REVELATION 15
The Saints in Heaven and the Wrath Below
Now that the fifteen-verse synopsis of the end-times is completed, Revelation 15 resumes with the Rapture of the Church. This chapter is a view of heaven after the entire Rapture has been completed. All the rest of the redeemed of the Lord are now gathered into the Throne Room to join the 144,000 firstfruits we saw earlier in chapter 14:1-5. They have finished singing their special song of praise to God that no other man is allowed to hear or learn. Now the rest of the Church is all present and accounted for, and everybody begins to sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. The words of that song are given below, thus demonstrating that it is not the song of the 144,000 of which no other man could learn. After the entire Church is completely removed from the earth, the next event will be the release of the seven vials of the Wrath of God on the earth as recorded in Revelation 16. As you read the following verses, notice that the seven angels having the seven plagues of the Wrath of God are in the same heaven, in the same Throne Room at the same time as all the redeemed of the Lord. Not until after the saints have been raptured are these angels allowed to leave the Throne Room and pour forth God’s wrath upon those who are left on the earth. Also notice in verse 2 that many of these new occupants of heaven had to have been on earth during the Great Tribulation and the time of the Antichrist because they had gained the victory over the beast and had not taken his number.
Revelation 15:1-8
1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.
5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
By excluding the brief synopsis of the end-times events which we just identified in verses 6-20 of chapter 14, we can see that things are continuing in the same order as in three other places—Matthew 24, the fifteen verses from chapter 14, and Revelation 611. Revelation 12 is a historical look at Satan’s struggles as the seven-headed red dragon as he attempts to abort God’s plan of salvation. Satan was finally cast out of heaven having great wrath, and the red dragon was morphed into the seven-headed beast who is Antichrist of Revelation 13. The beast causes tribulation by making war in general, and against Israel and the saints in particular. The events in that chapter are the same as the first five seals of the book Jesus opened, which revealed the Antichrist coming forth and causing great tribulation. Revelation 14:1-5, combined with this chapter, show the Rapture or the gathering of all of God’s family into heaven at one time after the Tribulation and just prior to the Wrath of God. This view of the Rapture is similar to Revelation 6 and 7 where the sixth seal was opened, and now Revelation 16 is a restatement of the seventh seal of the book, where the trumpets signaled the release of the different events of the Wrath of God.
Think about it!
This chapter shows those who went through the Tribulation without submitting to the beast positioned in heaven right before the Wrath of God is released. Do you think the Tribulation and the Wrath of God are the same thing?
Could victory over the beast be symbolic of all saints who gain victory in this life?
~Selah~For Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with Thee. The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple. Psalms 5:4-7
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