Revelation 11:15-19 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 11:15-19 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." Verse 16Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, Verse 17singing, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. Verse 18The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth." Verse 19Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
Devotion
The images of Revelation are both fascinating and distressing. They emerge from communities of faith trying to make sense of a senseless world. Theirs was a world marked by the dominance of an imperial force that controlled every aspect of their lives. A distant power shaped every minute of every day, and could at any moment choose to end life as they knew it. Revelation confesses faith in a God who is ever present, ever powerful, ever just. This God might share some attributes with the powerful emperor, but they are as different as night and day. The powerful destroy the earth and oppress the people. God breathes life and justice at every moment.