Revelation 11:15-19

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then ¹the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and ²there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ³“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ⁴his Christ, and ⁵he shall reign forever and ever. ”

16 And the twenty-four elders ⁶who sit on their thrones before God ⁷fell on their faces and worshiped God,

17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, ⁸who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and ⁹begun to reign.

18 The nations raged, but ¹⁰your wrath came, and ¹¹the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, ^[a] the prophets and saints, and ¹²those who fear your name, both small and great, and ¹³for destroying the destroyers of the earth. ”

19 Then ¹⁴God’s temple in heaven was opened, and ¹⁵the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, ^[b] peals of thunder, an earthquake, and ¹⁶heavy hail.

Revelation 11:15-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 11

This chapter contains the order to measure the temple of God; an account of the two witnesses, their prophesying: and power, their slaying, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, with what followed upon it; and the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and the effects of that. A measuring rod is given to John, with an order to rise and measure the temple, altar, and worshippers, and to leave out the outer court, which was to be given to the Gentiles, who tread the holy city under foot forty and two months, Re 11:1,2, the same date with the 1260 days the witnesses prophesy in sackcloth, Re 11:3, who are compared to two olive trees and to two candlesticks, and are said to stand before God, Re 11:4, and who are further described by their power to destroy those that hurt them with fire that proceeds out of their mouths; to shut the heaven, that it rain not during their prophecy; to turn water into blood, and smite the earth with all manner of plagues at pleasure, Re 11:5,6; but when the time of their prophecy and testimony is expired, their enemies will have the advantage of them; the antichristian beast of Rome, described by the place of his ascent, the bottomless pit, will fight against them, overcome, and kill them; their dead bodies will be exposed publicly within the Roman jurisdiction, and not suffered to be interred; and their enemies will make a public and general rejoicing over them, Re 11:7-10; but after a short space of time they will revive, and stand upon their feet, to the surprise of all spectators; and being invited by a voice from heaven, will ascend thither, in the sight of their enemies; upon which will be an earthquake, in which the tenth part of the city of Rome will fall, and seven thousand men be slain; which will cause consternation in the rest, and put them upon giving glory to God, Re 11:11-13; and this will put an end to the second woe, and the third will quickly follow, Re 11:14, which is the sounding of the seventh trumpet; the effects of which are, voices heard in heaven, declaring that the kingdoms of the world are become Christ's, and that he shall reign for ever and ever, Re 11:15; upon which the four and twenty elders, that sat on their seats before God, congratulate him, worship, and give thanks unto him, at the Lord God Almighty and eternal; partly because of his visible power and kingdom he now takes to himself; and partly because the time of avenging his people that had suffered for him upon the nations, which makes them angry, was now come; as also because now would be given rewards to all his prophets, saints, and those that feared him, as well as antichrist and his followers would be destroyed, Re 11:16-18; and other effects of this trumpet are, the opening of the temple of God in heaven, a sight of the ark of the testament, lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail, Re 11:9.

Cross References

• 1. 11:15 ch. 10:7
• 2. 11:15 ch. 16:17; 19:1; [Isa. 27:13]
• 3. 11:15 ch. 12:10
• 4. 11:15 Ps. 2:2 (Gk.); Luke 9:20
• 5. 11:15 See Luke 1:33
• 6. 11:16 ch. 4:4
• 7. 11:16 See ch. 4:10
• 8. 11:17 ch. 16:5; [ch. 1:4, 8; 4:8]
• 9. 11:17 ch. 19:6; Ps. 97:1
• 10. 11:18 Ps. 2:5; 110:5
• 11. 11:18 ch. 6:10; 20:12; [Dan. 7:10; 2 Thess. 1:6, 7]
• 12. 11:18 ch. 19:5
• 13. 11:18 [ch. 13:10]
• 14. 11:19 ch. 15:5
• 15. 11:19 See Heb. 9:4
• 16. 11:19 ch. 16:21

Footnotes

• [a] 11:18 Greek 'bondservants'
• [b] 11:19 Or 'voices', or 'sounds'