Morning Manna | Revelation 11:15-19 | He shall reign

Revelation 11:15-19

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

The King of kings has come to rule this world, but the nations are angry. We see throughout the Bible and world history that this world despises its Creator, its Redeemer, its King. In Abel’s day, Satan inspired Cain to kill the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent—but the Redeemer came. When Israel prayed for a redeemer in Egypt, Pharaoh tossed the baby boys into the Nile in an effort to root out any prospect of the Redeemer coming—but He came. When the wise men came seeking the King, Herod attempted to stomp out the light of the Redeemer—but he could not. On the cross of Calvary, they crucified our King and thought the task was finally done. After 2,000 years of trying to snuff out the Light of the world—they believed they had succeeded. Until three days later—He came forth.

Since then, they have burned the Bible, burned those who preached it, and done all they could to dethrone the King of kings. But as always, their efforts will fail. As the seventh angel declares: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

We have seen the world’s response to the promise of His coming—but what will it be at the actual fulfillment of that promise, on the day that He comes? Perhaps they will have a change of heart? No. They are just as obstinate as ever. All the wrath of God poured out, all His attempts at mercy, have not moved them from their position of hatred. They are of their father the Devil, who wants nothing more than to be God himself—and so are all his children. They will be satisfied with nothing less than to sit on the very throne of the universe.

So it’s no wonder that, when He comes to sit on the throne, the nations are angry: “And the nations were angry.” But what is the wrath of man in the face of the wrath of God? What is a gnat shaking its fist in the face of the One who will simply swat it away?

While our power against God is utterly meaningless, our sins against Him are not. We are not sinning against a faraway cosmic overlord, but against the One who took on this mortal existence, wrapped up our sorrows in His person, took our sins upon Himself, and was punished in our place—in this world, by the people of this world. Our sins are against this God who wields all power. They are personal, and grievous.

How can we be angry when the One who loved us while we were yet sinners and died for us has come to make all things new?How can we be angry?Yet—they are.

We have looked at the insanity of this world and its people—but there is another group in our text this morning: the elders, who represent the church as a whole. They heard the exact same news that the world heard: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Yet their response is totally different:

“And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” (Revelation 11:16-17)

Worship is the first response we see at the news of His coming. Is it so with you today, Christian? When you hear the good news of His coming, do you say like John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus”? Do you love His appearing like Paul? Do you hope to the end like Peter? The child of God ought to have no greater hope than the hope of His coming. And when we fill our minds with its prospects, our response should be worship.

They fell on their faces before the King—lowering themselves as much as they could so that He might be exalted above everything and everyone. This is the church’s response to His coming—is it yours?

They gave thanks. When was the last time you thanked Him for the hope of His coming? You thank Him for the things of this life—you thank Him for food, shelter, clothing, money, health—but when was the last time you thanked Him for the promises of the world to come?

We are so occupied with the world below and so forgetful of the world to come that we can hardly thank Him for what is to come. Yet what is to come is a million times better than the things He is providing in this present hour. What you are thankful for reveals what you truly love and appreciate—and perhaps, if you haven’t been thankful for the hope of His coming, it’s because the thought of it is secondary… or, God forbid, even dreadful.

They praised Him: “O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” They simply stated who He is and what He has done. God is so glorious that all we have to do to praise Him is tell the truth about Him. Lord God Almighty—that alone is a statement of truth, and yet it is so glorious.

They have declared the truth of His ability, now they declared the truth of His eternality—“which art, and wast, and art to come.”He is the One who always has been, who never ceased to be, and who ever shall be. Eternal God, wrapped in humanity, died for our sins, and rose again. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Then they stated the fact of His sovereignty: “thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” They certainly didn’t give Him power—it wasn’t theirs to give in the first place. He has come to lay hold on the promise made to Him by God the Father, paid for by the Son, and delivered to us by the Spirit—and He has come to reign.

If today you struggle to praise God, it is truly a simple thing. He is so glorious that all you have to do to praise Him is tell the truth about Him. Tell others how powerful He is, how eternal He is, how sovereign He is—and you will have delivered a praise that even the elders in heaven could not outdo.

When we think of His coming, it ought to lead us to praise Him—for His power to come, His eternal nature that cannot be eroded by even millions of years, and His sovereign control over all things, both now and forevermore.

The world is angry because He is coming to judge.The church is rejoicing because, at the same time, He is coming to give rewards.

So I ask you: What is your honest, heartfelt response to the news of His coming?Does it fill you with dread—even with anger? Then perhaps you are part of the world that despises His coming. Or does it fill you with hope, and worship, and praise, and delight? Then I’d say it’s because you are part of the crowd—looking for, and longing for, His return and the reconciliation of all things. "Even so, Come Lord Jesus!"