Revelation 15

This devotional is written by Matt Coombs.

Seven angels with seven plagues
I saw in heaven another great and marvellous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues – last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

‘Great and marvellous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.’

5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple – that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law – and it was opened. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes round their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with 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 completed.

This short chapter acts as a bridge between two sections of John’s series of visions. We’ve had trumpet judgements, and a few other people and events, but here we have one final vision before the bowl judgements begin in the next chapter.

Verses 2 to 4 once again bring to mind the story of the Exodus. The people of God escaped Egypt where all manner of plague had come upon their oppressors, and now they stand on the other side of the sea looking back and singing a song of praise to God (Exodus 15). The lyrics to this song in Revelation are drawn from a range of Old Testament texts.

‘Great and marvellous are your deeds, (Psalm 111:2-3)
    Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, (Deuteronomy 32:4)
    King of the nations.
4
Who will not fear you, Lord, (Jeremiah 10:7)
    and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you, (Psalm 86:9)
for your righteous acts have been revealed.’


For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.’

On the other side, God’s wonderful deeds and righteous acts are revealed in the coming to him of all tribes, languages, tongues and people. All nations will come and worship before him.

Let’s pray these two verses over our church, giving thanks for its diversity and asking that we’d see more of God’s future reality in our present.

‘Great and marvellous are your deeds,
    Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    King of the nations.
4
Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.