“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 forever and ever’ ” (Revelation 11:15).

In a real sense Jesus is already King of kings and Lord of lords. The Cross was His triumph over all the powers of darkness. Jesus is already the sovereign Ruler over our planet. To put it in our daily language, “It’s all over bar the shouting.” In this chapter of Revelation the shouting has begun.

History has been moving steadily toward this day that the apostle John described. Now we see that the kingdoms of this world seem to be in charge. Their fate, though, is sealed. Revelation pictures the final overthrow of every system that opposes God and the final triumph of Jesus as He takes over the reins of human government at last.

That history will end this way is no surprise. Daniel predicted this outcome in the Old Testament. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44). That invasion of earth by heaven began during the days of the Roman Empire. Jesus initiated this conquest at His first coming. It will be completed at His second coming.

All believers longingly await this day. We look with patience and confidence toward the day when Jesus brings a conclusion to the evil around us. When that happens a new, eternal day will begin. When Handel wrote his musical, “The Messiah,” based on this scene in Revelation, he later said, “I did see the heavens open and the great God himself seated on his throne!” By faith, we see that, too!