Revelation 15: The shortest chapter in Revelation.
[1] “Another sign...”: Connects this with the series that began with Rev 12. Recapitulation Style; Cf. Gen 1 & Gen 2; Exodus and Deuteronomy; all four Gospels, etc.
“...is filled...” = “was finished.” Cf. Psa 110:1.
[2] “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.”
“Sea of glass”: fire mingled; standing on it, (not “beside” it, as in NIV, Greek preposition could mean by, upon, or over). The world viewed them as losers; captured, reviled, persecuted, hated. They were on a shuttle service to heaven!
Perhaps the most pervasive human defect is our stubborn insistence that our perceptions and illusions should be taken for objective reality.
[3] “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints.”
King of “Ages”: 1Ti 1:17.
“Song of Moses”: Exd 15:1-21; Deu 32:1-43. [Sung before the giving of the Law in Exd 19 ff.]
“Song of the Lamb”: Rev 5:9-12.
Note that there never is any word about the martyr’s achievements. The only pronouns always refer to God. Remember: Revelation is Christocentric. Don’t be distracted by the four horsemen, 7 trumpets, et al. Who is being unveiled in this Book?
[Various ancient manuscripts have three different renderings: King of the saints, King of the nations; King of the Ages (Cf. Jer 10:7, 10); King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God (1Ti 1:17).]
[4] “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?”: Note the decline of the fear of God in our age... There is little reverential fear of God, even among believers....
“Nations shall come and worship...”: Not true today. The immorality, godlessness, and injustice—even in our own country—is increasingly conspicuous (Psa 7:9; Psa 11:7; Psa 107:1, 40, 42; Cf. Psa 2:8; Phil 2:9-11).
Judgment proceeds out of heart of His holiness: inner Temple; expands 7th Trumpet (Rev 11:18).
[5] “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened”: Temple mentioned 15X in this book. (Never until Rev 4, when the Church is removed. From then on, God is dealing with a people who have had a temple—a replica of things in heaven (Exd 25:40; Heb 9:23).
[6] “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”: Clothed in linen? Variant reading: precious stones?
[7] “And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God...”: Bowls: censer (Rev 5:8); flat saucers as used in worship.
[8] “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.”
“Smoke”: Isa 6:1-4; Lev 16:12-13; Aaron, on Day of Atonement, to carry censer of coals that he die not. Even the redeemed denied access. God suffers alone for the horror of sin.
[Seven churches = complete history of the church. Seven = complete. Each series of seven may involve parallelism among them...]
These seven angels with these seven bowls make it clear that these judgments proceed from God, not man’s mistakes or Satan’s enmity. Beware the Wrath of the Lamb.