Introduction Thoughts:

In Chapter fourteen we learned that the Lord was going to execute a judgment on Rome and her worshippers.  The violence of this judgment was made clear when the Lord, comparing the evil doers as grapes, said: “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”  With Satan raging war against Christians using Rome and the false prophets that empowered Rome, the proclamation of judgment was certainly a boost for Christians.  However, the greatest point to Christians in chapter fourteen was the view of God protecting the saints.

Now we are to begin seeing the seven bowls of the wrath of God that will be poured out onto the earth in this chapter that introduces the seven vials of wrath.  The seals and trumpets brought judgment to essentially a third of mankind.  In conclusion of those judgments we found that: “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21).  What is now to come will be more devastating than what we have read before.  God’s wrath is going to be spilled out like a liquid content from a bowl.  These are the seven last plaques (15:1).  We will read of them in the next chapter and see the affect thereafter in our studies.  We must remember that we are not talking about the end of the world, but a judgment day.

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

• John sees, through divine revelation, seven angels in a great scene holding what contains the seven final plagues.

•  In chapter twenty-one John says in the first verse “…and there was no more sea.”  In chapter four (4:6) we discussed how this crystal sea is what separated God from man.  Now in that sea there is also a mixture of fire.  We should recall that the saints would be tried with fire much like metal is tested by fire (I Peter 1:7; cf. James 1:3).  So, this symbol would signify the saints standing victoriously through the trials they have been through.
• These saints have won the battle and the harps are symbols of their rejoicing in song (5:8 and 14:2).  They have lasted through the persecution of Rome, over the marking of Rome, and the Devil who was behind Rome.  They are awaiting what the Almighty will do next.

• When Moses led Israel out of Egyptian bondage they sang praises unto God (Exodus 15:1-21).  The same is happening here.  A song of victory is sung as the saints have been delivered from bondage.  The theme of the song is praise to Christ who acted as their sacrificial lamb taking away their sins (John 1:29).
• Glorification is offered to God for his works are great and marvelous (Job 5:8-9, Job 37:5, and Psalms 92:5).
• In contrast to evil ruling the world, God is King of the saints and his ways are true (Hebrews 6:18 and Titus 1:2) versus the false ways of the wicked (II Corinthians 4:3-4 and Revelation 9:1-2).

• Jeremiah penned the following: “Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee” (Jeremiah 10:7).
• Like to what Jeremiah says, the song of the saints praises God acknowledging His might.  Everyone will witness the judgment of God that will be coming, as is prophesied in the book of Revelation against Rome.  Who would not fear and realize the power of the almighty in light of what He is going to do?

• The seven angels come from the presence of God having the seven plagues.  They are clothed in purity with belts of gold.

• One of the four angels that surrounds the throne of God (Revelation 4:6-8; Isaiah 6:1-7 and Ezekiel 1:5-18; 10:20) hands seven bowls full of the wrath of God unto the seven angels leaving the temple of the tabernacle.
• Hosea may give us some insight of why God’s wrath is said to be in a bowl (Hosea 5:10).

• Priests were not allowed into the tabernacle when the glory of God was present (I Kings 8:10-11).  Therefore, we know that no intercessions would be at this point made for Rome. When the smoke is cleared (when the seven plagues are finished), we will be able to see that which is now blocked by the smoke.

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
2. Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Reprint by Hendrickson, 2002, original copyright 1896).