Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
15:1
John now sees another sign in heaven. Seven angels readied with the seven bowls of God’s wrath. A fearsome wrath is poured out in the second half of the tribulation. These are said to be the seven last plagues. They will be the worst mankind has ever seen.
We saw the seven seals which described the characteristics of the entire tribulation period between Rev.6:1-8:1. We saw the seven trumpet judgments, four of which will be cast on the earth in the first half of the seven year tribulation period as noted from Rev.8:7-10:14. The last three trumpet judgments, also called Woe Judgments, will be directed toward the unsaved inhabitants of the earth, two of which are torture judgments with the last of the seven trumpet judgments being the actual deaths of those at the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The bowl judgments, however, are the most intense of judgments.
15:2
Before these last judgments are poured out, as we will see in chapter sixteen, John is given a vision, somewhat of a back drop or screen saver if you will, of all those tribulation saints martyred for the faith. God sees through his judgments those righteous saints for whom he vindicates. He will honor his commitment to his own integrity and to his word.
Something I want to say in direct application to your life now is that God also will vindicate you when you are wrongfully accused or persecuted or trampled by the lost as you try to be a faithful servant of the Lord. Through exercising divine judgment God will deal with the unbeliever when it is time.
John sees the martyred saints, killed by the ungodly Antichrist and his willing subjects. The saints John sees were not killed by the heaven sent judgments upon the earth’s unsaved inhabitants. These saints resisted the invitation to get along with the unsaved and walk the way of the wicked. They refused to bow down to the Antichrist and receive his mark.
In v.2 John says he saw, “as it were”, not literally, but figuratively “a sea of glass mingled with fire”. This picture tells of the fiery persecution these saints underwent at the hands of the ungodly. The sea of glass depicts their unwavering faithfulness to the integrity of God, as they reflected faithfulness to resident Bible doctrine in their hearts.
They looked like losers to the unsaved; like lambs to the slaughter.
As Rev.13:7-10 depicted to us that the Antichrist made war with the saints. These martyred saints did not have a military to defend them. They are seen as defenseless civilians trapped like sheep in a pen, and our Lord instructs them in 13:10 to be patient unto death.
But getting back to 15:2 we see these martyred saints actually got the victory. They are the real overcomers over the beast and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, They are not deceased as human beings, for at this point John sees them as victors, not lying down, not crouching and trembling, not hiding, not crying for what John sees is them “ Standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. They are standing before the throne of Almighty God. Rev.4:6 refers to a sea of glass around the throne of the Father.
They were as Job when he said in Job 23:10 “ But he knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
I Peter 1:7 read..
Our faith in God’s word is tried by intense pressure, sometimes literal fire for some, sometimes figurative fire for others. We are pressed on all sides sometimes and though we may feel abandoned we are actually in the palm of God’s hands. Resident Bible doctrine in the heart is tested, and to receive God’s approval we must recall that truth and have the humility to apply that truth, even when it hurts. Christianity has never flourished during times of convenient circumstances, but upon conviction to divine truth while under duress.
v.3
These victors can now express joy and adoration for the Lord without fear of reprisal or fear of physical harm. They will sing the song of Moses. It is the song of redemption and deliverance which the Israelites sang after crossing the Red Sea, Exodus15:1-21.
The Israelites sang not only in appreciation for their deliverance, but also for God’s destruction of the ungodly. How politically incorrect that seems in today’s culture, that is, to rejoice over the destruction of evil ungodly men who subjugate millions to torturous deaths and families to open humiliation. We do pray for the lost, but we should pray mostly for God’s will to be done. Part of God’s will includes judgment.
The martyred saints say as it were, Amen to God’s destruction of the ungodly. They do not see God as an unfair ogre as the unbelieving liberal ministers would portray him from the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. This is why they strain for other interpretations because they do not understand, nor do they want to believe that God is a God of justice. They do not want a God that has absolute standards for right and wrong because they minimize sin. They call sin a disease or simply mistakes in judgment; that man does evil things because of his raising or his environment or his social- economic status, when God calls the sins of mankind acts of the free will, acts of rebellion toward the righteousness of God.
We do not as the creation have the right to stand in judgment of The Creator. As his creation we are called upon to be quiet and stand in awe of the Great I Am.
v.4
Who shall not reverence [Aor.A.Subj] thee, O Lord, and glorify [Fut.A.I] thy name?
The first part of this statement is a rhetorical one in that the answer is obvious; all will one day revere the Lord. “For only thou art holy”.
Interestingly we see the word, only, monos, used here denoting the unity of the Godhead. The subject of worship includes the Lord Jesus Christ as all nations are prophesied to come and worship him in his Millennial kingdom, Ps.2:6-8; Isa.2:2-4; Zech.14:9-17.
Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. He will judge everyone, John 5:22; Rev.22:12 and his judgments will be based on his righteous standards, not man’s wishful deliberations.
When Thomas touched the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ Thomas exclaimed in John 20:28, “ My Lord and my God.” Also our Lord received worship by the blind man he healed, John 9:38.
One day the entire world will bow to the knee of Jesus Christ, whether they are in heaven, on earth or even in hell, Phil.2:9-11.
I trust that you have received Christ as your Savior. Rom.10:9, 13.