“The Kingdom Proclaimed” A Reality Check Revelation 11:15-19 , When The Lamb Stands, seriesby Sharon Clemens

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       Have you noticed that the book of The Revelation is punctuated with intervals of praise and worship? Without these respites in the wrath, the narrative would be oppressive. But periodically, John is interrupted in his eye witness account to record PRAISE in heaven to balance the WRATH on earth. Here, at the announcement of the Seventh Trumpet in Revelation 11:15, it is a good point at which to stop and honor God for the resolution His judgment brings because the severity of His wrath is about to intensify again. Recall that the Seventh Trumpet is also the third and final WOE judgment [8:13]. It is the last of three curses on the earth. Because the Seventh Trumpet contains the seven Bowl Judgments, it unleashes the remainder of God’s wrath.

Revelation 11:15-19 – The Seventh Trumpet

       Recall that in Revelation 10:7, the special Mighty Angel announced that in the days of the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet angel, “the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” No wonder a praise chorus erupts in heaven. The mystery of God resolves all Old Testament prophetic promises and restores all things to God’s original intention and purpose. As Dr. J. V. McGee often said, everything lost in Genesis is restored in The Revelation. Praise worthy, indeed.

* Vs. 17--We will sing this song, as part of the twenty-four elders representing the completed church in heaven [see notes on Revelation 4]. Because the church is taken out before the Tribulation, we are there, watching and praising from a heavenly perspective. We sing to our Triune God, the One who is and who was and who is to come, eternal reigning King of earth and heaven. We speak of His wrath and His wrath to come as if it were an accomplished fact [20:11-15]. God’s Word is as good as done. * Vs. 18—His wrath is in response to the anger and rebellion of man against the reign of God [Psalm 2:1-3]. It has always been so with mankind, but God's grace stayed His hand—until now, the time of resolution. * His judgment includes judgment of the dead. MacArthur: “The final outpouring of God’s wrath includes judging the dead [Matt. 25:31-46; John 5:25-29]. The judgment has two parts: 1) God rewards O.T. saints [Daniel 12:1-3; cf. 22:12; 1 Cor. 3:8; 4:5], the raptured church [1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18], and Tribulation saints [20:4]; and 2) God condemns unbelievers to the lake of fire forever [20:15]. * He Rewards “those who fear Your name” and He destroys “those who destroy the earth.” Creation was contaminated by man’s sin. This is poetic justice. * Vs. 19--The ark of His covenant which resides in the heavenly throne room of His temple is exposed to the earth. It symbolizes God’s presence, atonement of blood, and covenant with His people. The ark Israel fashioned for the earthly Tabernacle was only a picture of this heavenly prototype according to Hebrews 9:12; 10:20. Why is it exposed here? MacArthur: “As the earthly Holy of Holies [where the ark was set] was open when the price of sin was paid [Matt. 27:51; Heb. 10:19, 20], so the Holy of Holies in heaven is opened to speak of God’s saving New Covenant and redeeming purpose in the midst of judgment.” * “And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.” The exposure of God’s holiness to the sinful earth causes a supernatural reaction. God shakes the earth also in Revelation 6:12 and 16:17. This is not merely a natural disaster; it is supernatural and was previewed in Revelation 4:5 and 8:5 as power that would emanate from God’s throne. The “great hail” is also supernaturally stored for the Day of the Lord. The Lord revealed this to Job:

“Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?” Job 38:22-23

       The Lord has fashioned and kept this hail as a supernatural weapon in Revelation 8:7 and here in 11:19. In Revelation 16:21, the hailstones are described as about the weight of a talent or about 75 pounds. Imagine the size and weight of the ice as 15 bags of sugar, each weighing 5 pounds each, strapped together with duct tape, falling to the earth from the sky. Such massive chunks of ice falling on the earth will land like bombs, creating incredible destruction. The Lord will also use this ice-device in the battle of Gog and Magog, Ezekiel 38:22.

       With natural disasters increasing in frequency and intensity in our day, such hail will probably be explained by lost men as due to worsening atmospheric conditions caused by global climate change. Rather, man would do well to join the worship chorus to the hail's Creator. No act of man can prevent what is coming. We must place ourselves under the mercy of God.

       How often do we stop to worship the Lord in the midst of daily activity? It doesn’t mean we must fall on our face or change our posture. It is a mindset. We need not wait for our heavenly appointment. In fact, a healthy attitude of worship HERE AND NOW is evidence of saving faith. We are here to bring glory to God. It is not about us; it is all about Him.


A REALITY CHECK FOR THE CHURCH: This proclamation of the Kingdom presents the opportunity to clarify how the church of this day sees Christ's kingdom.

       It is a growing concern that the church no longer teaches the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Church leaders are too involved with creating their own version of an earthly Christian kingdom on earth. Ironically, these Kingdom Now advocates don't think the king needs to be present. But as Dr. McGee said, you cannot have a kingdom without a king. The church will not create the earthly kingdom; evangelism will fall short of global saturation before Christ takes out the church in the Rapture before the Tribulation begins. Global evangelization is documented only during the Tribulation [Revelation 14:6-7], not before. It is not the mandate of the church. We are called to preach, teach and disciple until He comes for us...there is no global quota we are commanded to attain in the Great Commission except in the minds of those who feel Christ cannot establish His kingdom without their help.

       The imminent return of Christ is not taught by those who believe we are "in the kingdom now" or that they are divinely ordained to establish it. Why? Because any teaching of Christ's return takes away from human effort. They believe those looking for Christ's return are not doing "kingdom work." No, my friends. It is not about us; it is all about Him. As the chorus in heaven sings, "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty ...because You have taken Your great power and reigned." [Revelation 11:17]. When the Lord wills, His Gospel will reach the ends of the earth and reach "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people," [Revelation 14:6] But then, the final message before judgment is issued from His emissary angel, not the Church. Who receives the credit...the glory? Rightly, it is Christ alone. "Fear God and give glory to Him..." [Revelation 14:7]

       All the kingdoms/empires of the earth made with human hands from the time of Nebuchadnezzar are listed in Daniel 2. Historically, they are proven to be Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The only future kingdom yet to be fulfilled in Daniel 2 is a Revived form of the Roman Empire identified in Daniel and the Revelation as a global government, global economy, and global false religion [Revelation 13; 17; 18]. Yet, even now, religious leaders are banding together to re-establish a "christian" kingdom on the ruins of the Holy Roman Empire--a Revived Roman Empire with a religious base. The Catholic Church is leading in this but many evangelical leaders are joining in. They are well-meaning in many cases, but it is not God's will when it is not done God's way. This religious syncretism and co-operation for the sake of unity will lead only to religious compromise and apostacy. The result will be a kingdom of man that is part of the LAST EMPIRE OF MAN--the Revived Roman Empire ruled by Antichrist.

       How does this last empire of man end? It ends when the King comes. This false kingdom ends when the true King returns to set up His own kingdom. He comes not to receive a kingdom from the Church; He comes to destroy it as the false religious system that it is.

Daniel 2:44
"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

       Daniel 2:45 continues to describe that the God of heaven will be like "the stone ...cut out of the mountain without hands." It is a supernatural stone, the rock Jesus Christ, cut out without hands and supernaturally establishing His earthly kingdom without human effort. Although our Lord uses believers in the work of evangelism, human hands will never create His kingdom on earth. Even the church itself will be lukewarm and apostate when believers are taken out [Revelation 3:14-22]. How can such a spiritually weak entity hope to establish a kingdom for Christ.

       His kingdom will not take manifested form until Christ returns to establish it. The Father is the authority behind His throne. Psalm 2:6, 8--"Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion....I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." The Father and the Son take the earth by force, not through missionary efforts [Revelation 19]. Missions bring in individual believers for Christ, but global missions will not create the Kingdom of Heaven.

       How much of the Church is investing their time like the servant who buried his talent in the dirt. He had the wrong understanding of his master and thought he was serving prudently, but he was wrong. The Lord called him an "unprofitable servant." [Matthew 25:30] Thinking they are creating a kingdom Christ can return to, they are wrongly wasting the resources of the church on fruitless endeavors THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE MORE TO THE FALSE KINGDOM THAN TO THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST. The kingdom will not come until the King returns--but the majority of the church is not teaching His return, and the majority of Christians are certainly unprepared for it. How prepared should we be?

Luke 12:35-40
"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when He will return from the wedding, that when He comes and knocks they may open to Him immediately.
Blessed are those servants whom the master, when He comes WILL FIND WATCHING...
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

       What is the Lord telling us? He is saying we should be as ready and as expectant and as watchful for the Lord's any-moment return as if we had been tipped off to the time a robber was going to break into our home and we were waiting for the robber behind the door. Just as we would be prepared for such a break-in, so the believer in Christ Jesus should be waiting with their spiritual lights on and their spiritual bags packed for the Lord's coming, whenever it will be. However, Kingdom Now theology has so taken-over the church that many believe Christ cannot return UNTIL the world is evangelized. So, they are waiting for global evangelism, not Christ. This is an attitude of date setting. No wonder such will be unprepared when He comes.

       * We are not to set dates or goals of any kind for Christ's return, but we are told to watch the signs of the time in order to live with an attitude of expectation. Roger Oakland in his book Faith Undone clarifies a significant point about Christ's return that is lost on the emergent church leaders who are doing their own "kingdom thing." Oakland says, "In essence, Jesus was saying, because you cannot know the day and hour of my return, you need to educate yourself in Bible prophecy and take heed of [Christ's] words about the end times." In order to prepare us, the Lord gave two of the longest passages in Scripture to Jesus' own teaching on His return, detailing the signs of His coming. These passages are found in Matthew 24, His Sermon on the Mount, and Luke 21. He also gave his apostle John the vision of His Second Coming in the dedicated book of The Revelation.

       Reality check: Are we prepared for the imminent, any-moment return of Christ? This does not mean the servant sleeps or becomes lazy. We continue to work according to His leading, but with one eye on the sky...

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, dispensational teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]