“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested”
In chapter fifteen, we come to more details of God’s judgment on the world. Chapter fifteen prepares us for the pouring out of the bowl judgments in chapter sixteen. God’s wrath is building to a grand climax.
15:1
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
The Holy Spirit gives another “sign” of the judgment of the future world dictator and his religious system.
The seven angels of this chapter are different from the angels of the preceding chapter. This last series of seven plagues completes the Tribulation period. God’s wrath has been building for centuries. In the Tribulation, He unleashes His wrath. In the bowl judgments, He concludes His judgment on the world.
15:2
And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
The martyrs who conquered the beast stand by a “sea of glass” with harps of God. In preparation for the pouring out of the seven bowl judgments, the people of God enter into worship.
The beast and his tribe do not surface until the middle of the Tribulation. This means that those who gained victory over the beast must have done that sometime after the middle of the Tribulation. These believers have already been martyred and sing a song in heaven.
15:3
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
In this verse, we have the lyrics of a song the Tribulation martyrs sing in heaven. The “song of Moses” and “of the Lamb” praises God for His works, truth, justice, name (character), and holiness. These characteristics are His glory.
Great and marvelous are Your works,
God’s works are great in extent and inspire awe in the minds of the saints. Here men forget their problems and puny goals and throw themselves into the awe of God. They see the entire history of the world coming to a conclusion in the judgments unfolding before their eyes. They see the glory of God exhibited as never before. Their little plans for life do not matter anymore. Self-importance fades into God-centered orientation.
Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
Worship is to acknowledge God’s person and His work. We cannot worship the Lord until we know something about His person and work. We cannot love a man or woman until we know them.
15:4
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy.
God will fully vindicate justice on the earth by the Second Coming of Christ. This is why He deserves glory from His creatures. They sing a song to the omnipotence and justice of God. He is the God of time and eternity. Everything God does, He does with forethought. There are no mishaps with Him. He does not operate on luck but His sovereignty. His glory is beyond calculation, but He put us on earth to glorify His name.
For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested
“All” of the nation’s coming to worship is an anticipation of the Millennium. This is when Jesus publicly assumes His right as King of the World. During the Kingdom, all nations will fall down in worship before the Messiah. Jesus assuming His position as King happens after the seventh bowl judgment.
No one will say on that day, “Look at man and what man accomplished.” They will say, “Look at God’s plan for creation. It came to fulfillment just as He promised.”
Principle:
Things are not always what they appear to be in God’s economy.
Application:
God now answers the prayer, “How long, Oh Lord, how long?” God brings all apparent injustices into right relationship.
At times, what appears to be a loss is really a victory. The martyrs of the above verses appear to lose to the beast, but they come back in great victory. God works in different ways than man. Things are not always what they appear to be. The beast thought that he got rid of his enemies, but they only came back with their sovereign Lord.
God expects Christians to take a stand for what they believe. Put your confidence in the promises of God. Everything else in life is frail and fallible. We cannot improve upon the promises of God. Trust God to take you through your situation even though you may face great injustice.
