OTWHministries

Revelation 11 – Part 3

Verses 15 -19

We left last week reeling from the force of the second woe, also known as the 6th trumpet blast.  We also know that there is another woe and another trumpet just waiting in the wings.  However, any student of Bible prophecy will know that the 7th of anything is extremely important.  Do you know why?  Because 7 is the number for two things in prophecy, perfection and completion.  You will have already seen the clue that tells us just who is perfect and complete if you have followed us this far from the beginning. 

There have been 7 vials, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, but believe it or not, the worst is yet to come.  What could be worst?  Hmmm, let’s find out.  Stay with me here, ok? You don’t want to quit now. 

This war that is taking place on earth started many, many thousands of earth-years ago, even before earth was created; in fact, before the beginning of time, as we know it.  It began when a powerful angel in heaven started a rebellion against God.  He was subsequently thrown out of heaven, along with his followers who had previously decided to rebel with him. 

When God formed the universe and earth, and created man to inhabit the earth, this powerful angel, we call Satan, decided that, if he could not win back heaven, then he would take earth and its inhabitants.  This “war” on earth has been going on now for at least 6000 years and is about to come to a conclusion. This book of the Revelation is God’s revealing the outcome of the war.  Notice that there is no “s” after the word Revelation.  There is only one revelation and this is it. Let’s see what happens.

15. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever.”

Looks like we have a “type of” interlude before we get to the effects of the 7th trumpet. There is a scene from heaven.  The occupants of the 24 thrones surrounding God’s throne are shouting their approval as the 7th trumpeter is at work. At look at their shouts!  Praising the Lord that the time has come for Him to put an end to the rebellion take His proper place as ruler of His creation.  It is His kingdom and His Christ, and He has the rights to all of it.

 

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Who are these who occupy the 24 thrones? Remember from the first scene in heaven, they represent the church, and are called Elders, another word for leaders. Look at the rest of this passage and see what else they are saying.

16. And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,

17. saying; “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 

When the 7th trumpet sounds, the 24 elders, representing the church, leave their thrones and fall down to worship God.  Why this time? They see their King beginning to reign.  Our prayers have been answered.  How many times have we (have YOU) repeated this passage, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.”  There are “great voices in heaven” Remember the silence at the opening of the 7th seal?  All of heaven can see the end in sight and are jubilant.  It is a time for joy for them. 

They continue praising God, and the next verse tells a little bit more of heavens and earth’s reaction.

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18.  The nations were angry: and your wrath has come.  The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

There are four major events mentioned in verse 18, when the last trumpet sounds.  This is a summary of the events that will occur from here to the end.  Let’s quickly take a look at what those events are.

1st – Nations are angry = stubborn rebellion will continue right down to the very end. My sweet friends, there will be no peace from this moment on. I am convinced we are in the final days before the events of Revelation take place.  Make sure you are ready to stand on God’s side regardless of what happens before He comes again.  It is that important.
2nd – God’s judgment of the dead.  The great white throne judgment of the lost dead will occur (we will discuss this in Revelation 20 when we get to that chapter.

3rd – Rewards at the end of the tribulation.  This refers to the Old Testament saints and tribulation saints.  The Church already received their rewards at the judgment seat of Christ immediately after the rapture.

4th = God will destroy those who destroy the earth. both humans and Satan.

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19. Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within His temple was seen the Ark of His Covenant.  And there came flashes of lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

Oh, My, other than the earthquake, it sounds like another Texas storm!!

OK- OK I got off the subject.  Just a little Texas humor there.

But there will be no humor in the events of this moment in this war.  God has won and is about to address the anger of earth.

The Temple in heaven is now opened.  This means that God is now going to deal with Israel.  The phrase “was opened” indicates worship and access to God.  The Ark of His Covenant is seen in the temple.   Where did we last see the Ark? It disappeared during the exile of the Israelites some 3000 years ago and has never been found. There are many theories as to what happened, but we cannot know for sure. Some say that the Ethiopian Queen who visited Israel took it home with her for safe keeping and it still exists there today.  Others believe it is buried under the Temple Mount and there were rumors that at least one man, working on an excavation expedition saw it there. The Bible doesn’t tell us what happened to it so we can only wait and see if either someone produces it or God reveals it.   

John sees it here in God’s tabernacle IN HEAVEN (God had told Moses that the one he was to build on earth would be like the one in heaven, and here it is.  John sees it and records it. And there set the Ark of the Covenant, it it’s rightful place.  How did it get there, in heaven?  I like to think that maybe it was raptured, just as His church will be.

Do you remember what the Ark represents?  It stood for the presence and protection of God for His people.  It contained 3 things; Aaron’s rod which budded.  This was a reminder of God’s constant leadership. It contained a Pot of Manna from the wilderness march, to remind them of God’s continuing provision, and it contained the two tablets of stone on which God wrote the 10 commandments.  This last article was to remind them of what God expected of them.   If you would like to learn more about these objects and why they were included you can read about it in the Book of Exodus, beginning around chapter 10 or so.   

Someday the lost ark will be returned to it’s proper place. Nothing can ever remove or destroy God’s protection for a child of His.  God is going to keep covenant the covenant He made with Israel.  What was that covenant?  He would write His law on their hearts instead of on cold tablets of stone, He would lead them and provide for them.

This vision ends with lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and earthquakes, and great hail.  This all speaks of judgments, yet to come.

Don’t leave us yet, Brothers and Sisters.  There is much more to come.

 

Blessings and more, Precious Ones,

Maggie

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