Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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The Great Earthquake : Day 43 
"At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.'" (Revelation 11:13-15)
The Great Earthquake
To add to the terror came "a severe earthquake" which wrecked a tenth of the city and brought death to seven thousand of its inhabitants. The result was that those who had seen these terrifying events and were spared, gave glory to God. That is to say, they repented, for that is the only real way to give glory to God.
The unbelievers were won by the sacrificial death of the witnesses and by God's vindication of them. Here is the story of the Cross and of the Resurrection all over again. Evil must be conquered and people won, not by force but by the acceptance of suffering for the name of Christ.
Final Victory
What makes this passage difficult is that it seems to indicate that things have come to an end in final victory, while there is still half the book to go. This passage is a summary of what is still to come. There is the victory in which "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ" (1). This is another way of saying that the Messianic reign has begun.
"This is a picture of the coming of the full glory of God, a terrifying threat to his enemies but an uplifting promise to the people of his covenant." (2)
Words to meditate on
What is the most precious thing you will take across the Great Divide?
Words to pray
"Jesus' love never fails you." (3 )
Notes
(1) Psalm 2:2 (2) William Barclay "The Revelation of John" (3) Unknown
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
