Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 160th episode. In this episode I want to continue our study of the book of Revelation. We are in chapter 15. This chapter is an introduction to the seven angels and the seven plagues which represent God’s destruction of the Antichrist. We see the angels who are tasked with the execution of this judgment receiving the vials or bowls of wrath. There is great applause and praise in heaven at the commencement of this judgment. Like we said in the previous episode, God’s judgment brings peace and comfort to the faithful because it means the wicked will finally face justice. Church history has no shortage of darkness and evil because human history itself has no shortage of darkness and evil. Try as we might we’ve never been able to construct a perfect utopia on the basis of religion or any other meta-narrative. When powerful people attempt to do this the outcome is always devastating. Only God can set things right once and for all. The seven bowls, or vials, of God’s wrath are terrifying to the godless and to those who have given themselves over to evil. But this very same judgment represents the shining hope of eternity for all those who by faith are found in Christ Jesus. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of God when His eminent grace is withheld and His holy justice is poured out. Let’s begin with verses 1-4:
Rev 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
Rev 15:2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
Rev 15:3 And they *sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
Rev 15:4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”
This passage opens with a scene of preparation for the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath. John saw seven angels in heaven whose task it was to complete the destruction of the Antichrist. We talked before about how God demonstrates patience with societies whose sin is not fully developed. Because of God’s grace, a population can go off the rails without God immediately destroying them in judgment. But eventually – if they fail to repent – their sin becomes more and more depraved until it reaches full maturity. Such was the case with Babylon, which I think is representative of every nation which gives itself over to pride and idolatry. Babylon had filled their sins to capacity and now they faced the full measure of God’s vindictive wrath.
John saw what I imagine to be vast crowds of people standing on a sea of glass. These were people who resisted the temptation of evil and overcame the Antichrist. Depending on the interpreter the sea of glass could represent several things. It could be symbolism for the fragile and broken nature of the godless world system. Or it could be a reference to the brazen sea in the temple. This was a space where the priests were instructed to wash themselves before entering the temple. This reference would symbolize the gospel covenant because the faithful are made clean by the sacrifice of Christ and their salvation depends on their standing on His righteousness. Another possible understanding could be symbolism for the Red Sea event during the Exodus. The sea of glass mixed with fire is reminiscent of the fire shining on the Red Sea as God guided the Israelites through on dry land. During those times God guided His people through the wilderness using a pillar of fire by night. This understanding is further solidified by the fact that the people standing on the sea of glass were singing the song of Moses. The fire is likely indicative of God’s wrath against the wicked – just as it revealed His wrath against Pharaoh as Pharaoh and his army pursued Israel into the Red Sea.
Liked we discussed in the previous episode, these people standing on the sea of glass are rejoicing over God’s judgment. Often we consider God’s judgment with a fearful frame of mind, but this shouldn’t be the case if your heart is surrendered to Jesus. For the faithful judgment means God being glorified and truth overcoming deception. It also means an opportunity for surrounding nations and individuals to repent of their sins and embrace God with the worship which His name deserves. Judgment brings fresh opportunities for entire populations to recover from collective psychosis and get back on track with reality. This is very good news for the faithful because a society getting back on track is often followed with decades of peace, prosperity, and thanksgiving. It’s only after the peaceful society forgets historical judgment that the cycle of collective descent into sin repeats itself. When God reveals His power and His justice in judgment the only logical response is to reverently glorify Him and worship Him in honor of His grace and love towards the faithful. Let’s read verses 5-8:
Rev 15:5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
Rev 15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.
Rev 15:7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
John saw the seven angels who had the seven plagues emerge from the holiest dimension of heaven. This is similar to the holiest part of the tabernacle and the temple where the high priest made intercession and where God communed with His people. This vision shows us the authority by which this judgment is set forth. It is ordained by God Himself and it fulfills the promises made in His everlasting covenant. As human beings we often lose sight of God’s word and the promises He’s made to us. But God never loses sight of them. We can depend on the prophecies and promises made in Scripture because we know that God is faithful and all-powerful. Nothing will stop Him from executing His will. Judgment on the anti-christian nation is also a satisfaction of the prayers of God’s people. When Christ told us how to pray an integral part of that prayer was petitioning God that His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Answering this prayer means God executing judgment on wicked nations.
It’s also the case that the Antichrist dishonors the sacrifice of Jesus – and such a crime will not go without holy vengeance. Technically speaking anyone who attempts to occupy the office of Jesus Christ is an antichrist. Some pastors are guilty of this when their followers begin to look at them with starstruck eyes. A pastor who can see his followers begin to deify him has the utmost responsibility of putting out that fire with all haste. But not all of them do it. Some of them are captivated by the temptation of being the object of worship. Those who allow themselves to accept worship on behalf of Jesus Christ commit a grievous and terrible sin – and sin that even the angels were terrified of. One of the positive aftereffects of God’s judgment is that it opens the road for many nations to worship Him. It’s a lot easier to worship openly when the enemies of God have been defeated and are no longer able to persecute you for it.
The angels who came out of heaven were clothed in clean, bright linen and they wore golden sashes. This clothing represents how the angels were on divine appointment to prepare God’s judgment. God often uses angels to carry out His work and these angels do so in a way that is holy and pure. Human beings – as we live on this earth – are not capable of doing God’s work with such purity. But because of His great love for us He allows us to carry out His work anyway and He forgives us when we stumble or make mistakes. In the work of executing God’s judgment the angels wielded bowls of God’s wrath. Think about how terrifying this would be for the wicked and godless nations. When a person is full of righteous anger we often say they put the fear of God into others. This kind of earthly person or creature who is full of wrath is no joke to mess around with. They can do some serious damage to you. But imagine an angel bringing God’s wrath. Angels are so magnificent and powerful that when they reveal themselves in Scripture humans sometimes mistake them for God Himself. It only took two angels to completely destroy the cities Sodom and Gomorrah. To see seven of them coming at you with the wrath of God is not something I want to experience.
It’s interesting to note how the angels aren’t instructed to pour out all seven bowls of wrath at once. The judgments are to fall upon the wicked in succession. I like to think this is because God – in His grace and mercy – is giving ample opportunity for the godless to repent and spare themselves from the rest of it. The bowls of wrath were given to the angels by one of the four living creatures. This might be a reference to the ministers who had remained faithful to God. When a culture descends into wickedness and faithful ministers pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will be done on earth as it is in heaven, the answer to this prayer is God’s wrath poured out against the evil. The angels are employed to avenge the cause of Christ’s beleaguered church.
Anyone who stood near the temple when God’s judgment commenced was enveloped in clouds of smoke. The smoke filled the temple so that no person was able to enter it. It’s important to understand just how deeply woven into the fabric of global society the Antichrist will be. When it comes time for God to destroy him this destruction will shock the entire world. I imagine things will become very chaotic and those who remain faithful to Jesus will not be able to have peaceful public worship easily. At least not until the judgment is finished. I love the way Matthew Henry describes this scene. He thinks our religious rituals will be thrown into a state of general confusion and preachers will be silenced. But that doesn’t mean the word of God will cease – no – instead God Himself will be the One preaching to the entire church all across the world by displaying His terrifying power in divine, righteous judgment. This will be a great deliverance of the Church. And that’s what you need to keep in mind as we walk into the days ahead. Things might seem pretty bleak but they always do before God does a work of great deliverance. It’s true that the western world is infected with a lot of evil which will need to be burned away. But in the aftermath the truth will always reemerge supreme. When the smoke clears and God’s judgment is finished the Church will spring forward in vibrant resurgence. It’s always been this way because the Church rests on the truth and the truth is King Jesus.
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