The Kingdom of Our Lord – Rev.11:15-19

SPEAKER 05 : 0:00

I locked my keys in my car and there was not an outburst of praise out of my mouth. While I’m standing trying to figure out what to do, this fella comes over and says, you locked your keys in your car, huh? You know, I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I said, yeah, right. I locked my keys. I said, you got something to help me? He said, no. So I kind of ignored it. He just kept talking to me. He said, boy, your voice sure sounds familiar. I think I heard you on the radio last night. What’s your name? I said, David Hawking. Why, that’s the guy I heard last night on the radio. You cannot believe how my act was cleaned up.

SPEAKER 01 : 1:06

This is Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. Today we’re bringing you day two of David’s message, The Kingdom of Our Lord, from Revelation 11, verses 15 to 19. In this passage, the seventh trumpet sounds. heaven erupts with praise, the elders fall in worship, and the earth, it quakes under the judgment of God. The nations, they’re going to rage. They will rage. But you know something? The message, it’s clear. Jesus Christ will reign forever and ever. And today, David takes us deeper into this passage to show the power, the glory, and the certainty of the coming kingdom. Stay with us for a powerful study time in God’s Word. And just before we begin, I want to remind you that Hope for Today remains on the air because friends like you pray and give. Your gift is not just a donation. It’s what makes it possible for someone to hear the Word of God who otherwise never would. It makes it possible for a believer who’s discouraged in their faith, or maybe they have questions, to hear what God’s Word has to say. It puts Bible teaching into prisons, into cities and villages around the world, and into homes across North America. Every gift counts, whatever the amount, helping us cover the cost of producing and releasing this program on stations, sending it across the internet, providing free booklets to new believers or those who don’t yet know Christ, and maybe taking this program to new markets so more people can hear the truth of God’s Word. To partner with us, call 1-800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Bible is 24253. or give safely online at davidhawking.org. Your support is a seed that God multiplies, and it keeps the Word of God going forward. And by the way, I’ll have our mailing address for you later in the program. Right now, though, let’s join David for today’s study.

SPEAKER 05 : 3:16

The kingdoms of our Lord, the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, Revelation chapter 11, verses 15 to 19. And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders who sat before God in their seats or thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art and wast and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath has come in the time of the dead, that they should be judged. And that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants, the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldst destroy them who destroy the earth. And the temple of God was open in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament or covenant. And there were lightnings and voices and thunderings or thunderclaps and an earthquake and great hail. Now when you remember how Revelation… is being unfolded, you remember that it’s a seven sealed scroll that’s being unraveled. The ceiling is on the top. You break one and you can unravel a little bit more. The last one, the seventh seal, is composed of seven trumpet messages within the seventh seal. When you get to the seventh trumpet, you are at the middle of the tribulation period. And the seventh trumpet literally blows over the last three and a half years. And in that trumpet message, you have an amazing judgment, including the seven last plagues, including Armageddon. And the key is right here in verse 15. Apparently, at the middle of the week, the Lord God takes over in a way that is more, let’s say, His immediate involvement in the affairs and events. God certainly is sovereign, and He is controlling the affairs and events in His world. But he is going to take over, literally, and bring his vengeance and wrath upon the world that has been long predicted by the Hebrew prophets of old. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Some of you have a singular kingdom. But the King James text, the Textus Receptus, that which was received and used by the King James scholars, and they had the majority of manuscripts available, it reads plural kingdoms. And I think it’s more proper. What he’s talking about is all the kingdoms of the world. There’s not just one, but all of them are going to become one under the headship of the Lord and his Messiah. I would look at the extent of the kingdom in two ways. First of all, in terms of time. It says at the end of verse 15, he shall reign forever and ever. But not only in terms of time, in terms of territory. Revelation 11, 15 says the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. You look at the extent of his kingdom, but in verses 16 to 19, we have the exaltation of of his majesty and coming kingdom. The reaction, immediate reaction of the 24 elders tells us what to do. I would have to say also a second thing is the continual response of the 24 elders mentioned in the words that follow. Look at that carefully. In verse 17, here’s what they said. We give thanks. Literally, we continue to give thanks. We constantly give thanks. O Lord God Almighty. Flip back to Revelation 1, verse 8. Jesus is quoted. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the what? The Almighty. The Almighty. Back to Revelation 11. We give you continual thanks, O Lord God Almighty. Look over to chapter 19, verse 6. I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunderings or peals of thunder, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God Omnipotent Almighty reigneth. The praise to God. The continual response of the 24 elders giving thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art and wast and art to come, the eternal God, constantly giving him thanks. You know, the Bible says when you’re filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5, 18 to 20, you will be giving thanks continually to God for everything. It’s quite a rebuke to us, isn’t it? When we say we’re filled with the Spirit and we don’t constantly thank God for everything that happens? It’s amazing. I locked my keys in my car, and there was not an outburst of praise out of my mouth. While I’m standing trying to figure out what to do, this fellow comes over and says, you locked your keys in your car, huh? You know, I mean, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I said, yeah, right. I locked my keys. I said, you got something to help me? He said, no. He says, no, I don’t. So I kind of ignored it. He just kept talking to me. He said, I want to give you my card. He says, you might need some electronic products, and here’s my card. You know, I’m trying to get my car door open. Well, you might need some electronic products sometime. I said, okay. He said, boy, your voice sure sounds familiar. I said, really? He says, yeah. He said, I think I heard you on the radio last night. No. What’s your name? I said, David Hawking. Why, that’s the guy I heard last night on the radio. You cannot believe how my act was cleaned up. Oh, how I praise the Lord. Oh, how I thank you, God, for this precious moment of time. You know, often we get rebuked, don’t we? God says in everything, give thanks, 1 Thessalonians 5.18, for this is the will of God. Yet, I do not find that coming out of my heart all the time, do you? And yet that is, according to the Bible, the continual response. You say, well, they’re in heaven. Maybe I’ll do that when I get to heaven. Well, turn to Hebrews chapter 13. Folks, this is what God wants of us now. He wants us to thank Him, and a lot of things in life are difficult to thank God for. There’s a lot of hurts and a lot of trouble and a lot of struggle, a lot of pain. I know that and you know that. In Hebrews chapter 13, though, we see a very clear message from the Lord. In verse 15, By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name, but to do good… and to communicate or to share, forget not. For with such sacrifices, God is well pleased. You say, I want to please God in my life. Great. And this is the way we do it. We offer the sacrifice of praise, constantly giving thanks to the Lord for all that he is doing. I don’t understand it all, and it all doesn’t seem good to me, but the Bible says all things work together for good. to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8, 28. The continual response of the 24 elders in heaven is a reminder to us that when God says the kingdoms of this world are going to become the kingdom of His Lord and of His Christ, then I have my motive for praising Him, my motive for thanking Him, because He’s in control. No one else is. He is. And He’s one day going to show it in a dramatic fashion like the world has never seen. Back to Revelation 11 again. And in verse 17 and 18, we find the basic reasons for this outburst of praise to the Lord. And we need to see it very clearly that we might have hearts filled with thanksgiving and praise to Him. There are four basic reasons listed here for praise. And I know sometimes we’re not motivated to praise the Lord when we’re hurting and pain is deep. and we’re suffering personally, our hearts are not filled with praise. I think it’s so important when we gather together to praise the Lord. It’s so important to sing songs of praise to Him, that focus on God. Songs whose central purpose is nothing else than to say, He deserves all the glory. He deserves all the praise. We need to get our eyes off of ourselves and the difficulties that we go through, and we need to focus on Him. To praise the Lord. Every day I will bless thee. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. The Bible says from the rising of the sun till it’s going down, let the name of the Lord be praised. And we can thank him and we can praise him. And these reasons really bless me. I hope they will your heart as well. The first reason for praise is God’s power. God’s power is being proclaimed. Notice carefully what it says in verse 17. Because, right in the middle of the verse, because. Why do they constantly give thanks to the Lord? Because, here’s the first reason, thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned. There’s no other reason to praise the Lord as powerful as that one. It’s God’s power. You have taken your great power and you have reigned. You have taken over. You are in charge. I praise you, Lord, for your power. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think. His power is not limited. God can do anything. And we need to trust Him. And sometimes we ask like Abraham, Lord, have you looked at Sarah lately? And maybe we ask like, Sarah, have you seen Abraham? But again… The Bible says in Genesis 18, 14, is anything too hard for the Lord? Nothing’s too hard for Him. He who made the worlds and flung them into existence in six 24-hour days, do you think He might be able to handle our problems? What concerns you today? God’s power is a reason for praise. Number two is God’s plan. His plan is being accomplished. And look at this carefully. The nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged. How interesting. It looks like wickedness is prevailing. It looks like everything is falling apart. Yet one of the reasons they praise the Lord is in spite of the angry nations, the wrath of God has come. And dear believers, be encouraged. The world’s not getting away with what you think they’re getting away with. God’s wrath is coming, and he’s going to unleash it in the tribulation period. And the dead are going to be judged. God’s going to take care of it. Turn to Psalm chapter 2. Psalm chapter 2. a wonderful messianic psalm, meaning its focus is primarily the Messiah. and his coming reign and victory. But you see here why they were praising the Lord and thanking him. Because it says the nations are angry. I mean, they’re hostile. They’re violent. The whole place looks like it’s falling apart. It’s in the hands of the enemy. And yet they’re praising the Lord. They say, uh-uh. No, God’s plan’s being accomplished. His wrath is going to come on them all. And Psalm 2 has a similar message. Listen to these words. Psalm 2, verse 1. Why do the heathen or the nations rage? The peoples imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. Let’s get rid of all that messianic talk and those Christians. Verse 4, He who sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure, his great displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord has said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. That’s fulfilled in Revelation 11, 15 to 19. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah. Then he goes on to explain what he’s going to do. In spite of the angry nations around us and all of their plots and plans to defeat Christianity and turn their backs on the Messiah, yet it says, Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings. Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they who put their trust in him. Isn’t that a powerful psalm? It really matches what we’re reading. Back to Revelation 11 and verse 18. The nations were angry all right, but the wrath of God has come and the time of the dead that they should be judged. God’s taking over and they are praising the Lord not only for his power, but also for his plan being accomplished. The third thing they praise God for is his promise that’s going to be fulfilled to the believer. God’s wonderful promises are yea and nay, the Bible says. You can depend on his word. They’re going to come to pass.

SPEAKER 03 : 18:23

Thou art worthy. Thou art worthy. Thou art worthy, O Lord. To receive glory, glory and honor, glory and honor and power. For thou hast created, hast all things created. For thou hast created all things. And for thy pleasure they are created For thou art worthy, O Lord Let’s pray.

SPEAKER 05 : 19:35

Father, we are so thankful that you are in charge, that the Lord God reigns, You put up kings and set them down, and all the nations of the world can be angry and hostile and scream and yell at you. But you sit in the heavens and laugh. You’ll have them in derision. They’ll be so mixed up they won’t know what to do. And you, Lord, will prepare the hearts of all men to receive the only one who deserves to be king of kings and lord of lords. And every kingdom and every nation of the world will come under his power and control.” And righteousness will be on this planet finally and forever. The righteous branch will rule and reign. Our Lord Jesus Christ. God, I pray that you’d teach us to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, knowing that he will lift us up. To draw near to God, he will draw near to us. And I pray for believers who may be deep in sinful actions and attitudes. God, help us to turn to the only one who can do anything about our problems. And I pray for those that are wrestling with sinful matters. God, help us to remember your cleansing through our Lord Jesus Christ, your strength and your power. May we depend upon you, Lord, and you alone. Amen. God, I pray that those in our audience who are not sure of their own relationship with Jesus Christ might right now in this moment bow the knee to him and confess him to be Lord of their life. Thank you for what you’re going to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER 01 : 21:29

That’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. Friend, if you’d like to know more about a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, reach out today, and we’ll send you two free gifts and free means free to help you learn what it means to be a Christian according to the Bible. Now, the first is David’s booklet called What Is Christianity? And the second is a Bible study by mail. Again, both of these are free for new believers or for those who aren’t yet believers. but they simply want to know more. Our number is 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And Bible is 242-53. David will be back in just a moment to bring our time in God’s Word to a close today. Some additional teaching is just ahead. First, Matt’s here, and we want to share a great Bible study resource with you.

SPEAKER 02 : 22:21

What a blessing it’s been to showcase visions of the future. My dad’s engaging study trekked through Zechariah. Jim, Zechariah is brimming with Bible prophecy now fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled.

SPEAKER 01 : 22:32

It’s also a sobering account of the end of God’s forbearance with the people of Israel. His judgment via Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem. And, of course, the forced removal of the Jews to Babylon.

SPEAKER 02 : 22:45

But also God’s merciful work of restoring his people to the land. That’s it. Calling them to repentance and rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. That’s it. Now, there’s warnings here, though, and hope for all who need to come to repentance. Amen? Amen.

SPEAKER 01 : 22:57

Well, because God has that heart for the people of Israel, we know he has that mercy when we repent. Amen. Amen. And in these difficult days, and you know this, Matt, when evil is often lauded as good, biblical truths are savagely attacked and believers are targeted. We see that, don’t we? It’s reassuring to study Zechariah and see God’s prophetic plan for the world laid out.

SPEAKER 02 : 23:21

And to know that all who belong to Jesus through his redemptive work of salvation will be spared the events foretold in Zechariah.

SPEAKER 01 : 23:28

And there is so much to see and study in Zechariah that will build your faith, expand your understanding of God’s plan for the ages, thrill your heart for the future that awaits believers, and inspire you to be a gospelite.

SPEAKER 02 : 23:41

And you’ll find and experience it all inside Visions of the Future by my dad, David Hawking. Visions of the Future, our featured resource this month, is just $15. And your purchase will also help the Ministry of Hope for today. Yeah, and please pray for hope for today in these challenging times. Yeah, please start with that.

SPEAKER 01 : 23:58

And if you’d like to be a part of this work and help meet our financial need, consider sending a donation as well. We do need the help. Your summertime donation will be particularly helpful. You can get your copy of Visions of the Future by calling 800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. You can also order safely online at davidhawking.org. And if you’d like to include a gift, a donation above and beyond the cost of the book, or maybe sending a donation all by itself, in either case, you can call us, go online, or write to us at Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. Or in Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S, 8P1. And let’s get back to David for today’s wrap-up.

SPEAKER 04 : 25:00

Thanks for listening, and I hope you’re getting excited about Revelation. We’re at the end of chapter 11 on the kingdom of our Lord. Yes, the day is coming when all the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever. When I hear that, I think of Handel’s Messiah. The Lord our God will reign forever and ever. Hallelujah. Boy, may that day come soon.

SPEAKER 01 : 25:40

Amen. Thank you, David. Well, next time on Hope for Today, we bring you day three of The Kingdom of Our Lord. David’s study in Revelation chapter 11. The seventh trumpet has sounded. Heaven erupts with praise. The nations, well, they continue to rage. And the earth shakes with judgment. And over it all, one declaration stands. The kingdoms of this world belong to Jesus Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever. Well, be sure to invite a friend to listen along with you as David Hawking takes us back into Revelation 11, even deeper into this passage, next time on Hope for Today. Hope for Today