Revelation 11:18
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Study Note
Study Note
The heavenly anthem 'the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets' condenses the entire eschatological program into a single celebration of divine historical coherence. The sequence — national anger, divine wrath, resurrection-judgment, reward of prophets, destruction of earth-destroyers — mirrors Daniel 7's court scene and provides the macrostructural outline for Revelation's remaining chapters. The phrase 'them that destroy the earth' (diaphtheirai tēn gēn) has generated ecological readings that find in Revelation a divine condemnation of environmental destruction, though the original context focuses on spiritual and political devastation rather than environmental. The verse celebrates what Psalm 2:1-12 declared: the nations' rage against God is met by divine laughter (2:4) and ultimately by his kingdom installed in Zion.
Other Translations
And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth.
and the nations were angry, and Thine anger did come, and the time of the dead, to be judged, and to give the reward to Thy servants, to the prophets, and to the saints, and to those fearing Thy name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those who are destroying the land.'
And the nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and the time of reward for your servants, the prophets, and for the saints, and for those in whom is the fear of your name, small and great, and the time of destruction for those who made the earth unclean.
Cross References
And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will …
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling …
It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation …
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the …
For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the …
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in …
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall …
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was …
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.