Revelation 11:15-18

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ¹  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ² 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

11:16 Then ³  the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ⁴  and worshiped God 11:17 with these words: ⁵ 

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, ⁶ 

the one who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and begun to reign. ⁷ 

11:18 The ⁸  nations ⁹  were enraged,

but ¹⁰  your wrath has come,

and the time has come for the dead to be judged,

and the time has come to give to your servants, ¹¹ 

the prophets, their reward,

as well as to the saints

and to those who revere ¹²  your name, both small and great,

and the time has come ¹³  to destroy those who destroy ¹⁴  the earth.”

Revelation 12:10

12:10 Then ¹⁵  I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the ruling authority ¹⁶  of his Christ, ¹⁷  have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, ¹⁸ 

the one who accuses them day and night ¹⁹  before our God,

has been thrown down.

Revelation 21:22

21:22 Now ²⁰  I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful ²¹  – and the Lamb are its temple.

Psalms 47:2

47:2 For the sovereign Lord ²²  is awe-inspiring; ²³ 

he is the great king who rules the whole earth! ²⁴ 

Psalms 47:7

47:7 For God is king of the whole earth!

Sing a well-written song! ²⁵ 

Psalms 93:1

Psalm 93 ²⁶ 

93:1 The Lord reigns!

He is robed in majesty,

the Lord is robed,

he wears strength around his waist. ²⁷ 

Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.

Psalms 97:1

Psalm 97 ²⁸ 

97:1 The Lord reigns!

Let the earth be happy!

Let the many coastlands rejoice!

Psalms 97:12

97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!

Give thanks to his holy name. ²⁹ 

Psalms 99:1

Psalm 99 ³⁰ 

99:1 The Lord reigns!

The nations tremble. ³¹ 

He sits enthroned above the winged angels; ³² 

the earth shakes. ³³ 

Isaiah 52:7

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains ³⁴ 

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ³⁵ 

Matthew 6:13

6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, ³⁶  but deliver us from the evil one. ³⁷ 

[11:15]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[11:16]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[11:17]  ⁵ tn Grk “saying.”

[11:17]  ⁶ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[11:17]  ⁷ tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.

[11:18]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:18]  ⁹ tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[11:18]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:18]  ¹¹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[11:18]  ¹² tn Grk “who fear.”

[11:18]  ¹³ tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.

[11:18]  ¹⁴ tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diafqeirw), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.

[12:10]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.

[12:10]  ¹⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:10]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.

[12:10]  ¹⁹ tn Or “who accuses them continually.”

[21:22]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Every verse from here to the end of this chapter begins with καί in Greek, but due to differences between Greek and contemporary English style, these have not been translated.

[21:22]  ²¹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[47:2]  ²² tn Heb “the Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures the Lord as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked.

[47:2]  ²³ tn Or “awesome.” The Niphal participle נוֹרָא (nora’), when used of God in the psalms, focuses on the effect that his royal splendor and powerful deeds have on those witnessing his acts (Pss 66:3, 5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7; 96:4; 99:3; 111:9). Here it refers to his capacity to fill his defeated foes with terror and his people with fearful respect.

[47:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “a great king over all the earth.”

[47:7]  ²⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term also occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142. Here, in a context of celebration, the meaning “skillful, well-written” would fit particularly well.

[93:1]  ²⁶ sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.

[93:1]  ²⁷ sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.

[97:1]  ²⁸ sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.

[97:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.

[99:1]  ³⁰ sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.

[99:1]  ³¹ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the Lord’s kingship. Another option is to take them as jussives: “let the nations tremble…let the earth shake!”

[99:1]  ³² sn Winged angels (Heb “cherubs”). Cherubs, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubs suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubs in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.

[99:1]  ³³ tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).

[52:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”

[52:7]  ³⁵ tn Or “has become king.” When a new king was enthroned, his followers would give this shout. For other examples of this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular מָלַךְ [malakh], followed by the name of the king), see 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13. The Lord is an eternal king, but here he is pictured as a victorious warrior who establishes his rule from Zion.

[6:13]  ³⁶ tn Or “into a time of testing.”

[6:13]  ³⁷ tc Most mss (L W Θ 0233 ˹³ 33 Ï sy sa Didache) read (though some with slight variation) ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν (“for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen”) here. The reading without this sentence, though, is attested by generally better witnesses (א B D Z 0170 ˹ pc lat mae Or). The phrase was probably composed for the liturgy of the early church and most likely was based on 1 Chr 29:11-13; a scribe probably added the phrase at this point in the text for use in public scripture reading (see TCGNT 13-14). Both external and internal evidence argue for the shorter reading.