Chapter 15
Chapter 15 is the shortest chapter in the book of Revelation. It has two main topics; the sign in heaven; and the seven angels with their vials. The word for vial would be better understood or interpreted as a shallow cup or bowl.
The first topic of the sign in heaven covers the first 4 verses. We will read them together for the context.
Revelation 15:1 thru 4 “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest.
This sign is the third of this book; the first sign was that of the sun-clothed woman which was indicative of the nation of Israel (12:1); the second was of the great red dragon (indicative of Satan 12:3); and now the third and final sign in 12:1 and 3 the word used is “wonder,” it is the same Greek word for sign (semion say-may-on).
We have seen this same sea of glass in 4:6. There it is shown as “like unto crystal.” That would show its calmness. Here we see it “mingled with fire, and those martyrs that had overcome the beast, his name and number by the blood of the Lamb were standing on it. This shows that these martyrs had come through the fire of persecution unto death.
We find in these verses two songs being sung; first we see reference to the “song of Moses.” There are two songs recorded in scripture being sung by Moses; the first is recorded in Exodus 15 where he sings of the victory over the Egyptians; the second is recorded in Deuteronomy 32 where Moses sings of God’s faithfulness to Israel. Here in Revelation we have no clue to which it is referring to. It really doesn’t matter. The point is that both give God the glory and praise for preserving the nation and people of Israel through many hardships and conflicts with its enemies.
Like the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb is also a song of deliverance through hardships and conflicts with the enemies of Jesus. We find the words that were spoken of great value and importance. The song of the Lamb celebrates God’s reign and victory over all the nations. The deeds or works of Jesus are great and marvelous because he died for the sins of the world and will defeat Satan. The ways of Jesus are just and true, He is never unjust, never untruthful. His judgments are righteous; His words are accurate and reliable. Jesus is the king of the saints because He is the King of the ages. He is the eternal king, He is the One who has reigned, is reigning, and always will reign.
In verse 4 we find that the question is asked, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?”
Today, few people speak of having a fear of the Lord or of giving glory to Him. It seems that to a lot of people there is something wrong with these two things of fearing God and giving Him glory. However, these are of the utmost importance now and in heaven for three reasons;
1. Jesus should be feared and glorified because He alone is holy. He is the only One to live by all of God’s standards. The only One worthy of our worship, the only One who never sinned, He has been hallowed or set apart for God’s special purpose; an atonement for our sin.
2. Jesus should be feared and glorified because He will be worshiped by all nations. The day will come when He will deal with the godless leaders of this world. He will do away with them, and every nation will worship Him (Philippians 2:6-11).
3. Jesus should be feared and glorified because His righteous judgments will be revealed. The terrible judgments of the Tribulation Period will be righteous acts of Jesus. He will deal with those who do not accept His mercy. His judgments also extend to the final judgment. This would be what Jesus referred to in John 5:22 where He says that “the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son.”
The scene now shifts from the vision of verses 1 thru 4 to a different scene or vision of that found in verses 5 thru 8 “ And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. 7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
As John continued to look at the heavenly vision, he saw the temple described as the tabernacle of Testimony. The allusion to a temple in heaven seems to be the heavenly counterpart of the earthly temple. We know that in the Old Testament this tabernacle and later the Temple housed the ark of God which contained the tables of stone with the Ten Commandments. This will show that all those that reject the mercy and grace of God through Jesus, will be judged by the law of Moses without mercy. We often think that the law of Moses is given for only the Jews. All mankind is under the moral laws of God. Only the civil and ritual laws were applicable to the Jews only.
In verses 6 verses 8 we find the final seven judgments of God. These final seven judgments “fill up the wrath of God” (verse 2) or finish it. These final seven judgments are administered by seven angels. These seven angels are clothed in priestly garments, pure white linen (showing their purity) and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
They will use vials (fee-al- lay) but would be better understood as shallow cups or bowls. The angels receive them from one of the four beasts that we found in chapter 4:6. I will use vials and bowls interchangeably.
In the Old Testament, once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take a bowl of blood from a sacrificial animal into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle it on the mercy seat over the Ark of the Covenant (Leviticus 16:14-15; Hebrew 9:7). God had him do this to offer atonement for the sins of the people. Since the Antichrist and his followers will not accept the blood of Jesus as an atonement for their sins, these priestly angels will be given bowls filled with God’s wrath instead of the blood of Jesus. And instead of sprinkling them the bowls on the mercy seat, they will pour them on the earth.
Verse 8 “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
First, the four beasts summon the four horsemen. Now the four beasts summon the seven angels of God’s wrath. Things just keep getting worse for those who reject God and His Son. When the angels leave the temple, it will be filled with smoke from the glory and power of God. It should be pointed out, that God manifested His presence to the Jews in at least two ways;
First as a pillar of smoke. This indicated the righteousness and holiness of God and His awesome judgments. We find the smoke present on the mount when Moses received the law of God, the Ten Commandments.
He also showed His presence in a cloud. This cloud showed the mercy and grace of God and indicated His protection during their journey in the hot desert.
In this verse the smoke indicates God’s judgment. The fact that no one can enter into the Holy of Holies show that it is now irreversible. No one can change their mind. There will be no more access to the mercy seat, no more delays, and no more opportunities to repent. The seven last plagues have begun.
This is a warning to those on earth who won’t listen to the pleas of God made through his messengers, the 144,000 Jews, the two witnesses, the angel, and others, and I may add to the preaching of pastors today who warn of the coming judgment.
At some point in the Tribulation Period, God will say, “It’s over. The destiny of those who keep rejecting my Son is sealed forever,” He will pour out His wrath, keep people away from the mercy seat, and refuse to hear the pleas of those crying out for one more chance. Just as in the days of Noah, time had run out and there was no entrance into God’s mercy.
Many of these same people may be sitting in the pews of churches even today. Or perhaps they have been witnessed to by Christians and just ignored the warnings as some wild eyed imaginations. Some may have never heard anything like this. That is why the book of Revelation is so important and relevant today. Don’t give up witnessing or praying for lost people. Don’t give up preaching and teaching on it. Don’t quit warning lost people, and don’t quit challenging Christians to warn their lost relatives, loved ones, co-workers, fellow students about the coming judgment. Eternal destinies depend on it.