Revelation · chapter 15 of 22
Updated on
Revelation 15 is a brief preparatory scene before the seven bowls. John sees seven angels with the seven last plagues, with which God's wrath is finished, and, beside a sea of glass mingled with fire, those who had conquered the beast. They sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, which declares that God's works are great and his ways just. Then the temple fills with smoke and the angels receive seven golden bowls.
This chapter is short and acts as the threshold of the last series of judgments, the seven bowls of chapter 16. It combines two images from the exodus: the song beside the sea and the glory that fills the sanctuary. Before the judgment, the book shows the worship of the faithful, because God's justice is a reason for praise, not fear, for them.
John sees 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 (v. 1).
He also sees what appears to be a sea of glass mingled with fire and, standing beside it, those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. They hold harps of God and sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. They say that the works of the Lord God the Almighty are great and amazing, that his ways are just and true, that he alone is holy and that all nations will come and worship him, for his righteous acts have been revealed (vv. 2-4).
Afterward John sees the sanctuary of the tent of witness opened in heaven. Out of the sanctuary come the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen with golden sashes. One of the four living creatures gives the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. The sanctuary is filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one can enter it until the seven plagues of the seven angels are finished (vv. 5-8).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Those who conquered the beast stand beside a sea of glass with harps of God. They have come through the test and now worship, as Israel sang beside the Red Sea after being delivered.
They sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, which celebrates God's great and amazing works and his just ways. It joins the deliverance of the exodus with the redemption of Christ in one praise.
The question of who will not fear and glorify the Lord comes with the promise that all nations will come and worship him. Even in the midst of judgment, God's goal is universal worship.
The sanctuary fills with smoke from God's glory and power, and no one can enter until the plagues are finished. It recalls the tabernacle and Solomon's temple, and underscores the solemnity of what is coming.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Seven angels with seven plagues, the last, with which God's wrath is finished. — Revelation 15:1
Answer: Beside a sea of glass mingled with fire. — Revelation 15:2
Answer: The song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. — Revelation 15:3
Answer: That they are just and true. — Revelation 15:3
Answer: In pure, bright linen, with golden sashes. — Revelation 15:6
Answer: Smoke from the glory and power of God; no one can enter until the seven plagues are finished. — Revelation 15:8
Revelation 15 teaches that worship does not wait until everything is resolved. The conquerors sing beside the sea while judgments still remain to be fulfilled, because they trust that God's ways are just. A group can talk about how to worship amid unresolved situations, remembering what God has already done.
The chapter also reminds us that God is holy and that his justice is part of his love for the world. We must not take sin or oppression lightly. At the same time, the vision of nations coming to worship him encourages us to pray and work so that many will know him.
Revelation 15 ends with the angels ready and the temple filled with smoke. In chapter 16 the seven bowls of God's wrath are poured out on the earth one after another.
A sea of glass already appeared before the throne in chapter 4. Here it is mingled with fire, which many interpret as an image of the judgment surrounding those who sing. It also evokes the Red Sea, beside which Israel sang after being delivered from Egypt.
Moses sang after God delivered Israel from the army of Egypt. The conquerors of the beast sing for a greater deliverance, the work of the Lamb. The text joins the two redemptions and shows they are part of one plan.
They are the judgments of the seven bowls described in chapter 16. They are called last because with them God's wrath is completed. They evoke the plagues of Egypt and, according to many interpreters, present the judgments of the trumpets in more intense form.