College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Revelation 11:15-19
Strauss-' Comments
SECTION 34
Text Revelation 11:15-19
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said,
The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces and worshipped God 17 saying,
We give thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign. 18 And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.
19 And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark, of his covenant; and there followed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Initial Questions Revelation 11:15-19
1.
Who announced that the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord - Revelation 11:15?
2.
At what other previous point does John mention the 24 elders?
3.
How did the nations react to God's intervention - Revelation 11:18? Why?
4.
Was the Temple of God mentioned in Revelation 11:19 located in Jerusalem?
The Seventh Trumpet-blast, or The Third Woe
Chapter Revelation 11:15-19
In contrast to the silence in heaven which followed the opening of the seventh seal, great voices are speaking as the seventh trumpet is sounded. What were the voices saying? The kingdom of the world became (egeneto - 2nd aor. ind. - became in a single act - now!) the kingdom (this noun not in text but implied by grammatical structure) of our Lord, and of His Christ; and he shall reign unto the ages of the ages. Here we note the title Lord applied to God the Father. This term is applied without reservation to Jesus Christ. This is a direct assertion of His deity. (See appendix at end of column on The Titles for Christ in The Revelation.
We are once more in the throne room of heaven. The twenty-four Elders which were about the throne worshipped God. The victory had won and God is being praised.
The twenty-four Elders are praising Godbecause you have taken (eilçphos - perfect tense - ind. - action involved in the taking of the power is complete - effect still exists) great power to yourself, and did reign (ebasileusas - 1st aor. ind. - the reign was immediate - now!).
How does the world respond to God's reign? The nations were wrathful (ôrgisthçsan - 1st aor. passive - indicative) and your wrath came (elthen - 2nd aor. ind. came in a single act!) and the time of the dead to be judged (krithçnoi - 1st aor. inf. passive) and to give the reward to your slaves the prophets, and to the saints, and to the ones fearing your name, to the small and great, and to destroy the ones destroying the earth. This verse makes it very apparent that God is going to judge the dead too. Everyone will stand before the judgment throne and give an account of every word and deed. Be not deceived; God is mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7, 1901 R.V.) Social status, level of education, I.Q., wealth, etc., will all be to no avail in that hour of judgment.
The sanctuary (naos - does not mean Temple in the sense of the entire physical structure) of God was opened in heaven, and was seen in his sanctuary the ark of his covenant, and lightenings and voices, thunders, an earthquake and a great hail occurred. (See Revelation 8:5 - for same symbolism after the opening of the seventh seal.)
The Kingdom of God has come after the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15 ff). The materials contained in the seven trumpets section appear to cover the same ground as the seven seals - only evil and God's judgment are more intense.
Note: The imagery of the Jewish place of worship is often used in The Revelation. For a description of the Herodian Temple, which stood during the life and ministry of our Lord, and was destroyed by the Roman in 70 A.D. - see Josephus, Jewish Wars, 11:5. 1-7, Loeb Classics, Harvard University Press; and The Mishnah, translated by Herbert Danby, Oxford University Press, Fifth Civision: Kodashim (Things Holy) section on Middoth, pp. 589-598.
Review Questions - Chapter 11
1.
Read Zechariah 2:1 ff and compare with Revelation 11:1.
2.
What were God's two faithful witnesses doing - Revelation 11:3?
3.
What does the first class conditional of Revelation 11:5 mean?
4.
Discuss how Moses and Elijah could be called prototypes of the two witnesses - Revelation 11:6.
5.
Does Revelation 11:7 imply that it often appears as though evil will prevail over God's righteousness? Discuss the problem of evil and the ultimate victory of Christ - as revealed in The Revelation.
6.
Were the two witnesses significantly successful (Revelation 11:8-10?) in their preaching of God's Word?
7.
How did the non-Christian world respond to the death of God's witnesses - Revelation 11:11?
8.
Does Revelation 11:13 specifically state that many non-Christians were converted in view of the phrase - gave glory to the God of heaven?
9.
What is the meaning of the phrase the kingdom (note that this is singular, not plural as in King James Version) of world became the kingdom of our Lord, and his Christ - Revelation 11:15?
10.
How does the sinful world respond to God's reign - Revelation 11:18?