Revelation 11:15-18 (NIV) … “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever. … We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. …The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
Many Christians shy away from reading anything in Revelation perhaps regarding it as too difficult to understand. I think one possible reason is getting caught up in the apocalyptic language and symbolism, and possibly because of hearing so many hail & brimstone messages in their early years. But Revelation can also be a wonderful book of great promise and hope for those who believe. Today’s passage brings both a message of warning as well as hope for the future.
No, I am not a Bible scholar nor do I hold any theological nor seminary degrees. But even a simple Christian like me can find wonderful truths in Scripture. This particular passage is labeled in my Bible as “The Seventh Trumpet” and although I don’t know every detail of its significance, what I do know is that this refers to the end times when Christ will return. This passage speaks of a time yet to come. The speakers listed in this passage are the seventh angel (sounding his trumpet), loud voices, and the twenty-four elders…again, although I don’t know every detail of its significance, I know enough to know that all heavenly beings were involved in worshiping and praising God—proclaiming the truth of things yet to come.
So the first phrase (v. 15), “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever,” makes sense to me. Christ is coming again. The wickedness of this current age will no longer rule. Christ, Our Lord, will reign. And it won’t be just a temporary quick fix…it will be everlasting, eternal, for ever and ever.
What I also see in the phrases (v.18), “time has come for judging the dead” and “destroying those who destroy the earth” is a sobering warning that evil and wickedness will not prevail. The bad guys will not get away with anything. Those who are cruel, malicious, or just plain indifferent will end in way of destruction—a finality from which there will be no return. This makes it incumbent upon us to not only heed the warning ourselves, but warn our families, loved ones, friends and neighbors as well. We all could do with a great deal of improvement in this area.
Yet there is hope. There is always hope. Once again the phrases (v. 18), “time has come… for rewarding your servants…and your people who revere your name, both great and small” brings the promise of hope—the arrival of God’s soon-coming Kingdom—eternal life with Christ, our Lord. Those rewarded will be those who revere God’s Name. We cannot claim to revere God’s Name while we still dabble in compromise with the world. The two do not mix well. Additionally, this passage helps me understand that BOTH those who are great (e.g., the Bible scholars, the preachers, teachers, evangelists) AND those who are small (e.g., ordinary Christians like you and me) will welcome our Lord with our worship and praise; and receive from Him the crown of life. Our job is to have total reverence for God and remain faithful until he comes.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you that even in the difficult Bible passages we can find truth to guide us. Thank you for the promise of your soon-coming Kingdom. Thank you for times and opportunities to warn those who are lost. Thank you for the blessed promise of hope. May we remain faithful.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Remain Faithful Until He Comes appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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