GETTING THE MESSAGE/Christ will establish his visible reign

In the previous article, we observed that Revelation 11:15-19 is a passage that takes us into the future, when, after the last trumpet sounds, the consummation of Christ’s kingdom is accomplished in his coming again in judgment. The gospel, having gone throughout the world, established Christ’s reign in the hearts of all who came to him. Now comes the time when Christ will establish his visible reign on earth, gather his people, and judge the rest of the world. 

We are taught some very important doctrinal principles in the two verses we are looking at this week. In Revelation 11:18 we read, “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.”

The phrase “the nations raged” is taken from Psalm 2, which foresees opposition to Christ and the gospel as it spreads throughout all the nations. The psalm also tells us that God will give his Son the nations as his heritage, and the ends of the earth for his possession, meaning that he will gather people by his grace from all over the world. 

In Revelation 11:18, we are taken to the time when all of this has been fulfilled. Now, in judgment, Christ will make the final great distinction between his people and the rest of the world. Those who face his wrath are called the “destroyers of the earth.”

The essence of this accusation is not environmental destruction, though that could be a byproduct of what is in view. Man was made to glorify God, to love God and his neighbor. But sinful man has no regard for God’s glory, and there is constant conflict in the relationships between people and nations on earth. All men, due to sin, qualify as destroyers of the earth. Some, obviously, are worse than others, but all face an accounting with God that is not favorable.

The gospel of Christ came to restore men to peace with God and the desire to have peace with men. The principle here is that in the judgment men will receive their due portion. God’s judgment is not arbitrary or unjust. It is suited to the reality of what God knows about a soul. God’s all-knowing attribute qualifies him to judge not only the works of men, but their inner thoughts.

It is no wonder, then, that the book of Revelation depicts men trying to hide from the wrath of Christ when he returns (Rev. 6). They had rather there be no judge at all. All those who belong to Christ came out of this same sinful state until turning to Christ and the salvation by his grace. 

They also receive their due portion. Christ was their portion in this world, and he shall be their reward after this world. They are those who “fear his name.” The fear is joined with love; so, it is not a fear from forced servitude, but an awe of such a great Savior and the desire to honor him and be called a servant of God. 

In verse 19, we are told that John saw the temple in heaven open up and that he saw the ark of the covenant, along with flashes of lightning and other sights and sounds of God’s holy justice.  The ark was in the Holy of Holies in the temple and signified the presence of God. Within the ark were the tablets of the law, and on top of the ark was the mercy seat, where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people.

The ark symbolized Christ, whose blood would take away the sins of his people. The vision of the ark after the 7th trumpet indicates that all Scripture, all the promises of God have been fulfilled in Christ. This is great comfort to the believer still in the world, who is a recipient of the promise, and can look forward to entering into the presence of God and eternal life.

This covenant does not promise you worldly wealth, or ease, or honor. It does not promise that your struggle against sin and the devil will be easy, or that you will not suffer great afflictions in this world. It does promise that God will no longer be a stranger to you, that Christ has atoned for all your sins, and that you will inherit a world that is blessed and no longer plagued by misery and death. You are only required to commit your body and soul to Christ by faith, and to enjoy him.