Revelation 11:16-17; Thou Has Reigned

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Revelation 11:16-17 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped 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. 

Earlier John wrote about the seventh angel sounding his trumpet to indicate that the end of time is near (10:7). And now he describes the angel blowing the trumpet and its setting. The backdrop is heaven, where loud voices are singing praises to God and his Christ. We are not told who were singing. What we can say is that the voices belong to all those who dwell in heaven.

These voices declare that the kingdom of the world now belongs to “our Lord and his Christ.” This means that Satan, who tempted Jesus by offering him the kingdoms of the world, no longer possesses them (Matt. 4:8–9; Luke 4:5–6).

Relying on the Old Testament, John reveals that the kingdom belongs to God and his Christ (Ps. 2:2, 8–9; 22:28; Dan. 7:14; Obad. 21).

Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 

Psalm 2:8-9 Ask of me, and I shall give theethe heathen forthine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth forthy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 

Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom isthe LORD’S: and he isthe governor among the nations. 

Daniel 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion isan everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom thatwhich shall not be destroyed. 

Obadiah 21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S. 

There is one kingdom, not two. There is one God, not two. Notice how in the Apocalypse John ascribes divinity to Jesus when he mentions Him together with God. Here are two examples, with italics added:

• “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (20:6).

• “the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:” (22:3).

In the Apocalypse, John teaches that both God and Christ are called King, for they are worthy of praise and adoration. For instance, the trinitarian greeting depicts Jesus Christ as “ruler of the kings of the earth” (1:5). The song of Moses and of the Lamb is addressed to God as “the King of the ages” (15:3). Christ made his people to be a kingdom and priests (1:6; 5:10), yet the kingdom belongs to both Christ and God (11:15; 12:10). The rule of Christ and God is the same, because God rules his kingdom through his Son.

Christ has been king in his kingdom all along (Ps. 110:1); he uttered his enthronement speech prior to his ascension, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18). When the last enemy is destroyed, namely death, then comes the end, and he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24–28). This does not mean that then he will cease to rule; he will reign forever and ever.

The text looks at the victory Christ has achieved and simply states, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ.” From John’s perspective, the utter defeat of Satan and his cohorts has taken place. They were usurpers of world power; now Christ is the victor and will reign eternally. “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14; see also 2:44; 7:27; Ps. 10:16).

Daniel 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion isan everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom thatwhich shall not be destroyed. 

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, butit shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom isan everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 

Psalm 10:16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. 

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 342–343). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.