(11.11-14) ¹¹        And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

¹²        And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

¹³        And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴        The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

 

1.   Just think of what will be running through the minds of modernists, who do not believe in the resurrection, when they see this on their television sets.

 

2.   These two witnesses will be raised from the dead and will ascend into heaven in the same manner as the Lord Jesus was, except for one thing. When this happens the entire world will see it happen, courtesy of CNN or Fox News.

 

3.   Witnesses to the end, these two unnamed men give testimony of God’s greatness even by the way they are leaving the scene of the crime against God that was committed by killing them.

 

4.   When this earthquake hits 7000 men die. Notice that the earthquake occurs within the hour that the witnesses are raised up. God wants everyone to know there is a connection between the resurrection of those two men and the subsequent earthquake. Denying God’s two witnesses a proper burial at the time of their deaths, the wicked men of Jerusalem will be, themselves, buried alive by God as an act of retribution.

 

5.   When this happens those who are left alive will give glory to the God of heaven. Does this mean they are saved? Does this mean they are repentant? “No,” to both questions. When will people realize that giving glory to the God of heaven is not necessary proof that a person is saved?

 

6.   These men will be compelled by circumstances to glorify the God of heaven. They will not do so by choice. Why are they not saved by this external act of contrition? Turn to Philippians 2.10-11. I think these two verses are essentially happens when a person is really saved. You, obviously, do not do these things to get saved, but these are the things that happen when a sinner comes to Jesus by faith. Ask yourself, then, whether or not this is what happens in Revelation 11.13:

 

¹⁰    That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

¹¹    And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

7.   I did not know this passage was in the Bible when I was saved, but I was doing what verses 10 and 11 say to do...and you did this when you were saved, as well, if you are a saved person. But those who will live through the earthquake will give glory to God without submitting to His Son. The result? They remain lost.

 

8.   “With this event, the second woe is brought to its completion and is evidently regarded as the final phase of the sixth trumpet. The third woe contained in the seventh trumpet is announced as coming quickly. The end of the age is rapidly approaching.”^[1]

 

(11.15)       And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

 

1.   “When the seventh trumpet sounds, John hears great voices in heaven announcing that the kingdoms have become the kingdom of Christ and that henceforth He shall reign forever and ever. In contrast to previous instances where a single voice makes the announcement, here there is a great symphony of voices chanting the triumph of Christ.”^[2]

 

2.   Lest you think that the sounding of the seventh trumpet is a single short blast, turn to Revelation 10.7 and read: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Folks, Revelation 10.7 suggests to us that the trumpet blast of Revelation 11.15 affects events in human history that span 1003 and one-half years! This covers the last half of the tribulation and the entire millennial reign of Christ!

 

3.   When the trumpet begins to blast, the Bible says that there were great voices in heaven shouting. The fact of their shouting rather reminds me of Israel ’s defeat of Jericho . Do you remember how they did it in Joshua 6.12-16? Turn there and read with me, because I believe the same kind of thing will happen here when God conquers the kingdoms and the dominions of this world:

 

¹²    And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

¹³    And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

¹⁴    And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

¹⁵    And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

¹⁶    And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

 

4.   We know, from various passages of Scripture, that this present world order that we live under is in the possession of and under the domination of Satan. His reign over this world began at Adam’s fall, and will continue until the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus. This is why Satan is described in one passage as “the god of this world” and in another passage as “the prince of the power of the air.”^[3]

 

5.   The sounding of the 7th trumpet indicates the fall of the world order and is, at the same time, the trumpet blast announcing the royal entry of the King into His domain. A domain over which He will reign for ever and ever.

 

6.   Turn to Psalm 2 and read along with me:

 

¹      Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

²      The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

³      Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

⁴      He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

⁵      Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

⁶      Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

⁷      I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

⁸      Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

⁹      Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

¹⁰    Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

¹¹    Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹²    Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 

7.   There is no contest between the forces of good and the forces of evil. There is no contest God and the devil. While it is true that you and I are engaged in a struggle against our own sinful nature and the forces of darkness, it is no struggle with God, just as it was not struggle for the Lord Jesus Christ. My friends, God is in complete control!

 

8.   Remember when the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted of the devil after being baptized by John the Baptist? Remember that Satan offered to give him all the kingdoms of this world, Matthew 4.8-9. Imagine offering the Lord Jesus Christ what He, Himself, had created!^[4] Further, Satan was offering the Lord Jesus Christ what God the father would present to Him in due time anyway. Did not Satan know this already? Probably. But sin makes you terribly stupid.

 

(11.16)       And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,

 

1.   The last mention of these twenty-four elders not being seated on their thrones (the Greek word translated “seats” is qronoV, from which the English word throne is derived) is in Revelation 5.14. In that verse they fall down and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Since then they have apparently been sitting by as the seven seals are broken and as the first six trumpets were sounded . . . I think watching the glorious and terrible proceedings unfolding in this final act of the great drama of redemption.

 

2.   But with the sounding of the 7th trumpet, and its signal of King Jesus bringing this earth back under His Own dominion after so many thousands of years, these elders cannot contain themselves. They do not just fall down in worship of Him. They fall on their faces and worship God.

 

3.   Recalling that these twenty four elders represent the church age believers who will be raptured before the seven years of tribulation, before the 70^th week of Daniel begins, this is a picture of the unrestrained worship and adoration of God by Christians, as they are overcome with the majesty and wisdom of God’s plan unfolding.

 

(11.17)       Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.

 

1.   This praise which these elders sing out is a praise to God for once again exerting His rightful place over His created universe. They actually express thanks to Him for fulfilling His rightful role as the Almighty God of all creation.

 

2.   This is seen in the Greek word translated “almighty.” The word pantokrator is compounded from two words. PantoV means “all.” KratoV refers to dictatorial authority. This means that the twenty-four elders see their God to be the absolute dictator of all things. For that they give praise and thanks.

 

3.   Someone has to be in charge. Right? Are you not glad that the one who is in charge is God, our wise and majestic sovereign, and not some mere creature?

 

4.   One point to make before moving on. The description of God as “which art, and wast, and art to come” is so much as saying that God is and was and is to come. Correct? But remember that in Revelation 1.8, the Lord Jesus Christ described Himself as the one “which is, and which was, and which is to come.” Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord God Almighty are eternally self existent, from eternity past to eternity future. Another example of the Word of God showing Jesus to be eternal God.

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