The Seventh Trumpet – The Third Woe Revelation 11:15 – 12:6
(Revelation Chapter 11)
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God.
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
(Revelation Chapter 12)
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
To this point in our study of the Revelation six angels have sounded their trumpets, each unleashing judgments upon the earth. The fifth and sixth trumpets were accompanied by woes pronounced upon the inhabitants of the earth, and men have suffered terribly under those judgments. It is the seventh trumpet that will surely constitute the consummation of the judgments of all the preceding trumpets. As John recorded the promise of the quick arrival of the third woe in chapter 11 verse 14 the seventh angel sounded the seventh trumpet, focusing the vision upon the return of Jesus to the earth. Although John would see a variety of visions in chapters 12 through 18 before seeing the vision of the return of Christ in chapter 19, as the seventh angel sounded his trumpet John saw an introduction to the return of Christ.
The Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet (Revelation 11:15)
(Revelation Chapter 11)
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
As the seventh angel sounded his trumpet the vision immediately moved forward to the establishment of the kingdom of Christ on earth. John listened, no doubt in awe, to the “great voices in heaven” as they announced the coming kingdom.
Great Voices
It was not unusual for John to speak of hearing voices in the heavenly vision. He also spoke of voices from beasts and angels, and often described the voices as loud or great in reference not only to the volume or magnitude of the sound but to their noteworthy significance as well. Just as the vision of the throne of God that was revealed in chapter 4 continued to be a primary part of John’s continued vision throughout the Revelation, so too did the voices coming from Heaven. The student will likely note similarities between Revelation 4:8-11 and 11:15-17. These voices may be those of the beasts of Revelation 4:8 as they encircle the throne praising God or may be of an altogether different origin. Regardless of who was honored with making the proclamation, it is their message that is important.
The voices announced the imminent arrival of the kingdom of Christ and an affirmation of His “reign for ever and ever.” Surely the sounding of the seventh trumpet places the vision close to the return of Jesus Christ, even at the very cusp of the event.
The Kingdom of This World
The voices from Heaven spoke of the “kingdoms of this world.” Daniel, in interpreting the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, wrote of four kingdoms of the world in Daniel 2:36-45, the first of which was the Babylonian kingdom established with Nimrod and early Babylon (recorded in Genesis 10:8,9). It also included the rule of the Assyrians, who were relatives of the Babylonians. That first kingdom reached its pinnacle of power and influence in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (the head of gold, Daniel 3:37 and38). The second kingdom was the Medo-Persian empire, well-known for its great king Cyrus (see 2 Chronicles 36:22). The third was the Greek kingdom that reached vast strength and influence under the leadership of Alexander the Great (the kingdom of brass, Daniel 2:39). The fourth kingdom was the Roman kingdom that ruled most of the known world during the life of Jesus on earth (Daniel 2:40-44). These four “kingdoms of this world” thus span the years from the days of Nimrod to the return of Jesus Christ. God has permitted these kingdoms to have their time of power on the earth, a time that is now ended.
Some believe that “Babylon the Great” referenced in Revelation 17:5 will be both the political continuation of the Roman empire in some form combined with all four of the previously-described kingdoms of the world while others speculate it to be a future embodiment through action or branch of the Roman Catholic Church. Christ referred to Satan as “the prince of this world” in John 12:31 and Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” leading some to view the four kingdoms as four aspects of a continuous satanic political influence that will reach its peak during the period of Tribulation.
The Kingdom of Christ
Daniel wrote in chapter 2 verse 4 “And in the days of these kings (the Roman kingdom) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
Daniel’s prophecy announced the coming of Christ to establish His millennial kingdom. Christ’s millennial kingdom is then the fifth kingdom of Daniel, established in the days of the Roman kings. The kingdom of Christ will break into pieces and consume all these and other kingdoms world governments.
The Worship of the Elders (Revelation 11:16, 17)
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God.
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
John heard the announcement of the coming kingdom of Christ and recorded it. It was no way kept private as was the disclosure of the seven thunders in Revelation 10:4; rather, all those around the throne of God also heard the announcement declaring the victory of Christ over Satan and the sinful world system that had been in place. This was good and welcome news to the entire heavenly company, which collectively and spontaneously fell into a posture of worship.
The Twenty-four Elders
The vision of the throne turned to a joyous celebration in response to the announcement of the victory of Christ. The normal position of the elders was to sit on their thrones, but the announcement of the victory of Jesus caused them to immediately react and leave that position. So emotionally touched were they that they fell from their thrones to a position of being “upon their faces.” They expressed both a reaction in falling from their thrones and a deliberate act of worship by being on their faces. Recall that the vision in chapter 4 revealed the elders falling down before the Lord but made no mention of their faces (Revelation 4:10, 11). In contrast or perhaps more explicit detail this vision portrays them in extreme humility and reverence before the divine throne.
Their Recognition in Worship True worship involves recognition of the creator by the creature. God has expressed His desire to be recognized as God (Isaiah 45:22) and the true test of man’s response to grace is recognition of God and submission to Him in all things. A person must decide who he or she will recognize as god over his life: himself, Satan, or the One and True God. God has shown Himself through various revelations such as the Scriptures, creation, and especially through His Son Jesus, the Christ. He has revealed all that man may know or should know – indeed all we require to know – of Himself so that we may recognize Him.
The twenty-four elders fell and worshiped because of what they knew of the Lord and they began their worship with the words “We give thee thanks.” They realized and acknowledged their personal unworthiness for redemption as well as their debt in redemption, and therefore were thankful for His grace. The elders also recognized the omnipotence of God and addressed Him as “Lord God Almighty.” God possesses and controls all might in Heaven and in the reaches of His creation. The elders also recognized the eternal nature of God when they addressed Him as God “which art, and wast, and art to come,” thus acknowledging the existence of God in the past, present and future. God is unique. None other than self-existent God possesses the eternal nature.
Their Reason for Worship
Although God is sovereign and Almighty He has often withheld the manifestation of His power, choosing rather to exercise His permissive will toward a sinful world. At the return of His Son Jesus, God will take or willfully assume power over the circumstances in His creation, no longer withholding His extraordinary power. He will exert that power and thus overcome all governments constituted by men to establish the kingdom of Christ in an unmistakable manifestation of power and glory such as the world has never seen. The elders find these actions of God reason for unparalleled rejoicing and they appropriately express that joy in their worship.
The souls under the altar of God in Revelation 6:10 cried to the Lord, “…How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost though not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” God’s taking of power and subsequent reign is the answer to the prayers of every soul who has ever yearned for the earthly kingdom of Christ. Similar to John’s prayer “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” of Revelation 22:20, the elders rejoice in the announcement of the kingdom of Christ.
Judgments and Rewards (Revelation 11:18,19)
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Earthly Judgments
While the reaction in Heaven was one of praise and worship, the nations on the earth were “angry” at the news of the coming King. These nations of lost people under the man of sin have had and worshiped their favored god. They, along with their god, now realize too late that their time of power has been brought to an end; therefore they are “angry” and have gathered for the Battle of Armageddon. The Lamb of God is upon them and God has set their doom so that these nations will have no part in the kingdom of Christ but will instead be crushed under the wrath of the Lamb. Consider Revelation 6:12-17; 14:19, 20; and 19:11-21. This event is also the judgment of the nations as mentioned in Matthew 25:31-45.
Heavenly Rewards
As judgments are poured upon the earth, Jesus Christ judges His own in Heaven. The phrase “…and the time of the dead, that they should be judged…” may be juxtaposed with the next phrase concerning the giving of rewards. The judgment revealed here may be the Judgment Seat of Christ of which Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 10, at which all believers will be judged and their rewards determined: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” God will give rewards to those believers that will affect their service in the kingdom of Christ.
The Open Temple
The holy Temple, the dwelling place of God, is unveiled before the world and the time has come for Him to dwell among men. The consequence of this development is good for the people of God but disastrous for His enemies, as the open Temple unveils both the blessings and the judgments of the Almighty who sits on the throne. As He looks upon the rebellious peoples of the earth they in turn look upon the face of the coming Lamb of God and conclude, “For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17).
John saw in the open Temple the ark of (or chest containing) His testimony or covenant (His promises). This is not merely the covenant of the Old Testament but the full and complete testament made in the sacrificial blood of Jesus, which is in fact the fulfillment of the Old Testament and therefore the basis for Christ’s righteous judgment on the rebellious earth. The truth of Christ’s testimony stands ready to justify His judgments.
Judgment rumbled from the open Temple. The “lightnings, and voices, and thunderings” concerned the announcements of judgment, and the “earthquake, and great hail.” were part of the manifestation of that judgment. No doubt it was a spectacle for John to behold.
The Travailing Woman (Revelation 12:1, 2)
(Revelation Chapter 12)
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Revelation chapter 12 is a picture of the history and work of Satan as well as his attempt to destroy Christ and Israel. This picture concerns the past, present and future battle waged between Satan and the Seed of the woman first predicted in Genesis 3:15, and its consideration prepares the reader for what is to follow in Revelation chapters 13 and 14 wherein we’ll further examine details regarding the work of Satan. Chapter 12 centers around two personages appearing as wonders in Heaven – the “woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars” of verse 1 and the “great red dragon” of verse 3.
The Woman
The woman is Israel, God’s national wife, and as such she gave birth to the promised Messiah, God’s Son Jesus. This was surely Israel’s richest honor, highest calling and greatest purpose. The nation of Israel in its proper spiritual state radiates with the light and glory of God even as does the sun. The moon under Israel’s feet reveals its God-granted authority and ultimate victory and the vision may within that context be compared to something as being under the feet of Christ, as did Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:25 or Ephesians 1:22. The woman’s crown displays for all to see both her position and authority in the kingdom of God. The twelve stars in her crown represent the twelve tribes of Israel as spoken of in Revelation 7:4-8 and 21:12, each tribe represented as a precious jewel of flawless quality and priceless worth in its own respect, the value of which adds to the whole as part of God’s chosen nation.
Her Travailing
It is time to bring forth the man-child, the Son of God, He who is Savior of the world. As described by the terms travailing and pained (the Greek odinousa and basanizomene respectively impart the idea of a near-unendurable ordeal), Israel is ready to give birth. The vision here presents Christ as not yet being born, but the first advent is as certain as the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. The woman’s pregnancy and birth pangs then portray the political, economic and religious conditions prevalent in Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth, not in many ways dissimilar to those throughout the world. The world needs a Savior and it is time for him to appear. The woman travails as she longs for the coming Messiah to avenge the wrongs she has suffered at the hands of men, as can be discerned from Micah 4:10: “Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon: there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.” Although Christ came in His first advent as a Lamb prepared for slaughter, at His return to earth in power at the end of the Tribulation period He will avenge Israel in the judgment of the nations, as we find recorded in Matthew 25.
The Great Red Dragon (Revelation 12:3, 4)
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
In contrast to the first wonder – the “woman” – the second wonder in heaven is depicted as a “great red dragon” and as the woman’s mortal enemy, certainly fierce and deadly. This dragon portrays Lucifer, who was once a leading angel of God with the responsibility of caring for Eden and the material realm of creation. He rebelled against God and became known as the devil, or Satan (see Ezekiel 28:11-14 and Isaiah chapter 14).
The Dragon’s Heads and Horns
The great red dragon John saw had “seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” As we’ll see in continuing study, both the beast rising out of the sea in Revelation 13:1 and the beast that the great whore rides upon in Revelation 17:3 share this description. The number seven, remember, represents wholeness, and ten is the number of an earthly government in opposition to the government of God that is usually represented by the number twelve (we’ll consider this more in Revelation 21:12-14). The numbers seven and ten, occurring together in the description of the dragon, represent the completeness of the dragon’s kingdom and thus the entirety of his influence in the world.
The Dragon’s Crowns
“Seven crowns” adorned the dragon’s seven heads. A crown usually signifies a position of authority. God has permitted Satan to exist in earth and to work evil since he rebelled against God, and Satan will continue to do so by the permissive will of God through the Tribulation until God removes his crowns, or permission. Just as God has given Satan permission to work, He can and will withdraw that permission in the future as Jesus Christ defeats Satan and removes his crowns.
The Dragon’s Tail
Any beast’s tail is that which follows it wherever it goes, and within this passage we learn that Satan is no different. Some have likened the dragon’s tail described here to the gases and particles behind a comet. The “stars of heaven” John saw drawn to earth by the dragon’s tail refer to angels. The Bible only mentions three angels by name, and they appear to fill positions of leadership in three realms. Michael holds authority in the spiritual realm (Revelation 12:7) while Gabriel in principal in the intellectual realm (Luke 1:26). Lucifer was created and given administrative responsibility in the physical realm, as can be learned from Ezekiel 28 or Isaiah 14. An important point to remember is that although Lucifer (Satan) is in opposition to God he is not God’s opposite and is therefore in no way equal in omniscience, omnipresence or omnipotence to God. What Satan knows he knows by permission, where he goes is by permission, and any power he exerts is by permission only. As an insubordinate archangel attempting to assume his Master’s throne Lucifer was cast from Heaven, and one-third of the angels of Heaven followed him in his rebellious cause (see Isaiah 14:12; 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6). These fallen angels (which are actually demons) are also those referred to as devils in Matthew 8:28-34.
** Here’s some not altogether related yet perhaps interesting food for thought: Lucifer – in authority over the material realm of God’s creation – rebelled against the Most High and thus introduced corruption and sin into the physical world. What if the malcontent archangel had instead been Gabriel? Would our limited intellects then be able to even grasp the concept of The Divine who gives us life? If Michael, archangel of the spiritual realm, had been the disloyal one, in what condition would our broken spirits then be? Such speculations are surely irrelevant, as our infinite God possesses the love and power to accomplish our redemption in any case, but consideration of the possibilities makes me thankful that Gabriel and Michael have always been and always shall be allegiant to The One who created them. **
The Dragon’s Desire
We see the dragon portrayed as prepared and anxiously anticipating the birth of Jesus, waiting to “devour her child as soon as it was born.” The battle between Christ and Satan has continued since Satan’s initial rebellion and Satan has always desired to destroy Christ, thus thwarting God’s redemptive plan. He made every effort to destroy Jesus during the earthly life of Christ but he could not prevail (see Matthew 2:16 and 4:1-11). At the cross of Calvary Satan hoped to destroy Christ forever, but could only “bruise his heel” (again see Genesis 3:15). The bruising of the heel of Christ was not a permanent wound because Christ victoriously arose from the grave as Paul attests in 1 Corinthians 15:12-17.
The Man-child (Revelation 12:5, 6)
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
The Man-child’s Birth
The woman Israel, personified in Mary, gave birth to the man-child Jesus as recounted in Matthew chapter 1. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit within the womb of a virgin, is the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning the awaited Messiah and Savior that was to come out of Israel. There are more than three hundred Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament and Jesus is the sole fulfillment of every one. It is then He and He alone who will rule all nations (see Isaiah 9:6, 7 and Daniel 2:44).
Although the wound was surely far more painful than mortal man can envision, Satan was successful only in bruising the heel of Christ on the cross of Calvary. God resurrected Him and thus Jesus was “caught up” to the throne of God where He sits at the right hand of the Heavenly Father, as attested in Acts 5:31; Philippians 2:6-11 and Romans 8:34.
A Prepared Place
The woman, under threat of the dragon’s destruction, “fled into the wilderness” where God would protect her for twelve hundred sixty days, or three and one-half years. At the middle of the Tribulation period the man of sin will turn his false tolerance and state of peace against Israel and attempt to destroy it, as foretold in Daniel 11:31 and 12:11. God will preserve the 144,000 about which we’ll study in Revelation chapter 14 until the return of Christ.
God will provide a hiding place for the people of Israel during the last half of the seven-year Tribulation. Some propose the hiding place is a physical place somewhere in the Middle East such as Petra, the site of an ancient city set deep within a mountainous area. The usual access to Petra is through a very narrow mile-long passage that leads into a natural basin measuring approximately one mile in length and three-fourths of a mile in width. Travelers touring the site of ancient Petra often ride donkeys through the narrow pass.
The practicality of Petra being the hiding place of the woman does not leave one without questions, however. Petra has been conquered by ancient armies as can be noted from Biblical record. Selah, (also called Joktheel) as mentioned in 2 Kings 14:7, is Petra. Modern technological and biological warfare could be a serious threat to Petra and anyone living there.
Another possible hiding place for the remnant is its dispersion into the world at large much like the Christian dispersion of A.D. 70, and it may be that God will use such a dispersion to preserve His remnant for the millennial reign of Christ (consider Isaiah 11:1-12). Some associate the idea of Israel being out of its geographical homeland, sometimes represented as “Zion,” with being in the “wilderness.” One thing is certain: wherever God leads the woman, it will be to a place “prepared of God” for her safety and will fulfill His promise to preserve a people of the seed of Abraham, a promise affirmed in Genesis chapter 12 and Isaiah 11:1-23. In the hiding place God will “feed” or nourish and nurture the woman, referring to both His preparation of the place and His provision for her.
Summary (Revelation 11:15 – 12:6)
In this section we have learned that the seventh angel sounded the seventh trumpet, resulting in voices being heard in Heaven and the twenty-four elders praising and worshiping God. The sounding of the seventh trumpet revealed God’s taking of irrevocable power over the ungodly world and His issuance of judgments. Although those judgments are manifested in a variety of forms, the greatest judgment of all would be the return of Jesus, the Worthy and Righteous judge of all things and all peoples. John has here been given a startling peek at what may be called the tip of the iceberg regarding the return of Jesus Christ and it has been shared with us. Our study of chapter 19 will further discuss His return.
The Lord God Almighty, who will return to defeat the forces of Satan, has fended off Satan in the past so that Lucifer the rebellious archangel and his minions were cast out of Heaven. Satan has since sought to destroy Israel and Christ without success, and when Christ returns He will carry out the defeat of Satan and any who have submitted to his foul leadership. Israel then, having been preserved by God, will enjoy its salvation.
In the next article we will look at the remainder of Revelation chapter 12 and consider War in Heaven. Until then take heart and rest in the assurance that He who is within you is greater than he who is in the world. May all of God’s blessings be yours –
Tom