Revelation 15

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Revelation chapter 15 begins the preparation for the last seven bowls. Now in Chapters 15 and 16, we see the final outpouring of God's wrath before Christ's return. Revelation 15 describes the last scene in heaven before the final great war of the tribulation - Armageddon.

The chronological order of events is set forth in Revelation, chapters 6, 8, 9 and 16, with the symbolism of seven seals (chapter 6); seven trumpets (chapters 8 and 9); and seven bowls (chapter 16). The chapters intervening give what might be called, figuratively speaking, the stage setting. This phase of the drama is so important that the Lord devoted chapters 12 through 15 to it, in order to give us the facts that must be understood if we are to comprehend the message of chapter 16.

(1) Then I saw in heaven another significant event, and it was great and marvelous. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God's wrath to completion.

• Another significant event (a sign Greek: semeion):
• Another is allo, another of a similar kind.
• In the great parenthesis of the book of Revelation are found three signs or symbols. The first is the sign of the woman (Revelation 12:1); the second, the sign of the dragon (Revelation 12:3); and the third is the symbol of the seven angels, who have the seven vials or bowls of the wrath of God (Revelation 15:1). These three signs are given in Heaven and they foreshadow, or signify, things upon the earth.
• Dr. Harlin J Roper (Genesis through Revelation: Through the Bible study) says, "Since chapter 12, this is the third sign. The first sign (12:1) was a sign of divine purpose; the second sign (12:3) was a sign of satanic opposition; and this third sign (15:1) is one of ultimate victory."
• Seven angels:
• The seven angels prepare to administer the last seven Tribulation judgments of Christ: the seven bowls or vials. The bowls are full of the wrath of God "on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Until the seven plagues are finished, no one is able to enter into the temple. These plagues will conclude with the wrath of God on sinful mankind for rejecting His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This finishes the 21 (3 x 7) total plagues on mankind before the end of time.
• Seven last plagues:
• "Last" shows these are the climactic judgments, those that occur in rapid sequence and with greater intensity. As the last judgments, they will be concluded by the personal return of the Lord Jesus and His personal defeat of the enemies of God and His people.
• Completion:
• At the pouring forth of the last of these seven bowls, a voice from the Temple announces, "It is finished!" (Revelation 16:17). Then “the LORD's anger against your enemies has passed” (Isaiah 26:20).
• As the judgments progressed from the seals, to the trumpets and now to the bowls, their level of intensity has steadily increased. These are the final set of judgments which conclude with the Second Coming of Christ, when the “great winepress of God's wrath” is “trodden in the winepress outside the city” (Revelation 14:19-20+). “From his mouth came a sharp sword, and with it he struck down the nations. He ruled them with an iron rod, and he trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God.” (Revelation 19:15+).
• David Guzik: "The word completion (the ancient Greek word etelesthe) means, 'to reach an end or an aim.' Here, the hot wrath of God will fulfill an eternal purpose. God isn't just blowing off steam."

(2) I saw before me what seemed to be a crystal sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.

• Crystal Sea:
• Walvoord: “The sea is designed to reflect the glory of God. In chapter 4 its description ‘like unto crystal’ speaks of the holiness of God. Here the sea mingled with fire speaks of divine judgment proceeding from God’s holiness.”
• Revelation 4:6: In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.
• People ... victorious - tous nikōntas, the overcomers:
• The victory over the beast has been won through faith in Christ and refusal to submit to the Antichrist. These are the Tribulation Martyrs (6:9-11; 7:9-17; 12:11; 14:1-5, 13) who are rejoicing over the victory they have won. The harps indicate they are rejoicing and singing praise to God. These believers are rejoicing because their prayers for God's vengeance on their persecutors are about to be answered.
• In chapter 14, there were two "harvests" - the wheat harvest and the grape harvest. The wheat harvest separated the wheat from the tares. The saved people (the wheat) from the Great Tribulation are here in heaven standing on the crystal sea mixed with fire.
• Ray Stedman: "The Antichrist thinks he is getting rid of his enemies down here, but what he is really doing is running a shuttle service to heaven! He is but an elevator boy in God's service, taking loads of saints up to glory. He does not realize that God is using him for the very purposes that he has ordained."
• May we too be tous nikōntas in our lives and the assignments He has given to us - race runners, race winners, finishers of our race!
• Harps:
• Since this scene occurs prior to the end of the Tribulation, it probably precedes John’s vision of the Lamb and the 144,000 standing on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1). If so, these could be among those who play their harps in heaven where John heard “the sound of many harpists playing together” (Revelation 14:2).

(3) And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your actions, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.

• Song:
• Both songs, the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb, are the response of grateful hearts celebrating God’s merciful deliverance.
• Commentator John Phillips compares and contrasts the two songs: “The song of Moses was sung at the Red Sea, the song of the Lamb is sung at the crystal sea; the song of Moses was a song of triumph over Egypt, the song of the Lamb is a song of triumph over Babylon; the song of Moses told how God brought His people out, the song of the Lamb tells how God brings His people in; the song of Moses was the first song in Scripture, the song of the Lamb is the last. The song of Moses commemorated the execution of the foe, the expectation of the saints, and the exaltation of the Lord; the song of the Lamb deals with the same three themes.” (Exploring Revelation, rev. ed. [Chicago: Moody, 1987; reprint, Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux, 1991], 187)
• Song of Moses:
• Exodus 15:1-18: Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. He is my God, and I will praise him; he is my father's God, and I will exalt him! The LORD is a warrior; yes, the LORD is his name! Pharaoh's chariots and armies, he has thrown into the sea. The very best of Pharaoh's officers have been drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O LORD, dashes the enemy to pieces. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrew those who rose against you. Your anger flashed forth; it consumed them as fire burns straw. At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the middle of the sea the waters became hard. The enemy said, 'I will chase them, catch up with them, and destroy them. I will divide the plunder, avenging myself against them. I will unsheath my sword; my power will destroy them.' But with a blast of your breath, the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who else among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is glorious in holiness like you -- so awesome in splendor, performing such wonders? You raised up your hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies. With unfailing love you will lead this people whom you have ransomed. You will guide them in your strength to the place where your holiness dwells. The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The leaders of Edom will be terrified; the nobles of Moab will tremble. All the people of Canaan will melt with fear;  terror and dread will overcome them. Because of your great power, they will be silent like a stone, until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people whom you purchased pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain -- the place you have made as your home, O LORD, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have made. The LORD will reign forever and ever!"
• Song of the Lamb:
• Revelation 5:8-14: And as he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense -- the prayers of God's people! And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were killed, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become God's Kingdom and his priests. And they will reign on the earth." Then I looked again, and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: "The Lamb is worthy -- the Lamb who was killed. He is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing." And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They also sang: "Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." And the four living beings said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped God and the Lamb.

(4) Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed."

• Fear (reverence):
• Psalm 111:10: Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him. Praise his name forever!
• Proverbs 9:10: Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.
• Holy:
• Isaiah 6:1-3: In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!"
• All nations ... worship:
• This "all nations will come and worship", is speaking of the time when Jesus will sit on a throne in Jerusalem and rule the world - the millennium.
• Psalm 86:9: All the nations -- and you made each one -- will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your great and holy name.
• Isaiah 56:7: I will bring them also to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
• Zechariah 8:20-23: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. The people of one city will say to the people in another, 'Let us go to Jerusalem to ask the LORD to bless us and to seek the LORD Almighty. We are planning to go ourselves.' People from many nations, even powerful nations, will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to ask the LORD to bless them. This is what the LORD Almighty says: In those days ten people from nations and languages around the world will clutch at the hem of one Jew's robe. And they will say, 'Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
• Revelation 21:23-26: And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations of the earth will walk in its light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it. Its gates never close at the end of day because there is no night. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.

(5) THEN I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God's Tabernacle, was thrown wide open!

• Then - Greek kai meta tauta (after these things):
• The actual chronological event of the 7 bowl judgments of chapter 16 formally begins in 15:5 with the phrase kai meta tauta.
• Temple:
• The word temple is mentioned 15 times in Revelation. But it is not mentioned until chapter 4 after the church has been removed.
• Psalm 11:4: But the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth.
• Revelation 11:19: Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared; there was a great hailstorm, and the world was shaken by a mighty earthquake.
• Tabernacle:
• This "tabernacle" is the original tabernacle in heaven after which the one on the earth was patterned. God instructed Moses how to build the earthly one. The Ark of the Covenant is in heaven too.
• Hebrews 8:5: They serve in a place of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: "Be sure that you make everything according to the design I have shown you here on the mountain."
• Thrown wide open:
• As John looks intently on the scene, the sanctuary is opened, that is, the curtain is parted, and seven angels are seen coming out of the sanctuary. The holy place, into which the high priests alone could go and only after proper sacrifices, does not exclude holy angels who have no sin.
• The tabernacle was opened by Jesus, as the temple curtain which was in front of the Holy of Holies, was torn from the top to the bottom, when Jesus died on the cross.

(6) The seven angels who were holding the bowls of the seven plagues came from the Temple, clothed in spotless white linen with gold belts across their chests.

• Seven ... bowls:
• Seven golden bowls (vials) full of the wrath of God. These are the "plagues" that will strike the earth in the last three and one-half years to punish those who have chosen to serve the Antichrist, doing his bidding to persecute the saints for their faith in Christ.
• They are really “Shallow, pan-like, golden bowls, or censers, such as were used in the temple to hold the fire when incense was burned.” (Seiss)
• Seven plagues:
• These are the final judgments in the series of seals, trumpets and bowls.
• God wants to us understand there is a "point of no return". This eight-verse chapter shows the redeemed from the Great Tribulation are in heaven prior to the final set of judgments listed in the next chapter. God is patient with us and waits a long time to see who will turn to Him. There is a point where it is "too late" and we are watching that point here in Revelation.
• The term plagues takes us back to its first use in Revelation 9:18,20:
• One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues -- by the fire and the smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses. ... But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to turn from their evil deeds. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood -- idols that neither see nor hear nor walk!
• Temple:
• Temple is naos, generally used of the innermost portion of the temple, the holy of holies. These angels come forth directly from God’s presence - the throne room!
• Gold belts:
• They show that they have been in the presence of God.

(7) And one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the terrible wrath of God, who lives forever and forever.

• Four living beings:
• These are the four cherubim which attend the throne:
• Revelation 4:6: In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.
• Bowl (vial):
• There is a parallel between these golden bowls of wrath and the “gold bowls filled with incense -- the prayers of God's people” (Revelation 5:8). The wrath contained in these bowls represents God’s response to the mountains of prayers over the ages by the saints of God to avenge the blood of the martyrs (Revelation 6:10) and to bring His kingdom to earth.
• The seven bowls are poured forth in the next chapter.

(8) The Temple was filled with smoke from God's glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.

• Smoke:
• His glory filled the Tabernacle in the Wilderness indicating His approval and presence among the children of Israel:
• Exodus 40:34-35: Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled it. Moses was no longer able to enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the Tabernacle was filled with the awesome glory of the LORD.
• His presence also filled Solomon’s Temple at its dedication:
• 1 Kings 8:10-11: As the priests came out of the inner sanctuary, a cloud filled the Temple of the LORD.  The priests could not continue their work because the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple.
• No one could enter the Temple:
• It may suggest that God will, at this point in history, seal the doors of Heaven, making it impossible for any who have not yet accepted Jesus as Savior to do so. In other words, from this time forth until God has executed the human race, no additional souls will be saved. This is reminiscent of the previous great judgment, for, in the age before the flood, God said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time” (Genesis 6:3). What a fearsome prospect: God closeted in His sanctuary until His wrath is satisfied, and no one able to approach Him. Sin will cause this; sin is never a light matter. (Monty S. Mills, Revelations: An Exegetical Study of the Revelation to John (Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries, 1987), Rev. 15:5.)

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. If you want further study, I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at http://revelationofjesustojohn.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-of-revelation-references.html
• Index to our other Revelation studies is at http://revelationofjesustojohn.blogspot.com/2014/03/index-to-book-of-revelation.html
  
• Index to all our studies is at http://oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/