Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ my Redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then row, row, pillows Blessed be the name of Jesus our redeemer dear above
[00:00:29] Speaker B: who
[00:00:29] Speaker A: is making home so happy with the blessing of his love Blessed be the name Blessed be the name for he blesses o' er and O forever Blessed be the name of Jesus we will love him evermore he is ever watching o' er us Guiding us along the way and so lovingly Is sharing all the burdens of the day Blessed be the name of Jesus Blessed be the name forever for he blesses o' er and o' er Blessed be the name of Jesus we will love him evermore he will guide us all to glory if we lean upon his grace Let us live with him forever in the sunlight of his face Blessed be the name of Jesus Blessed be the name forever for he blesses o' er and O forever Blessed be the name of Jesus we will love him ever more.
[00:02:10] Speaker C: Welcome to the Voice of Hope, a Bible teaching program produced by Herald of Hope. I'm your host, Antony High.
We all know what it feels like when something is almost over.
That sense when the end is near and everything is about to change.
In this episode, we are exploring this idea in our ongoing study in the Book of Revelation.
In Revelation, chapter 11, the seventh and final trumpet sounds. And what follows is not just another judgment.
It's the announcement that the kingdom of this world is becoming the kingdom of God.
This passage shifts the way we think about where history is going and what it means to be on the right side of it.
But before today's teaching, we at Heralds of Hope have an exciting announcement for you this summer. Thanks to several generous supporters, every gift, up to the total of $100,000 that is given before August 31, will be matched with an additional $2 for every dollar given.
That means a $50 gift becomes 150 or a $100 gift becomes $300. And it goes towards broadcasting Bible teaching.
If you'd like to support and expand the reach of Bible teaching around the world, visit heraldsofhope.org give and now join us as J. Marc course teaches from Revelation, chapter 11, verses 15 through 19.
And let's open God's Word together.
[00:03:55] Speaker B: When someone uses the word final, what comes to your mind?
If you're a student, maybe it's a final exam at the end of the semester, a Mechanic might be the final tightening of the bolt or the final electrical connector when the repair job is complete.
A final word at the end of a conversation.
How about the final look into the eyes of a loved one who is passing from this life into eternity?
You know, the word final isn't used very often in the Bible, but the concept is certainly there.
In Hebrews 6, 16, 17 we read, for people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.
Now, I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything more final than an oath that's based on God's character.
As we continue our study in the Book of Revelation, we've arrived at the closing verses of chapter 11.
In these, we read about the sounding of the final trumpet in the series of the seven trumpet judgments.
And as we will learn, the final trumpet contains the seven bowl judgments.
I've titled today's teaching the final trumpet, even though we don't learn the specifics of those judgments until later in chapter 16.
I hope you can stay with me for our study.
However, before I begin my exposition of this text, I want to clarify something.
This final trumpet is distinct from the last trumpet that Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15:52, where he wrote, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
This verse, along with 1 Thessalonians 4:16, speaks of the catching away of the Church before the judgment of the wicked. And so, as we'll see, the seventh trumpet covers an extended period of time that distinguishes it from the instantaneous in the twinkling of an eye event that will happen at the last trumpet.
Now listen as I read our text for today. Revelation chapter 11, beginning with verse 15.
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 and he shall reign forever and ever.
And the 24 elders who sat before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, we give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was because you have taken your great power and reigned 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.
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.
The sound of the final trumpet triggers several actions that bring us one step closer to the end of human history.
And the first action that we'll notice is the kingdom proclaimed.
When the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, it was followed by loud voices.
This is in contrast to the previous instances where a single voice makes the announcement. Here there's a great symphony of voices that are proclaiming the triumph of Christ.
And we can also contrast this with the opening of the seventh seal in chapter eight, verse one, which was followed by 30 minutes of silence in heaven.
As the sound of this seventh trumpet fades away, the voices proclaim, the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
This is a movement from worldly chaos to. To divine order.
God shall reign forever and ever.
Remember, God and Christ are one. 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 24 through 27 talk about that sequence of Christ bringing the kingdoms of the world under his control and then handing the kingdom over to the Father. And so this is not just announcing his millennial reign on earth, but rather his reign for all eternity.
The fact that earthly rule will ultimately pass into the hands of God is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Ezekiel, Zechariah and Daniel all speak of this.
In Daniel 2:44 we read these.
And in the days of those end time kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people.
It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.
The use of the singular term kingdom of the world instead of the plural kingdoms introduces for us an important truth.
Because all of the world's diverse national, political, social and cultural and religious groups are in reality just one kingdom under one king.
And that king is known in scripture by many names and titles.
The Accuser, the adversary, Beelzebul, Belial, the Dragon, the evil one, the God of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the roaring lion, and of course, most commonly the devil or Satan. Though God scattered this kingdom at the Tower of Babel, Satan still rules over the pieces of that once united kingdom.
While God ordains human governments for our well being, those same governments refuse to submit to him, or even acknowledge his sovereignty that makes them essentially part of Satan's kingdom.
This triumph of God and Christ is the sure and glorious outcome of the age long struggle against Satan. He's the one who controls the kingdoms of the world.
You remember he offered the kingdoms of the world to Jesus on the mountain for one act of worship.
But Jesus rejected a partnership with Satan in the rule of the world.
Instead he chose war. A fight to the bitter end.
And now the climax has come and Christ is conqueror of the kingdom of this world for his Father.
This is the crowning lesson of the book of Revelation.
God is setting up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed.
The question that remains, however, is how the kingdoms of this world can at this point have already become the kingdoms of Christ, when as a matter of fact we said the seven bowls are still to be poured out.
It has to do with perspective.
The perspective of the verb tense have become looks to a point after the action of the seventh trumpet runs its course.
Though this event is future relative to the progression of the series, the verb form that's used here makes it seem like an already accomplished fact.
I want you to consider too what I've said before, that not all of these prophecies are linear and sequential. Some of them are occurring as overlapping events.
The active rain on God of earth, what we call the Messianic kingdom, is was promised in Revelation chapter 1 and verses 5 through 8 and chapter 6 and verse 10.
It now begins to become real.
Daniel 7:18 assures us, but the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever.
Now between these verses of our text and chapter 19 are the various judgments and other events that are associated with the overthrow of the system of this world and eventually the inauguration of Messiah's rule.
So the first action of this last trumpet results in the kingdom proclaimed.
The next action then is the king acclaimed in response to the voices proclaiming God's kingdom. What happens? The 24 elders who are seated on thrones of their own fall on their faces in worship and they acclaim the greatness and power of God and the lamb.
These 24 elders have previously appeared seven times in the book of Revelation, usually in a similar context.
They represent the redeemed in this great anthem of thanksgiving, their worship proclaims, we give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was.
Because you have taken your great power and reigned.
Now you may have noticed the omission of the usual phrase who is to come.
That is because God has at last assumed total control he has taken his rightful place and now he is reigning over all.
Twice in verse 17, mention is directed to the power of God, first of all in the word Almighty and then in the word power.
God's power is demonstrated here in the sense of authority as well as in the sense of ability to accomplish his will.
The elders proclaim the sovereignty and the eternality of God, and that captures for us the meaning of Almighty.
As these elders continue their worship before the throne, their thanksgiving highlights the next action that leads us toward the close of human history.
And that action is the nations inflamed.
John hears the elders announce, the nations were angry and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged.
These words appear to be a reference to Psalm 2, where we read why do the nations rage and the people plot 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 bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure.
I would encourage you to read the rest of that psalm later. That's Psalm 2.
So the seventh trumpet vision reveals that the nations are no longer afraid, as they were at the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation chapter 6 and verses 15 to 17.
You may remember they were hiding in caves and asking the mountains to fall on them.
But these nations are now defiant, and they are enraged at the prospect of Christ's kingdom being established over the whole earth.
The verb translated as angry suggests a deep seated, ongoing hostility. There's a settled, burning resentment against God, and ultimately their hostility and rejection will result in their being punished in the fires of eternal hell.
One of the main features of the transition from the kingdom of earth to the kingdom of God is that the nations become angry when God's wrath comes upon them.
And there's a play on words here that we don't notice. In our English translations, the same word, the Greek verb form of orge, is used for angry and for wrath, referring to the righteous judgment of God.
However, we need to understand the wrath of men is impotent, the wrath of God is omnipotent, the wrath of man is wicked, the wrath of God is holy.
And so that which was anticipated in Psalm 2, 4 is now being fulfilled in John's vision.
The proclamation of the kingdom, the acclamation of the king, both of these inflame the nations and lead us to the final action, which is the rewards obtained.
The nations were angry and your wrath has come in the time of the dead, that they should be judged and 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.
Part of the reign of God Almighty is the judgment of the dead, and this time of judgment that's mentioned here in our text refers to future judgments.
It can't be the Great White Throne judgment, because that only involves unbelievers, as you can see from the text. The point seems to be that God will reward both the wicked and the righteous according to their deeds.
We might say God's punishment matches the crime, and there is nothing arbitrary about it.
In verse 18, our English word time comes from the Greek kairos, which means the right time, the opportune time or season.
And so the elders in their song don't attempt to distinguish the different phases of judgment.
Those are distinguished later in the closing chapters of the Book of Revelation.
They sing of future judgments as though they were all one event, in the same way that other scriptures don't distinguish future judgments from each other. If you want an example, look at John, chapter 5 and verses 28 and 29.
We are told specifically that the prophets and the saints will be rewarded for their works, and this theme is repeated throughout the Scripture. Our works will be judged, and some will burn up, according to 1 Corinthians 3:13.
But those works that endure the fire will be richly rewarded.
The writer of Hebrews put it this God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. That's Hebrews 6:10.
Now we may wonder what is meant by God will destroy those who destroy the earth.
Today there are some people who have taken this phrase completely out of its context, and they suggest that it is instruction on how we should care for the earth and its resources.
Now, stewardship of creation is a legitimate concern for us as believers, but this text is not about that at all.
In its appropriate context, the destruction of the earth to which Revelation 11:18 refers is not the degradation of our natural environment.
No, it refers to the outpouring of the seven plagues.
God initiates these. But the ultimate responsibility for this destruction is attributed to the nations who at this time are led by the beast.
And there is a clear chiastic structure in this verse that links the identity and character of the destroyers of the Earth to the nations that are angry at the servants of God and at God's work on their behalf.
Finally, as if to authenticate what John has just witnessed, 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 a great hail.
There may be an intentional contrast here between the earthly temple that's mentioned in verses 1 and 2 of this chapter.
According to Hebrews 8, 5, the ark of the covenant that Moses made for the tabernacle was a copy of the ark that was in heaven.
And though the beast or the antichrist may have desecrated the earthly temple, remember that's the abomination of desolation.
Its counterpart in heaven, the heavenly temple reflects the righteousness and the majesty of God.
The heavenly ark of the covenant, which in its earthly equivalent originally contained the law, speaks of God's righteousness.
Aaron's rod that budded speaks of resurrection, and the golden pot that had manna represents Christ as the basis of the shed blood of the sacrifice.
So the opening of the temple in heaven is accompanied by lightnings and voices and thunderings, apparently in the earthly scene, as well as an earthquake and great hail.
The plain implication of this is that God will now deal with the earth in summary judgment.
The message of the seventh trumpet is that Jesus Christ is the sovereign king of kings and Lord of lords.
He will one day take the rule of the earth away from the usurper Satan and also from earth's petty human rulers.
History is moving inexorably toward its culmination in Christ's earthly reign.
When he returns, he will bring covenant blessings to the redeemed, but he will bring eternal judgment to those who reject him.
In light of the actions presented to us in this text, I quote for you 2 Peter 3, 10, 12.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.
Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God?
Are you ready for that day?
[00:22:40] Speaker C: That concludes today's teaching in Revelation, chapter 11. Here on the voice of hope, the final trumpet is not the end.
It's the beginning of everything that God has promised the kingdoms of this world with all their noise and defiance. And do not get the last word he does.
I encourage you to open Revelation chapter 11 for yourself and ask honestly, am I living as someone who believes that God's kingdom is coming and that it changes everything about how I live today?
[00:23:23] Speaker A: No rock, no refuge night when the darkness round we gather when the storms sweep o' er the star O to have no Christ, no Saviour how lonely life must be Like a sinner lost and driven on the wide and shin oh to have no hope in Jesus, no friend, no lies in Jesus
[00:24:19] Speaker C: O
[00:24:20] Speaker A: to have no hope in Jesus O dark this world must be.
[00:24:35] Speaker C: If today's episode has encouraged you, we'd love to hear from you.
Your stories and responses mean so much to us.
Reach us at heraldsofhope.org contact or email us at hopeheraldsofhope.org or call us at 866-960-0292 to explore more Bible teaching and encouragement, you can visit heraldsofhope.org programs. You can also listen to and share the Voice of Hope wherever you get your podcasts.
Before we close here at Heralds of Hope, we want to take a moment to celebrate God's work in our ministry.
This month marks 58 years of our media ministry, and we're humbled by how God used this work to provide pastors, ministry leaders and seekers with the tools to encounter Christ and make disciples of Jesus.
Thank you for being part of that story.
Join us the next time as we continue our journey through Scripture.
Thank you for listening to the Voice of Hope.
[00:26:06] Speaker A: Soon I'll come to the end of my journey and I'll meet the one who gave his life for me.
I will thank him for the love that he gave me and 10,000 years or more one more I'll reign with him 10,000 years will just be started 10,000 years we've just begun the battle's over and the victory's been one 10,000 years and we've just begun.
We will just begin to sing love sweet story It's a song that the angels cannot sing I'm redeemed by the blood of the Savior and 10,000 years or more will reign with Him 10,000 years will just be started 10,000 years we've just begun the battle's over and the Victory's been won 10,000 years 10,000 years and we've just begun 10,000 years will just be started 10,000 years we've just begun the battle's over and the Victory's been won 10,000 years Years and we just begun 10,000 years.
And we just be gone.
