REVELATION 11:15-19

Before the seventh angel blows his trumpet and after the second woe has passed, there occurs an interlude which may be diagrammed as below.

                                             Figure 1: Structure of Revelation 11:15-19

    “There were” great voices (15a)

                in the heaven (15b)

                        saying (15c)

                                statement (15d)

                        singing (16-17a)

                                song (17b-18)

                in the heaven (19a)

        “There were” lightnings and voices...and great hail (19b)

The identically paired-up language in this passage is indicated in this figure. In addition, the statement (15d) and song (17b-18) are related linguistically since both contain the words “Lord,” “earth/world,” “reign” and “great.” That makes four appearances altogether of the word “great,” symmetrically disposed at the start, end, and two in the middle of the passage.

Concerning the use of megas, “great,” in Revelation, Theile says the following: The megas word-group is attested 258 times in the NT...it is in Rev. that the greatest number of occurrences (80) are to be found...The reasons for the 80 instances of megas in Rev. are bound up the the literary form in which apocalyptic thought is expressed. Megas also occurs in the apocalyptic discourses in the Gospels (Matt. 24:21,24,31; Mk. 13:2; Lk. 21:11,23). It is used in the larger-than-life symbolism which characterizes the eschatological dimensions of events, e.g. the day (Rev. 6:17), the earthquake (16:18), and the city (18:2,10,16,18f,21). Particularly striking is the occurrence (21 times) of phone megale, 'with a great [i.e. loud] voice'. The expression indicates especially the sovereignty of God which drowns out all other sounds in the voices of his messengers (e.g. Rev. 1:10; 5:2; 7:2; 10:3; 11:15; 16:1; 21:3).”

Even within the song itself, there is a degree of symmetry with its alternation between God's respective treatments of the saved and damned. Also note how the damned are appropriately judged according to to their works.

                                            Figure 2: Structure of Revelation 11:18

        Your 'wrath' has come upon the 'wrathful' (18a)

                for rewarding your servants (18b)

        and for 'destroying' the 'destroyers' (18c)

So much for how this passage is organized. But since the book of Revelation cannot be understood without realizing that it is almost wholly built of of images, next are citations from a number of anonymous scholars writing in The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery who have commented on these verses from that viewpoint.

Revelation 11:15

“The book of Revelation can serve as a summary of what music means to the biblical imagination. Trumpets serve a ritualistic purpose of announcing the advent of times of judgment and redemption.”

“In the Bible the word trumpet generally refers to ram's horns used as sound makers. The trumpets commissioned by Moses, however, were probably straight metal instruments (Num 10:10). All were used for a variety of proclamatory and signaling purposes. Probably none of the biblical trumpets were primarily musical instruments...The seventh, climactic trumpet (Rev 11:15) signals the complete investiture of Christ and beginning of his total and eternal domain of the world (the end of the battle and recall of troops).”

“The ultimate vindication of the city comes in the apocalyptic vision of the New Jerusalem, which descends from heaven (Rev 21:2), symbolic of its divine origin and its transcendence of human and earthly reality. With the appearance of this heavenly city, the kingdom of the world has become 'the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ' (Rev 11:15). Its ancient rival, Babylon, which attempts to subvert it, will ultimately be destroyed and cast down (Rev 18).”

“The seed of the kingdom of God is rooted and growing under the unwitting guardianship of the great Roman Empire where Caesar is king. Here is an anticipation of the time when 'the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ' (Rev 11:15).”

Revelation 11:16

Regarding the 24 elders in this verse, we must first understand the imagery behind the number 12: “As a symbol, twelve is one of the most important numbers in the Bible...the importance of this number derives from the emergence of the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen 49:28)...The significance of twelve carries over into the NT. Jesus appointed twelve apostles (Mk 3:14), probably as a symbol of the restoration of Israel...The symbolism of twelve appears frequently in the book of Revelation.”

At this point, the author of this comment cites Revelation 7:5-8; 12:1-2; 21:1-4,12,14,16,21; and 22:2. However, he/she leaves out 11:16 in which we see 24 elders, obviously representative of the leadership of God's chosen people in both the OT and NT.

Revelation 11:17

“References to harps lend an otherworldly atmosphere to the picture of heavenly realms (Rev 5:8; 14:2; 15:2). Most pervasive of all is the singing of the saints in heaven over their redemption and glory (Rev 5:12-13; 7:12; 11:17; 14:3; 15:3).”

Revelation 11:18

“In Revelation 11:15-19 the events surrounding the blowing of the seventh trumpet are given. This is the time for the 'judging of the dead' (v. 18). At the climactic moment God's heavenly temple appears, and within it is seen the ark of the covenant, God's mobile battle standard. This vision is accompanied by convulsions of nature associated with the appearance of the divine warrior.”

“In very many instances the Bible uses small as an opposite to great, in reference to rank, station, the range of society and possibly height. A common phrase refers to crowds, the 'small and great' (e.g., Esther 1:5: Job 3:19: Jon 3:5; Rev 11:18).”

Revelation 11:19

“Specific types of place fill out the spatial pictures of heaven. The nearly dozen references to God's throne in heaven lend a royal quality to it, indicative both of the splendor of the place and the authority of the God who rules the universe from heaven...Sometimes heaven has the features of a celestial temple (Is 6:1; Rev 3:12; 11:19; 15:5), in keeping with the worship that occurs there.”

“From [the] association of earthquakes with God's revealing himself comes the substantial presence of this imagery in apocalyptic literature. Thus Hebrews, drawing on Haggai 2:6, looks forward to the final shaking of the heavens and earth (Heb 12:16-17). Revelation, also drawing on the many references in Scripture, includes a number of references to earthquakes (Rev 8:5; 11:13,19; 16:18-20). The fact that the area of the seven churches in western Turkey is prone to earthquakes...must have heightened the imagery to the original hearers.”

“Revelation's images of Gods heavenly throne room allude back to the wilderness tabernacle. It contains an altar of incense (Rev 5:8), an altar of sacrifice (Rev 6:9), the ark (Rev 11:19; cf. Rev 15:5-8) and so forth...Revelation promises that the heavenly ark, once concealed (like the earthly one, behind a curtain), will be exposed to public view (Rev 11:19).”

Conclusion

And it is appropriate to close with one final comment on the passage as a whole:

“A final repository of imagery of worship is the book of Revelation, where worship is perhaps the central ingredient in heavenly ritual. Revelation 4 is an entire chapter devoted to the portrayal of worship. Elaborate attention is devoted to the transcendent setting of the worship and to the strange beings who conduct it. Worship occurs around the throne of God, and its keynote is praise of God's worthiness. Thereafter we find interspersed scenes that resemble the opening scene (Rev 5:6-14; 7:9-12; 11:16-19; 15:2-8). Much of the imagery in the Apocalypse draws upon OT references to temple worship and the theophanies [i.e. divine appearances] of God (with imagery of thunder and lightning).”