Revelations 11: 16-18 The End in Coming
Revelations 11:16 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.
Verse 16 above begins with 24 elders around the throne falling down before God on their faces and worshipping Him. Have you ever done that in this life. If not, why not. If we can’t worship God now in this fashion, will we be part of the company that does it during this period of time? Verses 17 -18 is what they say to God. Their understanding of future events is clear. They know what God has planned. They once saw through a glass dimly, but now they see crystal-clear.
V18 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 nations were angry
- Thy wrath is come
- The time of the dead, that they should be judged
- That Thou shouldest give reward unto
- Thy servants the prophets
- To the saints,
- Them that fear Thy name
- Small and great
The nations were angry with God. They attested to the fact God was pouring out his wrath on mankind in hope that they would bow and honor Him. Instead, they shake their fists in God’s face and curse Him. There is only one instance in Revelations where some of the people gave glory to God and that instance is found in verse 13 of this chapter.
Thy wrath is come. God has poured out His wrath to a degree, but he shall pour out his wrath in final degree when satan, antichrist, the false prophet, and all the unbelieving are cast into the lake of fire which burns for an eternity. We as followers of Christ are not appointed to the eternal wrath of God. See 1 Thess 5:8-9 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Are then the followers of Christ exempt from any of the seals, trumpets, or vials addressed in this book? I am not going to answer that question at this time. You read and determine. You will find certain individuals (let’s call them followers of God and Christ) are exempt from some of these judgments and others are not.
The time of the dead, that they should be judged. Who are these dead people? Are they both the believing dead (Christ followers) and the unbelieving dead (those that have rejected Christ, the only atonement for sin)? For a short answer, the unbelieving will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment as outlined in Revelations 20:11-15. This judgement takes place at the end of the Millennium, 1000 years after Christ sets up His kingdom on the earth. All of those who have died from the beginning of time until now who still remain in the grave (believers will have been raised from the dead prior to this. See I Thess 4: 13-18) will be raised to life again. Be aware the believing will have been raised to life prior to this resurrection (2nd resurrection) when this final judgment takes place. They will be judged by their works and whether their names are written in the Book of Life. If their names are not found written the Book of Life, they will be cast into the lake of fire. Is your name written in the Book of Life?
In view of everything recorded here, I believe the words found in this a verse is a prophetic overview of how the time on earth will come to an end and will open up to living in the eternal ages with God.