We can rest assure that when God speaks that His words shall come to past. As our heavenly Father He is faithful to His word. As earthly fathers we should do the same and be true to our words. God promise His covenant will always be with His people. His words are proven true in this text. Our Father is truthful and faithful and dependable. What he said he will do what he does will always be true… God our Father cannot lie. Paul mention this is Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began… and the writer of Hebrews clarifies (6:18) “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie. Fathers, may we absorb the truthfulness and faithfulness of God to His words in this passage…

People have for centuries been fascinated about the Ark of the Covenant even Hollywood has cash in on the fever years ago with its’ Indiana Jones flick, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. The Ark of the Covenant disappeared off of the pages of history during the Babylonian Captivity. Nothing in the Bible is said about the Ark in the Old Testament after the return from Babylon, but some Jewish writing states that the Ark could not be found when the Jewish people rebuilt the Temple at the time of Ezra and Zechariah. The explanation given was that Jeremiah hid the Ark in a cave in Mt. Nebo before the Babylonian invasion and yet others believe that it was hidden in tunnels under the Temple Mount. There was no Ark in the Second Temple.

Dr. Thomas McCall (a noted Jewish Institute researcher) said, “that Rabbi Getz in 1982 was very close, within 40 feet, to finding the tunnel in which the Ark resides. He was conducting a search in an old tunnel that had been filled with the debris of centuries, which runs perpendicular to the Western Wall and under the Temple Mount. However, when the Moslems discovered that there were diggings being conducted under the Dome of the Rock, they threatened a riot and unrest so the diggings were stopped.

The rabbi explains that, for the sake of maintaining peace with their Moslem neighbors, the Israelis had to reseal the entrance to the tunnel, and it remains blocked up even to our time.
Today as we come to the end of this chapter we witness the truthfulness and faithfulness of God by observing the opening of the Seventh Trumpet and what it means. It is first…
I The Proclamation Of Victory (Vv.15)

1. The seventh angel finally sounds his trumpet and as was promise in 10:7…in that day it is finished! The blowing of the seventh trumpet commences rejoicing in heaven and anger from the nations on the earth. The breaking of the seventh seal introduces the next series of judgments, called the seven bowls or the seven Vial Judgments.
In order to understand the chronological events of this passage you must see that after this introduction of the seven bowls, another lengthy interlude takes place (12:1-15:4). The interlude details events that will take place during the entire Tribulation Period.
2. These “great voices” apparently come from those arrayed in the white robes. (19:2).The great announcement is that the kingdom of this world belongs to Jesus Christ. This is a promise made a promise kept…Of course, Christ does not claim His royal rights until He returns; but the victory has already been won. We know that “the beast” has the world under his control but Christ will usurp Satan’s power and take His rightful place and Throne.

First to help you understand it as if it already happened; in Koine Greek the verb tense of have become indicates an absolute certainty about Jesus’ coming and reign, even before the fact is accomplished. Second, it is a sure thing! Just as in our successful political campaign elections the night that it is won there is hope, even though it will be two months until the candidate is actually installed into office. The joy anticipates a certain result.

3. Jesus Christ is still King of kings and Lord of lords, and He is in control even as we speak but one day. No matter how difficult the circumstances might be, or how defeated God’s people may think they are, He will reign over the nations of the world & rule with a rod of iron.

II The Acclamation Of Praise (Verse 16-17)
1. The elders left their own thrones and prostrated themselves in worship before God’s throne. They gave thanks for three special blessings: that Christ reigns supremely (Revelation 11:17), that He judges righteously and that He rewards graciously (Revelation 11:18). The way they respond to divine truth is the way we should respond as well.

2. John was reminding the saints that they were “a kingdom of priests” reigning with the Savior (Revelation 1:5-6). It may seem at times that the throne of heaven is empty, but it is not. Jesus Christ has both power and authority and we Fathers need to live like this before our children.

III The Exasperation of Nations (verse 18)

1. Then, why are the nations angry? They want to worship and serve the creatures instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25). Like adolescent children, the nations want to cast off all restraint; and God will permit them to do so. The result will be another “Babylon” (Rev. 17-18), man’s last attempt to build his Utopia a “heaven on earth.”

2. Note the change in attitude shown by the nations of the world. In Revelation 11:2, the nation’s ruthlessly take over Jerusalem. In 11:9, they rejoice at the death of the two witnesses. But now they are angry; their arrogance and joy did not last very long. This belligerent attitude finally will cause the nations to unite to fight God at the great battle of Armageddon.

3. “And the time of the dead, that they should be judged” takes us to the very end of God’s prophetic program. In one sense, every day is a “day of the Lord” because God is always judging righteously. God is long-suffering toward lost sinners and often postpones judgment, but there will be a final judgment of sinners and none will escape. This judgment is described in Revelation 20:11-15.

4. There will also be a judgment of God’s children, known as “the Judgment Seat of Christ” (Ro.14:10-13). God will reward his faithful servants (Matt 25:21) and the sufferings they experienced on earth will be forgotten in the glory of His presence. Though God’s children will not be judged for their sins (That judgment took place on the cross), they will be judged for their works and rewarded generously all who have a reverent fear of the Lord.

5. “Them that destroy the earth” refers to the rebellious earth-dwellers who will not submit to God. How ironic that these people live for the earth and its pleasures, yet at the same time are destroying the very earth that they worship! When man forgets that God is the Creator and he is the creature, he begins to exploit his God-given resources, and this brings destruction. Man is a steward of creation, not the owner.

IV. The Consummation of God’s Faithfulness (Verse 19)

1. This chapter opened with a “future” temple on earth, but now we see the temple in heaven. The focus of attention is on the ark of God, the symbol of God’s presence with His people. The Ark of the Covenant is “The symbol of God’s faithfulness to bestow His grace on His people, and inflicting vengeance on His people’s enemies.” This is the conclusion the consummation of God’s promises.

2. In the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, the ark stood behind the veil, in the holy of holies. God’s glory rested on the ark, and God’s Law was within the ark, beautifully illustrating that the two must never be separated. He is the holy God and must deal righteously with sin. But He is the faithful God who keeps His promises to His people. It was the ark of God that led Israel through the Jordan and into their inheritance (Joshua 3:11-17).

This vision of the ark would greatly encourage God’s suffering people to whom John sent this book. “God will fulfill His promises! John was saying to them. “He will reveal His glory! Trust Him!”

3. Once again, John saw and heard the results of a storm. Greater judgment is about to fall on the rebellious people on earth! But God’s people need not fear the storms for He is in control.

Conclusion:

History is moving towards it’s culmination in Christ’s return to earth. In light of that sobering truth, Peter exclaims, since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed it’s coming. 2 Peter 3:11-12

The message of the seventh trumpet is that Jesus Christ is the sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. He will one day real soon take the rule of the earth away from the usurper Satan.