As we conclude Revelation 11, we finally hear the seventh trumpet, for which we have been waiting since the sixth trumpet blew back in chapter 9. When Joshua entered the promised land, it was the seventh trumpet that brought down the walls of Jericho (Josh. 6:20). Now the seventh trumpet of heaven blows and the exodus journey of the church is completed with the return of Christ and the final defeat of all our foes. The cry of victory for Christ’s kingdom teaches those of us who are still living in this age, before the final trumpet, that our prayer for God’s kingdom to come will one day be fully answered (Matt. 6:10).

Seeing that this is the kingdom of the “Christ,” we remember that this title refers to Jesus in all His anointed offices. He is not only the Great King who will reign in righteousness over His people forever. He is also the Great Prophet who will eternally reveal the glory of God to believers. And He is the Great High Priest whose atoning sacrifice eternally secures our salvation. Hebrews 7:25 affirms that “he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” As long as Christ lives, (“he shall reign forever and ever” [v. 15]) our salvation cannot be overthrown!

John wasn’t the only one to hear the seventh trumpet and the declaration of Christ’s kingdom. We are again shown the “twenty-four elders,” who first appeared in chapter 4 as angelic representatives of the Old and New Testament church, sitting on thrones that represent the church’s inclusion in Christ’s reign. These “elders…fell on their faces and worshiped God” (v. 16). These angelic rulers are clothed in white to show the holiness of the church that is washed of sin in Christ’s blood. Since they dwell in the very throne room of heaven, they fall at God’s feet and sing: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign” (v. 17). In this worship song, the kingdom of Christ announced by the seventh trumpet is celebrated.

While verse 17 thanks God for Christ’s kingdom, verse 18 celebrates the outline of what happens in His coming. On one side of Christ’s reign is the coming of God’s final wrath on all evil and evildoers. The on the other side is the eternal blessing bestowed on believers, who like the twenty-four elders are clothed in white garments cleansed of sin.

First, the elders sing, “The nations raged, but your wrath came” (v. 18). This is typical of the world’s entire conspiracy against the will of God, the reign of God, and especially the Word of God. Psalm 2 asked, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” It makes no sense, but “the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed” (Ps. 2:1-2). In those words the entirety of human history can be charted. God has taken up His reign, and justice will be done on the oppressors and the perverters. In order for there to be an eternal punishment of sin, Christ’s return signals “the time has come for judging the dead…and destroying those who destroy the earth” (v. 18). The destroyers are destroyed forever by the conquering King Jesus, so that His land may enjoy blessing and peace forever.

Verse 19 is not only the final verse of this chapter but the conclusion of the first half of this book. By mentioning “God’s temple in heaven,” it bookends the vision of chapter 4, which began in the temple throne room of God. The first half of Revelation provided broad but vitally informative visions covering the grand sweep of Christian history. The visions that begin in chapter 12 focus in greater detail on the enemies of Christ and how Christ defeats them all, most significantly the false trinity of Satan and his two beasts.

The seven trumpets and the view of history they have provided conclude with God’s temple opened. Christ is not yet directly shown, for more of Revelation is yet to be read, but His great Old Testament emblem is revealed: “The ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, pearls of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” (v. 19). The seventh trumpet having declared Christ’s kingdom and the song of praise having celebrated the kingdom, the kingdom is now consummated so that the way is opened for Christ’s people to enter His glory.

The ark represented God’s saving presence, but the Israelites never actually saw it: even those who transported it received special instructions for how to cover the ark without looking on it. The reason lay in the holiness of God and the sinfulness of the people. Only the high priest saw the ark, once a year, when he brought the atoning blood to sprinkle on it for the forgiveness of the nation. That the ark is now open to sight indicates that the issue of sin has been done away with for believers in Jesus. When Jesus died, the temple veil that had once protected the ark was torn from top to bottom: the way into God’s glorious presence is now open through Jesus Christ.

The Ark of the Covenant is seen, the symbol of God’s faithfulness in bestowing grace on His people and inflicting vengeance on His people’s enemies. How wonderful it is that the trumpet visions in Revelation 8-11, like the seal visions in chapters 6-7, conclude with a reminder that believers in Christ have nothing to fear because of sin. A judgment is coming that will be unspeakably dreadful for those who oppose God and His Word. For the ungodly, history will end with the same kind of crash that brought down the walls of Jericho! But Christians, though we are so conscious of our sin, are caused to gaze on God’s Ark of the Covenant, which can be seen only by those who are freed from sin. The message is that we should not fear for the return of Christ, the great event of history yet to come and the grand conclusion of the gospel age launched by Christ’s resurrection from the grave.

The Bible states that when Christ returns and sets up His throne, all humanity will stand, not by tradition but by divine compulsion for judgment. Only those who have trusted Christ and His blood for forgiveness of sin are called out of His final judgment. The seventh trumpet proclaims that Jesus, who died for sin and rose from the grave, will return in glory to establish a kingdom of righteousness that will never end. This is either the best or worst of news for you: are you sure which one it is? The Bible says that you may be declared righteous in Christ through faith, cleansed by the blood of His cross and born again by His resurrection power.

While the enemies of Christ must stand in His terrible judgment, the time for believers to stand is now. If the twenty-four elders who fell on their faces praising God are any indication, we will fall down in adoration of our Savior on that day, casting at His feet the crowns He has given us (Rev. 4:10). But now as we await His coming, we are to stand as those who know what song will be playing when history comes to its end. We are to stand for God’s truth in our teaching and living, stand for His mercy in our gospel outreach, and stand for His glory and kingdom by living holy lives and refusing to swear allegiance to the kingdom of this world in sin. If we stand in faith, by His grace, we will hear with joy the trumpet sounding in that day, and the voices from heaven crying out in wonder: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (v. 15).

Revelation 11:15-19 Study Questions:

When have you seen a dramatic event draw people to God?

What happens when the seventh angel blows his trumpet?

How will the kingdom of God look different than the kingdom of this world as we now know it?

Here we have a promise that God will put all things right. This is our great hope. How does this encourage you as you consider the specific people and situations for which you’re currently praying about and trusting God?