be no more delay. Now the seventh trumpet will sound, and the anticipation should cause us to be on the edge of our seat as in watching the hero of an epic movie win the final battle against the enemy.

But before we can hear the meaning of the seventh trumpet, we must remind ourselves of the context of the angel blowing this trumpet.

1. Context of the Seventh Trumpet
   1. 10:5-7 is our first reminder of the context of the seventh trumpet. We have seen this in previous lessons. The angel standing on the sea and the land is an exact parallel to Daniel 12 and the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation. However, in Daniel 12, the angel said the fulfillment of the prophecy would happen after a “times, time, and a half a time.” But in Revelation 10, the angel said “there would be no more delay” and when the seventh angel sounded, “the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
   2. Therefore, the sounding of the seventh trumpet is not the end of time, but the fall of the Israel nation. Jesus foretold this in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In doing so, he also quoted from Daniel 9:24-27 and used similar words as in Daniel 12:1. As in so many places in scripture that foretell of our describe God’s judgments on a nation, the words used sound like the final judgment day. And yes, it is a final judgment day, but only on that nation. Cf. Acts 2:19-20.
   3. Next, there are three clues in 11:15-19 that indicate the seventh trumpet is not the end of time judgment:
      1. Vs. 15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ…” Notice that “kingdom of the world” is singular. It is not “kingdoms,” plural. God is in the process of bringing all enemies under Jesus’ feet. Israel is the first.
      2. Vs. 17: “…for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” This statement clearly tells us that the seventh trumpet is not the end of time. 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 tells us that Jesus will reign until all enemies are put under his feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed will be death.
      3. Vs. 18: “The nations raged, but your wrath came…” Those words are a clear reference to to the prophecy of Psalm 2, and the rebellion of Israel. We will look at that in a moment.
   4. 10:9-11 gives us a final clue. After the blowing of the sixth trumpet, John was given a little scroll and told, “You must prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” That part of Revelation is still be be revealed (chapters 13-18).
2. Psalm 2: Seeing the Broader Context
   1. Psalm 2 could easily be considered a summation of the whole Bible. Who will rule, God or the nations through the influence of the Serpent?
   2. By dividing the psalm in two sections we can get the primary message.
      1. Vs. 1-9 Nations, kings, and peoples believe they can overthrow God and the King he has chosen to rule. (By the way, this gives us a clue to Satan’s purposes in rebelling.) Of course, God laughs at their attempts, establishes his anointed King on his throne, and tells him to dash these rebels and their nations in pieces.
      2. Vs. 10-12 offers a warning to all the other nations concerning what they have just seen in God’s power. The call is to serve the Lord with fear and “kiss the Son lest he be angry, and you perish in the way…”
   3. Notice how these two sections connect. In Acts 4, when Peter and John were threatened by the Council to stop preaching in the name of of Jesus, they went back to their companions and prayed for boldness. In doing so, they quoted the words of Psalm 2:1-3 and applied it to Pilate and the Jewish authorities who used Pilate to get their way.
   4. Therefore, when we go back to Revelation 11:18, we read, “The nations raged, but your wrath came.” That is just what we read in the first half of Psalm 2. Israel became like the nations and conspired with them to overthrow Jesus as their King. Just like in the Parable of the Tenants, they killed the Son and tried to take over the vineyard. Thus, in Revelation 6-11 we have seen the Lamb “shattering” them in pieces. Will the rest of the nations learn the lesson and “kiss the Son?” No! See 9:20-21. They did not repent.
   5. Therefore John is given more prophecies “concerning peoples and nations and languages and kings” (10:11).
3. The Message of the Seventh Trumpet
   1. It is interesting that when the seventh angel blows his trumpet there is no detailed description of what happens. Just as chapter 10:5-7 said, that’s it! It is done! In a moment, Israel is gone.
   2. Vs. 15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” This is just the beginning, as verse 17 says.
      1. Consider God’s purpose from the beginning was to fill the earth with his glory. Isaiah describes the ultimate purpose of the Messiah when he says, “They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
      2. Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
      3. Further, “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord.” This is the beginning of the world becoming God’s kingdom. As the Lamb continues to reign, each enemy will either kiss the Son or perish.
   3. 16-17: The last we saw the 24 elders was in chapters 4-5. Now when they see the Lord conquer, they leave their thrones and fall on their faces giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty. This has been a long awaited day, foretold thousands of years previous. When would the Serpent and his offspring be crushed. The reign of God’s anointed has finally come. Remember that the prophecy was not that the King would come and suddenly all the nations would be subjected to him. The prophecy was, “he will reign until…” Jesus would need to deal with more enemies before they all would be subjected to him.
   4. Do you appreciate verse 18? Is it something you hope and long for?
      1. I’m reminded of king Hezekiah after he foolishly showed the rulers of Babylon all the treasures of his house. God told him that because he had done this, the king of Babylon would come and take away these treasures along with the people, but that it would not come in his day. Hezekiah exhibited his selfishness when he said, “At least there will be peace and security in my day.”
      2. It is a fleshly minded person who thinks only of themselves and what happens in their lifetime. God’s cause is bigger than that, and as Jesus taught, our prayers are to be for that eternal kingdom to come.
      3. Look at it! The dead judged and the destroyers of the earth are destroyed. While it is sad that judgment on the wicked had to come, we must be so thankful to God that the destroyers and finally destroyed.
      4. And in the midst of that judgment, we see God “rewarding your servants, the prophets and the saints…both small and great.” That is what we are living for in Christ. He has promised the greatest reward ever, that no one can even imagine. Because of that, we happily give ourselves up for his sake.
   5. “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.” No one was allowed to look upon his ark. But now it is visible. God’s covenant promises are sure and steadfast. We are now ready for the judgment of the beast!

Berry Kercheville

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