Chapter 15 - Revelation Commentary

7/31/2019 Chapter 15 - Revelation Commentary

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Chapter 15

The Seven Vials of God’s Wrath

We are coming to the close of Daniel’s 70th week and we are told that

God’s wrath (fury) is filled up with these last seven plagues (Re. 15:1-8).

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels

having the last seven plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

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, hav-

ing the harps of God. 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. 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. 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. And one of the four beasts [living creatures] gave unto

the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth

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for ever and ever. 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 tem-

ple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.”

Here we see those who have been victorious over the beast standing on a

“sea of glass”. In Revelation 21:18 the term “clear glass” is likened unto

“ pure gold”. Possibly these overcomers were standing on an expanse of gold,

pure and translucent, signifying the purity and holiness of God’s heaven. This

“sea of glass” is mingled with fire. In Revelation 3:18 God counsels His saints

“buy ” gold tried in fire that they might be rich. These overcomers have

bought gold by doing the works of God and taking victory over the beast and

his image; God thus describes them as being rich. 1 Corinthians 3:13 states

that every man’s works will be tried by the refiner’s fire to prove what sort it

is, whether it is consumed like stubble or is purified like gold. These overcom-

ers seem to be "standing" on their works, which have survived the refiner’s

fire.

The words to Moses’ song are given in Deuteronomy 32:1-43. This song

sets forth the mercy shown to the Israelites, who later turned from God to the

worship of false gods, which brought on God's vengeance. As a result of their

perfidy, their sins became as those of Sodom and Gomorrah, and their wine as

the poison of dragons and the venom of asps. He describes their vine as com-

ing from Sodom and Gomorrah, their grapes as being filled with poison, and

their clusters as being filled with bitterness. This pretty well describes the

condition of mankind on earth at the time He pours out His wrath. Deuterono-

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my 32: 36 NIV, says the Lord will execute judgment when He sees that the

strength of His servants is gone and none are left, slave or free. There is noth-

ing that holds Him back now.

The song that the overcomers sing is also described as “the song of the

Lamb” . By our being grafted in, the NT church is also included in this prophet-

ic song. I believe this song is given as a warning to the latter-day church. As

much as God loved the people of Israel, He had no alternative but to pour out

His vengeance on them because of their turning to other Gods. In the same

way, people in end-times churches can become enemies by turning away from

God and worshipping the antichrist. Deuteronomy 32:36 is an arresting scrip-

ture, for it seems to imply that none of God's servants (believers) will be left

when He comes to avenge and repay: all will apparently be either raptured,

martyred, or will have turned to the whore church of the false prophet. This

condition occurs just before God pours out His wrath on the earth. None of His

true servants can be left on earth since He has promised that His wrath would

not fall on His own.

In Deuteronomy. 32:37 NIV God asks,

"Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, the gods who

ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings?"

In Revelation 15:5, John sees the temple (“holy place”) of the tabernacle of the

testimony in heaven opened, and seven angels come out. This is the same

temple referred to in Revelation 11:19 as the temple of God, and in Revelation

14:17 as the temple that is in heaven. It seems that angels are dispatched

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from the temple as they receive their assigned tasks. In this scripture the sev-

en angels receive seven golden vials (or bowls) full of the wrath of God that

are soon to be poured out on the earth. Revelation 15:8 states that no man

(GNT says no one) can enter the temple until the seven plagues of these sev-

en angels have been fulfilled.

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Chapter 15 - Revelation Commentary