Revelation 15
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And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
2 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, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 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.
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 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.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 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 temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Revelation 15:1-8
The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues
1Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.
2And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
5After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7And 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, 8and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Revelation 15:1-8
Seven Angels With Seven Plagues
1I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
5After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. 6Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
Revelation 13 presents the imposition of the worship of the beast and Revelation 14 summons worship to God, warning of the consequences of worshiping the beast. In Revelation 15, the warnings of Revelation 14 come true. The believers fear God and give Him glory (vs.7, 15:2-4), and the seven angels prepare to bring to the worshipers of the beast the cups of the wine of the wrath of God (vs.9-10; 15:1, 7). Revelation 15:8 points to the end of Christ's intercession and, as a consequence, the end of the time of grace. Jesus died and interceded for all human beings. The threefold angel's message called for each to stand beside the Creator. But unfortunately, many have chosen to follow the beast, worshipping the creature instead of the Creator, and now they will suffer the consequences of their choice.
Perhaps it is difficult to understand how a God of love could bring judgment. This is a strange work for God (Isa 28:21), but necessary for the eradication of sin. Revelation 15 is still in the future; today Jesus intercedes in the heavenly sanctuary and grace is available. Today God is proposing to you life and death. Choose life (Deut 30:19).
Flávio da Silva de Souza
Professor of Systematic Theology
Latin American Adventist Theology Seminary
Brazil
