We have arrived at Revelation Chapter 15., the shortest chapter in the entire book of Reveltation; yet it is mightily full of truths. In last week’s episode, Chapter 14 put our eyest right back onto Jesus. John is masterful at telling us his vision of Revelation with many pauses and interludes that help us refocus and recalibrate to know who is in charge; and that is Jesus.
Transcript
Welcome to Exhale Bible Discovery.
Speaker:Each week we'll take a deep dive into the Bible, going line by line and chapter by chapter to discover the truth that God has for us in his Word.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:This is Dr.
Speaker:Paula McDonald, and we have arrived at Revelation, chapter 15.
Speaker:Well, wasn't it refreshing that last week in chapter 14, it put our eyes right back onto Jesus? John is so masterful at telling us his vision of Revelation with many pauses and interludes that help us refocus and recalibrate to know who is in charge, and that is Jesus.
Speaker:Well, this lesson brings us to the shortest chapter in the entire book of Revelation.
Speaker:Short that it may be in length, it is still packed with wonderful truths.
Speaker:And once again, we have another pause or interlude prior to the final wrath of God that we will see really in chapters 16 and 17.
Speaker:So this chapter contains some great lessons of the victory of Christ.
Speaker:If you've ever attended a live theater musical production, you no doubt have experienced the majestic opening overture.
Speaker:An overture is an opening or an introduction to something that's more substantial.
Speaker:So soon after this music comes to an end, then the curtains are opened to the scene on the stage, the lights are on, the costumes are donned, and the special effects are ready.
Speaker:Smoke will often be used for a dramatic effect.
Speaker:And here in this chapter of 15, we are given an overture of heaven in John's vision.
Speaker:And we will see the musical overture in the song that is presented, as well as the dramatic ending of the smoke filled temple.
Speaker:So I've divided this lesson, as short as it is still, into two different divisions.
Speaker:We have division one, which is the victorious song, and that's verses one through four.
Speaker:And then in our second division, it's the victorious judgment, verses five through eight.
Speaker:So lots of stuff packed in, so let's get right into it.
Speaker:And we know if you go back to the end of chapter 14, there was some sobering visions for us of death, destruction and bloodshed.
Speaker:And chapter 15 now moves into John, saying he is seeing another great and marvelous sign.
Speaker:And as we've moved through these tense chapters in Revelation, this sign that John mentions here in verse one signals the third and final series of the prior seven judgments, the seven seals that we saw in chapter six, and the seven trumpets we learned from chapter eight.
Speaker:And now here in chapter 15, we have the seven last plagues.
Speaker:Verse one.
Speaker:I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign, seven angels with the seven last plagues, last because with them God's wrath is completed.
Speaker:And as I mentioned, these series of events, they all have the number seven in common.
Speaker:And John tells us here that this is the last of these seven issues, plagues, whatever you want to call them, and then stating very clearly the reason, because god's wrath is completed.
Speaker:And as we've been reminded time and again throughout this book, god's wrath does not last forever.
Speaker:And aren't we so thankful for that also? We are reminded that the wrath that Satan has been causing on this earth will also not last.
Speaker:And so both of these are good news for us as believers.
Speaker:And although this is the shortest chapter in Revelation, we are provided with some great reminders of the victory of God.
Speaker:It's as if this chapter is holding open the curtain for the final scene of God's wrath.
Speaker:And so, prior to this scene, the overture of this victorious song is played as an introduction and as a reminder of who is in control.
Speaker:Verse two.
Speaker:And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and standing beside the sea.
Speaker:Those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name.
Speaker:They held harps given to them by God.
Speaker:We saw this reference of a sea of glass back in Revelation four six, where it said also in front of the throne, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
Speaker:In the back center around the throne, there were four living creatures.
Speaker:They were covered with eyes in front and in back.
Speaker:This time, however, there is a reference to the sea of glass that is glowing with fire.
Speaker:So this could very well show the destruction that is happening beneath them.
Speaker:The judgment of the earth with the fire and the brimstone and the blood would certainly represent a red glow.
Speaker:But what is really wonderful to see in this vision is the firm foundation of heaven that stands securely and victoriously over the destruction of Satan and all the evil he has created.
Speaker:And next we see that those included in this scene are those who have been victorious over the beast in its image and the number of its name.
Speaker:And so what this means is that in heaven, those who have been waiting for Satan and all of his minions to be decimated, here they are poised and ready to celebrate the victory song of his demise.
Speaker:It's as if those who are standing beside the sea of glass are positioned in this manner in order to see below to be able to witness this final destruction.
Speaker:These victorious ones endured persecution on earth from Satan, and they did not succumb to his temptations.
Speaker:And they refused to bow down to him in any shape or form.
Speaker:But here now, they stand victoriously, poised and ready to proclaim the goodness of God through singing and worship.
Speaker:They're holding their hearts and they are fully prepared to burst forth into worship.
Speaker:And while on earth, we as believers, we have to hold on to our swords and our shields.
Speaker:Here we are on earth, holding our swords and our shields.
Speaker:But now we see in this vision that believers in heaven hold only a beautiful instrument used to worship the Almighty, and it means we get to lay our weapons down.
Speaker:And that is great news.
Speaker:Verse three, and they sang the song of God's servant Moses, end of the Lamb.
Speaker:Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Speaker:Just and true are your ways, king of the nations.
Speaker:So now John mentions God's servant Moses, and he's connecting Moses to the Lamb in this little song.
Speaker:And there's four distinct praises in this song.
Speaker:So from verse three, there are two specific praises.
Speaker:One, there's a praise and accolade of God where he says, great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Speaker:He's thanking God.
Speaker:He's praising Him.
Speaker:He's telling him of how great he is.
Speaker:And then the second part is, there are praises of God's character because he says, Just and true are your ways, king of the nations.
Speaker:Then in verse four, who 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.
Speaker:So the next two praises are praising God's deity.
Speaker:It says, who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name, the deity of Christ of God.
Speaker:And then there's a praise of God's holiness and his sovereignty, for you alone are holy, all nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
Speaker:And so if you go back to the book of Exodus, chapter 15, verses one eight, we find a song from Moses and the Israelites that were singing about their victory over the parting of the Red Sea and their eventual escape from the tyrannies of Egypt.
Speaker:And in this song, they remind us from whom they receive their strength and salvation, who their warrior is, who shattered their enemy.
Speaker:Great is His Majesty, who consumed their enemies like stubble that's right out of Exodus.
Speaker:And doesn't that sound a whole lot like what we saw last, chapter 14, about the harvest and the sickle and then that God blew his breath over them and the enemy sank.
Speaker:Well, that reminds me of Revelation 1111.
Speaker:And God breathed life into them and they stood up, and those around them were terrified.
Speaker:So many commonalities.
Speaker:The final verse of Moses song here in Exodus ends with being reminded of God's unfailing love, his redemption, his holy dwelling, and that we will be planted with his inheritance on his mountain and that he reigns forever and ever.
Speaker:And then there's another song of Moses found in Deuteronomy 32.
Speaker:And this time it's just before Moses is going to die.
Speaker:And he is meeting with all the tribes, the leaders of the tribes, and he is providing the people with his last words of truth and encouragement.
Speaker:And he's reminding them that his teachings are important, of God's greatness and that his ways are just imperfect about God.
Speaker:He reminds them that he set up the land for the people, shielded and cared for them, guarded them like an eagle with its wings spread, and that God provided them with food and sustenance.
Speaker:And then he also reminded the people of those who abandoned him by sacrificing to false gods.
Speaker:And Moses continues with the warnings for those who reject him and his rock, their Savior.
Speaker:He tells them a fire of wrath would devour the earth and its harvests, and that means the harvest of Satan's work and that there would be famine and pestilence and deadly plagues that would follow.
Speaker:Wow.
Speaker:We are seeing that right here in Revelation.
Speaker:But he goes on in verse 28 of Deuteronomy 32 and says, they are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them.
Speaker:If only they were wise and would understand and discern what their end will be.
Speaker:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker:That is a verse that could come out and mean right now what we're talking about and what we're dealing with in our world today, a nation without sense, with no discernment.
Speaker:That sounds familiar.
Speaker:So even more connected to this song in Revelation.
Speaker:Continue with the verses of the song from Exodus, verses 31 through 33.
Speaker:For their rock is not like our rock, meaning they serve Satan and not God.
Speaker:Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom in the fields of Gomorrah, meaning they are connected to the evil one, to Satan, whereas believers, we are connected to our true vine, Christ.
Speaker:Their grapes are filled with poison, cluster full of bitterness, meaning they are sin filled.
Speaker:And then their wine is the venom of serpents, deadly poison of cobras, which means their wine means death.
Speaker:So then in verses 34 through 43, moses reminds them of who is victorious.
Speaker:He says God will vindicate his people.
Speaker:He will take vendors on his adversaries.
Speaker:He will make atonement for his land and his people.
Speaker:So you see, these two songs of Moses are great reminders of how God has and continues to shelter his people.
Speaker:No matter how bleak things might appear to us today, we might want to go back and revisit the trials and tribulations our forefathers endured.
Speaker:And just as God instructed Moses to write a song to remind people of who he is and of his love, right here in chapter 15 of Revelation, god provides us with another song of victory in Jesus.
Speaker:And it reminds me of the beautiful hymn Victory in Jesus, My Savior Forever.
Speaker:He sought me and he bought me with his redeeming blood he loved me ere I knew Him and all my love is to Him he plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.
Speaker:So your truth bomb here is there is absolutely no doubt that God is victorious.
Speaker:And so your call to action, how are you living your life today in light of this truth? Do you live as in victory or do you live as a defeated one in fear? Very important question.
Speaker:So second part of this chapter victorious Judgment, verses five through eight, once the song had commenced.
Speaker:John now tells us that the temple or the tabernacle which contained the law is opened.
Speaker:Verse five.
Speaker:After I looked and I saw in heaven the temple, that is the tabernacle of the Covenant of law.
Speaker:And it was opened.
Speaker:And remember that the tabernacle or the tent was the temporary place where God dwelled with Moses and the Israelites as they moved from place to place in the desert.
Speaker:The tablets of the Ten commandments were placed in the Ark of the Covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle, and then later on in the temple.
Speaker:Hebrews 94 states that the Ark also contained the golden pot that had manna and errands rot that budded and the tablets of the Covenant.
Speaker:And so if you've ever done any studying regarding the Ark of the Covenant, you know this is and was a very special artifact that was extremely important to the Israelites.
Speaker:And as important as this artifact was when the Babylonian empire was conquered, the Israelites and the Ark at the time supposedly stored in the temple in Jerusalem.
Speaker:It vanished from history.
Speaker:And whether it was destroyed, captured or hidden by the priests, no one knows.
Speaker:But what we do know here in verse five and earlier from Revelation 1119, where it said the prophet saw God's temple in heaven open, and the Ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.
Speaker:So John actually sees the Ark of the Covenant, thereby confirming that the Ark is indeed not lost as God called Elijah up.
Speaker:Wouldn't it be a simple task for God to also call up the Ark as well? And this important artifact is right where it should be, in the temple of Heaven.
Speaker:In verse six, out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean, shining linen, wearing golden sashes around their chests.
Speaker:And another important part of John's vision here tells us that the seven angels with these seven plagues came out of the temple.
Speaker:And so remember, the temple represents the dwelling place of God.
Speaker:And here these angels with the plagues that will be used for judgment from God, from those who have negated his commandments and his laws.
Speaker:And this shows us God's judgment is just.
Speaker:The description of how they were dressed has significance.
Speaker:The word refers to purity before the Lord.
Speaker:Shining linen shows us that being in the presence of God brings with it a Shakina glory.
Speaker:Christ was wrapped in linen at his birth and at his death.
Speaker:And here we see these angels coming from the temple wearing a shining linen reflective of Christ's love for us.
Speaker:Revelation 113 showed us in John's vision that Jesus was dressed in a robe, reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.
Speaker:So these golden sashes around the chest of these angels and of the Lord represent the royal fanfare associated with the true royal king of Jesus.
Speaker:Verse seven.
Speaker:Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
Speaker:the four living creatures are among the angelic beings, and they exist to simply praise God forever and ever before his throne.
Speaker:And they hold the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints that we saw in Revelation five six through 14.
Speaker:And this means that they hold all the prayers of all believers throughout all of time, both the prayers of the past and those that will be prayed.
Speaker:And it's a fragrant offering before God's throne.
Speaker:Revelation eight, three to four.
Speaker:These creatures are important and have special duties.
Speaker:And the seven bowls that were once filled with prayers that we saw in Revelation five eight, which says they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people, they're now being used to pour out the judgment and wrath of Jesus.
Speaker:Those prayers are now being avenged with the love of Christ.
Speaker:Verse eight.
Speaker:And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Speaker:This final verse now shows us the final judgment is happening.
Speaker:And while this is occurring, the temple could not be entered, because just as no one could enter the temple on Earth, because the glory of God filled it completely, this smoke is the cloud and the glory of the Almighty God.
Speaker:And this further demonstrates that once the bowls are poured out, it will be finished, just as it was when Christ hung from the cross and spoke those words.
Speaker:This is God's wrath alone, and he alone will take care of this task.
Speaker:So the end of the chapter leaves us with the drama of the final scene cloaked in the smoke of God's glory as the final stage is set.
Speaker:And so your truth, Bomb.
Speaker:Jesus has the right to judge, and he will be victorious.
Speaker:And your call to action as you reflect on this final scene of this rat being poured out, how will you go forward in victory with Christ in your life? And how will you demonstrate this victory daily? So your summary, as we saw in this last chapter, and now here in 15, jesus victory is promised and guaranteed.
Speaker:The final outpouring of God's wrath is upon the world.
Speaker:The final judgment is being unleashed.
Speaker:The stage is set, the production is ready, and the final curtain call is coming.
Speaker:Victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever.
Speaker:Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this word.
Speaker:Thank you so much for the book of Revelation that provides us so many amazing and wonderful truths.
Speaker:But the most important truth is that you, Father, are victorious.
Speaker:So keep our eyes on you, even through all of the things going on in the world, we know you are our victorious king.
Speaker:And it's in your name we pray.
Speaker:Amen.
Speaker:Be sure to visit my website, dr.
Speaker:Paula mcdonald.com.