Read Revelation 11 at Bible Gateway.
Revelation 11, Measuring the temple
Revelation 11,The two witnesses
Revelation 11,The two witnesses, part two
Revelation 11,The two witnesses, part three
Revelation 11, The two witnesses, part four
Revelation 11, The great earthquake
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. Rev 11:15-19
It is obvious from the text, that the next event which follows the great earthquake of Rev 11, and the ending of the second woe (the ending of the second interval period characterized by the little scroll and the two witnesses) is the sounding of the seventh trumpet. One possibility is that the seventh trumpet hasn’t sounded yet, because the kingdoms of this world have not yet become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah.
However, it might be that an interval period begins at its time in the unfolding of the historical prophecy, as the sealing of the 144,000 began at the time of Constantine, or the opening of the little book began as soon as the fall of Constantinople, the culmination of the 6th trumpet, was finished. But it might not end until the end of the age: the witness of the 144,000 is still going on in the earth, drawing men from all families, tribes, and languages before the throne of God; and the witness of the two witnesses, whether Old and New Testaments, or Jews and Christians, or Enoch and Elijah, is still going out into the earth.
Traditionally, it was believed that the time of the witnesses was finished with the end of the French Revolution, but I don’t believe it has finished. Obviously, God is still being witnessed to in the earth.
We know that the result of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, is that the kingdoms of this world become of the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah. The other possibility is that the seventh trumpet was been sounded sometime at the end of the French Revolution, containing, as we will see, the seven bowls of wrath. And that it is through the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath that the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah.
Now, when the seventh trumpet sounds, and the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord, then we have come to the end of the age. There are still many chapters left to Revelation. What are they all about if at the end of Rev 11 we come to the end of the age? I believe Rev 4-11 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. Rev 12-14 will tell us the identity of the beast, the beast that was introduced in Rev 11. Rev 15-16 tells of the seven bowls of wrath that are revealed by the seventh trumpet. These chapters follow the identity of the beast, rather than immediately following the sounding of the seventh trumpet, because the seven bowls of wrath are poured out on the beast, so the beast had to be identified first.
God’s wrath is not going to be poured out on His redeemed ones, dearly beloved, so please do not be in fear!
Rev 17 tells of Mystery Babylon who rides the beast; Rev 18 tells of the lamenting of the world over her fall, which the seven bowls of wrath bring about. Rev 19 tells of the rejoicing in heaven over her fall and the victory of the returning Messiah. Rev 20 tells of the millennial reign and the final defeat of Satan. Rev 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 Rev 12-22 tells us in detail and specifically how those things are going to be accomplished.
Return to Revelation Index of Studies
Christine’s book The Revelation of Jesus Christ Revealed, based on these studies but greatly expanded, is now available from Nothing New Press. You may also be interested in reading the Book Extras and joining in on the Discussion.
As well, Revelation in Chiastic Structure is also available.
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