Bible Commentaries

Questions For Revelation Chapter Fifteen

1. What did John see now?

2.Where was it?

3.Was it small?

4.Was its appearance ordinary?

5.What beings did he see?

6.Tell what they had.

7.Were other plagues to follow?

8.Tell what was in them.

9.How much of God's wrath was there?

10.Tell what object John saw.

11.Of what was it composed"?

12.With what was it mingled?

13.What had the people gotten?

14.Over what creature had they obtained this?

15.Was the beast alone in this defeat?

16.Over what number had they been victorious?

17.Where were they standing?

18.What harps did they have?

19.How did they use them?

20.What two persons were the subject?

21.In what position had the first been to God?

22.What praise did they ascribe to God?

23.How did they describe his ways?

24.Of whom was he King?

25.Who did they announce should be feared?

26.And do what for his name?

27.He only has what quality?

28.What shall all nations do?

29.Where will they do so?

30.What were made manifest?

31.After this what did John do?

32.What building did he behold?

33.Of what tabernacle was this?

34.Where was this opened?

35.Who came into sight?

36.From where did they come?

37.Tell what they had.

38.In what were they clothed?

39.How were they girded?

40.On what part of their person were these?

41.What creature next appeared?

42.What kind of vials did he have?

43.Of what were they full?

44.What is said of God's living?

45.To whom did he give these vials?

46.With what was the temple filled?

47.From whom was this glory?

48.And from what power?

49.What was no man able to do?

50. For how long were they kept out?

The preceding chapter describes the vision before John that came down to the day of judgment and to the final assignment of all mankind to their eternal destinations. The present chapter goes back some distance (as the book has done before), and will again take up the judgments of God that were poured out upon the apostate church for her worship of idols and her persecution of the faithful servants of God. Seven angels are seen as a symbol of the completeness of God's system for executing his wrath upon the wicked of the earth.

Clear glass and fire are symbols of opposite facts and yet are appropriately used. The verse tells of several persons who had won a victory of a spiritual nature over the forces of Rome. The fire symbolizes their conflicts in which they were victorious, and the clear glass signifies their calmness of mind after the victory. The beast, the image and the mark were all involved in the conflict. The faithful servants resisted the direct attacks of Rome, also avoided imitating her in their lives, and as a consequence had escaped receiving the mark of guilt. Over the nu/m-ber of his name. The man whose number is stated in the text is Nero Caesar. Getting the victory over the number of his name is an indirect way of saying their victory was over Nero. That is significant since he was the emperor who was chief among the heads of Rome that tried to force the Christians to sin.

The song of Moses and of the Lamb was especially appropriate. It is to be associated with the four and twenty elders who have been mentioned a number of times. Twelve of them represent the Mosaic system and twelve stand for that under Christ. The song John heard these happy per-sons singing Was about the lawgivers of those great institutions. But while the subject matter of the song was concerning them as the lawgivers, they ascribed the credit to works of God because they are marvelous, and to Christ as a King who is true and just in his ways.

The occasion for this great rejoicing is the prospect of judgments that are soon t-o be inflicted upon the powers of Rome whose hold upon the people has just been broken by the effects of the Reformation. That is why they exclaim about the worthiness of the Lord to be glorified. All nations shall come and worship before thee. Their worship will consist in doing homage to God as the true object of praise, for the light of truth that the Bible shed on them since it was given back to them. Through that channel of information they have been informed that God's judgments are just.

This verse has the same significance as Revelation 11:19.

Much of what is said and is to happen in many of the chapters to come has been considered before. It will pertain to God's judgments against the corruptions of Rome and for her mistreatment of the faithful servants of Christ. Seven angels were clothed in white linen which means purity and the golden girdles signify the splendor of the place.

It is important to keep constantly in mind that we are studying in a book of symbols or signs. Many of the things John saw in the vision have reference to the severe denunciations that were made in the days of the Reformation. Those statements were sounded into the ears of kings and other leaders of the apostate church. A vial is used in the symbolic picture because it is a vessel out of which something can be poured, and the judgments of God are said to be poured out. That would indicate a large and continuous stream of His judgments. One of the beasts (living creatures) gave the vials to the angels; that was appropriate. The beasts were the saved in the Lord who had been the victims of the rage of the beast of Rome. They had won a victory through faith, and it was fitting that they should have the honor of handing the vials to the angels.

Temple was filled with smoke. This was not the smoke of incense as is sometimes mentioned, for that occurs only when righteous servants are performing worship, and that is not what is going on now. It is the smoke of God's wrath against the corruptions of the beast. Those guilty of the corruptions are under judgment and God is about to execute wrath upon them. It is too late for them to expect mercy from God, hence no one will be permitted to enter the temple to plead for it.