Revelation 15 Study Notes

15:1 This is the third sign in the Apocalypse. It differs from the first two (12:1,3)—seven angels and their corresponding plagues (calling to mind the judgment of the plagues on Egypt). They are called the “last plagues” because they bring God’s wrath to completion. Since the seventh bowl of wrath (16:17,21) fulfills exactly what appears about to take place in 11:19, the bowls-of-wrath sequence (15:1-19:5) spans from the end of the trumpets sequence all the way to the second coming of Christ (19:11-16).

15:2-4 Mixed with fire may preview the fire that engulfed Babylon the Great, the climactic focus of the bowl judgments (16:17-21; 18:8-9,18). Those who had won the victory over the beast are martyrs (12:11) who responded properly to the preaching of the “eternal gospel” (14:6-7, see note there) by fearing, glorifying, and worshiping God. The song of God’s servant Moses appears in Ex 15. Israel sang it when they had escaped their Egyptian pursuers, reaching safety on the other side of the Red Sea. Calling Rv 15:3-4 the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb infers that these martyrs are spiritually “safe on the other side,” meaning heaven.

15:5-8 The heavenly temple was last seen in 11:19, in connection with the sounding of the last trumpet. The previous uses of the Greek word for tabernacle in the book refer to the “heaven dwellers” (see 7:15; 13:6). The angels with the plagues are dressed in the garments of OT priests. The mention of golden bowls calls to mind “the prayers of the saints,” which are in golden bowls (5:8) before the Lord, especially the martyrs’ prayer to avenge their blood on the “earth dwellers” (6:10). The wording of the third bowl of wrath (16:4-7), especially the mention of a voice coming from “the altar” (16:7), may link “the prayers of the saints” to the seven gold bowls filled with the wrath of God. The sanctuary being filled with smoke from the glory of God recalls the cloud and the glory of God filling the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex 40:34), indicating God was present with his people and guiding them.