Rev 15, The Introduction of the Last Seven Judgments

Revelation 15 bridges the war against God tribulation saints (Chapter 14) and the final 7 judgments. One whole section is devoted just to the introduction of the last seven judgments


Rev 15:1-4 (NIV) I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues — last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:

"Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages.
4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."



• Where had we left off with the first half of the tribulation?
• The seventh trumpet was one angel announcing the last of the trumpet judgments, the last of the woes
• Rev 11:14-15 (NIV) The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.  // 15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: // "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, // and he will reign for ever and ever."
• What are we told about this last trumpet, this last woe?
• It is a great and marvelous sign (so we need to be careful because some of what we see is not literal)
• Seven angels
• Seven last plagues
• They are called plagues (references us back to Egypt)
• As we will see, all of the plagues in some way reprise  what happened to Egypt
• The purpose of the Egyptian plagues was to punish Egypt for putting the people in bondage and to set them free
• They (the seven bowl judgments) complete God's wrath
• From the text, what can we learn about the sea of glass in terms of imagery? We know it is imagery because a sea of glass doesn't exist, and John says "I saw what looked like"
• It could be the earth or people
• The tribulation saints are standing beside or upon it
• It is mixed with fire suggesting either judgment or refining
• It also alludes back to the Exodus, which also represents baptism
• We know these standing beside the sea are tribulation martyrs, why?
• They overcame the beast
• They overcame his image
• They overcame the number of his name
• Alright, so here is one case where believers are given harps after death. In no way does it imply that their life is spent strumming on a harp. They are specifically given two songs. Again, what picture is being drawn?
• Everything is now referencing back to the exodus. The song of Moses is one of three songs, Exodus 15 or Deut 32 or Psalm 90
• Exodus 15 focuses on the victory over Pharaoh
• Ex 15:1-5 (NIV) Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
  "I will sing to the Lord,
  for he is highly exalted.
  The horse and its rider
  he has hurled into the sea.
  2 The Lord is my strength and my song;
  he has become my salvation.
  He is my God, and I will praise him,
  my father's God, and I will exalt him.
  3 The Lord is a warrior;
  the Lord is his name.
  4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army
  he has hurled into the sea.
  The best of Pharaoh's officers
  are drowned in the Red Sea.
  5 The deep waters have covered them;
  they sank to the depths like a stone.
• Deuteronomy 32 focuses on judgment of Israel for their disobedience
• Deut 31:30 (NIV) And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:
• Deut 32:5-6 (NIV) They have acted corruptly toward him;
  to their shame they are no longer his children,
  but a warped and crooked generation.
  6 Is this the way you repay the Lord,
  O foolish and unwise people?
  Is he not your Father, your Creator,
  who made you and formed you?
• Deut 32:15-18 (NIV) Jeshurun grew fat and kicked;     /* an ideal name for Israel, poetic */
  filled with food, he became heavy and sleek.
  He abandoned the God who made him
  and rejected the Rock his Savior.
  16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods
  and angered him with their detestable idols.
  17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God —
  gods they had not known,
  gods that recently appeared,
  gods your fathers did not fear.
  18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
• Deut 32:22-24 (NIV) For a fire has been kindled by my wrath,
  one that burns to the realm of death below.
  It will devour the earth and its harvests
  and set afire the foundations of the mountains.
  23 "I will heap calamities upon them
  and spend my arrows against them.
  24 I will send wasting famine against them,
  consuming pestilence and deadly plague;
  I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts,
  the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
• Deut 32:34-35 (NIV) "Have I not kept this in reserve
  and sealed it in my vaults?
  35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
  In due time their foot will slip;
  their day of disaster is near
  and their doom rushes upon them."
• Deut 32:39-43 (NIV) "See now that I myself am He!
  There is no god besides me.
  I put to death and I bring to life,
  I have wounded and I will heal,
  and no one can deliver out of my hand.
  40 I lift my hand to heaven and declare:
  As surely as I live forever,
  41 when I sharpen my flashing sword
  and my hand grasps it in judgment,
  I will take vengeance on my adversaries
  and repay those who hate me.
  42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
  while my sword devours flesh:
  the blood of the slain and the captives,
  the heads of the enemy leaders."
  43 Rejoice, O nations, with his people,
  for he will avenge the blood of his servants;
  he will take vengeance on his enemies
  and make atonement for his land and people.
• Psalm 90: 1-17 is a history of life and our rebellion against God
Ps 90:1-17 (ESV) Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2  Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
 from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust
and say, "Return, O children of man!"
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as  a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12  So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13  Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

• In many ways, Moses's song, was only a prelude to a greater song, the song of the lamb
• Song of the lamb extols God's work & character of justice
• Song of the lamb extols God's holiness & the need for mankind to worship Him
• This is a time of judgment for Israel and the world (but probably mostly Israel)
• APPLICATION: We ought to be very thankful that Jesus has paid the wrath of God for our sins


Rev 15:5-8 (NIV) After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.



• When you read this, what picture do you get?
• Final climatic ending
• On one side, everything is white and perfect, and on the other side, there is smoke and the wrath of God
• Usually a bowl is not connected with judgment but with what? Prayer. It may be that the bowls answer the prayer of the saints for justice
• Some interesting allusions to the temple in heaven, what do we observe?
• It is called the tabernacle of testimony -- this emphasizes God's word
• The angels come from the tabernacle -- God has warned people from his word
• The angels are in shining clean linen -- representing God's holiness
• The angels have golden sashes -- (not sure) gold sash would represent rank, or the authority to pass judgment
• The temple is filled with smoke -- this is the third time we see the temple filled with smoke, first at the dedication of Moses tabernacle, second at the dedication of Solomon's temple, and now at the judgment of the earth
• APPLICATION: There is a story here -- the story is that it has always been about holiness


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hgdyf9quBmE