Revelation 11
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: "The whole world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." – Revelation 11:15 NLT
You probably recognize the words from the Hallelujah Chorus in the verse above. "And He shall reign forever and ever." But if you're like me, you didn't know exactly where Handel got the words from. Well, now we know. They came right from Revelation chapter 11. Here we have a picture of the coming of the end of the "mystery of God" referred to in chapter ten. The final judgment of the world and of Satan is coming to a close. As it gets closer and closer to the time when God brings all things to completion and the time of His kingdom on earth is about to arrive, the seventh angel, the same angel who held the scroll in chapter ten, will make an announcement: "Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: "The whole world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15 NLT). This announcement is in anticipation of God's final victory that will set up His kingdom on earth where He will reign forever and ever! At this news the 24 elders will fall on their faces and worship God saying, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry with you, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants. You will reward your prophets and your holy people, all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. And you will destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth" (Revelation 11:17-18 NLT). The time of God's wrath has come. He will reward His own and destroy the rest. Any mystery to God's redemptive plan will be completely revealed. Everyone will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what God's plan is. This event was prophesied about in the book of Daniel: "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever" (Daniel 2:44 NASB). God will put an end to all the other kingdoms of men, and He alone will reign.
It is the setting up of Heaven's sovereignty over the earth visibly, which, when invisibly exercised, was rejected by the earthly rulers heretofore. The distinction of worldly and spiritual shall then cease. There will be no beast in opposition to the woman. Poetry, art, science, and social life will be at once worldly and Christian. – Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary of Revelation
Think about it. Everything will be under God's control again. It is not that He is out of control now, but that He is allowing things to operate counter to His original divine plan. The creation is broken and marred. There is an enemy alive and well, walking the earth and wreaking havoc on mankind. But that day is going to come to an end. The world is at odds with God right now. But the day is coming when everything will be made godly again. The kingdoms of this earth will give way to ONE kingdom over which God will reign through His Son Jesus Christ! This should be a reminder that our God is in control. He is going to set all things right. Even though everything around us looks broken and out of sorts, God will restore His world back to its original glory. He will reclaim what is rightfully His. And He will reign forever and ever. Think about this passage the next time you hear the Hallelujah chorus this Christmas.
Father, You will reign forever and ever. You will rule here on earth and there will no longer be any opposition. That day is coming. Help me to keep my focus on that reality. You are not done yet. Amen