Previously: Revelation 11: the end of the third woe
The first post in the Revelation series
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 11:15-19
When the seventh trumpet is sounded, we come to the end of the age of the kingdoms of this world. The interval between the sixth and seventh trumpets, the interval of the two witnesses, is ongoing and will last until the seventh trumpet sounds. Since with this event the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, this short paragraph, I believe, tells of the end of the age and the entrance of the age to come: the return of Jesus, the millennial reign, and the judgment seat of Christ.
Now I know there are still many chapters left to Revelation. What are they all about if at the end of chapter 11 we come to the end of the age? I believe chapters 4 through 11 are telling us the outline of history, from 96 ad when John received the vision, to the present time since we are so close to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The rest of the book is going to go back and fill in details for us. Chapters 12-14 tell us the identity of the beast. Chapters 15-16 tells of the seven bowls of wrath that are revealed by the seventh trumpet (just as the seven trumpets were revealed by the seventh seal). These chapters follow the identity of the beast, rather than immediately following the seventh trumpet, because the seven bowls of wrath are poured out on the beast, so the beast had to be identified first.
Chapter 17 tells of Mystery Babylon who rides the beast; chapter 18 tells of the lamenting of the world over her fall, which the seven bowls of wrath bring about. Chapter 19 tells of the rejoicing in heaven over her fall and the victory of the returning Messiah. Chapter 20 tells of the millennial reign and the final defeat of Satan. Chapters 21-22 tells of the new heavens and new earth which will be revealed when the millennial reign of the Messiah is finished. So we can see that Rev 11:15-19 speaks of the end of the age and the reign of the Lamb, while chapters 12-22 tells us in detail and specifically how those things are going to be accomplished. Now, on to chapter 12 and the identity of the beast!
To be continued …
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Update: continued in Revelation 12: the identity of the woman
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