The Seventh Trumpet

God’s Reign is Revealed

John turns his attention to heaven when the seventh…trumpet sounds. He hears loud voices, possibly a great multitude of angels similar to 5:11-12. What do they declare? God’s redemptive plan has fully arrived, and He will reign forever.

We are expecting a terrible judgment to follow the sound of the trumpet, but instead we are surprised with details of something greater: a heavenly scene which celebrates the reign of our Lord and of His Christ. This is similar to seventh seal which resulted in silence, but here, the sound of loud voices announcing ‘the arrival of the kingdom.’

The concept of a loud voice is common in Revelation, occurring nineteen times, but in only occurs in the plural here. Any time a phrase or wording is different, the change is intentional. It’s very probable that the text is drawing our attention to this detail. Here, it seems as if John is drawing attention to the hymn that is sung rather than the unified group singing it. The contents of the song would seem to indicate that this reflects the second coming of Christ.

Now scholars differ as to the timing of the whole event, some claiming that this isn’t “THE END,” while others say it’s a shift forward to the end. A couple of things in support of this is that the seals, trumpets, and bowls seem to recount the same ideas but from slightly different perspectives, and I believe this is the proclamation of the final victory while the following chapters detail how the victory comes about.

The rule of the enemy (‘prince of this world’ — Jn.12:31; 14:30; 16:11) has ended is now transferred to the Father (Lord) and the Son (His Christ). With this, there begins a train of thought that embraces Psalm 2 and Daniel 7 as backdrops, passages that contrasts and calls out the rulers of the world who would mock and scoff at God, but God is undeterred because the kingdom belongs to His Son. Psalm 2 is realized as those who had taken a stand against the Lord have been defeated by the Lord. John uses the Greek word kosmos for world, which is often used in the Gospel of John and in his epistles to indicate a ‘human society’ that is ‘temporarily controlled by the powers of evil, organized in opposition to God.’

John then keys on the forever and ever reign of God. Note Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of those 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,” There is an interesting picture here — the Father and Son rule simultaneously, so there is no other heir to leave the kingdom to…they reign forever.

The eternal reign is the picture received and recorded by Daniel when the Ancient of Days defeats the world’s powers and gives authority to the Son of Man who in turn, reigns forever. Some notes on the Daniel 7 passage, which is clearly at play in Revelation 7:

History has a fearful face (Dan.7:1-8)

The four beasts portray a fearsome side to humanity (a ferocious lion, a feasting bear, a swift and wide-spread leopard, and a fourth beast like no other). OT scholars have traditionally interpreted the beasts as Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece, but history would see them as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

The three beasts which are like something else have historically correlations — Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece.

Daniel goes out of his way to communicate that the last beast is a different beast altogether. It has no comparison.

This could be Rome.

But, it seems to refer to a “last human kingdom, the one in which human evil and rebellion will reach its apex.” It produces a powerful (horn) ruler who is both intelligent (eyes of a man) and arrogant (a mouth of many great things).

The kingship of heaven is firmly fixed (Dan.7:9-14)

The text shifts quickly from the vision of the beasts to the thrones of heaven.

Sandwiched between the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man is a brief snippet where the *presumably fourth beast with its boastful speaking horn is dispatched…with amazing efficiency (a total of half of a verse). To underscore how truly insignificant the beast actually is, the account of his death is sandwiched between two grand visions of God and His Son.

While the temptation is to cast all concern on the beast/horns/little horns (and attention is given to it in Dan.7:19-27), the narrative is interrupted to remind us of what is most important: “the Day of the Lord’s judgment and the reign of the Son of Man.” (Notes from Dale Ralph Davis’ Commentary on Daniel, Bible Speaks Today Commentary series)

The allusion to Dan.7 presents an antagonistic kingdom of the world that persecutes God’s people which is replaced by the rule of the Son of Man. And, contextually, what have we seen? A world that is antagonistic to the people of God, persecuting the prophetic witness to the point of death, only to see the people of God vindicated through the resurrection of the two witnesses just before the seventh trumpet sounds and God’s forever kingdom is finally established!

There’s a song by a Jewish hip-hop reggae artist…I know, it’s as crazy as it sounds, but he’s pretty talented…named Matisyahu. The song’s called “One Day,” and the chorus states:

All my life, I've been waitin' for I've been prayin' for, for the people to say That we don't wanna fight no more There'll be no more wars, and our children will play

There is something about “world peace” that rings in the hearts of man, part of eternity written on our hearts maybe, that everyone longs for. It even becomes a joke in the movie “Miss Congeniality” — yes, I’ve watched it…yes, more than once. The problem is the world is completely uninterested in what will actually bring about peace: the forever reign of our Lord and His Christ. But this is all our hopes…this is the sum of our joy…this is the longing of our hearts…the peaceful and final reign of God when evil is finally dealt a death blow and gone forever are the sorrows and pains of this sin-sick world. To that end, let us cast our hopes on that tomorrow.

God’s Judgment is Praiseworthy

This throng of twenty-four elders have appeared before. Notice the ever-crescendoing nature of their songs of praise:

First, they praise God as Creator (4:11).

Then, they praise God as Redeemer (5:9-10).

Now, they praise God as Ruling Lord (11:16-18).

I’m not saying this is the theological point, but: God is the Creator, and He has paid the price to be our Redeemer. Now the call of the gospel is that we would surrender and know Him as our ruling Lord. This follows the grand redemptive story arc of Scripture (recount the intro., rising action, climax, and resolution of the gospel).

Because of God’s greatness, the elders once again fall on their faces. As their song begins, they give thanks. Easley notes this is the only time thank appears in Revelation. If so, it seems significant to note WHY God is being thanked — by His great power, God has begun to reign. It would seem to bring about the culmination of salvation history where all of God’s promises come fully to fruition. I think the final verse of chapter 11 bears this idea out.

God is called the One who is and…was, stressing His eternality as it has in previous passages and echoing truths contained in the “I Am” name. What’s interesting, though, is the moniker is to come is gone. While some older translations and manuscripts include the last, most modern manuscripts follow older and more reliable manuscripts in leaving it out. Theologically, this makes sense because God has at last come.

God, by His great power, has begun to reign. God’s great power (v.17) is witnessed by:

Even though the nations raged, God’s wrath came, bringing victory. This is in line with Psalm 2. Those who were enraged against God have experienced His wrath, a word that is used in Revelation to refer to the final outpouring of wrath at history’s end.

The time for the dead to be judged has arrived. This is portrayed vividly in Revelation 20. This judgment without a doubt confirms this passage deals with the last time.

God’s servants, the prophets and saints, and all those who fear His name will be rewarded. The description of God’s people here is another parallel to the events from Rev.18:24-19:5. In the latter passages, God is praised because Babylon is put down at the final judgment. The fact that their reward is mentioned between passages concerning judgment suggests that part of their blessing is the satisfaction that God has vindicated and dealt finally with their oppressors.

The prophets were the ones most likely to face ridicule. Remember that the OT prophets were rejected and killed, and the beginning of the chapter identified the church as a prophetic witness and they, too, were killed.

Saints are literally the holy or set apart ones, a common NT phrase referring to followers of Jesus. Saints may be singled out because of their designation/usage in Daniel (7:18, 22, 25, 27).

Finally, those who fear God is a common OT designation for the people of YHWH.

The destroyers of the earth will be destroyed. A word play is used here, and the double use of destroy implies both “destroy completely” and “to corrupt morally.” God will completely condemn those who have drug the world into moral decay. This idea of earth destroyers is drawn from Babylon’s judgment in Jeremiah 51:25 — I am against you, o destroying mountain. Babylon is the great harlot who corrupts the world with her sexual immorality (Rev.19:2), and the word for destroy (diaphtheiro) refers to either physical or moral corruption and ruin.

All people will be judged, the righteous to eternal blessing, but the wicked to face God’s wrath. The certainty of this is seen by the fact that God is a covenant keeping God. More on this idea in a moment, but let us hone in on the idea of God’s eternal blessing. The book of Revelation has made one thing clear: the righteous stand before God as such based on the work of Christ. Remember:

Revelation 5:9–10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.””

Revelation 5:11–12 “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!””

Revelation 7:9–10 “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!””

The gospel message is central to the Book, and to rejoice in the forever blessing, we humbly submit to the good rule of Christ now to embrace it fully at the end.

God’s Faithfulness is Displayed

The last hint that this likely fast-forwards to the end — the presence of God’s temple and the fact that it is opened. What is interesting is what appears: the ark of His covenant. A couple of thoughts here:

The ark is a reminder of His covenant, and the appearance here is a reminder that God has brought all of His covenant promises to fruition.

And, the ark was symbolic of God’s presence among His people.

The symbology of God’s presence may be the most prominent image, for this verse also communicates common pictures of God’s presence, imagery that has been seen throughout the book of Revelation already — flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. The following note comes from Rev.8:5: “The peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake invokes Sinai imagery, which has been common before (see previous commentary on how the Sinai event became synonymous with divine judgment (Israel delivered through Egypt’s judgment). Here, God’s presence certainly equals judgment.” Add to this the inclusion of hail, one of the Egyptian plagues, and it seems the presence of God through His victory over the great city which is spiritually called…Egypt, leading to God forever being present among His people.

Lest we have forgotten through all the signs and imagery, the fascinating symbolism and the countless OT connections made throughout John’s Revelation, let us briefly here remember that He is a covenant-making and a covenant-keeping God. All of His promises are yes and amen. We need not worry over whether any of what He has said will come to pass. The overwhelming testimony of Scripture is that God is a God of His word. God can be trusted. What God has said, God will do.

Let us also remember that the righteous only enter the blessing of God because of His mercy, portrayed by the presence of the ark, the place where God’s wrath and mercy would meet. The ark points to the centrality of the cross, reminding the believer that the only way God can be both forgiving and just is through the cross and the blood.

I want to encourage you this morning with something I’ve been reading through on my own — it doesn’t matter if you’re ignorant or wayward this morning. You say, “Well what do you mean by that?”

This morning you may be a sinner of ignorance, unaware of some of the offenses you commit against God and His rule. You know what the answer is to ignorant sins? Come to Jesus.

Others may be wayward sinners, fully aware of their rebellion against God. You know what the answer is for that? Come to Jesus.

Why? Because here’s the deal — Jesus deals gently and only gently with all sinners who come to Him, irrespective of their particular offense…now matter how heinous it may be.

Surely Revelation has borne this truth out, that “if we never come to Him, we will experience a judgment so fierce it will be like a double-edged sword coming out of His mouth at us (Rev.1:16; 2:12; 19:15, 21).” But the opposite is true, “if we do come to Him, as fierce as His lion-like judgment would have been against us, so deep will be His lamb-like tenderness for us (Rev.5:5-6).” But rest assured, “we will be enveloped in one or the other. To no one will Jesus be neutral.”

I say this not as a fear tactic for the lost, but as a comfort to hurting hearts this morning. You can trust the reigning Christ with your life completely…the question is, have you?