Revelation - Chapters 14 & 15

The Song of Moses

Revelation 15:3-4 – and they sing the song of Moses, servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and wonderful [are] Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty, righteous and true [are] Thy ways, O King of saints, who may not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? because Thou alone [art] kind, because all the nations shall come and bow before Thee, because Thy righteous acts were manifested.’ (YLT)

Where did this come from? John is simply quoting from the Old Testament:

Psalm 86:10 – For great [are] Thou, and doing wonders, Thou [art] God Thy self alone. (YLT)

Jeremiah 10:7 – Who doth not fear Thee, king of the nations? For to Thee it is becoming, For among all the wise of the nations, And in all their kingdom there is none like Thee. (YLT)

These verses are talking about a song of Moses or a song of Jesus. The overcomers will sing this song, which will cause nations to bow down before God. Remember that eventually everyone will confess that Jesus is God and bow down before Him.

The Temple

Revelation 15:5-6 – And after these things I saw, and lo, opened was the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the testimony in the heaven; and come forth did the seven messengers having the seven plagues, out of the sanctuary, clothed in linen, pure and shining, and girded round the breasts with golden girdles: (YLT)

This passages says that the temple will open and seven messengers will come out dressed in white robes and gold breast plates. The messengers are dressed like priests in a church. Even though “plagues” sounds like a destructive word, the meaning here resembles purification. This is again referring to the seven vials.

The Seven Messengers

Revelation 15:7-8 – and one of the four living creatures did give to the seven messengers seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, who is living to the ages of the ages; and filled was the sanctuary with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power, and no one was able to enter into the sanctuary till the seven plagues of the seven messengers may be finished. (YLT)

We have already talked about the four living creatures as well as the wrath of God. The only thing new here is the seven messengers. The seven messengers are angels that will deliver the seven vials. These are discussed in detail in the seven vials article.

Conclusion

Revelation chapters 14 and 15 simply reinforce the concepts we have already discussed previously. God’s judgment and wrath are meant to correct and purify, not scold and torture. The English words may sound harsh, but the Greek and Hebrew words do not have the same tone. Also, restoration fits with the rest of Revelation. Specifically, the first and second sickles match the concepts of the barley overcomers and the lake of fire.

Page 5 of 5

< Previous                                           Back to Revelation Articles >