Revelation 15



An Analysis of Chapter 15_______

I. The angels with the seven plagues: 1

II. The Victors over the beast:2-4

A. Where they were verse 2

B. What they were in verse 2

C. What they sang: verses 3,4

III. The seven angels appear: 5-8___

A. Where they were verses 5-8

B. How they were dressed: verse 6

C. What they were given: verse 7

IV. The Smoking temple: 8

A Scene of Heaven

 1Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.



Verse 1___This yet another sign___The original readers must have been on the edge of their seats thinking what now?

In this verse we are also told that the "wrath of God is finish" and these plagues to come (seven of them) are the last.



 2And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.

 3And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
          "Great and marvelous are Your works,
         O Lord God, the Almighty;
         Righteous and true are Your ways,
         King of the nations! 
    4"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
         For You alone are holy;
         For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
         FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."



Verses 2-4___This sea of glass mingled with fire is the same sea of glass that we had in 4:6. The sea of glass is the approach to God and is modeled after Solomon's brazen laver (brazen sea). The priest had to go through the laver to enter the sanctuary to serve God. The sea of glass tells us how YHWH is set apart from the rest of us. The sea of glass here is mingled with "fire" which probably means we are standing (in this vision) very near to the throne.

Verse 3___They sing the song of Moses..and...the Lamb.___This song is in Exodus 15. The Dragon of Egypt has been slain (therefore the song).

In Psalm 77:10ff, the Psalmist muses on the ways of God in olden times when He delivered Israel from Egypt at the Red Sea. In that context He says of God that His way "is in the sanctuary" or marked by holiness. God alone is holy. The saints here are to know that the battle is not just between them and Rome, but with God and the Great Dragon, or between God and Satan, or holiness and unholiness.

Verse 4___There is no promise of world wide conversion here. Simply because the world knows does not means the world accepts. This is shown over and over in the Bible. Just look at Nebuchadnezzar, Daruis, and Belshazzar.

 5After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,

 6and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.

 7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.

 8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.



Verses 5-8___I saw a temple of the tabernacle of the testimony.

The "testimony" was the "10 commandments." The ark of the testimony was the ark that held the ten commandments. Thus, the tabernacle of testimony was the tabernacle that held the ark and ten commandments. It was in the inner sanctuary were God dwelt alone and solitary.

Verse 6___And there came out the 7th angel__Now the suspense really grows. What will happen now???

Just look how this angel is dressed. Of course the garments are "priestly."

Verse 7___One of the four living creatures gave...seven golden bowls....We need to remember that these living creatures are the Cherubim. They are the chariot of God (1st Chron. 28:18; Psalm 104:3 with 18:9,10). There is business to do and they are acting in a priestly fashion.

Verse 8___The Temple was filled with smoke....This happened on a number of occasions in the OT. Exodus 40:34ff; 1st Kings 8:10,11; 2nd Chron. 5:13,14 and others. Here is the point I think. We are getting ready for the final outpouring of God's wrath on Rome. They are singing because Babylon is not "falling" but Babylon is "fallen."

by Lane Rogers_______________