Revelation Friday Night Bible Study 16JAN26 (Revelation 11:15-19)

The Seventh Trumpet

 

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

 

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

 

The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

 

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail” (Revelation 11:15-19).

 

 

We have now come to the seventh and final trumpet that was blown. This final trumpet is blown upon the return of Jesus when He comes to take His children home to be with Him. But let’s do a quick recap of the first six trumpets.

 

First Trumpet: Hail, fire, and blood strike the earth and burn 1/3 of the trees and grass.

 

Second Trumpet: A blazing mountain is thrown into the sea, turning 1/3 of the sea to blood, killing sea life, and destroying the ships.

 

Third Trumpet: A star named Wormwood falls to the earth, causing 1/3 of the fresh waters to become bitter, resulting in people’s death.

 

Fourth Trumpet: 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened, causing less light in the day and night.

 

Fifth Trumpet (First Woe): Demonic locusts are released from the abyss to torment people for five months, but death will flee them.

 

Sixth Trumpet (Second Woe): A mighty army from the Euphrates kills 1/3 of mankind.

 

Now, the apostle John sees the seventh trumpet blown, which is the third woe, which announces the eternal reign of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ returns at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. This final trumpet indicates the end of the Tribulation, the fall and destruction of man-made kingdoms, and the beginning of Christ’s millennial reign. It is also accompanied by the resurrection of the saints. The Bible says: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). During this seventh trumpet’s blow, God is bringing an end to sin, death, and wickedness upon the world. There will be no more death for the saints of God, for death will have its end.

The Apostle John witnessed the twenty-four elders, representing the saints of God, who were seated on their thrones, worshiping God because of who He is and that His promises had been fulfilled. Jesus had finally returned to reign, and the wicked were given the reward they deserved. All, both great and small, received what was due to them. The Bible says: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). There will be no escape for God will give the reward according to what each man has done rather it be good or bad. The saints will receive their rewards at the Bema Seat of Christ, and those who are lost will also receive their rewards at the Great White Throne of God. The Bible says: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The Judgment Seat of Christ, also known as the Bema Seat, and the Great White Throne Judgment are two separate events. The Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema Seat) is for believers to receive rewards for their faithfulness and earthly service (good or bad, not salvation), while the Great White Throne is for the wicked to reward them with their eternal punishment.

We will be able to come into God’s Temple once we leave this earth. It is the very presence of the Lord. The Bible says, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). The ark of His covenant will then be seen, representing the covenant God made with man: that if we obey Him, we will see His face. The Bible says: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). What a glorious day it will be when we see Jesus. We will never have to pass through this sinful life again, but will reside with the Lord forever and ever.

Many scholars interpret the revealing of the Ark of the Covenant as being symbolic of God's presence. While some biblical scholars hold a literal view that the original ark is in the heavenly temple, it is generally considered a symbol of God’s divine justice and abiding presence.

There was lightning, thunder, an earthquake, and hail, but these things were not for the ones who made it to Heaven. This is the destruction of those who were lost for continuing in their sins. We need not be worried about the wrath of God if we are saved. God’s love is forever constant and will never change. Such are the seven trumpets’ judgments, with the seventh trumpet to include the outpouring of the seven bowls of God’s wrath by seven angels upon the earth. The seven bowls of God's wrath are generally understood to be the final, intense, and rapid outpouring of judgment, acting as the conclusion of the third "woe" in Revelation 16.

HOMEWORK: Read Revelation 12:7-9 and give your meaning of the text and how it relates to today's times.