Dominion Reversal
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." Rev. 11:15-18, NKJV.
When the seventh angel sounds, the chain of events pictured in Revelation's seven trumpets reaches its climax and earth's history rushes to an end.
That time will be one of power reversal. One of the key words in Bible prophecy is "dominion." That is particularly true of Daniel 7, which predicts a future time when the dominion of the devil and his agents will be "taken away" (verse 26, RSV) and given to Christ (verse 14). And "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away" (verse 14, RSV).
The focal point of Bible prophecy in Daniel and Revelation is dominion. It centers on the question of who is in charge. Thus the great panoramic vision of Daniel 7 (and its parallels in both apocalyptic books) features a sequence of earthly rulers, including Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the power that would make great claims for itself, who seeks to change God's law, and persecute God's people throughout much of Christian history (verse 25).
But those earthly rulers were really only a front for Satan, who sought to control world events from behind the scenes. It was the devil himself who claimed dominion over this world. Paul referred to that reality when he spoke of "the world rulers of this present darkness" (Eph. 6:12, RSV) and "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2, RSV).
God has permitted the forces of darkness to run the earth, utilizing their own principles. And human history demonstrates the destructiveness of that rule. The final judgment is not merely about humans, but about God and His justice.
God allows history to play out until the principles of the two kingdoms are visible to the heavenly hosts. And then, with the approval of the angelic multitudes, Jesus resumes His rightful place as the true prince of our world.
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." Rev. 11:15-18, NKJV.
When the seventh angel sounds, the chain of events pictured in Revelation's seven trumpets reaches its climax and earth's history rushes to an end.
That time will be one of power reversal. One of the key words in Bible prophecy is "dominion." That is particularly true of Daniel 7, which predicts a future time when the dominion of the devil and his agents will be "taken away" (verse 26, RSV) and given to Christ (verse 14). And "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away" (verse 14, RSV).
The focal point of Bible prophecy in Daniel and Revelation is dominion. It centers on the question of who is in charge. Thus the great panoramic vision of Daniel 7 (and its parallels in both apocalyptic books) features a sequence of earthly rulers, including Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the power that would make great claims for itself, who seeks to change God's law, and persecute God's people throughout much of Christian history (verse 25).
But those earthly rulers were really only a front for Satan, who sought to control world events from behind the scenes. It was the devil himself who claimed dominion over this world. Paul referred to that reality when he spoke of "the world rulers of this present darkness" (Eph. 6:12, RSV) and "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2, RSV).
God has permitted the forces of darkness to run the earth, utilizing their own principles. And human history demonstrates the destructiveness of that rule. The final judgment is not merely about humans, but about God and His justice.
God allows history to play out until the principles of the two kingdoms are visible to the heavenly hosts. And then, with the approval of the angelic multitudes, Jesus resumes His rightful place as the true prince of our world.
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