The Return of the king
Revelation 11:15-19
Main Idea: We can have an enduring hope because of the coming and forever kingdom of Christ
I. God’s Forever Kingdom (11:15-17)
As the seventh trumpet is blown, the “third woe” occurs (11:14) marking the end of history. The New Testament often associates the return of Christ with a trumpet blast (1 Thess. 4:16a, 1 Cor. 15:51-52)
Two things to note about this coming reality:
1. The Kingdom of God will overcome the ‘kingdom’ of this world (cf. Ps. 2:2, Isa. 11:9, Hab. 2:14, Rev. 21:1-2)
“Rather than saying that Christ has returned to defeat all the different kingdoms on earth, the voices speak of a single earthly kingdom that is opposed to Christ. Daniel’s prophecy foretold the rising of different kingdoms in succession, each symbolized by its particular beast (Dan. 7:1–8), but in Revelation there is one beast that is a composite of them all (Rev. 13:1–2). All the secular empires are actually one earthly kingdom under the reign of Satan… When Christ returns, the “kingdom of the world” will yield to “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Rev. 11:15).” ~ Richard Phillips, Revelation
2. Christ will reign as King forever and ever (cf. 2 Sam. 7:16, Dan. 7:13-14, Lk. 1:33, Phil. 2:9-11)
The 24 elders worship God by bowing down in worship and giving thanks. Every time we worship and “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18), we are a preview of life everlasting and we experience a foretaste of glory.
II. God’s Final Judgment (11:18)
This particular vantage point of the return of Christ and the end of history zooms in on the righteous and final judgements of God. This is the overwhelming emphasis of the Creeds:
Apostles’ Creed: “The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”
Nicene Creed: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end”
This divine verdict will have two different outcomes:
The wicked who “raged” will be judged and condemned (cf. Ps. 2, Isa. 40:10, Rev. 20:12)
The righteous (servants, prophets, saints) who “fear your name” will be rewarded (cf. Mt. 5:11-12, 6:19-20, 25:14-30, 2. Cor. 4:16-18, Heb. 11:16)
“‘Rejoice and be glad.’ Why? ‘For great is your reward in heaven.’ Here is one of these great central principles you will find running all the way through the Bible. It is this consideration of the end, our final destiny… According to this argument, my whole outlook upon everything that happens to me should be governed by these three things: my realization of who I am, my consciousness of where I am going, and my knowledge of what awaits me when I get there… But someone may ask: ‘How is this reward possible? I thought that man was saved by grace; why speak of reward?’ The answer of Scripture seems to be that even the reward itself is of grace. It does not mean we merit or deserve salvation. It just means God treats us as a Father… It is not that the child merits a reward. It is given of grace, and it is the expression of the Father’s love.”
~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
III. God’s Faithful Presence (11:19)
Verse 19 recalls the fall of Jericho in Josh. 6 as well as the Lord’s theophanic presence at Mt. Sinai in Ex. 19. In both of these stories of God’s redemption, there is a “collapse” of the old order and an inauguration of a new era. The same will happen at the end of history, as life everlasting is ushered in.
The ‘ark of the covenant’ that dwells in the heavenly ‘temple’ signifies two realities:
God’s Covenant Promises: the ark contained the Word of God as a reminder of God’s covenant commitments to his people
God’s Constant Presence: the ark resided in the “holy of holies” where the presence and glory of God dwelt in the midst of the camp of his people
Revelation 21:3, 22–23: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God… And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
