Revelation 15: 1-8
We are looking at all the stuff that has been going on while the seals have been opened and the trumpets have been sounded. It looks like everything has been going on at the same time, like a 5-ring circus!
Now we're going back to seeing what's going on in Heaven while God prepares to complete His justice on all the evil people who have done so much damage already.
(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.
These angels are great and marvelous because they are God's warriors who are preparing to win God's war with these rebels against good.
(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.
(3) And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
These are martyrs who have stood their ground against the edicts of the Antichrist's government decreeing immorality and idolatry and all kinds of depraved degeneration. The harps of God are probably organic, so they could be the vocal chords of these saints. This is their song:
"Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
(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."
They are singing His praises for showing everyone His power and righteousness and holiness; and every being everywhere will be compelled to accede to God's divinity and authority as the only God over all.
(5) After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
(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.
These seven angels all came out of the Heavenly Temple all together, dressed in magnificent and marvelous clothing, beyond any royal clothes any king ever wore on Earth.
(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.
And the bowls or vials full of God's wrath were all given to all seven angels at the same time.
(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.
God in His Temple is now exerting His power and might to energize the wrath that is "in" these bowls, to accomplish every drop of justice and vengeance on every person for every thought and intention and action of rebellion against God by attacking His people and His ways.
Tomorrow we will look at what these bowls of wrath will do when they are poured out on the Earth.
O my Father, thank You for telling us what is coming. If it scares people, then let it scare them into Your comforting arms. No matter how hard it gets, we know that You will continue to be faithful to take care of us, and to fight on our behalf to give us the victory, even when we give our lives. Jesus told Martha that, "... he who believes in me will live even if he dies ..." (John 11: 25), so, even the martyrs gain the victory in giving their lives.
And many of us will be called upon to give our lives. We as Your children, Father, must all be willing to give our lives, even if we never get to that point. Teach us to value You above our mortal lives, to realize that they are just temporary, and the life You give us is forever.
And help us, my Father, to spread Your Good News, to broadcast Your great love, to every living person in the world! Please give everyone a clear understanding, so that each one will be able to make an informed and honest decision to choose to accept Your gracious gift, or to reject Your goodness and allow themselves to be deceived by the liar.
In either case, every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign king over all Creation, to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come very soon, Lord Jesus!
