GETTING THE MESSAGE/The hope of Christians
The 7th trumpet in Revelation signals the end of the present world and the hope of Christians, who wait for the consummation of the Kingdom of Glory in Christ. In Revelation 11:15 we read, “The 7th 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.”
There were voices from heaven in Christ’s first coming. In Luke 2, the heavenly host proclaimed God’s glory in the coming of the promised Savior who brings God’s favor to sinners and peace to all who look to him. There the Savior was born in a low condition, and he would be stricken, smitten, and afflicted, bearing the iniquities of us all.
Now in Revelation 11:15, the voices in heaven announce the coming of Christ in glory to judge all the world. This verse takes us to the future, to the time after the final judgment of Christ. The world had been worthy of judgment for a long time because of its rebellion against God, but God first sent Christ to save sinners.
In Acts 1, when the resurrected Lord Jesus spoke to his disciples about the kingdom of God, they asked him, “Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” The Lord pointed them in a different direction, telling them it was not for them to know the times and seasons, but that they would be his witnesses beginning in Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth.
When Pilate inquired regarding the kingdom of Jesus, the Lord replied, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Rather, Jesus told Pilate that he had come to testify to the truth. The truth is that men do not know or honor God, but Christ came to restore men to God. This is the season of God’s grace to the world. But this season will end, and then Christ will come in glory to establish his kingdom in righteousness forever.
When Christ comes again, he will put an end to all evil. Psalm 110 says, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” This points to the end, to the Day of Judgment. Paul told Christians in Romans 16:20, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
Jesus warned that his coming would be like the days of Noah, meaning his judgment would take many by surprise. So, we are taught to be watchful. How can we do this? First, by a firm belief in the revealed fact that he is to come. We are to wait for the promise in patient hope and not be shaken by delay. Second, by an earnest desire for it, setting our hope on the future rather than the present, and desiring to hear from the Lord, “Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.”
In Revelation 11:16-17, we see the response of the redeemed to the consummation of the kingdom of God, when all the enemies of Christ and his people have been judged and Christ has begun his reign on a new earth, where he will dwell with his people. The elders symbolize this by giving thanks and worshiping God.
The Lord has always reigned. God’s reign has never been threatened and cannot be threatened. But on earth, his reign was not acknowledged. Man was in such a sinful state that Jesus said a man could not even see the kingdom of God unless he was born again (John 3).
How did Christ’s kingdom spread throughout the world then? Verse 17 says it is by God’s great power. Before he went to the cross, Jesus called Satan the ruler of this world. Satan’s fall began when Jesus died, was raised, and ascended to heaven to the right hand of power. From heaven, Christ would pour out the Holy Spirit, who was promised to him by the Father.
In Acts 1, before he ascended into heaven, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they would receive power from the Holy Spirit. That power explains how the kingdom of God grew from the size of a mustard seed, very small, to a large tree with all the nations in its branches.
It is the wisdom of God to use weak vessels such as men to destroy the works of the devil. And that is what the gospel does. So, Christian, take hope, to have Christ is to have the life of God.