What Are You Looking Forward To? (Revelation 11:15-19)
GIST: When Jesus returns, those who reject Him will face the wrath they’ve chosen, but it will be amazing for those who have trusted His truth and accepted His rescue. I’m
Happy Palm Sunday! After a packed message last week, I’m biting off a smaller passage with you guys this morning. It’s another one of those cool Sundays when I’m reminded how God knows exactly what we need to hear. The passage we’re going to discuss is the passage we would naturally have been coming to next anyway, and it happens to be an awesome passage to talk about on Palm Sunday because it points us to a truer fulfillment of that day!
Across the world, people are celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He rode into the city on a young donkey—coming as the humble and victorious king. He was treated like a great conqueror as people laid down palm branches and clothing and called for His salvation. Yet, this excitement wasn’t fully understood by many, and, within days, He was being crucified.
In Revelation 11, we’re coming to the seventh trumpet. Like the sevens before it, this is a picture of the end of the world as we know it and Jesus’ triumphant return (I’ll unpack how we see that in this text as we walk through the passage, as well). With this triumphant entry, however, no one is missing the point. Those who reject Him will face the wrath they’ve chosen, but it will be amazing for those who have trusted His truth and accepted His rescue. (And that’s our gist statement for today ☺️.)
Let’s read Revelation 11:15-19, walk through the verses, then hit some takeaways.
“15 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." 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 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. 18 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." 19 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.”
Let’s break this down.
“15 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."
Let’s break down a few observations here. First, the trumpet is blown and we hear a→
Loud voice. This is a direct contrast to what we saw with the seventh seal. There, we saw stunned, amazed silence. I compared it to the moment when the groom sees his bride for the first time , and he’s so blown away that she’s here for him. Here, the picture goes one step further. Now, we’re shown unmistakable praise. It’s loud because there is excitement in these words, and there should be because this is exciting! And guys, this is the moment we’re moving toward, when the whole world will see Him, and those of us who have been looking forward to this moment will be→
Proclaiming His Kingdom Come. Oh, there’s so much to love here. First, the kingdom of God can be loosely defined as His people in His place living according to His purpose. The second we’re saved, we’re meant to be experiencing that kingdom. However, when He comes back it will be fully revealed. The words Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, will come to life like never before (Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!) Life will be exactly as God intended—and He will reign forever and ever.
“16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,”
The Church Worships Jesus. That’s the picture we have here. We’ve seen these elders before and talked about how the most common interpretation is that this is the whole church, the full body of Christ. That means, if you’re His, you’re in this number. What are you doing? Humbly bowing down and worshiping Him. And here’s why→
“17 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.”
There are a few points to note here, as well. They start with→
Thanksgiving. They are acknowledging His work with gratitude. They are glad He’s moved. They’re glad He’s→
Lord God Almighty with Great Power. This is praising His strength and sovereignty. Remember, this is one of the central messages of the entire letter. The world might seem to be out of control, but it’s not. He is all powerful. He is working mightily and wonderfully and purposefully… to show His love and rescue His people.
Did you notice there is also a keyword missing in the description?
Is and Was and…? Don’t we typically read Him described as He who was and is and is to come? Why not here? Because this is a picture of His return. He’s back!
Now, the descriptions don’t stop here→
“18 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."
Here we have a→
Contrast of Circumstances. Those who love Jesus and have accepted His grace have a very different reaction to His return from those who have chosen to reject Him.
Raged—Wrath— Judgment—Destroyed. Those words are used to describe the circumstances of the lost. Those who have chosen self over Jesus. Those who do not want to be with Him or acknowledge their need for rescue. Guys, this isn’t fun to talk about, but we need to.
Verse 18 says the nations raged, but His wrath came. In Revelation, “the nations” refers to the lost world. The word translated “raged” here implies they were acting out of anger. In context, we see that anger directed toward God’s kingdom. Why would they rage against His rule? Because by nature we want to rule our lives. We’ve gone beyond valuing the individual, which is not sinful at all (check out the next part of verse 18—all the saints, small and great, are included), to worshiping it, which is idolatry.
I’ve been reading Ayn Rand’s Anthem with my sophomores this week. Honestly, I love teaching that text because it’s a fun read, and the kids usually get into the story. It’s also pretty thought-provoking. It’s a dystopian novella, which means it paints the picture of the author’s broken or imperfect world. In dystopias, we see what the writer values the most because that’s what they take away. Which is why in most popular American dystopias, you have things like freedom and individuality taken away because those are precious to us. Rand does the same thing. However, she takes it a step further and in the second from last chapter really shows her cards. Honestly, I’d say it’s poor writing because she walks away from her narrative voice and really lays her cards on the table in what reads like an essay on her worldview… and what she says shocks most of my students, as it should. Let me just read you a little sample.
I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction…
Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, but only three are holy: “I will it!”
Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one direction. They point to me.
I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose…
And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride.
This god, this one word:
“I.” (Rand)
Honestly, this is beautifully written and heartbreakingly wrong. Yet, this is the natural direction our heart pursues. We might not be bold enough to say we believe life is all about us, but that’s the sin that’s within us. That’s why we rage against His control. Life isn’t about you, not because you’re worthless, but because your worth is in Christ who died to save you, so your life is worth too much to be wasted on selfish desires.
That’s one side to this coin. Here’s the other→
Reverence—Great and Small—Rewarded. Every promised reward in Revelation is a picture of Heaven. Go back and read Revelation 7, it is going to be amazing! It doesn’t matter how big or small your role might have appeared here on earth. If you have feared God, loved Him, reverenced Him, served Him—from the Billy Grahams to the most overlooked of worshippers—if you’re living for Jesus, you’ll partake equally in His presence. And that’s exactly where this passage ends→
“19 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.”
Ok, last thoughts before some quick takeaways. First, we see God’s→
Temple. Last week, we talked about this. There is no physical temple in Heaven. This is us in His presence. And there in His presence we see the→
Ark Of His Covenant. Throughout the whole Old Testament, the ark represents His presence and promises. So what are we seeing here. In His presence, we see Him and His promises to us completely fulfilled!
The End. After that we see the earthquake imagery with the thunder and lightning which always symbolize God showing up. That’s what we’re looking forward to. The ultimate triumphant entry!
Ok, three quick→
TAKEAWAYS
Don’t wait & ignore warnings of judgment because they’re “uncomfortable topics”.
Praise Him now & forever.
Seek to live “Your kingdom come”—let Him reign like that in your life.
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