At a distance, the whole concept of God is theoretical, and tame. When we get closer it makes our knees knock, and ties our tongues. That's not all bad when you consider the nature of God and His power.
Our text begins the close of
the Great Tribulation
period. There have been two previous
groupings of seven angels of judgment (seals & trumpets). Now the final (thank
goodness) grouping of seven angels begins with seven bowls of wrath.
Just before the beginning of
this judgment time, John describes for us a scene of worship outside the temple
in heaven. He is awed by the sight of
true worship. As one writer put it, John must give us one more glimpse of
heaven.[1]
We’ll take that last glimpse
before traveling with the angels of doom and gloom to the earth. We are treated to a pageantry of true worship
proceeding from the holy of holies in heaven's temple.
Again, we investigate the explanation
of Scripture with an eye on application.
Explanation
The Seraphs
Then I saw in
heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding
the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion. Revelation
15.1
The word angel means messenger. These messengers of God are bringing a harsh
message, the seven last plagues of God's wrath.
We cannot lose ourselves here in fascination with angels, and
speculation on their powers, and what they look like. The messenger must never stand in the way of
the message. It's still all about
Jesus!
The Sea
I saw before me what seemed to
be a glass sea mixed with fire. Revelation 15.2a
This shining sea that
surrounds the throne of God is not new.
And before the throne there
was a sea of glass like unto crystal…Revelation 4:6a
However, now there is fire
added. This signifies the judgment that
emanates from the throne. Fire is well
represented as God's wrath.
·
In Egypt, the plague was hail, mingled with fire.
·
New Testament chaff is separated from the wheat, then burned with fire.
·
God, Himself, is a consuming fire
For our God is a devouring
fire. Hebrews 12.29.
The sea of glass is ablaze
with the righteous judgment of the fire of holy God.
The Singers by the Sea
I saw before me
what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been
victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given
them. Revelation 15.2
The singers are the triumphant
ones – martyrs. Triumphant martyrs
sounds like an oxymoron! What's
triumphant about having your head lopped off?
Or being boiled in oil? What is
victorious about the persecution of the early church where believers were
ushered into the Coliseum and ferocious lions were unleashed to rip them apart,
while the nobles and common folk watched just for sport? In our culture there is nothing victorious
about such an ignominious death.
However, God does accounting
differently than modern man.
For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. Matthew 16:25
These victorious martyrs overcomers of the Beast are those
who remained faithful to Christ during the Great Tribulation. It cost them their lives. In the Lord's economy there is great honor
and privilege accorded those who are faithful while facing great trials and
persecution.
The Song
And they were singing
the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
“Great and
marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the
nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and
glorify your name? For you alone are
holy. All nations will come and worship
before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” Revelation 15.3-4
THE SONG REHEARSES GOD'S WORKS
This song of the singers
reflects Exodus 15, the song of Moses, sung by Israelites, standing at the
shore of the Red Sea. Just moments before
this song was sung, they were being chased through a pathway in the water God
had opened for their escape. It seemed
as if Pharaoh's storm troopers would eat their lunch. Suddenly it was over; the wall of water
engulfed only the enemy Egyptians; God's people were saved.
Moses' song is a song of
salvation. So is the song of the Lamb…but
it is not just one battle; it is the salvation of souls for eternity.
THE SONG REVERES GOD'S WAY
Only the redeemed sing this
song. Only the saints can praise their
King Jesus. Like Pharaoh's army, all the
rest of mankind will curse God's name, and then be engulfed in everlasting
punishment. It is God's way, holy and
just, you're His, or you are His enemy!
The Severity of God’s Judgment
Then I looked
and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide
open. The
seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple. They were clothed in spotless white
linen with gold sashes across their chests. Then one of the four
living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath
of God, who lives forever and ever. Revelation 15.5-7
This judgment relates to
Israel. The wrath of God will be poured
out over the entire earth, however, the references to the holy of holies, and now the bowls of
wrath, are "temple language".
In Old Testament temple
practice, the High Priest entered the innermost place of the tabernacle (holy of holies) one time each year on
the Day of Atonement. This was to make
sacrifice for the sins of the entire nation of Israel. He wore a long white robe, girdled with a
gold belt, and carried a bowl of blood from a freshly slain lamb.
This most holy place on earth
was so exclusive to the holiness of God that only the High Priest could enter,
and only after intense preparation, prayer, and ceremonial washings. The other attending priests would tie a rope
around his ankles as a precautionary measure.
If the High Priest’s preparation and motives were impure when he entered
behind the curtain that separated the temple from that holy place, God’s holy wrath
would kill him instantly. They would
have to drag out the body, because no other priest in his right mind would go
in to retrieve it.
In today’s Revelation text the
angels emerge from the temple in heaven, clothed in white and gold, to receive
bowls of wrath. It is the beginning of
the finality of God's wrath poured out upon the earth through His people,
IT IS A HARSH JUDGMENT
Seven bowls indicate a complete judgment. God will leave no sin unpunished, no affront
to His character unnoticed. Every detail
will receive His scrutiny.
IT IS A HOLY JUDGMENT
We do not like to think of our
God harshly punishing sinners. But it
doesn't matter what we think; it matters that God has said!
The High Priestly dress of the
angels indicates they bridge the gulf between man and God. In this case it is a frightening gift of
punishment. The words of a favorite hymn
echo this...
He hath loosed the fateful
lightning of his terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching
on.[2]
It is the truth-nature of God
that requires judgment on sin. Holy God
cannot stand sin in any form; it is detestable to holy God to have His creation
corrupted. For God to lie to us in His
word that sin might not be judged completely, and without exception, would be a
violation of God’s holy character. If our
sin is not covered by the blood of Christ, it will be crushed with this bowl of
wrath.
The Sovereign
The Temple was
filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven
angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues. Revelation 15.8
As in the days of Moses and
the children of Israel in the wilderness, the presence of God is described as
smoke filling the whole tabernacle. The
holiness of God echoes throughout the pages of holy Scripture:
In 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....And
the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:1, 4(KJV)
Then a cloud
covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent
of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the
tabernacle. Exodus 40:34-35
And it came to
pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of
the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud:
for the glory of
the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
1 Kings
So ends the Explanation;
now we move to Application
Application
Our daily living requires us
to SEE and BE the singers of worship. God’s
holiness calls and commands us to be holy, perfect, even as HE is perfect (see
Matthew 5:48).
When God’s people strive for
this perfection in love, the room fills with His presence and glory, and God
transforms us into the powerful hand of God to do the work of God. We reach for the beauty and touch heaven.
He forgot the enemy a few
hundred yards across no man's land. He
forgot the danger, deprivation, and suffering. He forgot everything as he watched the
butterfly. He reached out toward the
butterfly; his fingers moved slowly, cautiously, lest he frighten away this
visitor to the battlefield. But showing
one kind of caution, he forgot another. The
butterfly was just beyond his reach, so he stretched, forgetting that watchful
eyes were waiting for a target. He
brought himself out slowly, with infinite care and patience, until he had just
a little distance to go. He could almost
touch the wings that were so lovely. And
then a sniper's bullet found it's mark. The stretching fingers relaxed, then dropped
flat on the ground. For the private
soldier in field-gray, the war was over.
There is always a risk when
one reaches for the lovelier, finer, more fragile things of life. And that is what worship is: reaching for the beautiful.[4]
[1]John
Phillips, Exploring Revelation,
(Neptune, N.J., Loizeaux Bros., 1993), 187
[2]MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY, Words:
Julia Ward Howe, Music: American Folk
[3] Emphasis added by me for these three passages for
sermonic stress.
[4]
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