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Revelation 15:1-8 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, 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.

We come now to the shortest chapter in the Book of Revelation. Being the shortest does not make it unimportant. In fact, this is one of the most powerful chapters in the Book. As we start the chapter we read:

Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

The Wrath Of God Must Be Filled Up

“And I saw” tells us John has another vision. John sees seven angels with seven plagues. What is the purpose of these “plagues”? We are told:

in them is filled up the wrath of God

The culmination of God’s wrath is in these plagues. People in our world today do not believe in a God of wrath. They believe that God is no more than love embodied, the kindly Eternal and Absentminded Grandfather who always has a little change for his grandbabies. This is not what the Scripture says of God. God must exercise wrath against sin. The Bible tells us that God’s wrath is justified. The Apostle said to those who would not repent:

Romans 2:5-11 (KJV)  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;  [6]  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:  [7]  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:  [8]  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,  [9]  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;  [10]  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  [11]  For there is no respect of persons with God.

To those who reject Christ and His Lordship Salvation the Lord promises a payday someday. As we come to Revelation 15 we see payday coming. The world has been given the Gospel. The Lord was preached to by

Three Angels, and
144,000 Hebrew Evangelists, and
Two Witnesses

The world has been told of Christ for more than 2000 years now. The world has been blanketed by the Gospel. Had they come to Christ they could have claimed the promise …

Romans 5:9 (KJV)  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Oh Christian, you never need fear the wrath of God! Has He not promised that the Blood of Christ is sufficient? Has He not promised that He poured out ALL THE WRATH OF GOD onh HIS BELOVED SON so that you do not need to endure it. Oh Beloved, what a wonderful truth is this! We Who are Christ’s shall not see Hell, nor Great Tribulation, nor Great White Throne. Christ took the weight of God’s just wrath on Himself. What a wonderful promise:

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10 (KJV)  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  [9]  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,  [10]  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Wrath is for the lost. And wrath will come to the lost. J.I. Packer said:

“God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” ^{(Knowing God, 151)}.

God’s wrath will be poured out on those who are not under the umbrella of Christ’s magnificent Gospel. People will be soaked to the bone with God’s wrath!

The Prophet Nahum said:

Nahum 1:2-3 (KJV)  God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.  [3]  The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

God’s wrath will be poured out on those who have rejected His standard. He says in …

Romans 1:18-22 (KJV)  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  [19]  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  [20]  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  [21]  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  [22]  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

God has not kept Himself secret, but has revealed Himself to us in:

Our bodily design
Our moral attributes
Our world itself

Even moreso during the Great Tribulation God will reveal Himself through supernatural and magnificent ways. And yet mankind will reject Christ. And so God’s wrath will be fulfilled. It must be poured out. But before we see the Angels pour out this wrath there is another vision John sees. He sees …

Those Who Chose The Wrath Of Man Rather Than God

Revelation 15:2 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.

“And I saw” marks another vision, not of wrath, but of salvation. We see the Tribulation Saints – those who missed the Rapture of the Church but who received Christ rather than receive the Mark of the Beast – standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire. The last time we saw this “sea of glass” was in Revelation 4:

Context Revelation 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass
like unto crystal …

Previously the “sea of glass” was like crystal, but now it is mingled with fire. The Judgment of God is now here. The Tribulation Saints – those who went through the worst time of martyrdom in all of human history – shed their blood rather than bow their knees to the anti-Christ. They refused to compromise, and loved God until the end.

They stood not with popular opinion, but the Lord.
The rested in Christ, not in the curiosity of the culpable.
They went through the fire like the Hebrew Children.
And now stand before the Almighty God!

They stand now before the Throne of God on a “sea of glass mingled with fire” and they are not afraid.

Those who love the Lord have the harps of Gold. They worship God. For God has saved them and brought them to His side! They Choose To Praise God!

They chose the Harp of Gold over the Bowl of Gold.

1 John 4:17-19 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us.

These Saints are standing before the Source of all Power and Majesty. They are standing before the Almighty God before Whom even the most powerful nuclear weapon that man can make looks like a mosquito bite in comparison. These Saints respect God and are in holy awe of Him. But they do not quake. They SING! They PRAISE HIM. They are not judged, but they are loved!

Choosing to follow Jesus will put you at odds with the fallen world. These Tribulation Saints died for their faith. They were not merely ostracized – they starved to death because they would not receive the Mark of the Beast. Yet what do these Saints do?
They praise God. They magnify Him by singing.

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, …

The Tribulation Saints Sing The Song Of Moses.
There are three songs of Moses in the Bible.

Exodus 15:1-19 – written at the Red Sea Crossing
Psalm 90
Deuteronomy 32

The substance of each of these songs is that God is Almighty, Faithful, and True. In the first song of Moses (which is the first recorded song in the Bible) Moses sang:

Exodus 15:1-2 (KJV) …. I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.  [2]  The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Exodus 15:11 (KJV)  Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

This is just a portion of this song, but it is wonderful because it magnifies God. The Song of Moses recorded in Psalm 90 states in part:

Psalms 90:1-2 (KJV) …. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. [2]  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Psalms 90:12 (KJV)  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

The third Song of Moses was written at God’s direction. God told Moses in:

Deuteronomy 31:19 (KJV)  Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that THIS SONG MAY BE A WITNESS FOR ME AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.

The song is in Deuteronomy 32. In part it reads:

Deuteronomy 32:1-4 (KJV)  Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.  [2]  My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:  [3]  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.  [4]  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Deuteronomy 32:9 (KJV)  For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

Which “Song of Moses” did these Tribulation Saints – more than likely Redeemed Israelites – sing unto the Lord? I don’t know. But I do know whichever song they chose,

it magnified God as He triumphed over their enemy.

Revelation 15:3 (KJV)  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb, …

They also sang “The Song of the Lamb”. Some have suggested certain Psalms as the “Song of the Lamb”, but I think this makes the interpretation too difficult. The Song of the Lamb is actually right here:

Revelation 15:3-4 (KJV) … 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.

The Song of the Lamb magnifies God and His Great Salvation wrought through Christ. He is Just and True. He is the King of the Saints – of which you are a part, if you are Christ’s. You are set apart for His glory. You are called to worship and glorify Him and Him alone. Because of the Lamb:

all nations shall come and worship before Thee

Many shall be saved because of Christ. Praise God and His magnificent Grace!

Proper Worship Of God Releases Judgment

Revelation 15:5-6 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 ….

If we would worship God, God would take care of our enemies. Too often we become entranced with an eye for an eye philosophy. Someone hurt us, so we want vengeance. What did the Lord tell us?

Romans 12:19-21 (KJV)  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  [20]  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  [21]  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Those who stood before the Throne were martyred for their faith. They did not moan, but sang praises unto God. They trusted God to do what was right. As soon as they finished singing to God judgment was released. God will repay. Oh yes, God will repay!

Let God do the whipping, and we’ll do the worship!

Following worship the Seven Bowl Angels are released from Heaven to the earth. These angels are carrying terrible plagues with them. How are they dressed? We read:

Revelation 15:6 {they are} clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

These plague carrying Angels are dressed in pure, white linen.
What they are doing is sinless.
It is what is right, regardless as to what we think.

God offered Heaven, but the world refused.
So now the world gets the alternative.
It receives wrath!

We read that:

Revelation 15:7 (KJV)  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.

Do you remember who these “four beasts” before God’s Throne are? They are the Heavenly Worship Leaders. One of the Worship Leaders passes off the vials of the wrath of God to the Angels. He loads the gun. Now judgment comes.

Revelation 15:8 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.

What is this symbolic of? “No one can enter the Temple”? In Old Testament times a person accused of wrongdoing could run to the Temple and grab hold of the horns of the altar, crying out for mercy. There will be no running to the Temple. There will be no crying for mercy. Man was offered mercy, but rejected it.

He could have got on the Ark.
But the door is closed, and the water is rising.
He could have killed the Lamb without blemish.
But he ignored the warning, and the Death Angel has come.
He could have walked the aisle, and committed himself to Christ.
But he was too proud to do so. He would not obey.
He could have cried the name of Jesus.
But instead he cursed His Name.
Mercy would have come running a thousand times.
But he had no time for God.
And now the door is closed.
The service over.
Damnation.
Sure.