This sea of people had not physically conquered DB2, but true conquering of them was not a physical thing, but a spiritual one. True worshipers worship in spirit and truth. The conquering done was also in spirit and in truth. See what that conquering had achieved? A weight of glory that far outweighed the troubles they had faced.
It seems they had stood for God by their deeds and were either killed for them or were raptured out of the midst of them. Their stance against DB2 had come at a great cost, but resulted in an even greater dividend. They had lost things dear to them on earth and been focused on things even dearer to them in heaven.
A great choir gives great testimony
3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4–ESV)
These people gathered and given harps sing Moses’ song. Moses gave his song toward the end of his life. From that vantage point he was able to look back over his own illegal birth, illegal life, in a foreign land to the palace of his first 40 years. From there he moved on to 40 years in the desert only to be brought back around 80 years of age to begin nation building.
These people John tells us of participated broke the law of their day. It was illegal skip the worship of DB2. Rejecting that initiative was a capital offense, but that capital offense set these people into a capital position loved by God, given a voice by God, standing as a witness with a single voice beside the sea of glass in front of God’s throne itself.
On earth music made unto God brought trouble, but in heaven they are given harps.
On earth music made unto God brought trouble, but in heaven they are given harps. Their desire to testify to God’s greatness will not only be allowed but will be boosted, be facilitated.
Worship from the heart
God desires those who worship in spirit and in truth. To worship in spirit is to give genuine praise. To worship in truth is to properly relate worship to the facts and deeds of life.
While we can read John’s testimony and praise God that he will do this great thing it is different for us than for that choir. That choir was comprised of those who had stood for God by their deeds and were at least abused if not killed for them. From those fresh memories, from their current safety, from their hearts they are genuine, thankful and expressive.
You and I have to read the words of verses 3 and 4, dissect them, and then offer praise to God. That choir will not be dissecting and thinking, they will be expressing the reality of their life, their death, their victory over Satan and his minions. The contrast to the people of this choir will be so stark, so powerful, so striking that praise will be the evoked response. Their praise will not have to be stoked into something loud. It will be ready to burst out and indeed they do in the middle of the heavenly scene.
The scene goes on
5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15:5-8–ESV)
God is represented by his throne and by the temple. The tabernacle is the tent of witness, the temple in this next scene. Already a choir had gathered around the glassy, red-colored, foreboding sea. Already this choir had been singing a prelude of praise, and much as a courtroom door may open before the arrival of a judge the temple is opened and surely all eyes turned in that direction.
Remember that God exercises his bidding through his messengers: angels? That is how the events of chapter 14 unfolded with two angels being dispatched to direct two great harvests of the earth. Many, many times the Holy Scriptures tell us of this method of God himself. That method again happens here. The doors to the temple were opened and out of them came seven angels.
Satan and his crew are dark and foreboding, well the angels of God are pure, bright, majestic in their foreboding. In some ceremony the seven angels are given bowls of wrath that will be brought upon mankind.
The sanctuary shifts
Apparently the temple of God was a place where some of the heavenly beings could go. That comes from the 8th verse. During the event spoken of here though God’s power is on display with such intensity that the temple becomes thoroughly isolated, uninhabitable; it could not be entered.
Look at what God is doing
It is as if God was saying that all in heaven were to be focused on what God was doing rather than God himself. He was about to conclude the cosmic rebellion of mankind and Satan’s crew. To see this was important and all of heaven seemed to be filled, shaken, drawn to the event which was dawning. Mankind was to be an observer of God’s works rather than an acolyte in his temple.
Summary points of this chapter
- The theme of this chapter is the final wrath
- God’s wrath is not forever
- God’s wrath testifies to his rejection of man’s rebellion
- The method of wrath, the “how things work” of God’s wrath is not divulged, but only the outcome, the point.
- Sin and its agents (Satan’s evil network) are not supreme.
- With God’s strength many humans resisted to the point of death or the rapture. They did not capitulate.
- True praise and worship is not sterile recitation
- It is evoked by thankfulness, personal experience
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