And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Sounded - with his trumpet: 'the LAST trumpet.' Six is close to seven, but does not reach it. The world-judgments are complete in six; but by the seven, the world-kingdoms become Christ's. Six marks the world given over to judgment. It is half of twelve, the Church's number, as three and a half is half of seven, the divine number. [Bengel thinks the angel Gabriel, compounded of 'Eel (H410), GOD, and geber (H1397), MIGHTY MAN (Revelation 10:1).] Gabriel appropriately announced to Mary the advent of the mighty God-man (Isaiah 9:6: cf. the man-child's birth which follows, Revelation 12:1-6), to which this forms the transition, though the seventh trumpet in time is subsequent, being the consummation of the historical episode, (Revelation 12:1-17 and Revelation 13:1-18.) The seventh trumpet, like the seventh seal and seventh vial, being the consummation, is accompanied differently from the preceding six: not the consequences on earth, but those IN HEAVEN, are described, the great voices and thanksgiving of the 24 elders in heaven, as the half-hour's silence in heaven at the seventh seal, and the voice out of the temple in heaven, "It is done," at the seventh vial. Parallel to Daniel 2:44, 'the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall break to pieces all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever:' the setting up of heaven's sovereignty over the earth visibly, which, heretofore invisibly exercised, was rejected by earthly rulers. There will then be no beast in opposition to the woman. Poetry, art, science, and social life will be at once worldly and Christian.
Kingdoms. 'Aleph (') A B C, Vulgate, singular, 'the kingdom (sovereignty) of (over) the world is our Lord's, and His Christ's.' The kingdoms of the world give way to Christ's kingdom of (over) the world. The earth-kingdoms are many: His shall be one. "Christ," the Anointed, here, where His kingdom is mentioned, is appropriately for the first time used in Revelation: for it is equivalent to KING. Though priests and prophets also were anointed, yet it is peculiarly applied to Him as King, insomuch that "the Lord's anointed" is His title, in places where He is distinguished from the priests. The glorified Son of man shall rule mankind by His transfigured Church in heaven, and by His people Israel on earth; Israel shall be priestly mediator of blessings to the world, realizing them first herself (Exodus 19:6).
He - not emphatic.
Shall reign forever and ever - `unto the ages of the ages.' Here begins the millennial reign, the consummation of "the mystery of God" (Revelation 10:7).