Chapter 15 of Revelation predicts what will go on in heaven just before the seven bowl judgments (the final judgments) fall. We are going to consider Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 (the seven bowl judgment) together because Chapter 15 is the shortest Chapter in Revelation.
Another Sign (the Third Sign) from Heaven (Rev. 15:1)
"Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete" (Rev. 15:1).
This will be the third of three great signs in heaven - First, the sun-clothed woman (Rev. 12:1) which signifies Israel; second, the great red dragon (Rev. 12:3) which signifies Satan. Now this third sign (seven angels having the seven last plagues) will be great and marvelous because of its terrible nature and amazing results. It will bring on the full wrath of God, which will cause the fall of Satan and his demons.
These seven plagues can be called "last plagues" because they will be God's final warnings to an unrepentant world. When these plagues are over, all of those who have not made a decision to side with God through Jesus Christ will stand before the judgment of unbelievers and perish.
Sea of glass mingled with fire (Rev. 15:2)
"And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the seas of glass, having harps of God" (Rev. 15:2, emphasis added).
This will be the second "sea of glass" to appear in heaven. The first "sea of glass" will be as clear as crystal (Rev. 4:6). This one will be mixed with fire. The sea symbolizes the masses of people, and the fire represents judgment.
Just before the final judgments (the seven bowl judgments) start, John saw masses of people standing on the sea of glass mingled with fire. They will have been in a fiery persecution. They are those who had been victorious over the Beast and his image and over the number of his name. They will not be decieved by the Antichrist or his False Prophet. They will be tracked down and ordered to take the mark of the Beast but will refuse. For their refusal they will face retaliation in the form of torture and death. Victory, however, will still be theirs because they will lose their earthly life but will gain an eternal one. They will get to heaven and God will give them harps so that they can sing and praise God.
The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:3, 4)
"They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: 'Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested'" (Rev. 15:3, 4, emphasis added).
The victorious saints (tribulation sants) will sing two songs: (1) the song of Moses and (2) the song of the Lamb. The song of Moses (Exodus 15:1 - 18) celebrates the victory God gave Israel when He brought her out of Egypt. Pharaoh's army chased after the Hebrews to recapture them, but his troops were drowned in the Red Sea.
The song of the Lamb is found in Rev. 15:3, 4. It celebrates God's reign and victory over all the nations. The deeds 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. He is the King of the ages. He is the eternal King. The One who has reigned, is reigning, and always will reign.
In my opinion, we should fear the Lord either on earth or in heaven for at least three reasons:
1. Jesus should be feared and glorified because He alone is holy. He alone is worthy of our worship. He is the only One who never sinned. He has been hallowed or set apart for God's special purposes: 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.
3. Jesus should be feared and glorified because His righteous acts will be revealed. The terrible judgments of the Great Tribulation period will be righteous acts of Jesus. he will deal with those who do not accept His mercy.
The seven angels who come out of the heavenly temple (Rev. 15:5, 6)
"After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands" (Rev. 15:5, 6).
The temple in heaven, together with the Holy of Holies, inside the temple will be opened. The Ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies contains the Ten commandments, which are sometimes called the Law or the Testimony.
Those who reject the grace and mercy God offers throught the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son will be judged under the Law (the Ten Commandments). In rejecting what God offers, they also reject Jesus. By rejecting Jesus, they reject God, and leave themselves open to be judged under the Law of Moses in the Old Testament.
The Law of Moses was given to reveal sin and not to take away sin. Sin can only be taken away by Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Seven angels will come out of the Temple. They will be dressed in pure bright linen signifying their righteousness. They will wear golden bands around their chest signifying their royal priesthood.
These seven angels are royal and powerful priests preparing to pour out the wrath of God. The people who are judged here are those left after God has reaped every one who can be saved. They will received judgment without mercy. Because they have flouted God, followed the Antichrist, took the mark of the Beast, worshiped his image, and rejected Jesus, they will face the full fury of God.
The seven angels and the seven golden bowls of God's wrath (Rev. 15:7, 8)
"Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed" (Rev. 15:7, 8).
One of the four living creatures will hand the seven angels seven bowls filled with the wrath of God.
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 dump it on the mercy seat over the Ark of the Covenant. God had him do that 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 dumping the bowls on the mercy seat, they will dump them on earth!
Things just keep getting worse for those who reject God. When the priestly angels leave the temple, it will be filled with smoke from the glory and power of God. No one will be able to go back in or enter the Holy of Holies. No one can change their mind and pour blood on the mercy seat. There will be no more mercy, no more delays, and no more opportunities to repent until the seven plagues have passed.
The judgment of seven bowls by the seven angels (Rev. 16:1 - 21)
1. The plague of the first bowl (Rev. 16:1, 2)
"Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.' So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image" (Rev. 16:1, 2).
As God has committed all judgments to Jesus, the loud voice from the temple must be the voice of Jesus. He will order the seven angels to go and pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth. Each angel will be given a portion of God's wrath.
The first bowl judgment will cause foul and loathsome sores. Only those who take the mark of the Beast or worship this image will be afflicted. When the Antichrist is unable to heal his own people, the world will know he is a false physician.
This plague will be similar to the sixth plague in Egypt when Moses was trying to have the Hebrews set free. At that time, God afflicted the Egyptian people with tumors, festering sores, and itching skin. The whole land, all the Egyptians, and even the animals were affected.
2. The plague of the second bowl (Rev. 16:3)
"Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of dead man; and every living creature in the sea died" (Rev. 16:3).
When the angel pours out his bowl on the sea, it becomes like the blood of a dead man. Every living creature in the sea will be killed. This reminds us of the miracle Moses performed, turning the water of the Nile River into blood according to the command of God (read Exodus 7:20 - 25).
3. The plague of the third bowl (Rev. 16:4 - 7)
"Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: 'You are rightteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.' And I heard another from the altar saying, 'Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments'" (Rev. 16:4 - 7).
This plague will be similar to the first plague in Egypt. Back then, God turned all the waters of Egypt into blood. The fish died, water smelled, and the people could not drink it. This plague will be far worse because all the earth's water will be polluted, causing worldwide suffering and death.
The angel in charge of earth's water will look at this judgment and declare it to be a judgment deserved.
The bloody waters will be God's response to the shedding of the blood of the Tribulation saints and the Old Testament prophets. The Antichrist and his followers will shed the blood of saints all over the world. God will eventually respond by turning their drinking water into blood. When He does, the martyred Tribulation saints (from the altar) will declare that God's judgements are just and true.
4. The plague of the fouth bowl (Rev. 16:8, 9)
"Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. and men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory" (Rev. 16:8, 9).
The fourth bowl judgment will cause the sun to scorch people with fire. Notice that even though people will be scorched to death by that murderous heat, the survivors still do not repent. Their hearts will be hardened to the end. Accordingly, they will murmur and blaspheme God!
5. The plague of the fifth bowl (Rev. 16:10, 11)
"Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds" (Rev. 16:10, 11).
The fifth bowl judgment will mark a turning point. God will begin to focus His attention on the Antichrist. This Beast will love spiritual darkness so he will get physical darkness. It will cover the planet. People will not be able to see the stars or moon or even the sun.
As a consequence, chaos arises and the people will be panic-stricken. Although they gnash their teeth and bite their tongues due to extreme pain, they stll will not repent of their sins. Instead they will blaspheme God!
6. The plague of the sixth bowl (Rev. 16:12 - 16)
"Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits. ... And they (unclean spirits) gathered them together to the place called in Hebrews, Armageddon" (Rev. 16:12 - 16, emphasis added).
When the sixth angel pours out his bowls, the Euphrates will dry up and the kings of the East will be able to move their 200 million soldiers against Israel in the Battle of armageddon. Notice the word "kings" is plural. This will likely be an alliance of Eastern nations.
At that time, "three unclean spirits" will go forth to the kings of the West and their kingdoms and seduce them to form an alliance against the Eastern invasion. The allied forces come to a place called Armageddon. The two enormous armies, totaling as many as 300 million soldiers and equipped with ultra-modern weapons, gather together for a showdown.
When a great massacre breaks out at Armageddon, Jesus Christ will descend, accompanied by His saints. At that point, the armies will cease fighting each other and unite in a struggle against Jesus and His hosts, but they will finally suffer defeat (read Rev. 19).
Rev. 16:15 gives a clear warning about Jesus' coming to the Battle of Armageddon.
7. The plague of the seventh bowl (Rev. 16:17 - 21)
The seventh bowl judgment will be the last. It will be poured out into the air, and then a voice from the Throne of God will say, "It is done!" Voices, thunderings and lightnings fill the the air, and the greatest earthquake in history divides Jerusalem into three parts.
These and the remaining events will bring an end to Satan's reign.
No comments:
Post a Comment