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Commentary on Revelation

Chapter 15

The seven bowls of wrath

Preliminary vision in heaven

Rev. 15:1 Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.

So far, the judgments we have seen have been partial judgments which allow for repentance. The judgments contained in the 7 bowls are different. The judgment of the bowls is total and final and repentance does not appear to be an option. We have seven angels with seven plagues indicating that this judgment is complete and permanent. Further, we are told that with these judgments, the wrath of God is ended. That is, this is God's final word with respect to Rome, the enemy of God about which this book has been revolving. But doesn't this language (the wrath of God is ended) imply that the final judgment and the end of the world are being discussed? Not necessarily. First, remember yet again the time frame of the book; it contains things which were to shortly come to pass. Second, to apply this passage to the end of the world would require one to completely ignore the context of the passage; the first 14 chapters contain no reference to that event (if the exposition so far be correct.) Third, the same language is used in the Old Testament to refer to events unrelated to the end of the world. For example, in Ezekiel 7:2-6 we read "An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you ... the end has come" with regard to a judgment against Israel. The same language is used in Revelation with regard to a judgment against Rome. Although similar language could be used to describe the final judgment, to do so here would violate the context and time frame of the passage. In addition, similar language was used in Ezekiel to describe a specific judgment against a specific enemy which is exactly the same context we have here.

2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.

A sea of glass mingled with fire: This is the sea before the throne which we also saw in 4:6. Recall that the sea stresses the separation between God and his creation; that is it stresses the holiness of God. In Solomon's temple a sea stood between the priest and the holy place where God dwelt (see 2 Chron. 4:2-6). (Note: A separating sea also had a special meaning to the author John as at the time of his vision he was in exile on the isle of Patmos separated from freedom by a sea.) Further, this sea provides yet another parallel between Rome and Egypt; in Ex. 15 we see that the Red Sea stood between the Israelites and freedom and it was via that sea that God manifested his holiness. The Williams translation of this verse indicates that the people in question are standing on (not beside) the sea of glass. This would then seem to indicate that the saints have moved closer to the throne through their suffering. Phillippians 3:10 reminds us that we become like Christ by sharing in his suffering and Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we should with confidence (boldly) draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Who are those that conquered the beast? Those who remained faithful to God in spite of persecution, temptation, and trials. Those who had conquered included both those faithful who remained alive and those faithful who had been martyred.

3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! 4 Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed."

The song of Moses (see Exodus 15) depicted a great victory of God over an enemy of his people (Egypt). The song of the Lamb depicts the same thing with regard to Rome. The difference is that the deliverance from Egypt was a physical deliverance and the deliverance from Rome was a spiritual deliverance. Moses could do nothing for a dead Israelite yet in Revelation we read that in the Lamb the dead are blessed. Who shall not fear and glorify thy name?: This is not a promise of worldwide conversion as some would suggest. We have seen similar language before in this book. One may know of God's power and in fact may even glorify him without accepting him as Lord. Two examples from the Old Testament may be found in Daniel:

1. After seeing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego delivered from the fiery furnace Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 3:29 ("Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.") Did he fear God? Yes. Did he glorify God? Yes. Did he accept God as his own? No. He explicitly referred to God as the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (and not his God).

2. After seeing Daniel brought up alive from the den of lions King Darius said in Daniel 6:26-27 ("I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring for ever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.")

Did he fear God? Yes. Did he glorify God? Yes. Did he accept God as his own? No. Why did he glorify God? He saw signs and wonders. A third example may be found in Revelation 5:13 where we find men on earth glorifying God even though at the time God's people were pictured as being in Heaven before the throne. (Recall our earlier discussion regarding that passage.)

5 After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, and their breasts girded with golden girdles.

In the Old Testament, the tent of witness (or the tent of testimony) held the ark of the covenant in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Only the high priest could enter this inner sanctuary where God dwelt and then only once a year with the blood of an innocent victim. The priest would carry a censer of incense which billowed smoke to ensure that he did not see God. The seven angels with the seven plagues come out of this inner sanctuary. That is, the judgment which they are bringing is coming directly from God. The coming judgment is a divine judgment brought about by the prayers of God's people (See 6:10). This is further emphasized by the fact that these angels are pictured in priestly clothing - bright linen and golden girdles. Recall that a girdle was worn by a priest only when he was officiating on behalf of the people. These angels dressed as priests come directly from the presence of God to wage a holy war against Rome.

7 And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever; 8 and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

Recall our discussion earlier regarding the four living creatures around the throne of God. They are the cherubim who protect God's reputation and demand the punishment of the ungodly. (See 4:6-8.) The smoke in the temple may depict that which came from the censer the priest carried. It also indicates the solemnity of the occasion and the glory and power of God. In 1 Kings 8:10-11 a cloud of smoke fills the house of the Lord as an indication that the glory of the Lord fills the house of the Lord. In 1 Kings 8:10-11 at the dedication of the temple the priests could not enter the house of God because of a cloud of smoke. Note also: Lev. 16:2 - "and the Lord said to Moses, 'Tell Aaron your brother not to come at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is upon the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.'" The message from the Old Testament was that no one could look upon the glory of God and live. No one could enter the holy place when God came down "in the cloud upon the mercy seat." In Ex. 33:20 God told Moses that "man shall not see me and live." How is this related to God's judgment of Rome?

1. God's judgment against Rome is described as "a coming of the Lord." (See Rev. 1:7 and 22:20 and compare Matt. 24:30 which describes God's judgment against Jerusalem.)

2. God's judgment against Rome was a manifestation of his glory. (See 11:15-18.)

The Message: The judgment against Rome is a divine judgment. There are many, many theories as to why Rome fell. Gamaliel Milner in his book The Problem of Decadence (London: Williams and Norgate, 1931, p. 198) provides a survey of many of the best known theories including vice, Christianity, despotism, bureaucracy, taxation, the dole, slavery, the birth rate, race, soil, climate, the military, and pacifism. In the end, he pins the fall on destiny:

The general impression that we receive from the story of Rome's fall is that vast cosmic forces were at work which frustrated the counsels of the wisest statesmen, and rendered nugatory the skill and valour of the greatest generals; ... if ever in human history we can discern the working of destiny or inevitable fate, it is here.

He was correct that the fall of Rome was inevitable but he missed the mark as to the cause. Rome did not fall because of fate or some unknown vast cosmic force. Revelation makes it very clear that the "vast cosmic force" which destroyed Rome was God. Recall Rev. 10:5-7 - "And the angel whom I saw standing on sea and land lifted up his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there should be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets, should be fulfilled."

Recall that in the New Testament the term "mystery" is used to describe something which was formerly not understood but which has now been revealed. In Revelation the conflict between Rome and the Church is called a mystery; that is, the outcome of this conflict was formerly misunderstood but has now been revealed. Chapter 10 indicates that this outcome would occur in the days of the seventh trumpet. Thus, as the seventh seal contained the seven trumpets, the seventh trumpet contains the seven bowls of God's wrath which were poured out on Rome. Chapter 16 describes these seven bowls which are intended to depict a total and complete judgment against Rome. The judgment of the trumpets was partial and allowed for repentance. The judgment of the bowls is final and complete - no repentance is allowed. The trumpets were intended to warn; the bowls are intended to recompense.