Verse by Verse

Jim Franks: 00:01

Hello, I'm Jim Franks, and this is an episode of our podcast, verse by verse, which will explore the insights and lessons from the word of God, the Bible. Today, our verse will be Revelation 11, verse 15, where we read about the 7th trumpet. It is interesting that the 7th trumpet is symbolic of the beginning of the conclusion of an amazing story of humanity that began in the Garden of Eden and will end beginning with the return of Jesus Christ. The 7th trumpet is the announcement. What do we know about this sequence of events and what will it mean to all of us?

Jim Franks: 00:42

Now let's read the verse, Revelation 11 verse 15. Then the 7th angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. We see from this scripture that the kingdom of God is coming to this earth. That is a very important fact, since so many believe that we will all go to heaven, where we will spend eternity. That is not what the Bible says.

Jim Franks: 01:14

Also notice that this is the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. This will be the establishment of the kingdom of God, our Lord, where the resurrected Christ will be the actual king on this earth. King of kings and Lord of lords according to Revelation 19 verse 16. God the father doesn't come down to the Earth until after the millennium with the new heavens and the new earth. This description is found in Revelation 21, when New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven.

Jim Franks: 01:45

The Bible ends in Revelation 22, and the details of this new heaven and new earth are for the most part omitted. We know that this new heaven and new earth will last for all eternity. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of the kingdom of God. All inhabitants of the kingdom will be spirit beings. Satan will have been cast into outer darkness, where he will be banished for all eternity, according to Revelation 20.

Jim Franks: 02:10

What a different world this will be than the one we live in today. And it all begins when the 7th angel announces the kingdom of God. Let's explore a bit more the context of this 7th angel sounding, and let's see the other events that will take place when this trumpet sounds. In Revelation 10 verse 7, we read, but in the days of the sounding of the 7th angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as he declared to his servants the prophets. This 7th angel sounding on the trumpet marks the end of man and Satan's rule on the Earth, and the beginning of God's reign.

Jim Franks: 02:48

In essence, we return to the Garden of Eden when man, under the deception of Satan, made the wrong choice. This will be corrected, beginning with the blowing of this 7th trumpet. The use of trumpets in the Old Testament was for special announcements, to gather the people, to give an alarm, and to announce the beginning of a war or an attack during a war. The trumpet was used because it had a piercing sound that could be heard clearly for many miles. In Revelation 8, we see that the 7 angels who were given 7 trumpets make up the 7th seal that was opened by Christ, unleashing the final events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.

Jim Franks: 03:25

Notice Revelation 8 verse 6, so the 7 angels who had the 7 trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Notice the events unleashed with each trumpet. Hail and fire that burns up a third of the trees and green grass, something like a great mountain burning with fire which was thrown into the sea. A great star falls from heaven on 1 third of all the rivers in fresh water. A third of the sun is struck and turns dark.

Jim Franks: 03:50

Also a third of the moon and the stars. And a star falls from heaven to the earth. And then there's the release of the 4 angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. Then comes number 7, and we hear the announcement of Christ's return to establish the kingdom of God. What a moment in time.

Jim Franks: 04:08

Nothing else can compare. In 1st Thessalonians 4 verse 16, we read that the resurrection of the saints comes with this 7th trumpet. So what have we learned? We have learned that one day in the future, and we believe this will literally occur, Jesus Christ will set foot on the Mount of Olives. He will have with him the angels and the saints who are resurrected at the sound of the 7th trumpet.

Jim Franks: 04:30

Our goal is to prepare ourselves for this day. Since we don't know the day nor the hour, we cannot be guaranteed that we will be alive when these events occur, but our future is sure. If we're not alive and we are among the saints, we will be resurrected and join this army of God in the air. The story of the 7 trumpets is quite amazing. It is a story that is fulfilled in the promise of God's deliverance.

Jim Franks: 04:53

This is what we are all striving for, to be in that first resurrection or to be changed from mortal to immortal while watching these events become reality at the 7th trumpet.

Kevin Scarborough: 05:06

Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope, and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.