Revelation 15-16: Introduction
These chapters connect with the thirteenth rather than with that which precedes. The latter, as before observed, is parenthetical. This will be at once seen by the character of the present vision. In chapter 13 the first and second beasts, the head of the revived Roman empire and the antichrist, are introduced; and the consequent display of Satan’s power in spiritual deception and despotic tyranny is exhibited.
Here we have the “seven last plagues” in which “is filled up the wrath of God” (vs. 1) brought forth as about to be visited upon the apostate earth, upon that portion of it especially which had accepted Satan’s yoke under the deceptive influences of the antichrist. The foundations may be destroyed and the righteous may be almost in despair, but God’s throne is still in the heaven; and “His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men” (Psa. 11:44The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. (Psalm 11:4)). After the introduction of the seven angels who have the seven last plagues, there is a significant break and, as is often the case in Scripture, the end is revealed before the commencement. Or rather, before the storm of God’s wrath bursts in all its desolating fury upon the earth, He vouchsafes to us a vision of the end of the trial for His saints. We are permitted to see them preserved through all the unutterable sorrows of that day, with their hearts overflowing in praise to Him who had protected them from Satan’s power and had snatched them as brands from the burning.
Revelation 15:2-32And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. (Revelation 15:2‑3)
John says: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God” (vs. 2). The “sea of glass” is evidently that referred to in Revelation 44And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4:4), where we read, “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal.” (vs. 6) It is moreover clear from Solomon’s “molten sea” (2 Chron. 4:22Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. (2 Chronicles 4:2)) that the allusion is to the laver in the holy place. This contained water as the means of purification; the “sea” before the throne is of glass, or “like unto crystal,” (vs. 6) the figure of fixed and accomplished holiness, without which these saints could not have been in heaven. But it was “mingled with fire,” (vs. 2) indicative of the fiery tribulation out of which they had come, and which God had used for the trial and purification of their faith. (See 1 Peter 1:6-76Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:6‑7).) Their characteristic description is also to be noted: they are those “that had gotten the victory over the beast.” (vs. 2) To man’s eyes they were surely vanquished by his power; but before God they were conquerors through Him that had loved them. So too, in outward appearance, it was with our blessed Lord: “He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God.” (2 Cor. 13:44For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. (2 Corinthians 13:4)) Man’s victories are demonstrative and showy; moral triumphs are silent and unseen, and often accompanied, as with these saints, with the loss of everything in this world. Their occupation is praise: they have harps—symbols of triumphant gladness—and they sing. The character of their song is two-fold, “They sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (vs. 3). “The song of Moses is triumph over the power of evil by God’s judgments. The song of the Lamb is the exaltation of the rejected Messiah, of the suffering One, and like whom they had suffered; for it is the slain remnant amidst unfaithful and apostate Israel whom we find here” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, Vol. 5:545). The allusion will be therefore to Exodus 154Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. (Exodus 15:4), and perhaps, for the song of the Lamb, to Revelation 54And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. (Revelation 5:4).
It is interesting to notice that these redeemed ones celebrate God as they had known Him on earth; that is, as revealed in the Old Testament. It is “Lord God Almighty,” (vs. 3) Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai; showing the immense difference between the place of the Jewish saints and those of the present dispensation. The ground of their praise is God’s marvelous works; that is, we apprehend, as seen in the judgments which had fallen upon the oppressors of God’s people; and they add, “just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints” (vs. 3). (It should be “nations,” not “saints.”) The interposition of God in judgment had dispelled all the clouds that had obscured (to sight) His ways in government; but, now that the end is reached, they confess that they were both righteous and true; and righteous and true in relation to the world at large, for He is here owned as King of nations. Faith is assured of this when God’s way is in the sea, and His footsteps are not known; still this suffering, but now victorious remnant, sustained by divine power, had gotten the victory over the whole power of evil; and, as they review the past, they gladly confess that all God’s ways had been according to Himself, and had ended in the furtherance of His own glory.
In the next place they contemplate the effect of God’s judgments. It is but the amplification of the prophet’s words, “When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:99With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9)). They cry, “Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest” (vs. 4). These saints, it will be remembered, are in heaven; and it is there they anticipate the full millennial blessedness of the earth in the subjection of all nations to Christ as King; and this as the result of God’s judgments having been made manifest. (See Psa. 72:8-118He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. (Psalm 72:8‑11); Zeph. 3:8-98Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. 9For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. (Zephaniah 3:8‑9); Zech. 14:1616And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16).)
All is thus prepared; and we read: “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles” (vss. 5-6). As in Revelation 11:1919And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19), so here the temple of the tabernacle is opened in heaven; only it is the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony, rather than the ark of the covenant, that is seen. In both alike the significance is that God is about to act in view of Israel and according to His unchanging purposes of grace towards them; but in the case before us, as “the testimony” (vs. 5) is prominent (the testimony, that is, embodied in the two tables of the law), it will indicate that this is the standard according to which God will proceed to judgment through the angels as the providential instruments of His government; and that He is thus about to make good His character as so revealed, according to this testimony.
There are seven angels—this number as usual setting forth the completeness or perfection of that in which they are to be engaged; and their array is distinguished by two things—their pure and white linen dress and their golden girdles. The white linen is a symbol of spotless purity, absolute cleanness in God’s sight, that which should have been seen, as has been suggested, in Babylon, but was superseded there by corruption and “abominations.” The golden girdles set forth the fact that these angelic instruments were girded by divine righteousness for their service. The white raiment and the gold (crowns of gold) characterize the twenty-four elders (Rev. 5), and “the fine linen,” clean and white, distinguishes the Lamb’s wife (Rev. 19); and both of these traits mark these angels when sent forth on their judicial mission, because “it was really the avenging of what God was, as fully revealed to the assembly” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:547).
It is one of the four living creatures who gives “unto the seven angels seven golden vials [or bowls] full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever” (vs. 7). It is thus the eternal God who is about to deal with the world through these providential scourges. When we say “providential” we mean that His arm will not be made bare, except to the eye of faith; that to the eyes of the natural man the things which will happen will seem to be the result of the operation of natural laws. Science for example, might be able to pacify the fears of men by indicating causes, or by alleging an explanation of the events. The reader will remark that one of the four living creatures hands the bowls to the angels, and that the bowls, even as the girdles of the angels, are golden. The living creatures, symbols of the attributes of God as displayed in creation, are always connected with God’s throne, and with His throne in its judicial aspect, in its relation to God’s government of the earth. It is therefore in harmony with the action proceeding, judicial wrath in government, that one of these living creatures should be the intermediary between God and the angels. The golden bowls or vials tell again of God’s righteousness, what is suited to His own nature which He is about to vindicate in judgment. (Compare Rom. 1:16-1816For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Romans 1:16‑18).)
The vials being given to the angel, another thing is recorded. “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man [no one] was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled” (vs. 8). The glory of God is the display of what He is. Any putting forth therefore of what God is, whether in grace, in power, or in holiness, is a display of His glory. Here accordingly, as power in judgment is in question, it is the display of what He is judicially according to the requirements of His own nature. (Compare Isa. 6:1-41In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 4And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1‑4), also 2 Chron. 7:1-21Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house. (2 Chronicles 7:1‑2).) This at once explains why, until these judgments were completed, no one could enter the temple; for who indeed could stand before a God of judgment?