Subject 10 : The Revelation (Commentaries on the Revelation)
[Chapter 15-2] The Division Point of Eternal Destiny (Revelation 15:1-8)
Chapter 15 describes the plagues of the seven bowls, which would be poured right after the saints’ rapture on those who, as God’s enemies, have stood against Him. The number “seven” that appears in common in Revelation, such as the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls, signifies God’s perfection and His almighty power. Jesus Christ is the omniscient and omnipotent God. That Jesus is the omniscient and omnipotent God to us means that our Lord is God Almighty for whom nothing is impossible. Our Lord is God Himself who has planned all things and who has the power to fulfill them all.
The saints, as such, must praise the Lord for His omniscient and omnipotent majesty and power revealed through the plagues of the seven bowls that He would pour on this world. We thank our Lord for the fact that such judgment is made possible by His omniscience and omnipotence. That the Lord would take His avenge on His enemies with the plagues of the seven bowls and the eternal suffering of hell is, for the saints, something that they can only be grateful for and is most appropriate. The saints thus cannot help but praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
The plagues of the seven bowls will arrive after the saints are raptured at slightly past the first three and a half years of the seven-year period of the Great Tribulation. Because of these plagues of the seven bowls, the hearts of the enemies of God will be dejected, and as they find out that our Lord is God Almighty, they will fear Him.
The “sign in heaven, great and marvelous” stated in verse 1 refers to the last plagues that will be poured on this world—that is, the plagues of the seven bowls. What the phrase “great and marvelous” tells us, on the other hand, are three-fold: first, through the Word of prophecy, the saints already know all about the plagues that will come to this world; second, the saints will be exempted from the plagues of the seven bowls; and third, the power of these plagues of the seven bowls brought by the Lord will be worldwide and fatally destructive.
On the other hand, the redeemed and raptured saints will sing “the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” in the air. The background to this song, as can be seen in Exodus 15:1-8, is the song of Israelites, who praised the Lord for His power and authority after crossing the Red Sea led by Moses. They could not help but praise the Lord for saving them with His power and authority from the desperate situation of being pursued by the Egyptian army.
Likewise, the saints of the New Testament cannot help but praise the Lord for their eternal salvation, which came through the remission of sin fulfilled by the baptism that Jesus received from John and His blood on the Cross. When the end times come, the people of God will once again praise the Lord, thanking Him for their martyrdom, resurrection, rapture and eternal life, all made possible through Jesus Christ who delivered them from their enemies, and all their sins.
In addition, the important distinction of this song is that it praises the Lord’s omnipotence, majesty, and righteousness. The martyrs cannot help but praise the Lord for His power, the grace of their salvation from sin, and the blessing of eternal life.
“The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony” in verse 5 refers to the tabernacle that God allowed to the Israelites when they left Egypt so as to give them the blessing of accompanying the Lord.
The “linen” in verse 6 refers to the righteousness of God. It tells us that the angels would be clothed in God’s righteousness and receive from Him the authority to render the kind of judgment that no enemy can ever reject.
Verse 8 says, “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.” We can discover three meanings here. First, it shows just how complete God’s wrath on His enemies is.
Second, it tells us that no one can enter into the Lord’s Temple without believing in the baptism of Jesus Christ and His blood, for God’s salvation of the sinners is so perfect.
Third, it shows that no human goodness can ever enable anyone to avoid the righteous judgment of God, and that only by believing in the baptism of Jesus Christ and His blood on the Cross can one escape from the wrath of God poured on the sinners.
The saints must therefore hold steadfast to the gospel and preach it to the last moment. And those who have not yet received the remission of their sins must realize that they are bound to face the righteous judgment of God, and they must return, as soon as possible, to the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord. The passage shows us that, as the judgment that God would bring on His enemies with the plagues of the seven bowls is perfect before all eyes to see, no one would ever be able to stop it until this judgment of sin is all completed.
Chapter 15 of Revelation shows us that the Antichrist, Satan, demons, and all those who stand against and do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which has been made available to us by the love of Christ, are the enemies of our Lord. I praise and thank the Lord for bringing His plagues to these enemies of God to judge them. It is only appropriate for the saints to praise the Lord with the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.
No one can stop our praise of the Lord’s righteousness, power, majesty, and truth. I praise the Lord for giving us such blessings. Hallelujah!
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