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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Revelation 11:15 - 11:19
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The sounding of the seventh trumpet:
v. 15. 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 forever and ever.
v. 16. And the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshiped God,
v. 17. 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.
v. 18. 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.
v. 19. 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.
Now comes the beginning of the destruction which would take away all power from the destroyer. The announcement is made in a solemn manner: And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there occurred loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the earth has become that of our Lord and His Christ, and He will be King forever and ever. It is an exultant song of praise in honor of God and Christ, sung by all the angels and saints in heaven. When the end comes, Christ will not only reign in the midst of His enemies, but, being exalted above all heavens, He will deliver all kingdoms and rules and authorities and powers to God, even the Father, and He, being one with the Father, will rule with Him forever and ever, throughout all eternity.
This hymn is taken up and enlarged upon by the circle about the throne: And the twenty-four elders that were before God, that sat upon their seats, fell upon their faces and worshiped God, saying, We praise Thee, Lord God the Almighty, who is and who was, because Thou hast received Thy great power and hast reigned, and the heathen were enraged, and Thine anger was come and the time for the dead to be judged, and to give a reward to Thy servants, the prophets, and to the saints and to those that fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy the destroyers of the earth. Here the Church, represented by the twenty-four elders, praises and worships Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the exalted Son of Man. They praise the revelation of the wonderful power of Jehovah, which formerly was considered weakness and foolishness by the world. The form of the servant, in which Christ chose to appear while performing His work in the world is now no longer in evidence. He not only possesses almighty power, but uses this power in ruling heaven and earth. The heathen, including all the antichristian powers, were filled with rage, but it avails them nothing. For now, after so long a time of patience and mercy, the Lord's wrath is poured out upon the earth. All the dead had to appear before the Lord for judgment, and the righteous anger of the Lord struck the destroyers of the earth, in whatever guise they were found, while those that had been faithful to the end, the prophets, the saints, those that feared His name, received a wonderful reward of mercy, everlasting life with all its bliss. Thus this vision of the end of time serves for the comfort of all Christians, especially in view of the fact that the last woe is yet to be described.
And another source of comfort for all believers is this: And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and there was seen the Ark of His covenant in the temple, and there occurred lightnings and voices and thunders and an earthquake and great hail. That is the revelation of the Kingdom of Glory as it will appear to us on the last day. The Ark of the Jewish people was taken to Babylon and never returned to its accustomed place in the second and third Temple, but the covenant of the New Testament is an eternal covenant, namely, the promise that we are His people, His children by faith in Christ Jesus, and shall live and reign with Him forever and ever, in the temple of heaven. God is faithful; He can and will keep that which we have committed to Him against that day. Meanwhile His enlightening and powerfully sounding voice goes forth in the earth in spite of Mohammed and Anti-Christ, to deliver those that are His from all floods of tribulation, but to visit His enemies with His judgments, as earthquakes and hail-storms devastate the land.
Summary
The seer records a vision full of comfort to the believers, showing that the Word of God was proclaimed by at least a few faithful witnesses in the midst of antichristian heresy, and that their witness, even after their death, did not remain without fruit; he records a scene from the end of time to show that the Lord will finally deliver those that are His from every evil work and translate them into His heavenly kingdom.