“Revelation 11:15-19”

Monday, December 25, 2017

“Then the seventh angel sounded; 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 will 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 You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.’ And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm .”

---End of Scripture verses---

With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, heaven exploded with a resounding victory song proclaiming “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (verse 15). As the breaking of the seventh seal introduced the seven trumpets of God’s warning and partial judgment (10:7); similarly the sounding of the seventh trumpet introduces the seven bowls of God’s wrath and indignation (16:1). But before the Lord’s fury is poured out in vivid detail upon Satan and the oppressors of His people, John will show us through His eyes visions of finer particulars and the deeper significance behind the colossal conflict that rages between heaven and the forces of evil (chapters 12-15).

And, just as God had reassuringly guaranteed the eternal victory to His faithful martyrs in advance in Revelation 7:14-16, He also gives the triumphant ending away in today’s verses to all His “bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear” His name (verse 18). The upshot of the story is just this: CHRIST WINS!!! All who cast their lot with the Lord and confidently wear His name and fight for His cause are guaranteed the everlasting victory in heaven!!! In regard to verse 19, Robert Harkrider wrote, “As this seventh trumpet sounds, God promises His people that whatever might come, He is present and will keep His covenant with them…What is seen is the ‘ark of His testament,’ a symbol indicating that God will not forget the covenant with His people.”

The ark of the covenant was kept behind the veil of the tent of meeting and later the temple, nestled securely within the Holiest place of all in “God’s house,” and only the high priest could enter therein once per year to make intercessory sacrifice for God’s covenant people (Hebrews 9:1-7). But, because of Christ’s conquering intervention, Christians “have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:19-23)

And brethren, our “entering into the holy place” is not only a figurative phrase representing prayers and petitions in times of distress and need. If we are faithful unto our Lord until death, we will literally follow Him into the true inner sanctuary of heaven. “We who have taken refuge…have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.” (Hebrews 6:18-20). Our “hope” reaches right into heaven’s eternal veil because Christ burst through Hades’ gates and the barricade of the grave, and soared through the clouds to take His rightful seat at the Father’s right hand. As our “Forerunner” He blazed a trail for us to follow that only He could forge in His holy perfection. All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Our King’s perfect life, sacrificial death and all-powerful resurrection and ascension has guaranteed heaven’s everlasting glory to all His loyal subjects!

Please read Revelation 12:1-6 for tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day!

-Louie Taylor

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