This week we will cover the rest of the text in Revelation 11:15-19, commenting after each verse.

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.”

         As covered, the seventh angel represents the final message to go forth. When this one sounds, there are “loud voices in heaven,” which speaks of the power of this message being so great and elevated that it is heard throughout heaven, or the entire spiritual realm. It is probable that not only will every nation and village hear the Gospel of the kingdom, but every living soul will hear this powerful message.

         When this message sounds, the kingdom of the world begins to come under the domain of Christ. Many nations will align themselves with the kingdom when this Gospel is preached. To see their nation prepared for this has become a cause for many Christians throughout the world, which is a sign of this being near.

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.”

         There is a general consensus that these twenty-four elders are a council of the greatest souls to have walked with God on the earth. Others believe they are the spiritual “sons of Zadok” who are given the highest duty in heaven—to minister to the Lord Himself. Regardless, they are no doubt of the highest rank in heaven. Even so, when the Lamb comes into their presence, or they even hear the message of His kingdom, they fall on their faces before Him. This King, who will become so personal with us that He lives in us and is always with us, is the most exalted One there will ever be in heaven and earth. The wise bow the knee to Him now.

"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."

         The powers of this age have never treated the Lord’s messengers, or even His Son, with the respect they are due. The proclamation of the Gospel of His kingdom will stir the anti-God forces like nothing has since Jesus walked the earth. It is to be expected, as all things must be revealed for what they are, and this anointed word going forth will reveal where everyone on earth stands.

         It is also at this time that the reward of the faithful begins. For those who stand boldly for the Lord and the Gospel in these times, it will be one of the greatest honors for all eternity. This will be the time of the ultimate battle between light and darkness, good and evil, and therefore the time when it will take the greatest courage and faith to stand. This is when some of the greatest saints of all time will be proven. This is why the Lord said that “the last shall be first,” and He has saved His best wine for last. Do not waste this greatest of privileges.

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.

         As we see in a number of biblical prophecies, the temple of God on earth, the church, is a parallel to the temple of God in heaven. Here we see that when this temple in heaven is open, first there are flashes of lightning. These speak of revelation, especially revelation that reveals what is hidden in darkness. Then thunder, which is a prophetic metaphor for the voice of the Lord. The earthquake speaks of shaking everything that can be shaken, which we are told of in Hebrews 12.

         The great hailstorm speaks of the destruction of all that is not in a proper shelter. There is one great shelter that can protect us from anything—being in the will of the Lord. Those protected from the destruction will be those who have sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, esteeming His will and purposes above their own desires. These will have nothing to fear from anything that is coming on the earth.