Revelation Chapter 15

Today, Dr. J discusses Revelation 15.

Transcript

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Welcome to Dr. J in the Bible. Hope everyone is doing well this fine weekend. Hope everyone's going to be safe and get some rest this weekend. And uh looking at Revelation chapter 15 today, and uh it's gonna be a good one, so I hope you stay tuned. Um, really looking at the seven angels with the seven last plagues, Revelation 15 serves as a prelude to the final outpouring of God's wrath. And the seven bold judgments in Revelation 16, uh, looking at this really occurs after the trumpet judgments and highlights God's justice, God's holiness, God's glory, as well as the victory of the redeemed. And so this is a really uh awesome chapter. Of course, they all are. And if you were here for chapter 14, I would have said the same and 13 and 12 and so on. But uh, this really is a good chapter as we're starting to see the consummation of God's wrath. And so the seven angels with seven plagues, verse one says that then I saw in heaven another sign, great and marvelous, seven angels dressed in white holding the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is completed. So John saw another sign in heaven, and it was great and marvelous. It was uh also probably disturbing. Uh, and earlier in Revelation, the vision seemed to reach its climax, but now John returns, kind of a narrative that expands and deepens, and it's kind of a review as far as the enlarged pattern, which is common in biblical prophecy. Um these seven angels and the seven last plagues really are the final plagues echoed earlier in biblical uh warnings in the book of Leviticus. And so, really, as uh Chuck Mizler once said, uh, you know, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. And so, really, Leviticus is ultimately fulfilled with the fulfillment of the biblical warning warnings in the God's wrath in this chapter in the book of Revelation. And so we see that the wrath of God, the completion of the wrath of God is taking good taking place. The Greek word used for wrath emphasizes divine anger, finality. And so uh this is not some punitive overflow, but God, but God's decisive justice fulfilling his righteous purpose in a very specific, controlled manner. In verse 2, and I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast, his image, and his mark, and the number of his name standing on the sea of glass, holding the harps of God. So the sea of glass mingled with fire really is recalls the crystal clear heaven before God's throne, as you remember in Revelation chapter 4. It symbolizes purity and divine holiness. And uh here the addition of fire introduces the element of judgment, suggesting holiness and justice together. And God's throne is both pure and righteous, but also just. You know why? Because Jesus took our fire on the cross. And as believers, we don't need to fear when Jesus is near, because he consumed the fire on his own and took our judgment. That's why it's such a it's such a an insult. That's a that's a that's not even the best word for it. It's appalling when someone rejects God's grace and God's um holiness and God's love by what he did by giving his son on a cross. And that's why it's just on it's just abhorrent. Because in this way, God has to judge a person who rejects this grace of the gospel, and they're not uh protected from the fire to come. Then we see the harps of God, which is the worship of victory. These saints, uh, these ones that have died during the tribulation, and uh probably they're gonna be with us too, hold harps, which is echoing a heavenly worship, similar to Revelation 5 and earlier scenes. And and this marks their complete deliverance, their glorified status, their eternal praise. Of course, they haven't received their glorified bodies yet. They have a spiritual body. Theirs will come at the at the end of the seven year. Um, but they will have a glorified state and a glorified spiritual body that we similar to what we'll have when we, if the Lord tarries and we go to be with him, we'll have a spiritual body in heaven prior to our glorified physical body. And so, how we interpret this, how many interpret this, is that these visions, you know, the seven angels and plagues show that after human rebellion reaches its fullness, God will act in a final righteous judgment, not some arbitrarily, uh, but justly and fully with full purpose completed. And the sea of glass mingled with fire really underscores that God's rule combines holiness, it combines the purity and the judgment. And believers do not enter heaven by ignoring God's holiness, but through faith and endurance that's that survive the tribulation. And so, really, this brings back the fact that there's nothing that can earn our way to heaven. And at the same time, we can't do something so bad that we can kind of lose that, or not kind of, or lose that, because we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God. But but this shows us the need, the holiness, the purity, and the judgment, and that we're saved by grace through faith, not by works, because he is the only way we could survive uh eternal judgment, is by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ. And the conqueror standing on the sea represent those faithful even under persecution. Uh, many of them will be beheaded. Um, and they would not worship the beast, they would not take the mark, they would not uh compromise, and showing that the faithfulness through the trial, the gumption, the perseverance, and it will be rewarded. And then the the worship with the harps portrays this eternal victory and restoration. What an awesome thing. I mean, that's kind of uh a recapitulation of those uh one through two. And then we reach three through four, and it says that uh the they sing what is called both the song of Moses and the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, declaring, Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations shall come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed. And the song of Moses and the song of Lamb really refer to the single hymn of triumph, uniting the deliverance and the covenant of Old Testament Israel with the salvation and the reign of Christ. Um, and the worship, praising God for his good work, for his works, great and marvelous, you know, is for the justice and truth of his ways, his holiness, acknowledging every nation will eventually bow before him. All nations, all peoples will bow the knee. As Paul rightly said, that every knee shall kneel, every mouth shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And it's repeated: your, your, your, and shows you that they're totally focused on God. They're not on their own victory, they're not on their own pedestal, their own um throne, but on his glory, God's glory, Jesus' glory, and his righteousness. So you're able to see how Moses, the Old Testament covenant with the New Testament and Servant of God, the song and lamb, how they come together in fulfillment of the reign of Christ and the victory, and that it's all about Jesus. In five through six, John sees the heavenly temple sanctuary, he opened and emerged the seven angels bearing those seven last plagues. And they're clothed in pure bright linen and girded with golden bands. And the temple here refers to the heavenly tabernacle of testimony, to divine sanctuary rather than a mere earthly building. Um, I do believe that tabernacle will be found, the Ark of the Covenant, that is. Um, their linens, their garments, their golden bands signify the pureness, the holiness, divine authority, indicating that God's coming judgment is a righteous, is solemn, not arbitrary. And the angels do not act on their own. They come from the God's presence, the temple, commissioned by heaven to carry out the final judgments. Seventh through eighth, the bowls are handed out, and God glory fills the temple. Kind of like Isaiah 6, when you know the Lord was high, lifted up, and his glory uh filled the temple. And um, you had the seraphim say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. It's similar here. And so we see here that one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. And at that moment the heavenly temple was filled with the smoke from God's glory and power. No one could enter until the seven plagues were carried out by the angels. Yeah. And so the golden, seven golden bowls, these are shallow, wide bowls, the ritual vessels used for pouring offerings, not narrow vials. And their design suggests that when the contents are poured out, they empty quickly and completely and totally. And the smoke from God's glory filling the temple, and really the smoke symbolizes God's presence, God's holiness, much like the Shekinah glory, much like the Old Testament, when his glory, the glory cloud filled the tabernacle of the temple, similar to when the Hebrews were uh being led uh by a cloud by day and a cloud of fire by night, similar to when Moses went up on the mountain, the glory of God was over the mountain. And it really, this this uh smoke, this cloud, glory of a cloud, signals the activation of divine judgment. What a solemn and really awe-inspiring uh moment. And the judgments begin, and irrevocable judgments. The fact that no one can enter the temple until the plagues are completed really stresses that once God's wrath begins, nothing can stop it, and the bold judgments run their course to the to fulfillment. And so the scene, this scene shows that God's judgment isn't some random or chaotic scene. It comes from his holy presence with full authority and totality. And the seven bowls represent the final, full outpouring of God's wrath on a rebellious evil world. You know, as Peter points out, the Lord is long suffering, that none should perish, but all should come to him. And aren't you glad that he's long suffering? Um, but once he once he says that's it, there's no turning back. And so the temporary closure of this temple makes clear that this is a pivotal moment in God's plan where mercy ends and judgment begins. Um and so as we look at this and we kind of uh recapitulate uh those verses, uh the seven angels with plagues, they're God's instruments of judgment. They're angels are God's instruments of final judgment, and the victorious faithful celebrating God's justice and protection on the sea of glass. The heavenly temple open reveals God's glory, the readiness to execute wrath. And so imagine, imagine the scene: the redeemed standing on some radiant, fiery glass sea, singing with angels as heavenly temple opens, and it's revealing angels carrying the plagues about to descend on an unrepentant world. It's a scene of awe, a scene of holiness, and a scene of justice. So if you're out there today and you're feeling that, you know, where is the justice? Um, number one, if we got what was just for us, we would uh not have any hope either, but thank God for his grace. But the fact of the matter is, is justice is coming, and uh Jesus is that justice. It's coming to Jesus, it's coming to the book of Revelation. Um, people ask, are we in the book of Revelation? No, we're not. We won't be in the book. Well, actually, we are in the church age, but we're not in chapter um six and on, because it hasn't started yet. Um we are still, I believe the birth pangs have started. Uh it started in uh right after um Jesus ascended, and we're seeing uh things happening on a world scale, not just uh isolated. We're seeing worldwide uh earthquakes, we're seeing wars, rumors of wars, Israel is a nation, Jerusalem as the capital, we're seeing AI, we're seeing the chaos in the world, we're seeing talks of rhetoric, um you know, it's moving fast, and and as we get closer to uh there doesn't have to be a specific sign for the rapture, uh, but I do believe things increase. And then after the rapture, and then the signing of the peace treaty by the Antichrist, and that could be right afterwards, it could be 50 years after. I don't know. But after he signs that, then chapter six of Revelation begins, and literally the judgment of God uh is is is uh begins as well, to purify the earth, to renovate it, to prepare it, and to give an opportunity for people still to repent that are left behind, and uh to also uh get to people of the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, uh, to come to him, that remnant, and fulfill prophecy as he prophesied and predicted in the Old and the New Testament. Hope you guys are doing well. I hope you found this helpful, and remember that God can take your mess, turn to a message for his glory for your good. Take care of the money.