The Seventh Trumpet - Revelation 11:15

[david omweno ongori]

Revelation 11:15 - The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:  “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 11 is the halfway point through the book, and here the Lord gives a reminder of where everything is heading.  Christ returns and reigns forever with those who consecrated themselves to him.  Every other item in Revelation brings us to this conclusion.  The ending matters more than the steps that lead to it. 

Seventh Angel – Revelation has four main seven-fold sequences.  Seven is the biblical number of perfection or completion.  Between each sequence is an interlude or introduction re-starting the cycles.  Thus, the 7 letters to churches start the book, followed by 7 seals on the heavenly scroll, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls of plagues.  The seals, trumpets, and bowls overlap and describe some of the same events – in other words, some of the events described in the trumpets are happening simultaneously with those of the seals and bowls. 

Yahushua’s project of salvation works toward a goal and reaches completion at the end.  The seventh trumpet is the conclusion of the third sequence, the trumpets.  Seven represents completion, and here yahushua’s project is complete; it has reached its conclusion.  Trumpets in biblical times heralded announcements or signaled events (Numbers 10:2-10) – they were not merely musical instruments, as they are today. 

Loud Voices in Heaven – The Lord does not specify whether the voice refers to angels (see Revelation 5:11), to the saints in heaven (see Revelation 6:9-10), or to both.  We cannot speculate about things the Lord decided not to reveal.  Yahushua simply wants us to know it is a heavenly chorus of voices.         

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord…”  This is the most important part.  This current world system is in opposition to Our Most High (1 John 5:18-19).  Everything must change.  Nothing material will last.  Yahushua’s kingdom will completely replace all world’s cultures, nations, and societies.  The entire world will be under his exclusive domain and government.  There will be no countries, no states, no towns, where he does not rule.  There will be no elections (messiah will be the King of the world), no wars, no rebel groups, no crime, and no corruption.  When messiah returns, all the human power structures will terminate and give way to his government.

As Christians, we must be careful not to focus too much on things of this world.  It is easy for believers to focus their entire spiritual life on physical miracles, like healing or financial deliverance.  It is easy for church members to focus exclusively on their immediate needs and problems, and for pastors to focus excessively on building and expanding their ministries here on earth.  When we appreciate the fact that this world is only temporary, and that yahushua’s real goal is the permanent establishment of his kingdom in place of the current world system, it humbles us (our achievements are not as important) and lift us out of ourselves and our self-centeredness to see Our Most High’s goals and intentions.  Healing and prosperity are two blessings yahushua provides, but everything yahushua does is working toward his final goal.

Some of the worst evils in history were the result of men claiming that they were establishing God’s kingdom on earth.  Over the years, such people have even taken up arms in various places and slaughtered people who did not join them.  In recent decades, many countries have suffered much from such people pretending to be messiahs or prophets, and sometimes it ends in a bloodbath.  All Christians should understand that yahushua alone is going to establish his kingdom throughout the world.  We should run away from any man who claims to be yahushua’s chosen instrument for setting up a perfect society.

Our Lord and of his Messiah – “Lord” here refers to yahushua the Father, even though the New Testament elsewhere uses this title for messiah as well (Philippians 2:11).  “Messiah” is the Hebrew word for “anointed,”  anointed by the Holy Spirit as yahushua’s Only Son, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  “His” shows us the relationship between the two – there is no separation or division.  He fulfills yahushua’s project.

And he will reign forever and ever - Eternity is forever, in contrast to this world, which is only temporary.  The Bible emphasizes this point repeatedly for us, because it changes our thinking and attitudes when we attain a deep appreciation for the permanence of the coming kingdom.

[Cyprium]

Very true, David...our real lives begin with Eternity...all this is temporary (thank YHWH!). Our every action ought to be done with a mind set determined to have an eternal impact, not just a worldly one.

When Yahushua heals and when we provide for physical needs in His name...it is first and foremost accomplished as a testement to His faithfulness. It is to bring glory and honor to His name so that the unsaved might see and be saved.

It certainly does change our thinking and attitudes to consider the eternal impact of all we do...it makes quite a bit that is important to the world seem petty in comparison.