Revelation 15

The Final Plagues

15:1 Then I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven final plagues (they are final because in them God’s anger is completed).

John saw a great sign in heaven. Seven angels will be holding seven large bowls. These bowls contain the final seven judgments that God will pour upon a world that has rejected Him. After these seven bowls are poured out upon the earth, then God will complete His judgment.

15:2 Then I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing by the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God.

John saw the saints of the 2nd half of the Great Tribulation. They conquered the beast, because they refused to take the mark of the beast. They refused to worship his image. They were standing by the sea of glass. They were holding harps. The harps had been given to them by God.

15:3 They sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: “Great and astounding are your deeds, Lord God, the All-Powerful! Just and true are your ways,

These saints sang two songs. They sang the Song of Moses. Moses wrote two songs that were recorded in Scripture. One of the songs was recorded in Exodus 15. His other song was written in Deuteronomy 32. They could have sung either or both of these songs. It was also possible that they sang a Song of Moses that was not recorded in Scripture. 

The second song that the saints sang was the Song of the Lamb. The words to the Song of the Lamb are recorded in this verse. The Song of the Lamb glorifies God for His great and astounding deeds. This song praises God because He is Lord. He is omnipotent. He is just. He is true in everything that He does. He is the King over all of the nations.

Compare the Song of the Lamb to the songs of the modern world. The Song of the Lamb praises God for who He is and what He does. The songs of the satanic world system glorify sex, drugs, and sin. Music was created to glorify God, but Satan uses music to glorify sin. Socrates said, "Give me the music of the culture and I will control your children." Parents need to be very careful to control the music that their children listen to. Music is powerful and influential. Some patients of Alzheimer's disease cannot remember the names of their spouse or children, but they can remember songs from fifty years earlier.

King over the nations!

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name, because you alone are holy? All nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

The Song of the Lamb continues. The lyrics of the second stanza were written down by John. The theme of this second stanza is that all will fear the Lord. All will glorify His name. The reason everyone will glorify the name of the Lord is because He is the only one in existence who is holy, or set apart, to offer atonement to a fallen human race. All nations will come to the Lord and worship Him. All of the righteous acts of the Lord will be revealed to all of the nations.

15:5 After these things I looked, and the temple (the tent of the testimony) was opened in heaven,

After the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb, the temple in heaven will be opened. 

15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts around their chests.

These seven angels came out of the temple in heaven. They were dressed in white linen. They wore a gold belt around their chests.

15:7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever,

The four living creatures will give the bowls to the seven angels. The bowls are filled with the wrath of God.

15:8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.

This temple in heaven was filled with the smoke from God's glory, meaning the Shekinah Glory. The Shekinah Glory once rendered judgment upon Israel in the Book of Numbers. The Shekinah Glory will return to bring judgment upon Israel during the Great Tribulation.