11:16. And the [four and] twenty-FOUR elders.—The prophecies pertaining to the Kingdom of God.—Rev. 4:10.
Which [sat] SIT before God on their seats.—Rev. 4:4.
Fell upon their faces, and worshipped God.—Rev. 4:10.
11:17. Saying, We give thee thanks.—See Rev. 5:11-13.
O Lord God Almighty.—“Represented in Christ—‘All things are of the Father,’ and ‘all things are by the Son,’ His honored Representative.”—D. 624.
Which art, and wast, and [art to come].—See Rev. 1:4. He is not to come. He has come.
Because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.—“ ‘Thy God reigneth!’ The oft-repeated prayer of the Church has been answered: the Kingdom of God has indeed come. The dead in Christ are even now risen and exalted with our Lord and Head. And the ‘feet’ members of the Body of Christ, who still tarry in the flesh, catching the inspiration of the glorified throng who have already ascended into the Mount (Kingdom) of God, reflect a measure of that transcendent glory, as did Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai.” (C. 301.) “In describing the events under the Seventh Trumpet, this order is observed:—(1) the power is taken by the Lord as King of Earth, and His Reign begun; (2) as a consequence the great judgment-trouble comes upon the world.”—D. 622; Rev. 19:6; Psa. 99:1.
11:18. And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come.—“Although they are called Christian nations, they have not received the Spirit of the Lord; they have not received the spirit of meekness, gentleness, long-suffering, brotherly kindness and love, the fruits of the Holy Spirit; but on the contrary, the spirit which St. Paul says consists of hatred, wrath, strife, murder—works of the flesh and the Devil. For this reason they did not even wait for God's wrath to come, but began to bring it upon themselves nearly two months in advance. They became so angry that they began to destroy each other even before their lease of power had expired.”—Z. '14-328.
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged.—“They cannot be judged without His words, and the vast majority,—‘dead in trespasses and sins,’ blinded and deafened by the Adversary, through sin,—have not thus far been enabled to hear their Redeemer's wonderful words of life. In the Millennial Kingdom the dead world will have the eyes of its understanding opened and its ears unstopped, and the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the [pg 182] whole earth and reach every member of the dead race, not only those who have not yet gone down into the tomb, but ‘all the families of the earth;’ for, ‘all that are in the grave shall come forth’ for the very purpose of hearing the ‘wonderful words of life,’ and of being judged by them. If they shall accept them heartily they shall, by restitution processes, be brought fully up to life conditions.”—Z. '02-116; Dan. 7:10; Rev. 14:7; 15:4.
And that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy Servants the Prophets.—Who are therefore without their rewards until Christ's Second Advent.—Heb. 11:39, 40.