Testimonies
2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also 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. (Revelation 15:2–ESV)
The sea of glass
Chapter 15 began with a foreboding tone. Words like plague, wrath, and a finishing are like the early smells of a forest fire. The cracklings, heat and smell of burning things say, “run away,” before the flames licking the edge of your property begin licking the edge of your roof.
The second verse of this chapter reports more of John’s observations. Remember back in Revelation 4 where John mentioned this sea of glass? It was verse 6 of that chapter and John said it was “before the throne.” That sea, as it were, is a passive participant in the unfolding wrathful scene of Revelation 15. Here it appears mingled with fire. It seems to be colored with reddish, warning tones. Maybe this coloration was emanating from above, maybe from below. Perhaps it was even fiery from some internal mechanism.
Whatever the means or mechanism its transparent nature, its colored and glass-like nature seemed to participate in the event in heaven. It amplified the mood of coming wrath.
The sea of people
Verse 2 moves beyond the fiery, inanimate sea and on to a very much alive crowd. At this juncture the men and women gathered were a specific group. They were those who had conquered the onslaught of Satan’s evil network. I like to call the leaders of the evil network DB2 after the Dragon, Beast 1 and Beast 2.
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