Word of Salvation – Vol. 46 No. 01 – January 2001

 

The Seventh Trumpet

 

Sermon by Rev. L. Douma on Revelation 11:15-19

Scripture Readings: Psalm 2; Revelation 11:8-14

Suggested Singing: BoW 517, 530, RejoySing 483

 

Beloved in the Lord.

I asked Session recently whether I should continue this series in Revelation.  Too long a series can get boring.  But they urged me to continue.  As one elder said, “You can’t leave the congregation in suspense”.  I guess that’s true.  We have been waiting for what comes up in our text – the seventh trumpet.  Finally we have reached a “seventh”.

Remember we saw the six seals – the four horses of sin, war, poverty and death, and then the martyrs under the altar in heaven.  The sixth seal showed the whole of the creation collapsing and the kings and rulers and all people crying out, “Who can stand?” Expectantly we look for the seventh seal – what would that bring?

But instead we had a pastoral interlude – John reassuring the church that even though no one “can stand” on their own, the people of God would all be saved because they are sealed by the Spirit of Christ, being washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Then we thought the seventh seal was coming but it turned into seven trumpets, which came back in time and paralleled the seven seals.

The first four revealed God’s judgments affecting the environment, the land, sea and ships, (drinking) waters, as well as the sun, moon and stars – a third all affected.  The fifth took a spiritual turn, only demonically so, as the locusts, with scorpion tails, left the abyss and plagued the unbelieving world.  They brought the world to despair and wishing for death.  The sixth showed the hordes of horsemen, killing a third of the human race.  It was God’s judgment – yet mercy – to have the world experience a taste of hell on earth so that they would repent and turn to God.  But they would not.

Then, when we thought the seventh trumpet was coming, there was another interlude.  Again it was a pastoral break, a reassurance to the church that even though it, too, had to go through the agony of the trumpets, it would be protected by the giant angel who dominated the land and sea.  The angel vowed that the final judgment was coming without delay, and that John had to eat the scroll and prophesy.  In fact the whole church’s task was to witness as it was symbolised by the two witnesses, who could not be stopped until they had finished their testimony.  Then the beast came and killed the two witnesses, symbolising the persecution of the church near the end of time.

The way John writes, you can imagine the first hearers, 2000 years ago, as the letter was read in the seven churches, kept in suspense, asking, “so what happened next?”  And now, finally, we are there, at the seventh trumpet.  Now, finally, we are given a peek at the end.  But it is precisely that – a peek.

John does not give us the full details of the end.  No, that comes up in chapters 19-22.  For the complete picture of the seventh trumpet – the end – we still have to wait several chapters.  In fact the seventh trumpet (again) later turns into seven signs and seven bowls as the awesome final battle between God and Satan are spelled out.  But that gives us the pastoral clue as to what John is doing here in our text.  Before the terrifying final events are revealed, John gives a picture, a general summary, an introduction, of where it’s all heading, i.e. to the final consummation when God is completely victorious.

So while John does not give the details, he certainly gives the effect of the last trumpet.  It will be “woe” for the unrepentant world.  Verse 14 says, “The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming.”  But it will be a great triumph and reward for those “who reverence His Name” (vs.18).  What we see in our text are two choruses: one is a declaration of triumph by a heavenly host.  The other an anthem of praise by the worshipping elders.

And these two introduce the great themes of the following chapters.  We notice right through these two songs that the verbs are in the past tense (aorist), conveying a sense of absolute certainty – like it’s already arrived.  Like we commonly say, “it’s all over bar the shouting”.  Only here it’s gone even further – the shouting of victory has already commenced.  That’s what we see in the opening verse (vs 15).

The seventh seal brought about half an hour of silence in heaven.  This seventh trumpet sounds and there are “loud voices in heaven”.  We will hear these voices again and again in Revelation (have a read further on) as they announce great moments of judgment and victory – as they announce the details of what they triumphantly declare in summary here now: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He will reign for ever and ever.”

So the angels declare that the complete dominion and rule of this world have been transferred to God and Jesus Christ, who shall reign forever.  It’s what the Old Testament prophets so often spoke of.  Remember Daniel when he interpreted the dream of king Nebuchadnezzar – the dream of the huge statue with a head of gold, chest of silver, feet of iron and clay.  And the rock, cut out, but not by human hands, that smashed the statue and became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel, in 2:44, said “…the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.  It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end.  But it will itself endure forever.” Zechariah, in 14:9, said, “The Lord will be king over the whole earth.  On that day there will be one Lord, and his Name the only name.”

And remember the prophecies about Jesus.  Psalm 2:8, “I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession, you will rule them with an iron sceptre.”  Again Daniel, in 7:14, speaking of the son of man before the Ancient of Days, “He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, men of every language worshipped him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will never be destroyed.”  Now the angels jubilate in loud voices – all that has been prophesied – it’s here.

Now, in a sense, God has always been completely sovereign, Lord of all.  Revelation has pointed out that even the power of Satan has been “given”.  Everything is in the will of God.  Jesus, too, holds the scroll.  He unfolds the will of God that nothing can resist.  As the seals open, the kingdom comes all powerfully.

But as you and I know too well, even though God uses even evil for His good, there is still so much sin and wrong in the world.  It far too often appears as if God is not in control.  There is still rampant injustice and greed, there is less and less respect for God, the gods of materialism and power are openly worshipped.  The human race rebels against God as it always has.  Even we church goers hurt Jesus too often with our (deliberate) sin.

We remember the blatant claim of power when the devil tempted Jesus (Mat.4:8,9) when “he took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.  ‘All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me’.”  The devil claimed it all and offered to give Christ all the world, not by His suffering and death, not by conquering sin and hell, but simply by bowing to him.

But now in the vision it is proclaimed that Jesus through His obedience to the Father has it all.  Notice it’s the “kingdom of the Lord and his Christ.”  Jesus is the Christ – the second Adam.  Where the first Adam and Eve messed up and rebelled with all the rest of us, Jesus the Anointed One, the Covenant Partner of God, succeeded.  This is significant, because the kingdom was always to be a kingdom involving humanity under God.

So it’s not just the awesome power of God that is victorious here, but the obedience of Jesus.  As Paul says it in 1 Corinthians 23ff: “…Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power…  When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”

Jesus the man will submit himself to the Father, so that God is “all in all” – everything to everybody – truly worshipped and obeyed in all, by all.  There will be no more sin or crying or pain.  God only will be truly and completely worshipped by all creation in all perfection.  And Jesus, as God, will rule everything forever with the Father.  Notice how the angels speak of the singular, “he will reign” – which shows the unity of God and his Son.  Together they will rule.

In response to this proclamation of the heavenly hosts, the whole church represented by the twenty-four elders “who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God…!” (vs 16).  The church is awestruck, overwhelmed.  They knew God was sovereign.  But the reality of the moment has them off their thrones and on their faces.  This is deep, deep worship.

There are many things in life that we build ourselves up for – but which can leave us underwhelmed, nonplussed or even disappointed.  Not the last trumpet, not the final day.  The reality of that day will absolutely surpass our boldest expectation.  Our worship now is nothing in comparison with how we will worship on that day.

And a lot of reassurance is given to us as we notice how God is addressed in this song of praise of the church (vs 17): “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was…!”  In Revelation 1:8, God is addressed as “…the Alpha and Omega – who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  The part “who is to come” is not added here.  For it’s no longer appropriate, for he is no longer the one to come – he has arrived.  Notice again the tense of the verbs, “you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.”  It’s the old Hebrew way for prophets to express the certainty of what’s coming put it in the past (perfect) tense – as if it has all already happened.

The church worships because it sees God’s “great power” (vs.17) displayed in a twofold way.  God shows his justice and his grace publicly as the unbelieving world is judged and the believers are rewarded.  Notice how the song expresses it (vs.18): “The nations were angry and your wrath has come.  The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets, and your saints and those who reverence your name both small and great – and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

This song leans very much on Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand… against the Lord and against his Anointed One.  The One enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.  Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath.”

Here we see clearly how this seventh trumpet is the “third woe” spoken of in verse 14.  Trumpet five showed God’s power to hurt people, trumpet six His power to kill them, and now trumpet seven His power to damn them.  Let’s not beat around the bush.  The world rebels and rants and raves against God.  It flaunts His laws on life and even rages against His church, persecuting and hounding his people (remember 11:10 as the world gloated over the dead witnesses) – even crucifying the Son of God.  But justice will be done.  God will deal with them.  But in a fair and just way.  The punishment will fit the crime.

Notice how the song expresses it: “the nations were angry and your anger has come… you will destroy those who destroy the earth.”  The language is very clear and decisive: “The time has come for judging.”  Then there will be no more opportunities.  Today, right now, all of us are sowing seeds for our eternal future.  The trumpets have shown all people ample warnings with their taste of hell on earth.

God goes to incredible lengths to have people come and repent.  If there is no change now, then there will be no opportunity for repentance when the day of this song arrives.  Then the unbeliever is beyond redemption.  As John puts it in 22:11, “Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong, let him who is vile continue to be vile…!” Revelation 8 shows these things coming about by the prayers of the church.  And we should be praying for this day.  Not praying harm for individual people.  But praying for justice.  Praying for all things made right.  And striving now for justice and obedience to Jesus in all things as a straining forward, a reaching, for this day.

The same judgment that casts the enemies of God into the “pool that burns with fire and sulphur” – to use John’s later detailed description – also brings reward to the faithful.  That day will bring the maximum of justice with the maximum of mercy.  Or as Psalm 85:10 puts it, God’s “righteousness and peace kiss each other.”  The song of the elders speaks of the prophets and your saints, those who reverence your name, both small and great…

In other words the reward is all inclusive.  It’s not only for the “great” prophets and saints of the Bible – Abraham, Moses, David, Mary – or our “heroes” in church history.  But also those of us with faith the size of a mustard seed, the “little ones” in the faith, the timid, the weak, all who faithfully “reverence God’s name”.  So on the new earth, which John shows in chapter 21 to be the reward of God’s people, we will see not just Paul and Jesus and John, but also motor-mouth Peter, doubting Thomas, unreliable Mark, you, me, all who quietly trust Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.  All God’s children will have their reward – no one is forgotten.  No wonder the twenty four elders, the church sings and worships!

At the end of the song we see something remarkable.  Verse 19 tells us, “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the Ark of the Covenant.”  This last verse responds to the elders’ song and takes up their double theme.  The idea of the temple in the Old Testament was that as the dwelling place of God.  But it was a limited place where God lived in distinction from the world in general.  Because of the sin of the world, God as the holy God, could not live elsewhere – only in the Holy of Holies in the temple.  That’s where the Ark of the Covenant was kept – the symbol of God’s presence.  Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, once a year, to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat.  No one else was ever permitted to enter the presence of God.

But now, in this vision, the way into God’s presence is wide open.  Nothing remains hidden or concealed.  This, of course, reminds us of Christ’s atoning work on the cross and how the temple curtain was torn in two, showing how Jesus has opened the way for us to come to God.  But this now is part of the reward for God’s people.  It symbolises the complete openness between God and His people.  As John goes on to describe it in chapter 21, “Now the dwelling of God is with men.”  Now we can live with God – face to face – so to speak.  Now there is perfect, intimate fellowship between God and His people.

But there is the flip side.  If God’s temple is now wide open, and the ark revealed in other words, God is now having His dwelling over all the earth – then He will need to deal with the sinful world.  The holy God’s dwelling must be holy.  The revealing of the ark is also the bringing of judgment.  That’s why we read at the end of the verse, “And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.”  They all symbolise the judgments that issue forth out of the temple.  In fact, in chapters 14, 15, 16, and17, we see references to judgments coming forth from the open temple.

There’s also the other aspect about the Ark of the Covenant as its name reveals.  It’s the symbol of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His covenant promises.  Throughout salvation history, God has made promises to His people.  And all of them He has fulfilled, especially in the coming of the Christ.  Now John’s vision tells us about the seventh trumpet, the last day, the day of judgment for the world and the reward for God’s people.  And in the midst of the singing – in the midst of the open temple, at the climax of this vision – there it is, the Ark of the Covenant, the reassurance to God’s people: trust God, He is faithful, He will do it.

It’s said that all people and organisations should have a dream to follow – a goal to aim for, a mission for existence.  There are many dreams of success that are not worth aiming for.  And there are good goals that we can’t reach because life takes them from us.  But here is a goal to aim for that is God-guaranteed and worth all our striving.

Will the blowing of the seventh trumpet be a day of reward or judgment for you?  That’s determined by your response to Christ today.  And if this goal is where all of life is heading, then we should be striving for it with all the energy in our bodies making work and play, learning and imagining, economics and social life ready and fit for the day God opens the temple and dwells with us over all the earth with all of life lived joyfully for Him.

Amen.