Revelation 15:1-8
Prelude to the Bowl Judgments
1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.”
5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. 6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. 7 Then 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 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
After the patience of the persevering saints recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life and the harvest of souls, ripe and ready along with rotten and bloody, we read of what John saw next in the heavenly visit in the spirit in heaven. Now he saw seven angels holding the seven last plagues of God’s wrath to be poured out on the sins of the world as a finish to judgment on us all in heaven and earth, angels (1 Corinthians 6:3, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6-7) with men and women who reject the (Romans 10:16-17, 2 Thessalonians 1:8) gospel of the Lord and His Son the Christ (John 3:18, 36, Hebrews 10:29, 31, 1 John 5:10, 11-12) who is Jesus. Those who believe by faith received from God (Ephesians 2:8-9) will receive victory over these last things to include the beast, his image mark, and the number of his name represented as 666 in unholy incompleteness. With true harps of God we will sing victoriously of the Lord’s glorious victory (Exodus 14:21) over our bondage to sin and its consequences of eternal suffering in judgment. We will sing as Moses did and to the Lamb of God whose work we will join in with praise and adulation on that glass sea of the fire of His victory! His works truly are marvelous beyond description and His ways above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9, 11) in absolute justice and truth because Jesus is the Sovereign King over all of His saints made holy (Hebrews 12:23-24) in Christ the sacrificed Passover Lamb. Yes, who cannot but fear and revere Him and honor His holy name with praises with lives lived and voices raised to glorify Him? He alone is holy. We are only ever holy by believing into and being in Christ who is our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9, 1 John 2:1) and perfects us in this life in the direction of ever inc holiness to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18) until we meet in the end to triumph over due judgment by grace and forgiveness! We will join those saved from every nation as God’s one people united in Christ to witness His judgments and give all glory to, honor, and praise to Him who is worthy of it all. We will witness the finality of His just judgment and those who reject Him and His gospel will have no excuse or further reprieve. These things were shown to John just before the bowl judgments were to follow afterwards in the vision given to him to record for us to contemplate. These judgment plagues will be the fullness of God’s wrath on sin and unrepentant sinners who will join the disobedient angels who left their domain with God and have no reprieve. These things will come from the true heavenly temple which will then be filled with such smoke from God’s glory and power that nobody will be able to go into the temple until the smoke clears after the bowls of judgment are poured out upon the earth and the judgments are finished. Are we then readying ourselves to escape such horrific judgment by believing the words of the gospel of Jesus Christ and receiving Him as our sacrificial Lamb who alone can cover our sin and grant eternity with Him? The alternative of denial and rejection is too horrific as an eternal life of suffering instead of eternal life in God’s presence forevermore. These things seven Super Bowl judgments are no mere game or story, but a grim and lasting event no sport can ever describe.
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