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?

In our last study (vv. 1-2) we discovered John was told to measure the temple, with its altar and worshipers, depicting the true church of faithful believers. The outer court, depicting the false church of nominal Christians, was excluded. For forty-two months the nations will trample the church, though God’s protective barrier will preserve its spiritual life. This number depicts not a length of time but a kind of history, namely, one of violent opposition to Christ and His church. This was the very situation that John’s original readers faced in the late first century and that many Christians face in the early twenty-first century.

Verse 3 begins with “And,” showing that we are continuing the vision that began in verse 1. The church is described in the figure of “two witnesses” in light of the Bible’s requirement that truth be established by the testimony of two (Deut. 17:6). This emphasizes the legal validity of the church’s witness to the gospel, just as God often sent two angels to announce judgment or validate truth (Gen. 19:1; Luke 24:3-9; Acts 1:10-11). We realize as well that Jesus sent out evangelists “two by two” (Luke 10:1), so the emblem of two witnesses speaks of the church in its evangelistic calling.

John is told that the church “will prophesy for 1,260 days” (v. 3). In this context, to prophesy means to “declare God’s Word.” Some wonder why the time is here expressed in days rather than the months of verse 2. One possible answer is that verse 2 spoke of the siege of the church, and sieges are normally measured in months. The witness of the church, however, is a day-to-day endeavor.

Verse 4 describes the purpose of the church’s witness as “the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” Jesus described John the Baptist as “a burning and shining lamp” (John 5:35). A lamp does not shine its own light but reflects the light that shines on it. Christians likewise do not bear testimony to ourselves, but the church is a lampstand on which the light of Christ is to be seen. John the Baptist said of Christ: “I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:31). As lampstands stand “before the Lord of the earth” (v. 4), Christians are justified in God’s presence through the blood of Christ, and then reveal the truth of His Word and the grace of His gospel to the world.

By its testimony, the church not only serves the Lord but is kept safe in the presence of danger (v. 5). This is an allusion to the episode in 2 Kings 1:10-14, when the prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume soldiers sent to arrest him. The point is that when the church witnesses boldly and faithfully, God’s Word has power over her enemies. Some Christians are tempted to shrink back from boldly declaring God’s Word as it comes into conflict with worldly values and practices. But we are reminded that we should not fear to declare God’s Word faithfully, since God protects those who valiantly stand for His truth.

Verse 6 speaks of the church’s witnessing power through prayer. The witnessing church of the gospel era will not be equipped with less power than the Old Testament heroes but through prayer will wield conquering power. The apostle James urged that the “prayer of a righteous person has great power,” and appealed to the example of Elijah: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth” (James 5:16-17).

Taken as a whole, John’s vision in Revelation 11 shows the power of the witnessing church, through the Word, sacraments, and prayer by the power of God’s Spirit. By these “ordinary means of grace,” the church is enabled to declare the truth of God’s Word, prevail over evil, and deliver sinners from judgment. Such is God’s power in the church that His witnesses cannot be defeated until Christians have given their testimony. But as verse 7 states, “when they have finished their testimony,” the world will wage violent war against them.

Verse 7 introduces a figure who will be prominent in the rest of Revelation, “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit,” who, once the Christians have given their witness, “will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.” Then “their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb.” (vv. 8-9).

John places this dreadful event in a location characterized by three biblical images. The slaying of the witnesses summarizes satanic opposition to the gospel throughout this present age, following the pattern that will be developed more fully in later chapters of Revelation. First is the city of Sodom, which represents perverse sexual abominations and idolatrous sin. Second is Egypt, where God’s holy people were kept in bondage and God’s message was hard-heartedly despised. Third is the crucifixion of Jesus outside Jerusalem, representing the rejection of God’s Messiah and His gospel. Verse 8 instructs that these images are to be taken “symbolically,” or, more literally, “in a spiritual manner.” The point is that they represent not a place in the world but the world itself in its sensual harlotry, violent persecution, and idol-worshiping false religion as it militantly opposes the gospel.

No doubt the beast in John’s vision believed he had finally defeated the Christian witness. The Jewish leaders thought the same when they had arranged Jesus’ crucifixion outside Jerusalem. Likewise, Saul of Tarsus perceived victory in the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen. But as with Jesus, so it is with His church, that crucifixion is followed by a resurrection through the power of God (v. 11). John’s vision, together with church history, shows that the world’s victories over the church are temporary and empty because of God’s resurrection power.

John’s vision further shows the church ascending to heaven in verse 12. We remember that this vision takes place between the sixth and seventh trumpets, and therefore it draws near to Christ’s return and the gathering in of the saints. Yet this is far from a “secret rapture,” since “their enemies watched them.” The gathering of Christ’s church in His return will see the vindication of His persecuted people. Accompanying the resurrection of Christ’s witness is a corresponding judgment on the wicked (v. 13). The symbolism of an earthquake shows the shaking and shattering of idolatrous power and worldly opposition to God. This effect occurs whenever the gospel is proclaimed in the power of God.

The angel concludes John’s vision by crying, “The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come” (v. 14). The third woe on the world will be the final judgment when the seventh trumpet is blown and Christ returns to end the age. Until that end in final judgment, the woe on God’s enemies means the continued blessing of the church’s gospel witness.

God preserves His gospel witness so that sinners can yet be saved. God’s preservation of the gospel offers salvation to you, if you will only repent and believe. This is the best way for you to give glory to God in light of His church’s mighty witness to the gospel: not in judgment through obstinate unbelief but in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Then God will use you as His witness, and though you may suffer death for Jesus and His Word, God’s resurrection power will raise you up to never-ending life.

Revelation 11:3-14 Study Questions:

What are the tasks of the two witnesses, and what do they have the authority to do (vv. 3-6)? Why two witnesses?

How is God calling us to bear witness to Jesus today despite various obstacles?

If we understand the two witnesses to be symbolic for the whole of God’s people, in what way might it be said that they “tormented those who lived on the earth”?

What is the ultimate fate of the two witnesses (vv. 11-12)?

Why do the people remaining on earth suddenly “[glorify] the God of heaven” (v. 13)?