Greetings! In our last post, we talked about how at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God would be finished. And then we did a quick review on Satan’s rebellion against God and how he wants to usurp God’s throne. In this post, we’re going to finish up talking about the seventh trumpet. Let’s get into this!

Revelation Chapter 11

Second in a Two-Part Series
By Karen Thompson

The Third Woe

Rev. 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15 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. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

All of Heaven Reacts to the Seventh Trumpet

At this point, we don’t yet know what the third woe is, but we know that it’s unpleasant. We know that because, if you’ll recall, in Revelation 8:13 after the first four trumpet judgments, John said he saw an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels….” Because of the angel’s warning, the last three trumpet judgments are referred to as the three “woes.” The angel said all three “woes” are unpleasant for the inhabitants of earth. The first woe brought forth out of the bottomless pit the fallen angel named Apollyon and a plague of horse-like locusts that stung those that did not have the seal of God. The second woe arose out of the Euphrates River and brought forth the four angels which had command of a 200-million army that went forth to kill a third part of men with fire, smoke, and brimstone. That’s also when the two witnesses show up in Jerusalem displaying extraordinary powers.

We are about to find out what the third woe brings. Let’s continue with our text in chapter 11 to find out what will happen at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Verse 16 says, “The four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God….” When the 24 elders were prostrate before the Lord, they worshiped God 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. 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” (v. 17).

Let’s look carefully at what the 24 elders said. They said God has taken His great power and has begun to reign. This statement is in alignment with verse 15 that said “the kingdoms of this world are now the kingdoms of our Lord.” Next the 24 elders said the “nations were angry,” meaning the nations were fighting and warring with each other on the earth. Then they said, “and thy wrath is come.” Since these scriptures are regarding end times, we can easily make the connection the wrath being talked about is what God’s prophets had prophesied long ago—the great day of the Lord, a day of thick darkness and gloom, the day when He will shake the earth. That’s the wrath the 24 elders were talking about when they said, “Thy wrath is come.” They’re talking about the day of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth.

The Time Has Come for the Dead to Be Rewarded and the Corrupters of Earth to Be Destroyed

Next, the 24 elders said something very interesting. They tell us what time it is. Specifically, they tell us what time it is for two groups. The elders said that at the time of the seventh trumpet that it was “the time of the dead, that they should be judged….” It’s the time of the dead? And they’re to be judged! What is this talking about? Before we talk about the implications of what “the time of the dead” could actually mean, let’s dissect the rest of verse 18.

The elders tell us about two groups that will be judged: “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 first group is made up of dead people—prophets, saints, and those that fear the name of the Lord. The word “fear” means to revere or reverence. This group consists of people that have been faithful to God, the believers. What happens to these faithful dead at the sound of the seventh trumpet? The elders declared “that they should be judged.” After the dead are judged, the elders then said it was time for the Lord to “give reward unto thy servants.” At the sound of the seventh trumpet, it is time for the faithful dead to be judged and then rewarded for their faithfulness while on earth.

Let’s look at the other group that is to be judged. This group is identified as those that “destroy the earth.” The Amplified Bible says, “and [the time] for destroying the corrupters of the earth.” At the sound of the seventh trumpet, the time had come for those that have corrupted the earth to be destroyed.

One group is comprised of dead people that are about to be rewarded. And it includes important saints like prophets, and those that fear the name of the Lord, both great and small. And since they are dead and are being rewarded, this places them in heaven.

The second group, the corrupters of the earth, are not a part of the group of people that are dead. They are on earth. So that means they are still alive, corrupting earth. The elders tell us the time has come for them to be destroyed. This is what was being referred to when the elders said, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come.” It is time for those who have corrupted the earth, the angry nations, to be destroyed by His wrath.

Remember, all this happens at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the mystery of God is finished. The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord. The faithful dead that reverence the name of the Lord who are in heaven will be judged and rewarded. Lastly, the corrupters on the earth who have provoked the wrath of God will be destroyed.

No wonder the 24 elders were exuberant. And yet, the seventh trumpet contains the third woe, which we were told will be a very unpleasant experience for the inhabitants on earth. So from this, we know the seventh trumpet is something both extremely exciting and yet extremely dreadful.

All Seven Trumpet Judgments Take Place at the Same Time

Just to get our bearings on where we are on the timeline, let’s go over what is taking place at this time on the earth. At this point, we are in the middle of Daniel’s 70^th week, a span of seven years. There has been three and one-half years of peace because of Antichrist and the 10 nations having entered into a seven-year covenant. Antichrist breaks the covenant in the middle of the seven years by invading Jerusalem. When He does, God administers the seven trumpet judgments. They are administered all at the same time, sequentially.

How do we know that?

We can deduce that by figuring out when the first and last trumpet judgments are administered. We know the first trumpet judgment is administered when Antichrist breaks the seven-year covenant by invading Jerusalem in the middle of the covenant, which is at the three and one-half years mark. Then at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the two witnesses begin their ministry. The length of their ministry will be three and one-half years, the full length of the second half of Daniel’s 70th week. So that means the seventh trumpet judgment was administered at the middle of the seven-year covenant. If both the first and seventh trumpets are administered at the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, it tells us that all seven trumpets take place at the same time, sequentially.

The Implication of the Seventh Trumpet: The Time of the Dead Being Rewarded

So then, with that in mind, let’s talk about the implications of what it could possibly mean when the elders said at the sound of the seventh trumpet it would be “the time of the dead, that they should be judged.” Why are the saints in heaven receiving their rewards? I can think of one thing. I’ll just throw this out for you to consider. Might this be the fulfillment of 1^st Corinthians 15:51–52: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

There are two things in this scripture of which you should take note: “the last trump” and “the dead.” For the record, the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet in a series of seven trumpets. Also, after the seventh trumpet, there are no more trumpets sounding any other place in Revelation. So the sounding of the seventh trumpet is absolutely “the last trump.” And what happens at the last trump? The dead in Christ will rise! Interesting.

When the resurrected dead saints of God are safely tucked away in heaven, the wrath of God will be poured out upon the corruptors on the earth who are destroying earth. 

The Ark of the Covenant in Heaven

Finally, let’s look at the very last verse of chapter 11. John said, “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (v. 19). The last thing John saw before the last woe was brought forth was the temple of God being opened in heaven. What was exposed for John to see inside the temple was the ark of His testament, or ark of His “covenant.” The Ark of the Covenant is a reminder that the ultimate result of God’s wrath being poured out is that God will keep His covenant with His people. He will, once again, dwell with His people. He will be their God, and they will be His people. He’s going to keep the promise of His covenant with His covenant people. 

Right when the Ark of the Covenant was seen, John said there came “lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” This is the third time we’ve seen this phrase. That means that another phase of God’s wrath is about to be poured out.

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