Revelation 11:15-19

This is a significant prophetic milestone as we arrive at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which contains the seven bowls or censers to be poured out onto the Earth, some say as a form of cleansing. This is the third and final woe, and is at least as significant as the other two, that is the opening of the abbouso, or the bottomless pit releasing hell onto earth without death, and then because men refused to listen and turn from their own depravity, a second demonic wave that would actually kill that came from the east when the four chained angels were released from under the Euphrates river.

This “woe” will be the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which will unlock the seven bowl judgments, as I have said. As a reminder, that thrice-repeated “woe” in Greek is οὐαὶ, and may be an onomatopoeia, a word that sounds like what it says. Bam, Pow, Biff, Smack, all of which are examples. From what I know of the Greek, this may be pronounced in two ways. The first is, “Oi!” As in, “Oh no. not again!” The other, and more interesting, when I sounded it out was, “Why?” As in, “Why me? Why now?” In any event, the most intense judgments of these bowls each are more devastating to the planet than two waves of demons from the bottomless pit. It will not be any fun for anyone that is around to experience them, which as we all believe, will not include the church. We all think that we will be rescued from this present evil age at some less definable point before this. We will discuss this when we discuss what this last trumpet of judgement is and is not.

This is said in the text to be the point at which the mystery of God is finished, or completed. Those are my words, not taken from the text. This may be seen in the way that God the King is referred to in the text. As an example, the text says in Rev. 1:4, “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne…” From here on, I believe, the reference is always, “O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were…” (v.17). The “who is to come” is dropped ostensibly because He has now arrived. It is here that we see the long-awaited Son of God, our anointed Saviour, takes possession of His kingdom from its usurper, that Great Dragon, which we will read more about in later chapters. That last enemy then will know that from that time, his days in control will be numbered, praise the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

I broke the text down as follows:

KV17: A quick preparation of the final wrathful outpouring

17: saying, We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.

15-17: The Scene in Heaven – Worship

18: The scene on Earth – Rage

19: God prepares the final judgement

This is like the big inhaling of air just before the effort begins. It is preparing for what is to follow. Let’s see what that is and what it involves.

KV17: A quick preparation of the final wrathful outpouring

17: saying, We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.

In many ways, it feels like we have been on a sprint to reach this point. We have a short time of that final seven years to yet cover, and yet, we have just reached the halfway point of the book. From here, I think John will be dispensing some previous knowledge in the form of people, rules, and the like, just to set the stage for the bowl judgements that begin in chapter 16:1-2. We will go through that a small bite at a time to learn all the characters and the plot points first, so we will know what they are when they come up.

If you don’t agree with our interpretation after that, I understand, but it is what I believe based on about 40 years of reading the Scriptures myself and studying these things. If you see something different, comment below the video, we would welcome the discussion. We are for the most part classical premillennialists. Other views, at least in my opinion, are not as intellectually satisfying. Let’s get into the text.

15-17: The Scene in Heaven – Worship

If I were to back up a verse here to the transitional verse 14, I am told this provides clarity. I don’t think so, but because I am doing this for Christ, I want to be as clear as possible, so verse 14 reads, “The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. No matter how I read this, it seems transitional from what was happening before to what happens next, almost like a PowerPoint effect in a slideshow. We move from the murder of the two witnesses for Christ to their resurrection and ascension to Heaven by invitation, and all of the following events in Jerusalem, like the earthquake, and men actually glorifying God for the intense activity, and now we slide into the sounding of the seventh trumpet, another judgment, or “Why” or “Oi” on the Earth. Let’s jump right in.

15: Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were 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.”

I have no biblical proof of this, but it is not hard to imagine this is the angel Gabriel because of how he always seems to be the one that speaks with the men of earth about the Christ and His actions. Here, the angel, whom we already know is one of the angels that always stand in the presence of God and perform whatever orders they are given, blows the trumpet. After that trumpet is blown, φωναὶ μεγάλαι, “loud noises or voices” are heard in heaven. Is it music? Again, I do not know, but it isn’t hard to imagine for me. These voices announce that the “kingdom of this κόσμου (kosmou) has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign through the ages of the ages.” (my translation)
Wait, does not the Earth and everything it contains belong to the Lord? (Ps. 24:1, 1 Cor. 10:26). Yes, but a Usurper seized it for Himself a while back after lying to and tricking our first mother (Gen 3:4-7). She took his word for it, and gave to her husband, who from the text was there the whole time and could have stopped this, ate, and here we all are in the same mess. This Usurper is called nachash in Hebrew. In the New Testament, in Revelation 12:9, it gives us his identity: “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” It isn’t all his fault, Adam made a choice, probably not to be alone, and here we all are. That’s the “original sin.” And we are our father Adam’s children. We carry the sentence of death in ourselves because of that action of this, the first Adam.
The good news is the story of the last Adam. It says in 1 Cor 15:45, “So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” That last Adam is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. He became like us all so that we could be made like Him. 2 Cor 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” God became a human for the express purpose of dying in our place to pay the price for that original sin, and all of the ones we have committed since then. This is called Penal Substitutionary Atonement, He paid the price when He died on the cross that He was nailed to. He went there willingly, and he sacrificed His own life because none of us could. For all those that will really believe that and turn from their sins to Him, trusting Him for their souls, we will be saved from that condemnation we all carry by default and spend the rest of eternity with Him. This is also called the “gospel,” an Elizabethan English word that means “the good news.”
And you can turn to Him in faith also if you want. If you do want that forgiveness for your own wrongdoings and pardon from that sentence of condemnation in a very real place of conscious suffering called hell, tell Him that. Tell us in the chat or drop us an email. We are happy to help.
This Anointed One (Christos, Me’Shiach) has done it all for us if we will turn to Him in repentance and faith. This is the Christ of our Lord who the verse tells us will reign through the ages of the ages, usually translated as “forever.” It is a permanent solution to a permanent problem. Better, all those who will accept His payment for our sins will reign with Him (2 Tim. 12a). That is the Christ that is returning here. Because it really is finished.

16: And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,

The 24 elders here in our hermeneutic represent, in my opinion, the church in heaven, already rescued from the present evil age. We’ve already gone through why we think that, but if you don’t, that’s okay. Again, drop a comment below the video. We would be happy to discuss it. These people who are clearly on thrones showing they have some rule of some kind, and these sit in front of the living God who will not share His glory with another, here fall on their faces and worship God. Why? Because He is God and He is doing His will on Earth as He always does it in Heaven.
Here is some of the reasoning why I believe these elders are representative of the Church in Heaven. John 17:22-23 reads, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” Please note that these 24 elders worship as one. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (20-21).” That’s right from the High-Priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 17. These fit that description. And they worship. And what is it that they say?

17: saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.

It is a chorus of praise, and one befitting those who the Lord Jesus has saved out of this present evil age. I will note again the section of “who is to come” has been dropped as unnecessary. He has arrived. More, He has taken His great power [ὅτι εἴληφας τὴν δύναμίν (power) σου τὴν μεγάλην (great)]and begun to reign. The Greek word for that last bit is ἐβασίλευσας. This is the thing that is referred to in Verse 15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ…” That “has become” in Greek is a proleptic aorist tense. This is used when something which has not yet occurred is considered an absolute certainty and will occur in short order. And we are only 2/3 of the way through the judgments!

This is a scene of great joy and a welcome one for all of God’s servants both now and then. I confess my heart picks up a little in joyful anticipation that all things are about to be made right and justice is about to be performed. Will it be hard? Incredibly. And some will not be so happy to see these events come to pass.

Some have equated this last trumpet with the “last trumpet” that Paul talks about in 1 Cor. 15. I don’t think this is that trumpet. There are differences. That trumpet is the signal to rescue the faithful believers from this present evil age. The trumpet in v.15 is unlocking a set of terrible judgments upon the kingdom of darkness. John MacArthur points out in commentary on this passage that this trumpet covers an extended period of time, and that is not consistent with the “twinkling of an eye” that the harpazo trumpet covers. That’s all I will say about that, but it is a mistake to equate the two trumpets, at least in my opinion. Again, if you disagree, comment below. It does however equate with a Trumpet. This one is found in Joel 2:1-2, which reads, “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.” I don’t want to be on Earth anymore by the time this trumpet is blown. Sorry, just trying to be faithful to cover what is in the text. We must be careful readers of the Scriptures. A word to the wise is sufficient.

18: The scene on Earth – Rage

Those on Earth at this time will not be happy or comfortable or pleased. They will probably be very angry. First, the two men who had plagued the earth that their master had just killed and left their corpses lying in the street where they fell, they had just risen from being dead, stood up, and then ascended into Heaven by invitation, leaving all of them there. Then the earthquake that destroys 1/10th of Jerusalem, then all of them in great fear, giving glory to another master who is not theirs. Yes, this will cause them anger. This was a fight of sorts, and they lost. This is like a fight between boys in a schoolyard in comparison to what is coming. The bigger and stronger just held them down in a painful position and made them cry “uncle.” Nobody like that. That’s happened to me as a boy. All it ever made me was mad. Let’s see what the text says.

18: And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.

I know this is part of the worship of the 24 elders. But it is making a point. At this destruction and loss of life, there will be sorrow and anger at the source. Prophetically, they are looking forward to Revelation 20, but we will see that when we get there. The time of the reward of those who obeyed the Lord is coming soon. And there will be a destruction for those who proved themselves to be destroyers of the Earth. Is this a climate message? Maybe. I think there is more to that. Micah 6:12-13 say, “For the rich men of the city are full of violence, Her residents speak lies, And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. So also I will make you sick, striking you down, Desolating you because of your sins.” Sin is a shame to any nation. The nations know it, and they all continue in it anyway. God has said since before the 400 silent years when no fresh revelation from God came in Old Testament times that He will judge people based on their deeds, both the righteous and the unrighteous. We are judged by everything we do. We are not saved in this way, we are saved by Christ if we turn to Him in faith, but we too will be judged by our deeds. Let me ask it this way: Do you think a self-identified “Christian” who is sitting in a pornographic movie when the harpazo comes to rescue us out of this present evil age will go in that “catching away?” Why do you think that? Those who are justified by faith in Christ must walk in a worthy manner. See Ephesians 4:1 and other places. Is sitting in a porno flick with other people also enticed into these unrighteous and lustful thoughts (porneia particularly) worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ? I’ll let you answer to yourself. Hebrews 11:38 tells of all those who have suffered on the road of faithfulness. It says, “(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.” Beloved, is this present evil world worthy of me and you? It is sin that destroys the earth, on a number of levels. This is clearly speaking about more than just creation stewardship. For those who will not turn away from their sin (repent, the command of God to all men), there is a very dark future indeed according to this verse.

19: God prepares the final judgement

As I said before, this section of text is like the pause to take an action-enabling breath before effort on a difficult task begins. Let’s read the verse.

19: And 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.

What? There is a temple in Heaven? Indeed there is. Hey, there were altars in Heaven! Why not a whole Temple? I find most things that deal with the true worship of God on earth have some kind of representation in Heaven in the Scriptures. It isn’t always easy to see, though, and I’m sure I’ve missed more than a few. At any rate, that Temple will be opening.
The ark of His covenant appears in His temple. This is fascinating to me. It seems that the original Ark of the Covenant made for the original tent of meeting (with God) has historically passed out of memory. Sure, some claim they know where it is, but as of right now, its location has been long hidden from the world. I find this kind of comforting – even if we forget the location of it, or even (God forbid) forget His covenant, God Himself does NOT forget. He has one of His own to remind Him of the covenant He made with us. All of the covenants. Especially the New Covenant, which we live under now. The one that says, “If you will turn to me in faith and believe that I rose from the dead after dying for your sins, I will give you eternal life and you will not have to face all of the hard judgments that will come to pass in the Scriptures.”
That Ark appears with accompaniment. Lightning. Sounds. Peals of Thunder. An Earthquake. A great hailstorm. Like the big inhalation before the runner launches into the lane and gives his last to race he runs. Here, the action will pause for a little bit while John fills us in on the characters and plot points we will need to know before these bowl judgements are poured out, perhaps as a ritual cleansing of the earth, though I am less certain of that.

Suffice it to say, things are about to get very rocky in linear history. With real rocks, apparently.

That’s what I saw in the text.

Next time, we will study Chapter 12:1-2. That text is an interpretive keystone. If you get this wrong, there are all kinds of places you can run off into a ditch. We will try to avoid that, because once you see how the symbolism works, it just makes so much sense and you won’t be able to unsee it. Time permitting, maybe I can talk about some of the false beliefs I’ve seen over time.