Bible Commentaries
Revelation 15

Verse 1

Revelation 15:1

Revelation 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.

Here followeth the third principal prophecy of this Book; that is, the vision of the seven vials of the last plagues of God almighty, which contain the third woe denounced, {Revelation 8:13} and mentioned. {Revelation 11:14}

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous.

It’s called another sign, because it differeth from the former both in time and signification;

great and marvellous,

because it foretold great and wonderful events of the wrath of God against the kingdom of the beast. By angels here, we may understand those that shall be instruments in the ruin of the beasts kingdom, the Roman papacy, which are the kings of the earth, who shall hate the great whore, mystical Babylon, and burn her with fire. {Revelation 17:16} And make her desolate. Also the ministers of Christ, called angels, {Revelation 1:20} by declaring and denouncing the righteous judgments of God against the Beast, the false prophet, and the great whore, the Church of Rome, the mother of harlots, likewise the holy angels of God, and our Lord Jesus Christ the angel of the covenant, {Malachi 3:1} who shall execute his vengeance upon the beast, {Revelation 19:19-20} etc. They are called

the seven last plagues,

because by them God will put a final end to the kingdom of the beast.

Verse 2

Revelation 15:2

Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

By the

sea of glass

we are to understand the holy ordinances of the gospel, and pure worship of God: See Revelation 4:6 being an allusion unto the molten sea of brass, see Revelation 7:14. {1 Kings 7:23} The ordinances of the gospel give a more clear vision of Christ, than those under the law. It is here said to be mingled with fire, with respect of those tribulations, and persecutions, which the churches, ministers, and members of Christ, should suffer for worshipping God in his holy ordinances.

And them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name. See the exposition of all these in {Revelation 13:1-18} See KNOLLYS: Revelation 13:1 [ff] and. {Revelation 12:11} See KNOLLYS: Revelation 12:11 And they stood

on the sea of glass;

that is, these victors continued in the true and pure worship of God, according to the institutions of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Having the harps of God.

Their hearts were kept in an heavenly frame, being so tuned and prepared by the holy spirit of God. See Revelation 5:8.

Verse 3

Revelation 15:3

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Moses’s song for God’s deliverance of his Israel out of the Egyptian bondage is recorded. {Exodus 15:1-19}

The song of the Lamb;

that is, to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and the Son of God, is here expressed,

Saying, great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty.

Thy works, that is, that righteous judgement upon mystical Babylon, the beast, the false prophet and whore.

Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints;

that is, all the ways of God’s divine providence in preserving his churches of saints, his faithful ministers, and his suffering people; and also in delivering them out of the tyranny of the Roman papal kingdom of the anti-Christian beast, were and are just and true; that is, righteous, and according to the holy scripture of truth.

Verse 4

Revelation 15:4

Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Who, that is, what man is there, high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, Prince or Potentate, but

shall fear thee, O Lord,

that is, with a filial fear and reverence. {Nehemiah 1:10-11} Worship, and obedience.

And glorify thy name;

that is, exalt the great and glorious name of the Lord God Almighty, acknowledging, that he is worthy to receive glory and honour, praise and dominion, {Revelation 4:10-11; Revelation 5:13-14}

For thou only art holy.

Most holy, glorious in holiness, {Exodus 15:11}

For all nations shall come and worship before thee, {Isaiah 60:12} for thy judgments are made manifest,

that is, in judging the great whore, {Revelation 18:8} And executing his seven last plagues upon the Roman papal kingdom of the beast, the false Prophet, and whole mystical Babylon. {Revelation 18:9-21} God is known by the judgments that he executeth. {Psalms 9:16} Gods judgments executed upon Babylon, will be a means of conversion both of Jews and Gentiles. See Revelation 11:13.

Verse 5

Revelation 15:5

Revelation 15:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

By

the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony,

we may understand (by an allusion to the Mosaical tabernacle and temple, and testimony,) especially, after Solomon’s time, when the Temple was shut during the time of Ahab’s apostasy and idolatry, but the Temple was opened again in the days of Hezekiah reformation. Compare 1 Kings 16:29-33 with 2 Kings 18:1-7. So here we are to understand the church of God. {Ephesians 2:19-22} The administrations and ordinances of the gospel, restored to their primitive purity, according to the institutions of Christ. {Revelation 11:19}

Verse 6

Revelation 15:6

Revelation 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

And the seven angels came out of the Temple;

that is, the Church of God. {Ephesians 2:21} For Christ, his holy angels, and his faithful ministers, are all present in the Churches of Saints. {1 Corinthians 11:10}

Having the seven plagues, as Revelation 15:1 clothed in pure and white linen.

As the ministers of the sanctuary were. {Leviticus 6:10; Leviticus 16:14; Exodus 39:27-29} They had also golden girdles; that is, girt about with truth. {Ephesians 6:14}

Verse 7

Revelation 15:7

Revelation 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

And one (the first) of the four living creatures, {Revelation 4:6-7} gave unto the seven angels, seven golden vials, {see Revelation 15:1} full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

That is, from everlasting to everlasting he is God, eternal JEHOVAH, Revelation 4:9; Revelation 5:1.

Verse 8

Revelation 15:8

Revelation 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

The glory of God, and his power in his holy temple, was so great, and his presence in the midst of a dark cloud of smoke, so terrible, that Moses was not able to enter into the tent (or tabernacle) of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, {Exodus 40:34-38} and so his cloudy presence filled the holy Temple, {1 Kings 8:10-12} nor could the priests enter into worship, for the glory of Gods presence, though he veiled himself with a dark cloud.

And no man was able to enter into the Temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled;

that is, until the Roman Papal Church, and all her harlots, national or parochial, and all false worship and worshippers be destroyed, by the righteous judgments and last plagues of God Almighty.