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CHAPTER 15
VERSE 1: (Chapter 15) ​
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SEVEN more ANGELS
With the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God."
As we start Chapter 15, we see that John is talking. He is writing down everything that the Lord told him to. The Apostle John says that he: "saw another sign in heaven". Here John is now looking into Heaven. He is not looking at the earth. This chapter is about what John is seeing in heaven, and he says it is "great and marvellous".
John sees "seven angels". Seven is God's number meaning 'completion'. These "seven angels" are going to have "the seven last plagues". A "plague" can be described as a serious bacteria that kills many people, but it can also be described as things that are unpleasant and likely to cause damage. A plague causes suffering.
This verse tells us that these plagues will have "in them ... the wrath of God". "Filled up" means it is completely full. Northing more can be added to it. It is "filled up" with "the wrath of God". In other words, God has had it. He is not going tolerate sin anymore.
As John is looking up into Heaven at these angels, he also sees our next verse ...
VERSE 2: (Chapter 15) ​
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The SEA of GLASS
The TRIBULATION SAINTS
"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."
John first saw this sea a glass back in Revelation 4:6. In our study in Revelation 4:6 we learned that the "sea of glass" is before God's throne. We studied the crystal rock and how Jesus is the Rock. You can refresh your memory about the sea of glass by rereading Revelation 4. However, here in Revelation 15:2 we are told more about this "sea of glass".
Our verse tells us that the "sea of glass" is "mingled with fire". Fire represents judgment. 1 Peter 1:7 states: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"
The Bible here tells us very clearly who will be standing on this "sea of glass". We are told here that it is "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". The ones who will be standing on God's "sea of glass" will be the Tribulation Saints. They will be the only ones who will have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name". The Raptured Christians will not stand on this sea of glass. They will have another special place in Heaven. The Tribulation Saints will have the honour of standing on God's "sea of glass" which is before His throne because they will have gone through the Great Tribulation Period. We studied this also in Chapter 7:15-17 of Revelation, which you can refer back to.
The Tribulation Saints will also be given "harps of God". Singing is a gift from God. It is to be used to praise the Lord and bring glory to Him. Remember in Revelation 14:1-3 we learned about the 144,000 Jewish men who sang a song that was only for them to sing. Now, in this verse here, we learn that the Tribulation Saints will also have their own special song to sing to the Lord. The next two verses are the words to their song:
VERSE 3: (Chapter 15) ​
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The SONGS OF
The TRIBULATION SAINTS
"And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."
The first song that the Tribulation Saints will sing will be "the song of Moses". Moses was "the servant of God". God had entrusted the Ten Commandments to Moses to deliver to His people. Songs are meant to praise and worship the Lord. The Song of Moses was a song of praise and thanksgiving as God led His people out of Egypt. Moses's song was also a song to God for God's faithfulness in bringing Israel through the wilderness and into the promised land. The Song of Moses is also an instruction to the future. Deuteronomy 32 has recorded the last words of Moses. Deuteronomy 32:1-3 says: "And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in thy hand; all they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words."
The "song of Moses" shows that no matter how hard God's people may try, they can never keep the law. People cannot keep the Ten Commandments. All through the book of Deuteronomy it is recorded how God blessed His people, how His people promised to keep the law but how His people fell into sin; and how God would forgive them over and over. So why did God give the Ten Commandments to Moses to deliver to the people? The Law, including the Ten Commandments, were given to teach people the holiness of God, and to teach the people how sinful they are. The Ten Commandments show people that they are sinners. People cannot keep a holy law because they ae not holy. They sin. Everyone has sin. "The song of Moses" is a victory song. Moses' song declared how the Lord had victory over all their enemies and over all their sins. Therefore, "the song of Moses" points people to the "song of the Lamb" with victory!
Here are a couple very good verses explaining the law:
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Galatians 3:24: "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
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Galatians 3:10: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Galatians 3:11: "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
The Law of Moses was given to show people their sin, NOT to take away their sin. The commandments can never take away our sins, only the blood of Jesus can.
The Tribulation Saints will also sing "the song of the Lamb". Jesus is called the "Lamb" in John 1:36: "And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he (John the Baptist) saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" Revelation 14:4 calls Jesus the "Lamb" and Revelation 17:14 says: "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings". The "song of the Lamb" is the song of victory! 1 Corinthians 15:57 says: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
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Moses led the people out of Egypt, which is a type of the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ leads us into the Promised Land, a type of Heaven.
The rest of our verse here, Revelation 15:3, starts the songs of the Tribulation. These are the words of their song, penned down by John as directed by God. Someday, if you are God's child, you will hear the Tribulation Saints sing these words:
"Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."
The rest of the song continues in the very next verse ...
VERSE 4: (Chapter 15) ​
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The SONGS OF
The TRIBULATION SAINTS
Continued ...
"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."
The Tribulation Saints will be singing this Victory Song. They will be praising the Lord for bringing them through the Great Tribulation. They will understand that all God's judgments upon the nations were just and holy. They will worship the King of kings.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 15) ​
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The TEMPLE of the TABERNACLE
In HEAVEN
"And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:"
This verse starts off with "after that". We ask, 'After what?' After the Tribulation Saints sing their songs of Moses and of the Lamb, John looks and sees "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony"
Inside the Temple Tabernacle
A temple of the tabernacle is a sacred place of worship. The earthly tabernacle temple, erected under Moses according to God's instructions, was divided into three sections: the Outer Court, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place also called the Holy of Holies. The Outer Court was for everyone. However, only the Levi priests were allowed to enter into the Holy Place. The Holy Place was the first section of the Temple. It was the place where the priests were responsible for the daily tasks of the Temple.
The priests would come into the Holy Place every day. When they entered into this room, the Table of Showbread stood on the right. This illustrated the presence of the Lord, as Jesus said, He is the "Bread of Life" (John 6;48).
The Table of Shewbread
Also inside the Holy Place was the Golden Candlestick. The Golden Candlestick also represented the Lord Jesus, as He stated that He is "the Light of the World" (John 9:5).
The third item in the Holy Place was the Altar of Incense. Incense was burnt on it and the blood of the offering was sprinkled on the horns of the Altar. The blood on the horns represented the sacrifice Christ offered Himself unto His Father for our sins. Hebrews 10:10-12 says: "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God". And when Jesus offered Himself upon the Altar of the Cross, it was a sweet odor of incense to God the Father (2 Corinthians 2:14).
The third section of the Temple Tabernacle is called the Holy of Holies, also called the Most Holy Place. This Holy of Holies Place is where God would speak to the high priest. The high priest was only allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies one time a year. Today, Jesus is our High Priest.
Inside the Holy of Holies is the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant is like a storage box made of pure gold. Inside the Ark was the Tablet of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's Rod that budded, and the Manna. The Tablet of the Ten Commandments represents the holy law of God and no human is able to keep all the commandments perfectly. Aaron's Rod that budded represented the power and miracles of God, and the Manna represented that Jesus is the "Break of Life".
On top of the Ark of the Covenant was the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat was the lid of the Ark. It also was of pure gold. On top of the lid were two winged cherubim facing each other. The two cherubim created the space for God to appear. The high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins of the people. The Mercy Seat represented God's forgiveness for our sins by the blood of His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Our verse here, verse 5, reads: "of the testimony in heaven was opened". The "testimony in heaven" is Jesus' testament. Hebrews 7:22 says: "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." Hebrews 9:18 states: "Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood." And Hebrews 9:15 declares: "And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Jesus is the "testimony in heaven" and during this time of the Great Tribulation, it is going to open.
The Temple of the Testimony will be the representation of the cruel death the Lord Jesus suffered on the cross for sin. It will represent God's righteous judgment on those who will not accept His Sacrifice for their sins. Thus judgment will continue to be poured down upon the earth.
VERSE 6: (Chapter 15) ​
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SEVEN ANGELS
Come Out of the Temple
"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."
There will be "seven angels" that will come out of "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven". See how God reveals to us every detail of what is going to happen?! People need to hear what God is saying to us in His Word. The end is definitely coming! These "seven angels" will come out of "the temple" in Heaven. We are sort of told here why they were in "the temple". God gives us a hint of what their jobs are in "the temple" that is in heaven by the way He describes what they are wearing.
The Lord describes the angels as being "clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles". The apparel of these seven angels represents their royal priesthood. In 1 Samuel 2:18, "Samuel ministered before the LORD ... girded with a linen ephod". And "David was clothed with a robe of fine linen ... David also had upon him an ephod of linen". (1 Chronicles 15:27).
The Lord Himself is described wearing similar apparel in the very first chapter of Revelation. Revelation 1:13 describes the Lord as being "clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle". Matthew 17:2 also describes Jesus: "And was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light."
These seven angels will come "out of the temple". They are the royal priests of the "temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven". These seven heavenly angel priests, who have been ministering in the temple, will come "out of the temple, having the seven plagues". These seven angels will minister these plagues onto those left on the earth, and it's not going to be good, as we will soon read.
VERSE 7: (Chapter 15) ​
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One of the BEASTS GIVE
"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."
When the seven angels come "out of the temple" carrying the seven plagues, they will encounter the four beasts. These four beasts were described back in Revelation 4:7: "And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle."
The "golden vials" that the angels will be carrying will be like a large bowl type container. They will be made of pure gold. The "seven golden vials" will be "full of the wrath of God". The "golden vials" will not be half full nor even most of the way full. They will be filled to the rim. The vials will be "full of the wrath of God". There will be no room left. They are filled to the very top with God's wrath. He has had enough.
We see in this verse "one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God". It will only be one beast that will hand a golden vial to each of the seven angels. This beast will be holding all seven vials. Of the four beasts: one will look like a lion. One like a calf. Another with a man-like face and the fourth like an eagle. However, only one of them will be holding the 'vials of wrath'. My thought is: I cannot picture a calf, eagle, or a man-like image holding the "wrath of God". I believe the beast that will be holding all "seven golden vials full of the wrath of God" will be the lion. The lion is the king of its territory. A lion is fierce. People and animals fear and respect a lion. Plus we can add that Jesus is the "Lion of the tribe of David" as we studied in Revelation Chapter 4. The Lion, the king of its jungle, seems the most fitting to be holding the "vials full of the wrath of God". It is going to be fierce for all those on the earth at this time of the Tribulation Period.
The last part of this verse gives glory and honour to God Almighty "Who liveth for ever and ever"!
VERSE 8: (Chapter 15) ​
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​The TEMPLE is CLOSED
"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."
God's Word is still talking about "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven". When the seven 'priest' angels come out of the temple carrying the seven last plagues, and the one beast gives each of the angel a golden vial filled with the wrath of God, the temple will then be suddenly filled with "smoke from the glory of God, and from His power".
The prophet Isaiah had a vision given to him by the Lord back in BC 758 (Scofield). Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 6:1: "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple." (v4) "And the posts of the door moved at the voice of Him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke" Smoke is an indication of power. Power makes smoke. Fire makes smoke. Smoke is kindled by power.
Exodus 19:18 records how "Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently." Exodus 20:18 says: "All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance."
Our verse here in Revelation continues with "and no man was able to enter into the temple". Jesus said in John 9:4 that He "must work the works of Him that send me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." I Corinthians 3:13 tells us about our own works: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." There will come a day when no man will be able to enter into the temple". It will be the day when mankind will not be allowed to approach the Mercy Seat of God. There will be no changing the mind. It will be too late to repent. Mankind will be tried by God's fire. God's smoke will fill His temple, and no one will be allowed to enter into the temple of God. No one ... not even to pray for the souls of loved ones. God warned everyone in Proverbs 1:28: "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." The people that are left on the earth will experience of the wrath of God poured out from the seven gold vials on them and there will be nothing we can do for them. This is why it is so important to pray and witness to your loved ones now. You may not have tomorrow.
God tells us in the last part of our verse here in Revelation that no man can enter into His temple "till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled". This is going to be a very rough time. The Tribulation Period will have already been almost impossible to endure, but now the earth is going to go through unfathomable pain and suffering like never before. Before the seven angels came out of the temple, the Mercy Seat was still available. During this time, however, no one will be able to approach it. There will be no mercy given from God. The vials are full of His wrath, soon to be released upon all that are on the earth.