Revelation Chapter 11:14-19 Revelation 11:14-19 “The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. 15And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying, "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign. 18"And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." 19And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm” 11:14 “The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly”: “This statement serves as a transition between the second and third woes. It should be remembered that when the woes were introduced by the cry of an eagle that it was said, ‘Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth’ (8:13). In response to the prayers of the saints, fire was poured out upon the earth (8:35), and the trumpets sounded, bringing judgments upon the earth. The judgments against the earth give assurance to the saints that evil will be defeated and truth will be victorious” (Hailey p. 261). 11:14 “Coming quickly”: Which infers that this is not in reference to the final judgment but rather to a judgment upon this world for its persecution of God’s people (6:9ff). The term “quickly” means “without delay, speedily”.
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The Seventh Trumpet 11:15 “Then the seventh angel sounded”: Remember the fifth trumpet had sounded in 9:1 and the sixth in 9:13. 11:15 “There were loud voices in heaven”: “A great silence had followed the opening of the seventh seal (8:1), but great voices follow the sounding of the seventh trumpet” (Hailey pp. 261-262). 11:16 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ”: Gregg notes that at this point virtually all futurists, being premillenarians, see the trumpet of the seventh angel as heralding the Second Coming of Christ to put down all opposition, take the authority of the nations to Himself and establish His millennial kingdom on earth. Yet this interpretation causes a number of problems for premillennialists: 1. If this is the Second Coming and the establishment of the millennial kingdom (utopia on earth), then why are seven bowls of wrath poured out on the earth after this chapter? 2. If this is Jesus’ rule on earth, which according to their theory is one thousand years long, then why does this verse say that Jesus reigns forever and ever? Will Jesus reign one thousand years on the earth or forever and ever on the earth? 3. “Another problem associated with a premillennial understanding of this passage is that there appears to be, in verse 18, a resurrection of the dead and a judgment. Dispensationalism teaches that the Christians are raised at the Rapture, prior to the Tribulation (Revelation 4:1), and that the wicked are raised at the end of the Millennium (20:12-13). However, this passage seems to place the resurrection and judgment at the end of the Tribulation. On dispensational assumptions, this is seven years too late to involve the church, and 1,000 years too early to be the wicked” (Gregg p. 249). 11:15 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord”: The reader should note that this is not the beginning of the kingdom promised in the Old Testament (Isaiah 2:2-4), John the Baptist or Jesus (Mark 1:15). Rather, that kingdom came within the lifetime of the disciples (Mark 9:1) and is the same relationship known as the church (Colossians 1:12-14). When John wrote this letter he and every other Christian was already in the kingdom (Revelation 1:9; 1:5-6; 5:9-10). In addition, the above passage is not saying that Jesus begins His rule at this time. Jesus has been ruling as kingdom long before this letter was written
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(Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36; Ephesians 1:20-23). In fact, John had already told the church in Thyatira that Jesus had already received authority from the Father (2:26). This passage is not saying that when Jesus comes again He will set up the kingdom, for the kingdom is already here and when He returns, the kingdom will be delivered up, not set up (1 Corinthians 15:24). Likewise remember that Psalm 110 notes that the Lord, who sits at God’s right hand and is the priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, rules in the midst of His enemies (110:1-4). Jesus is presently such a priest (book of Hebrews), and therefore He presently reigns. Ogden believes that the above passage means that God once again asserts His control over the nations, as He did in the Old Testament when He used nations like Assyria (Isaiah 10), Babylon, and Persia to punish Israel and perform His will. McGuiggan reminds us that on a practical level God has always ruled in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 2:21; 4:17; 25-26; 5:21). “God had given a kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar (2:36-38). “Who was it that raised up the Persians to waste the Babylonians? Who gave the kingdom of Cyrus? Was it not the Lord (Isaiah 45:11)? And who raised up the Greeks to replace the Persians and the Romans to take the place of the Greeks?” (p. 165). Compare also with Psalm 10:16; 29:10; Exodus 15:18; 1 Chronicles 29:11. So if God has always ruled over the kingdoms of men, if they have really always belonged to Him, then what does the above passage mean? I seems best to interpret the passage as meaning that God once again asserts or publicly demonstrates in some dramatic fashion that He indeed is Lord over all the earth. One way of doing this is to bring a nation to its knees or to remove it. This happened when God brought judgment against Jerusalem and the Roman Empire. Some writers feel that this happened when God destroyed Jerusalem: “Christianity only became a world religion (or kingdom—to use the biblical term) after it become totally dissociated from Judaism in 70 A.D.” (Jay Adams). Yet Christianity was already worldwide prior to A.D. 70 (Colossians 1:23), and it was already dissociated from Judaism prior to that as well (Acts 17:5-6). In addition, the establishment of the kingdom of God as spoken by Daniel does not destroy Jerusalem, rather its establishment brings down the fourth empire in the dream interpreted by Daniel and that fourth empire is the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:4445). The same is true in Daniel 7:15-28. 11:15 “He will reign forever and ever”: Compare with Daniel 7:13-14; Hebrews 12:28. “The present kingdom of God (the church) is another manifestation of that eternal rule of God which has always been and always must be” (McGuiggan p. 166). Please remember that at the beginning of this book it was noted that Jesus is already “ruler of the kings of the earth” (1:5).
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11:16 “And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God” Hailey sees the twenty-four elders as being identified as God’s redeemed of both covenants. 11:17 “Saying, ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were’”: Note that in contrast to 4:8 “Who was and who is and who is to come”, that the last expression has been dropped from the above verse. The reason for this appears to be in the fact that God has indeed “come” in judgment. He has come in the assertion of His power and rightful rule. 11:17 “Because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign”: Please note that this statement of praise is directed not merely to Jesus but to the Father as well (11:15,16). Obviously, this is not talking about some millennial reign of Christ, for Jesus has been ruling since His resurrection and ascension (Ephesians 1:20ff), and the Father has always ruled. Thus the statement, “begun to reign” means to reassert His power as ruler over the nations. He is going to once more manifest His power and demonstrate who is in charge of this world. “There is no thought in the minds of the twenty-four elders that God has not been reigning. See this for yourself in chapter 4 and 5:13f” (McGuiggan p. 167). “God has always been reigning. What these are thankful for it is a public demonstration of it. A fresh expression of it” (p. 167). In addition this verse is basically saying the same thing as 11:15 stated. 11:18 “And the nations were enraged”: In the second Psalm we learn that the nations gathered together against the Lord and His Christ (Psalm 2:1-2), this is quoted as being fulfilled in Acts 4:25-28, when the Jewish and Roman leaders banded together and put Jesus to death. Some Notes on the Second Psalm “The psalm plunges straight into its theme, and the initial Why sets the tone of its approach, one of astonishment at the senseless rejection of God’s rule and ruler” (Kidner p. 50). “Throughout the Psalter we will be pummeled by honest questions. If God is the sovereign Lord of history, why this rebellion? If God is a God of order, why all this chaos? Here the nations are seen in mass revolt; literally, they ‘rage’ or ‘throng tumultuously’, and ‘plot’ or ‘imagine’, or ‘growl’ vanity’” (Williams p. 33). Righteous men and women feel the same astonishment today. Why do people rebel against God, what is there about God to hate? The word “vain” reveals that all plots and plans against God will fail, “Why do the nations even bother?” “They are agitated like the waves of the sea. In their anger they make all kinds of senseless noise. It is not that they plot with any design or purpose but rather that they react emotionally to God’s rule (Romans 1:21-32)” (Gaebelein p. 66). The Bible contends that God is in control,
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and yet at the same time, admits that the vast majority of society is in revolt to His will (Matthew 7:13-14). Note the plural “nations”, every society is in revolt! Leading this revolt are the movers and shakers of this world, “kings” and “rulers”. Here is where being impressed by status or position can be dangerous, because it is often those who are in positions of political, educational or religious power who are leading people away from God. How much of modern religious scholarship is focused on nothing more than trying to convince people that the Bible cannot be trusted? These rulers have taken their stand against the Lord (the Father) and His Anointed (the Messiah/Jesus). In Acts 4:27 the initial application of this passage was made. The “rulers and kings” included Herod, Pontius Pilate, and even rulers in Israel, such as the High Priest Annas and Caiaphas, the ruling religious parties, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. The goal of the rebellion is complete independence from God. “The yoke of God’s kingship is not merely rejected; it is insolently thrown off” (Gaebelein p. 67). Note the word “their”. In rejecting the rule of the Messiah, they are rejecting the rule of God. Sadly, unbelievers often view God as a tyrant and His rules as being oppressive. But how many men and women become tyrants when they depart from God? How often does man start legislating oppressive laws when a society is turning its back on God. This is really the goal of such groups as the humanists. The nations want complete autonomy, and freedom to do their own thing (which often means freedom to oppress the vulnerable, freedom to exploit others). “Responding to the serpent’s whisper to Eve in the garden, they want to be like God (Genesis 3:5). They want to be their own God” (Williams p. 33). 11:18 “And the nations were enraged”: :The nations in their wrath tried to break asunder the bond between Jehovah and His anointed by putting the Son to death. Heathen forces continued to set at naught God’s counsel by setting their hand against His church and His truth, but again they were defeated. In Daniel’s vision of the beast that made war against the saints and prevailed against them, the time came for judgment to be given on behalf of His saints (Daniel 7:22)” (Hailey p. 263). Ogden here sees the nations being enraged against Jerusalem and that their wrath is actually God’s wrath against Jerusalem, but in the context, the nations are opposed to God’s people (11:9-10). 11:18 “And Your wrath came”: This appears to be the same thing as “You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign” (11:17). The world arose in opposition to God’s people and God arose in His wrath and responded. 11:18 “And the time came for the dead to be judged”: Seeing that this is not the final judgment, Hailey believes that the “dead” under consideration are not the physically dead, but those dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1,5; 5:14; Colossians 2:13). Other writers feel that this refers to the righteous dead who had cried out for justice in 6:9ff, and that the verse means that they are being vindicated. “The time came, and they were avenged” (Ogden p. 259). Yet the next verse seems
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to indicate that God is talking about two groups of people. Those who are judged, that is condemned, and those who are rewarded. 11:18 “And the time to reward Your bondservants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name”: McGuiggan believes that this refers to the joys of knowing who is victorious (see Daniel 7:17-22, 25-27). Even though the kingdom belongs to the saints, it has appeared that the enemy is in control for the enemy has been definitely persecuting the saints. “But the kingdom does belong to the saints and God makes that very clear by judging the oppressor. His powerlessness is exposed and the saints are comforted” (p. 167). Notice that the above reward includes the “prophets”. “The prophets who had looked for and foretold the coming of the King and His kingdom of promise now have their reward in seeing their prophecies fulfilled” (Hailey p. 263). 11:18 “And those who fear Your name”: (Acts 10:34-35). 11:18 “And to destroy those who destroy the earth”: The word “destroy” does not mean to bring to extinction, but the change for the worse, to corrupt. Those who have tried to destroy the church and in the process corrupt others as well will be destroyed (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). 11:19 “And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple” “As this section began with the door opened in heaven to reveal the throne that rules the universe (4:1), so now it ends with the temple in heaven opened that all might behold the ark of God’s covenant” (Hailey p. 264). This could mean: 1. As God had faithfully kept His side of the covenant in the Old Testament, so God would faithfully keep and remember His covenant with Christians. 2. As the veil of the temple as rent following the death of Christ, so the way into heaven is open for all (Hebrews 10:20). In the Old Testament only the high priest could enter the holy of holies where the ark was and only on the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:1ff). Now, every believer can enter. 3. Of course, this verse does not mean that the Old Covenant is still operational (Hebrews 8:6-9:4). 11:19 “And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm” Here we find mercy to God’s people (the temple is opened) but condemnation upon unbelievers. “Great activity follows the sounding of this trumpet; God’s
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heavenly artillery is already active. All this anticipates the things to come in the next section (chapters 12-22)� (Hailey p. 264). The following is a chart put together by Harkrider that might be helpful to the reader:
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