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A Song of Triumph (The Seventh Trumpet) | Revelation 11:15-19 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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The Bible teaches that God Almighty has appointed 7
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trumpets to signal a remarkable series of events in the last
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days. When the first trumpet is
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sounded, 1/3 of this very planet will be consumed by hail and
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fire. The second alarm will call for
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something like a great mountain that will crash into the sea,
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turning it into blood and destroying a third of its
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creatures and even the ships on it.
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The third sound will invite a star from heaven to destroy 1/3
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of the rivers and the springs of water that will make it deadly
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to drink. The 4th, the Bible tells us,
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will actually dim 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars.
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The 5th trumpet will actually summon some of the most vicious
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and heinous demons to torment the inhabitants of the earth for
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a total of five months. And the 6th summons 4
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high-ranking fallen angels to lead the charge in slaying 1/3
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of the human population. As unimaginable as these things
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are, there is yet one more trumpet to be sounded.
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And unlike the previous ones, the 7th trumpet will not set
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into motion, at least directly, any cataclysmic event.
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Instead, this final climactic blast will awaken the hearts of
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those in heaven to offer exuberant praise and worship.
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For what reason? Well, as we are about to read,
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because something is about to transpire that the redeemed have
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been waiting and praying for across the ages.
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And we're going to see that together in Revelation Chapter
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11, beginning in verse 15. And I invite you to look at it
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with me as we seek to complete this chapter this afternoon.
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Here's what the word of God says.
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Then the 7th Angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud
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voices in heaven saying, the Kingdom of the world has become
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the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He shall reign
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forever and ever. And the 24 elders who sit on
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their Thrones before God fell on their faces and worship God,
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saying, We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and
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who was. For you have taken your great
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power and begun to reign the nation's rage.
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But your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged,
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and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and Saints, and
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those who fear your name, both small and great.
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And for destroying the destroyers of the earth.
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Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of His
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covenant was seen within His temple.
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There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of Thunder, an
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earthquake, and heavy hail. Pray with me, Lord, You've been
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with us. We pray that you would go before
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us in the reading and the explanation of Your Word.
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We pray that Your Son would be exalted.
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We pray that our hearts would be uplifted.
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And we pray that in all these things Your will would be done,
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that you would be blessed as we receive your blessing.
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In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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Well, you know that on Friday nights we're studying Ezra.
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But before that we've spent many, many months studying the
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books of first and second kings. And if you were there for those
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studies, then you would recall that on many occasions whenever
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a new ruler was coronated, it was sometimes accompanied by the
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sound of a trumpet to announce his enthronement.
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And that is precisely what we are seeing here, that that's the
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reflection that there is an announcement being made with
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this 7 trumpet and it is one that focuses on the person of
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Jesus Christ. You see, the reason why there is
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such a strong and joyful reaction to the sound is because
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there is this long-awaited promise that is ready to be
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fulfilled, the promise of God's eternal Kingdom coming to earth
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and being established forever and ever.
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And this is so imminent, this is so near that it's being
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recognized in this very moment. Christ is about to return.
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In this description of God's prophetic timeline of the last
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days, by this moment, at this juncture, we are being told that
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Christ is about to bring the full manifestation of His
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Kingdom to this world. And this is something that stirs
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the hearts of these worshippers in obvious and even subtle ways.
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And I want you to see something as we look at the song of
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triumph and compare it to other portions of the Book of
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Revelation. So if you have Revelation open,
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go back to chapter 1. I want you to see something here
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in verse 4, Revelation 1, Revelation one, verse 4, John to
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the seven churches that are in Asia.
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Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to
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come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne.
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Go down to verse 8 of chapter 1. I am the Alpha and the Omega
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says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come the
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Almighty. Go to chapter 4 verse 8 now and
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the four living creatures, each of them with six wings are full
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of eyes all around and within and the and day and night.
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They never cease to say holy, holy, holy is the Lord God
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Almighty who was and is and is to come.
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This declaration of the eternality of God and the wide
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span of His ways is repeated in the same way as we just saw in
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all these occurrences. Right.
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But did you notice what was omitted in that similar phrase
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in the act of worship of Chapter 11?
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Look at it again with me, Revelation 11 verse 16 and the
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24 elders who sit on their Thrones before God fell in their
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faces and worship God saying we give thanks to you, Lord God
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Almighty, who is and who was full stop for you have taken
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your great power and begun to reign.
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What's missing this time? Who is to come?
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Why, because he's about to come. Christ is about to fulfill that
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very part. He's about to make his way into
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this world, and the 7th trumpet announces his enthronement.
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It's preparing us for it. But the coronation of the Lord
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Jesus is not the only thing that's being celebrated here.
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You have to understand that this celestial choir has a
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comprehensive understanding of the things that will follow as a
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result of Christ establishing His throne on the earth.
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And there are at least five things, at least five things
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that we can examine from these verses that we read together.
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And we're going to look at it. But before we look at it, I, I
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want to present something. I want to present by way of
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example, what I pray and hope our response to these truths
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will be look at the 24 elders and see what happens to them.
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Again, in verse 16, it says here.
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And the 24 elders who sit on the Thrones before God fell on their
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faces and worship God. So the revelation of the return
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of Christ was so profound, so forceful, that it catapulted
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these high-ranking beings off their seats of honor and planted
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them on the lowest place possible on their faces before
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the presence of God. And I can't help but think that
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our hearts should respond in a similar way as we hear this
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message that we too would experience a fresh sense of
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surrender, A rush of adoration towards Christ, as we are going
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to remember that this Jesus that we love, this Jesus that has
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saved us from our sins is going to come back.
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And we will see him, we will behold him, and we will see at
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least five things happening as a result of it.
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And so let's consider this now together.
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The first thing that we can expect at the return of Christ
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is that this world will be conquered by His Kingdom.
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This world will be conquered by His Kingdom.
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I find it fascinating that the voices in verse 15 do not say
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the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord
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and of His Christ. It doesn't say kingdoms.
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Look again. What does it say in verse 15?
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The Kingdom singular? He's not Speaking of the plural
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here. And this detail reminds us of a
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crucial truth of the world that we live in, that although there
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are diverse nations and there are unique governments and there
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are, there are different ideas of politics being implemented.
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There are diverse cultures, absolutely.
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But in reality, everything is ultimately ruled under one
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Kingdom, and that is Satan's. That is Satan's Kingdom, and
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this is something that the apostle John who wrote the Book
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of Revelation always believed and always taught.
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Let me remind you of a known verse from his first epistle.
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In first John 519 John says we know that we are from God and
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the whole world lies in the power of the evil. 1 The whole
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world lies in the power of the evil.
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What a jolting thought that the world you and I live in is
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dominated by Satan only because God has permitted him to
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administer a large amount of influence in this present age.
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But what's very heartbreaking about this statement John makes
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in first John 519 is the word that he uses concerning our
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world. It lies in the power of the evil
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one. That word lies in the original
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language denotes the posture of a baby, which means that the
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world is not struggling, resisting or fighting against
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this invisible evil spiritual reign.
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It voluntarily rests in the grip of Satan.
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It lies in the power of the evil. 1 Moreover, John tells us
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that not just part of the world, not just certain nations, but
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the whole world is under his domain.
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That means our politics, our entertainment, our economy, our
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cultures, alternative religions and expressions of spirituality
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have a level of satanic influence behind them.
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And if it wasn't for God's common grace of operating in our
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world, then we would see hell on earth.
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But even with God's grace being dispensed every single day, we
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still have to understand and comprehend that Satan is at work
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in every sphere of society. And that is not meant to cause
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any of us to live in paranoia, because it easily can.
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What we are told, according to John, is that we should know
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this so that we can be discerning, that we can be
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cautious, that that we should be alert as we navigate through
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this life dependent on the Lord. Understanding this.
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Believer, please hear me. You and I are living in enemy
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territory. Every single moment of our lives
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we are living in enemy territory.
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This world is not neutral towards Christians.
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It is hostile. Temptations, deceptions, and
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even persecutions are lurking all around us from the moment
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you wake up and get out of your bed to the moment you return to
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lay your heavy head on that pillow.
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You and I are always at war, and that warlike mentality should
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change the way you approach everything, including your
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relationship with the Lord and the Church, how you engage with
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everything that comes your way. But here's the good news about
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Christ, that there is an appointed hour when he will
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actually physically, bodily invade this world, overthrow
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Satan's tyranny, plant his flag on every single hill, and we're
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going to see an awesome thing. The whole world will be under
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his influence. Every corner of our culture,
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every facet of our society will be under his authority.
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And I'm afraid that many Christians have an overly
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simplistic understanding of the last days, summarized usually in
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Well, there's a day coming where Christ is going to come snatch
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us all the way, judge the world to hell while we're tucked away
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safe in eternity. The doctrine of the return of
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Christ is much more triumphant than that.
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And here's a hint, Christ is coming for his bride, but he's
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going to do much more than that. He's going to again come and
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terminate Satan's reign. And then with the redeemed, he
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is going to promote many of his church to actually live in
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positions of authority to rule and reign with him.
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According to Revelation 24, a 1000 years as we witness what
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the world has never seen. And that is a perfect
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government, where Christ will for that length of time declare
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to the generations that He is the true king, and that only His
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government can bring true peace and true justice.
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And when Christ does come to take over the Kingdom of this
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world, he will fulfill what Zechariah 14-9 prophesied, that
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the Lord will become the king over all the earth.
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And in that day the Lord will be 1 and his name 1.
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The first thing that we can expect when Christ comes back is
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that he's going to conquer this world.
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But #2 the dead will be judged. That's what we find near the
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start of verse 18. Look again with me.
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The nations raged, but your wrath came.
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And the time for the dead to be judged.
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So in the same way that the the rule of Christ will be
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universal, so will his judgement be every single person, man or
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woman. They will stand before the
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tribunal of God, and in that moment he will determine their
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eternal faith with perfect justice.
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And so extensive is this judgment that even the dead will
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not be able to escape. And in fact, they've sealed
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their faith once they have died. Now, what's this judgment going
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to be about exactly? I believe this.
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The same verse gives us a clue. Look again at the beginning of
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verse 18. The nation's raged, but your
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wrath came. And then he speaks about
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judgement. So what are the nations so angry
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about? Well, we're going to find out in
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a moment here. But this is what it shows us
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thus far, that God's judgement, his scrutiny will confront a
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raging world, an infuriated people.
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And the reason why they are so enraged is because of God and
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his reign. That's the context, is it not?
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Christ's Kingdom is coming, the nations at the thought of Christ
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coming and ruling has caused them to be inflamed with such
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anger and he will judge them for it.
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These lyrics are very reminiscent of Psalm 2, are they
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not? Remember how much of Revelation
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is absolutely saturated with the Old Testament?
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What did Psalm 2 say in the beginning?
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Well, the psalmist asked the question, why do the nation's
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rage and the people's plot in vain?
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The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take
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counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed,
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saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and castaway their cords
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from us. Here's the translation.
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The nations are enraged because they cannot fathom that the Lord
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and His anointed would seek to place their yoke upon them.
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They view His leadership as intolerable.
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They understand that his His lordship is an unwelcome divine
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restraint, and so they will oppose Him.
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The world will actually oppose Christ up to the very moment
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that He makes himself visible in all His glory and power.
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And yes, it is true that the world abhors the thought of
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Christ material reign, but let me remind you something.
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They deny and reject His spiritual reign just as much as
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you and I experienced his reign today.
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Christ is not going to become King when He comes back.
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He is King now, but His kingship will be in full display, and the
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way He rules and reigns now is spiritually in our hearts
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through His Church. And I want to make the case that
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the world is just as vehemently upset and opposed to the concept
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of Christ ruling over them now as they will be when He comes
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back. And here's a test for you and I
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to know if we're worldly, if we're like the world.
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Do you desire his rule and reign?
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Do you desire his kingship over your life that determines if you
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truly belong to Him? And and the way we prove it
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ultimately is by the way we live.
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So when Christ comes back, He will meet the unholy, rebellious
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rage of the world with His holy, unstoppable wrath.
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The essence of this judgement is Christ confronting the living of
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the dead who did not joyfully surrender to His lordship when
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they had the chance. The dead will be judged #3 the
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redeemed will be rewarded. Look again at the middle of
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verse 18. It's right in the middle,
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actually. And four, rewarding your
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servants, the prophets and Saints.
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What a wonderful promise. So while an angry world should
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expect wrath, the redeemed anticipates rewards, not wrath
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rewards. And in case you're listening to
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this message and you're unfamiliar with the the central
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message of our faith, Christ is not coming back with the
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possible reward of our salvation depending on how you lived.
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No, no, no, no, no. His salvation is a free gift
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that has already been given and received by your faith.
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That being said, the rewards that He will come with are for
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the redeemed who have already experienced His grace and
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received it by faith. But we'll know either more or
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fewer rewards based on their commitment to Christ and their
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faithfulness to Him. That's what's in view here.
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So it's the rewards for those who have been redeemed, His
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servants, the prophets, the Saints, those who fear your
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name. So we're not waiting, hoping
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that Christ is going to save us. I hope that my name is written
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in the Lamb's book of life. That's been said and done.
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However, there will be an evaluation about how you and I
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lived with the truths that we have in the word of God as
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Christ being our Lord. This is what we have to
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anticipate. And this is so marvelous because
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God's way of judging is so different than man's.
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Look at the last phrase of this verse.
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We see here that it will be, yes, the servants, the prophets,
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the Saints, and those who fear your name.
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But he mentions the small and great.
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Do you see that? Both small and great.
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What does he mean by that? Well, it's the encouraging truth
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that the Lord is ready to honor both those who are widely
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recognized, highly praised and appreciated, and those who go
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largely unnoticed by the world and especially the church, both
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small and great. You may be here today as a
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genuine follower of Christ. You love him, you adore him, you
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serve him, you are steadfast. You, you, you come to church and
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you, you love the Bride of Christ.
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And at the same time you from time to time look at your own
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life and think, I'm just, I'm very ordinary.
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And I don't know if my contributions to the Kingdom
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actually matter much. In fact, they might be meager
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actually. And if that is you, I want you
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to be so encouraged today with this truth in this verse that if
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you are faithful, God will reward you.
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God will reward you. You know, you and I were
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reflecting last time we were together in this book about how
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the great city of Jerusalem in God's eyes was condemned, was
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vile, was morally bankrupt, great in the sight of man, but
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in God's view, so found wanting, so lacking.
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The way God perceives things is extremely humbling and sobering.
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And I was reflecting on this earlier this week of how the
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Lord looks at people way differently than you and I do.
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And what came to mind was what the Angel told Zechariah, who'd
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be the father of that great man of God, John the Baptist.
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And I want to read to you what the Angel told Zechariah, and
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it's for you as well. And Luke 114 listen to these
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words, and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice
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at his birth, verse 15 For he will be great before the Lord,
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and he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be
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filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb.
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So many today are pursuing an understanding of greatness that
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is worldly, that are tirelessly disciplining themselves because
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they are motivated by a secular notion of legacy.
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I want to leave a legacy for my family.
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I want to leave a legacy for my generation.
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And what you find here instead is that if you and I want to
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attain unfading, everlasting reward, all you have to do in
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your ambition is seek to be great before the Lord.
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Do you see that in verse 15? He shall be great before the
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Lord? And how God views greatness is a
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strong contrast to how the world measures it.
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And all I have to be preoccupied with on a daily basis is to
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understand how the Lord esteems greatness, and then to pursue
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it, trusting that though I may be overlooked, though I may be
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underappreciated, though I made me ignored, Oh, there's a day
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coming where He will personally reward me.
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And His reward will outweigh the prizes of 10 thousands of your
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companions who may express their gratitude for you.
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It will be from the Prince of Peace himself.
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And I'm reminded from this that oh God, you must be my primary
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audience all the time. You are the one that I am
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seeking to please. And when you listen, when you
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live in that reality, I assure you this, the back breaking
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pressures of worldly success and the agonizing lies of being a
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failure will roll off your shoulders.
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He will come to reward the redeemed.
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But fourthly, the last part of verse 18, we read an interesting
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declaration. And for destroying the
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destroyers of the earth. The fourth thing that we can
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expect when Christ comes back is a destruction of the wicked.
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The wicked will be destroyed. Listen, we're all sinners.
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Each of us have fallen short of the glory of God.
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And yet, the Bible tells us that there are different categories
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of evil that can be committed, and what's being highlighted
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here is not those who pollute the environment or who are
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careless towards the ecosystem, but those who are ambitiously
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seeking to corrupt the world through their evil, especially
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those in powerful positions and platforms of influence.
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God is going to target the destroyers of the earth, meaning
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in context, He's going to come after the Antichrist, his
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minions, and his evil empire. Absolutely.
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But this also encompasses anyone who has promoted or encouraged
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sin in ways that disintegrate the fabric of society.
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Christ is keeping in mind those who are leading the charge or
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adding fuel to the fire that is destroying this world.
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So let me be very clear. Anyone who advocates for the
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murder of children in the womb is a destroyer of the earth.
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Anyone who encourages someone to believe that they are not the
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gender God assigned at birth is a destroyer of the earth.
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Anybody who teaches and advocates and encourages people
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to marry of the same sex is assaulting the very bedrock of
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civilization and is a destroyer of the earth.
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Anybody who has haunted down or harassed a Christian or the
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church who by the word of God is identified as the salt and the
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light of the earth, is a destroyer of the earth.
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Christ is coming for those who destroy the earth.
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And here's hope, if you have played a part in that, that even
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if you have done something to harm God's intended world, what
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God has designed for His creation, you can call out to
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Him and he will forgive you completely, totally.
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And not only will He forgive you, He will adopt you.
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And not only will He adopt you, He will crown you and reward you
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should you remain faithful to Him.
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But all for those who are adamant and stubborn and
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convinced that they are doing a world of favor by destroying it
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according to the authority of God's Word.
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I say to you, you will be destroyed.
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Christ himself will destroy you. Wrath is looming over your head,
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and you must flee the wrath to come and hide yourself in Christ
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while you have life. The wicked will be destroyed.
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Finally, and what I'm looking forward to the most is what we
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find in verse 19. And God's temple in heaven was
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opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his
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temple. There were flashes of lightning,
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rumblings, peals of Thunder and earthquake and heavy hail.
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The fullness of God's presence will be restored.
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This is symbolically portrayed by John's words in this verse as
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he sees the unthinkable. You have to understand that John
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has a Jewish mind. He is a Jew and he understands
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that for centuries the Ark of the Covenant was veiled.
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It was designed to be hidden. It was not meant for the
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onlooker or the common gaze. Even the most privileged in
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Israel, the high priest, only had a single day to get a glance
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of this golden chess piece that symbolized God's presence on
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earth. And yet at this point in this
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vision, as he hears this amazing song being sung, he also sees
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the temple in heaven opening and the Ark of the Covenant in
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complete view, signifying what? That at Christ's coronation we
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will know the fullness of His presence.
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What was commonly known to be concealed now emerges for all to
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behold. And so here's the message of
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this The nations can expect God's wrath, but you and I, who
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are righteous in Christ, are being prepared to have full
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access and unending enjoyment of communion with God himself.
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Listen, whatever testimonies that you have known of the
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reality of God, whatever sweetness you have tasted in
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your relationship with Christ, are but a few drops of a passing
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cloud in comparison to the cascade of glory that awaits you
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as you enter into this realm and are washed by it endlessly.
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This is what you and I get to have.
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This is our inheritance. This is what awaits all of those
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who are in Christ, whether they die and enter into that world or
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if Christ comes back and brings that world to us.
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And this is something that the Bible looks forward to over and
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over again. Again, in the same way that I
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believe that many believers, precious believers, have a very
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limited understanding of the last days, they also have a very
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limited understanding of heaven and the heaven that Christ will
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bring. If you look at the language of
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the New Testament, what the greatest men of God look forward
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to the most was Christ himself, an unhindered fellowship with
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man. Let me give you familiar verses
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that many failed to meditate on. Listen to Paul's words.
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You don't have to turn there, but just soak this in.
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In Philippians 123, he says, I am hard pressed between the two,
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My desires to depart and not be in heaven.
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But what Be with Christ, be with Christ, for that is far better.
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What's far better? Being with Christ, Whoever
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Christ is, that's where heaven is.
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And Paul says as he is contemplating his potential
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martyrdom, I just, I can't wait to be with him.
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Listen to how he encourages the believers in First Thessalonians
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417. Then we who are alive, who are
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left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
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the Lord in the air. So we will always be with the
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Lord. Do you see that?
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With him, with him, with him? So that's why we are, we are
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really strange as Christians because we can actually smile at
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death because it's the portal to being with Christ.
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But what we're being told here is ready or not, Christ is going
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to come with all His glory and we will marvel at it and we will
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enjoy it. We will savor it and we will sit
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there. Never bore with the company of
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Christ. Never.
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I'm sure there are some people in your life, even for the
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severe introvert, that you enjoy being with, with all their
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limitations and all their problems and all their
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imperfections. But there is One who will
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radiate so much joy and peace and power that it will keep you
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captivated for eons. That's what heaven is, and John
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gets a symbolic picture of it. This arc now is in full view.
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And as Christ comes back, He's going to bring a measure of His
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glory that you cannot even understand with your mind today.
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Do we long for the same? Do we yearn for it?
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Can we echo this refrain of this song, the song of triumph?
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Can I ask you this very pointed question?
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Do you find yourself yearning for it?
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Do you find yourself meditating on it?
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Do you find yourself praying for it?
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I always enjoy my Bible reading about the introduction of any
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individual in Holy Writ because the Bible has a principle that
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whenever we are introduced to a person in the Scriptures, what
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we find at first impression is very telling.
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And my mind, as I am just chewing on these truths, went to
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an obscure figure by the name of Simeon Simeon.
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Simeon, Simeon, that old man who had the privilege of carrying in
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his arms the Messiah as a baby. But let me remind you what the
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Holy Spirit says about Simeon in Luke chapter 2 verse 25.
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Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this
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man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of
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Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
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What a way to introduce this man.
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His righteousness and his devotion is connected to his
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patient waiting for the everlasting Kingdom of the Son
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of David to arrive in his lifetime.
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So if you were to open up Simeon's heart, what you would
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find is a heartbeat that continually was beating for the
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manifest reality of the Kingdom that God spoke of in the Holy
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Scriptures. And I can't help but look at my
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own life and ask, do I find myself waiting for the same?
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When my mind goes into a default state, does it ever visit the
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thought that Christ will come back with His Kingdom and
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furnish me for it? He'll make everything right.
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He'll make me right, and I will see Him face to face and enjoy
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Him for eternity. Do I ever think about that?
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And Simeon knew it. In part, he got to explore the
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the reality of Christ's coming in his first advent, but the
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fullness of it is yet to come. And according to the Book of
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Revelation, before it does come, though it is around the corner
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that the seven trump of this blast it's about to happen.
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There's still awaits a full set of judgements before it does.
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Final observation before we break bread, look back at verse
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19 after we learn about the Ark of His covenant.
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The last sentence there, there were flashes of lightning,
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rumblings, peel of Thunder and earthquake and heavy hail.
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What's happening here? A storm is brewing.
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Why? Because yes, the 7th trumpet
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announces the coronation of Christ, but it also calls for
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the pouring out of the seven bowls of God's wrath to make it
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happen. And that is what you and I will
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study in the coming weeks. And the fact that Christ's
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inauguration is being announced here shows that the final sets
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of judgments have to be very quick.
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It will be a short sequence. It will happen perhaps in a
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matter of days, at longest weeks.
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And you're going to get that sense when we read these bowls
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being poured out, that they are rapid fire, which makes sense in
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our understanding of why Christ's coming is announced.
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It's not going to be very long, and we're going to see that
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together. Let's prepare our hearts.
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We thank You, Father, that this song of triumph belongs to us as
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well. Lord, we can't wait for the day
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where You do conquer this world and that You will show the world
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that You are the true King. We thank you that you will make
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everything right. We thank you that you'll reward
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those who have served you, even even the small and
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insignificant. We thank you, O God, that you
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will end Satan's reign and that you will clean up everything
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that he has destroyed. You will restore it, You'll
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regenerate it. And that we thank you that the
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ultimate prize belongs to each of us.
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And that is the complete realization of Your presence
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before us. We may not understand how that
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will be, but we believe Your word and look forward to it.
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And Lord, as we come to this table, we are reminded of how
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that is made possible. That before you come a second
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time, You came the first time, and that you shed your blood,
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and that you lived out our obedience, and that you
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transmitted your righteousness. You imputed it unto us.
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And that we are made perfect and fit for eternity because of your
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grace. Help us rejoice in this promise
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that has become our reality. Today.
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We give you glory and thanks in Jesus name, Amen.
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As the praised team comes, we're ready to sing and rejoice over
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these things. Just examine your heart, take
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your time to really reflect on what we're about to do, and in a
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moment we will come and eat together.
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Let's stand.