REVELATION
CHAPTER 15, Martyrs Victorious Over The Beast In Heaven / Seven Angels Are
Given Censors Full Of The Wrath Of God
By
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at
chapter 14.
1.1.1.
We saw that the chapter was sort of like a
highlight reel of events that will occur during the 7 Year Tribulation, and as
such that it would sometimes fast forward to the end of the Tribulation and
only to rewind to the beginning.
1.1.2.
We saw a group of 144,000 with the Lamb upon
1.1.3.
Then, we saw some angels preaching the gospel
and making warnings to the people on the earth.
1.1.4.
Finally, we saw one like the Son of Man
who went out to reap those who are on the earth which will symbolized Jesus rapturing
the church up in the clouds to be with Him, and, he was followed by an angel
who did a second reaping and this one was to reap the wicked on the earth at
the end of the 7 Year Tribulation by sending them to the Battle of Armageddon
where they would be killed.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at
chapter 15. We are going to see some
events occur that are leading up to the final seven, and by far the most
severe, judgments of the Tribulation to poured out upon the earth, the Bowl
Judgments.
1.2.1.
Here John has a vision of heaven and sees
another sign in heaven, a great and marvelous one.
1.2.1.1.John sees seven
angels who have seven plagues which contain in them the full wrath of God to be
poured out upon the earth.
1.2.1.2.John then sees a
see of glass that is mixed with fire on which those martyrs who have been
victorious over the Beast are standing and playing harps and singing a couple
of songs of worship.
1.2.1.3.Then, the seven
angels are given seven censors which are full of the wrath of God which is to
be poured out upon the earth, and which comprise Gods full wrath upon mankind
in rebellion against Him.
2.
VS 15:1
- 15:1 And 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. -
John tells us that he saw yet another sign in heaven, this one great and
marvelous, it was seven angels who had seven plagues
2.1.
In the book of
Revelation, we have already seen two of
these signs which John has recorded, they were:
2.1.1. In chapter 12, there was the sign of the woman, which we saw was
2.1.2. Then, there was the sign of the great red dragon, which was Satan.
2.2.
Here, in chapter 15 we begin the chapter with John saying that he saw yet
another sign, this one being in
heaven. In fact, this sign is described by
John in grandiose terms as being great
and marvelous.
2.3.
As with the other signs described in the book of Revelation,
this is a sign because it is a symbol of something having to do with
Gods purposes in the end times and the book of Revelation.
2.4.
This is great and marvelous, and it is a sign because
these seven angels in this chapter are coming directly from the throne of God (as we will see later in the chapter), and what they have with them is the last seven
plagues which are the
completion and fullness of the wrath of God which is to be
poured out upon the whole earth.
2.5.
Many people have a hard time reconciling the fact that the Bible teaches
that God is love but that the scriptures also says He is a God of
wrath.
2.5.1. We live in a world of people
that is in rebellion against the Lord their creator, a world who has purposely
told the Lord by their words and actions that they do not want Him to rule over
them.
2.5.2. This world of people that
are in rebellion against the Lord were and are inspired by legions of demons
that first rebelled against the Lord, and who are led by Satan or the Devil,
the one whose original name was Lucifer when he was created to be the chief and
supreme cherib over all of the angels of God.
2.5.2.1.Remember that it was the
serpent (who was possessed by the Devil) in the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter
3) that tempted Eve before she first sinned by eating of the forbidden
fruit. This was the fall of mankind.
2.5.3. Because of the fact that the
Lord is completely holy He can stand no unrighteousness in His presence, and
thus He is also a God of wrath, and One who executes absolute justice over all
of creation.
2.5.4. The Bible is full of
scriptures which tell of His wrath and indignation against sin, including:
2.5.4.1.Jer. 10:10, 10 But the
Lord is the true God; He is the living
God and the everlasting King. At His
wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.
2.5.4.2.The Psalms are beautiful songs of poetry and praise,
yet they also reveal Gods wrath and anger in numerous places, for instance
what the Psalmist wrote in Ps. 18:7, 7
Then the earth shook and quaked; And
the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was
angry.
2.5.4.3.The Old
Testament prophets spoke and wrote about the Lord in such a way that should
have caused men and women to tremble in fear before the Lord because of His
wrath against sin, for instance: Na.
1:6, 6 Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, And the rocks are broken up by Him.
2.6.
However, we must
also remember that Gods wrath is not
like the wrath of man that is triggered easily and which reacts quickly in
anger when aroused. Rather, God is patient and long-suffering, abounding
in loving kindness, and judgment is called in scripture the Lords unusual
work (Isaiah 28:21) because
it is something that He does not desire to do or enjoy. He takes no joy in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11) we read in
the Old Testament, and in the New Testament we read that He is not willing
for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). His wrath against sin then is something that
is constant and steady and always under control, and it will finally
only be unleashed after men have been given every possible chance for
repentance and turning to Him for mercy and forgiveness.
2.7.
We in the church
must come to realize that the God of
the Universe demands our worship, for He is a jealous God.
2.7.1. In Exodus 34:12-14, God
tells Moses that not only is He a jealous God, His very name is Jealous,
12 Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the
land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 But
rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and
cut down their Asherim 14 for you shall not worship any other god, for
the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
2.7.2. Deut. 4:24, says, 24 For
the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
2.7.3. Isaiah wrote in Is. 42:8, that the Lord will not share His glory with another, 8 I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My
praise to graven images.
2.7.4. We Christians must realize
that God desires nothing less than our total surrender to Him. He will never be satisfied, and will
discipline us as His children, until our hearts are completely for Him. Not only is He worthy of our worship, but He
actually demands it, and He has the right to do so because He is God!
2.7.4.1.What the book of Revelation
reveals to us then is that the Lord during the 7 Year Tribulation is taking
back the earth as His rightful possession, for it belongs to Him along with all
of its fullness (Exod.
9:29; Ps. 24:1; 1 Cor. 10:26), and in doing so He is going to remove
from the earth all who refuse to bend the knee to Him in worship as God and who
refuse to repent of going their own way in rebellion against Him. The Lord, at the conclusion of the 7 Year
Tribulation, will establish Christs Millennial Kingdom in which righteousness
will reign and all will serve and worship the Lord (See Rev. chapter 20 for
instance).
3.
VS 15:2
- 2 And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire,
and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and
from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of
God.
- John has a vision of a sea of glass
mixed with fire and martyrs who had been victorious over the beast
3.1.
Here in this
verse, we again we see a sea of
glass before the throne of God.
In chapter 4, verse 16, we saw a
sea of glass before the throne, and at that time I mentioned that that sea of glass before the throne in heaven
was symbolized by the lavers for water in the tabernacle. The
lavers were for cleansing ones self before ministering, and the sea of glass in heaven symbolized the fact
that God is perfect and holy, and that none shall ever come into His presence in heaven unless they have been
thoroughly washed by the blood of the Lamb of God.
3.2.
However, this sea of glass is mixed with fire,
which symbolizes the fact that the holiness of God has been offended,
and now His wrath is going to proceed
directly from His throne in order to be executed in its fullness upon the unrepentant on earth.
3.3.
The saints pictured in this chapter were martyrs for Christ and they
consist of those who came to Christ during the 7 Year Tribulation, not those of
the church age who were raptured up to be with Christ before the
events of the 7 Year Tribulation.
3.4.
These saints are martyrs who have come into heaven through a death of
persecution, however they had victory over Satan and the beast because they had
not worshipping him, nor his image, nor taken the mark of the beast. Here
these martyrs are standing on that sea
symbolizing His holiness, which has begun to burn from the fire of His anger
and indignation.
3.5.
One of the great blessings that the scriptures promise for those who are
martyred for Christ is the martyrs crown:
3.5.1. James 1:12, 12 Blessed
is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will
receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
3.5.2. Rev. 2:10, 10 Do not
fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of
you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten
days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
3.6.
It is interesting
that the only musical instrument that
is ever pictured in heaven is the harp.
Here these Tribulation saints who have been
martyred are playing worship music upon
the harp to the Lord.
4.
VS 15:3-4
- 3 And they *sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of
God and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, O
Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and
true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For all the nations will come and worship
before Thee, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed.
- The martyred tribulation saints sing
the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb
4.1.
The song of Moses either comes from Exodus 15 or Deut. 31 of the Old
Testament.
4.1.1. Exod. 15:1-3,17-18, 1 Then
Moses and the sons of
4.2.
The song of the Lamb is evidently the song with the lyrics contained in
these verses. We
sing a worship song with these lyrics that summarizes what this song is about:
#1: Great and miraculous are Your deeds
And
righteousness is Your way, Lord.
You are the almighty King
of kings
And
Lord of all the age, Oh.
#2: All glory be to You, God and King
The
Heavens declare all Your greatness
So
bright and beautiful in the skies
Their
message rings to the earth, Oh
#3: One day well all sing
Around
Your throne praising Your holy Name, Lord
Like
the waves of a hundred oceans
Thundering
on the shore, singing
CHORUS:
who
will not fear You, oh Lord
And
glorify Your holy Name
When
Your righteousness is revealed
Every
knee shall bow
Every
tongue confess
That You alone are holy
You alone are holy
All nations come and worship You
Well sing praise
With the song of the Lamb.
4.3.
Both of these songs extol the wondrous and miraculous works of the Lord,
with the song of Moses extolling the Lords delivering of His people through
the
4.4.
In both of these songs, God is to be revered and glorified, for He alone
is almighty, holy, righteous, and true, and His great works reveal His nature
to man.
4.5.
Speaking prophetically of the millennial reign of Christ soon to appear
on the earth, the song states, all the nations will come and worship before
Thee.
4.6.
Since we tend to be so forgetful as people, we Christians need to always
seek to remind ourselves of the mighty works which the Lord has done, both in Bible times, and in our own lives. The
Lord did the things that He did to the Egyptians so that the Israelites would
never forget who God is and how great is His power to save. The Israelites were to constantly remind
their children of the works of the Lord in dealing with the Egyptians, however
they eventually forgot to do so. Psalm 106 is a Psalm that was to be a
reminder to the Israelites of what the Lord had done for His people, as it
recounts their incredible deliverance.
However, the Psalmist records in Ps.
106:13-15 about how that the people quickly forgot what the Lord had
done for them, 13 They quickly
forgot His works; They did not wait for
His counsel, 14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the
desert. 15 So He gave them their
request, But sent a wasting disease among them.
5.
VS 15:5-6
- 5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the
tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, 6 and the seven angels who had
the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright,
and girded around their breasts with golden girdles.
- John tells us that he next had a
vision of the temple of the tabernacle in heaven and that it was opened
5.1.
As was mentioned already, chapter 15 is actually just a short chapter
that is just to lead us into the pouring out of the bowl judgments described in chapter 16.
5.2.
We have already
seen in Revelation 11:19, that there is an actual temple (or tabernacle) in
heaven, and the one the Lord directed the Israelite people to erect was
merely a copy of this heavenly temple,
19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His
covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds
and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
5.3.
I already mentioned that Heb. 8:5 tells us that everything in the earthly
tabernacle was actually resembling a heavenly item.
5.4.
As I mentioned at
the beginning of this chapter these
judgments which represent the full outpouring of the wrath of God come directly
out of the temple in heaven, which reveals to us their origin in Gods holiness.
5.5.
The wording, tabernacle of testimony, here is interesting. In the tabernacle in Israel,
housed inside the ark that was
kept in the Holy of Holies, was that
which was the holiest of all, namely, the stones upon which the finger of God
had written the Ten Commandments.
These are referred to here as
the testimony, as they were designed by God to be a testimony to Gods people
for all generations of His holiness.
It shall be for all of eternity that the testimony of Gods
holiness, contained in the stone tablets written by His finger, shall stand as
a monument unto His holiness.
5.6.
The seven angels come out of the temple in heaven, and they have
with them seven plagues which contain the fullness of Gods wrath upon this world.
5.7.
The clean and bright linen with which the angels are
clothed reveals their purity, and the golden girdles about them are designed to be
a reflection of the glory of God (as gold is seen to represent Gods
glory in scripture).
6.
VS 15:7-8
- 7 And 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. 8 And 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. - John tells
that one of the four living creatures we have seen before in the book gives to
the seven angels seven bowls full of the wrath of God
6.1.
Here in these
verses, we again see the four
living creatures who were first introduced to us in chapter 4 of
the book. I had mentioned in chapter
four that these creatures must surely
be cherubim whose job is to constantly tend to the One who is upon the
throne, and that they are
the worship leaders in heaven. It is therefore only fit therefore that these same ones so close to the Almighty should now be handing to the seven angels the
bowls which contain the wrath of God to be poured out upon the
earth because of the sin of unrepentant mankind.
6.2.
The bowls are rendered in some translations vials, as if they
were bottles, however in the Greek they actually are found to be censors, with the same
word used for them that is used for the incense censors in the
tabernacle.
6.3.
The censors themselves are made of gold, and thus they also
reveal the glory of God.
6.4.
JOKE: We do not know exactly what the censors looked like in the temple, and
thus you won't find any consistency in pictures of the censers you might run
across. Much like modern teapots, the
censors evidently ranged in shape and size, even being created with
"themes." In the same way you
can now buy teapots shaped like sunflowers, cookie jars, and pigs heads,
censers then were fashioned into many shapes. The most popular with the people
by far was the boat-shaped style, which the religious Israelites tried to ban
because of offensiveness. This is of
course where censer-ship originated.
6.5.
When the censors are handed to the seven angels to pour out upon the
earth, the temple then fills up with smoke from the glory of God and from
His power, and then no one is able to enter the temple again until after the censors are poured out. We see from Exod. 40:34-35 that the
same thing happened to the earthly tabernacle just after Moses finished
building it and the Lord initially came to dwell into it, 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of
meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not
able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the
glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
6.6.
Likewise, in 1 Kings 8:10-11, when Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant
into the newly built temple, the same thing occurred, 10 And it came about
when the priests came from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of
the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the
cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.