March 16 - Seven Angels, Seven Plagues (pt. 1)

March 16 - Seven Angels - Seven Plagues (pt. 1)
Revelation 15:1-3a

"I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:"

The last time a great and marvelous (wondrous) sign appeared was at the beginning of Revelation 12 with what we now know is the birth of the Lamb of God. The woman clothed with the sun, moon and stars gives birth to a son. Now, however, the great and marvelous sign brings us seven angels with the last seven plagues.

These are the last plagues because with them God's wrath is finally finished. Again, we miss some of the depth of this passage due to the fact we read it in English. The Greek verb used here actually means that the goal has been completed, rather than meaning it comes to an end. The KJV reads a bit differently:

"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." (Rev. 15:1, KJV)

Eugene Peterson paints a picture for us of this scene by saying, "Seven angels of judgment get ready for their work while the congregation sings a hymn."

Music has been a part of warfare since the Battle of Jericho! Both the Greek and Roman armies used instruments to convey information to their troops while they were on the march. Greek armies hired musicians to sing poems of odes that reminded soldiers and citizens of the glories of past heroes. During the Crusades, military bands were used to send orders instantly and was also used to frighten the enemy. How many of us remember when loud rock music was used to flush out Manuel Noriega?

In Joshua 6:15-16, after having marched around the city seven times, the priests sounded a trumpet blast, the people shouted and from the sound of the instruments and voices, the inhabitants of Jericho were terrified, the walls came down, the Israelites charged in and took the city.

The hymn of praise in Revelation 15 encouraged the heavenly residents and glorified God.

In Revelation 4:6 we saw a sea of glass before the throne of God. Here in Revelation 15:2, we find that fire has been mixed in. We learned earlier, that the sea was represented in the tabernacle on earth by the Laver. The Laver was also called a 'sea,' since it held water used by the priests for purification before entering the holy place. (I Kings 7:23-26).

Now we see that it has fire mixed into it. Back in Revelation 8:5, just before the seven angels sounded their trumpets, the angel flings fire from the altar to the earth, a symbol of judgment. This fire burns the sacrificial offerings presented to God. Mixing fire into the sea of glass before the throne of God is symbolic of the judgment that will be poured out with the final seven plagues.

There are some people standing beside the sea of glass. These are those who had been able to stand against the beast and refused to accept his image and the number of his name.

Where do you suppose that the Israelites were standing when they sang the song of victory with Moses after they had escaped the Egyptians? Beside the Red Sea. The symbolism has been drawn from the memories of the Jews.

Barclay says that the song of Moses commemorated the greatest deliverance in the history of God's people. The song in Revelation 15 commemorates the deliverance of the world from Satan's power.