Read: Revelation 11:7-19
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. (v. 12)
After the church completes her mission, the world will be polarized into two opposing forces. A “beast” arises from the abyss—a satanic world power, which leads the nations in a last great battle against God and his people. It occurs in “the great city that symbolically s called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified” (v. 8).
Does the church escape? No, the beast wins. Corpses of believers lie unburied. The victors party drunkenly. But suddenly the revelry stops. They cannot believe their eyes. Corpses come to life and ascend to heaven as Jesus takes them home!
The seventh trumpet shows another celebration—in heaven. Humans and angels sing, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (v. 15).
Events are never exactly what they seem. After the Iranian revolution in 1979, churches were closed, pastors killed, and believers put in prison. This level of persecution continues in Iran—it is illegal even to own a Bible—but despite government opposition, the evangelical movement there is one of the fastest growing in the world today. All setbacks in this cosmic war are temporary. —Ruth Siemens
As you pray, ask God to help you remember his faithfulness in the long-term.
About the Author
Ruth Siemens was a campus minister with IVCF/IFES, then started Global Opportunities to prepare professionals to work and witness in secular employment abroad.
