The Song and the Seven Plagues

Singing the Song of Moses

Revelation 15:1 “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.”

This last sign portrays God's judgment at the and of history, the last days, understood as the period of time between Jesus' resurrection and His return.

Revelation 15:2–3 “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. 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!”

Exodus images help us understand the passage. The appearance of the sea, red w/ the fires of judgment, mimic the Red Sea where Israel was saved and the Egyptians judged by God. The "Song of Moses," which happens just after judgment/deliverance here and Israel's deliverance in Exodus, adds contextual credence to this idea.

The presence of the saints…those who conquered the beast, are present in part because they join in the judgment of the world (1 Corinthians 6:2a “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?”) Here, the beast and his Followers are utterly judged, and this calls for praise from those who belongs to the Lamb. They are victorious because of the Lamb’s reign and their share in it, ensured by their names being written in the Book of Life.

Standing victorious, harps…in their hands, they sing the song of Moses. The Song of Moses comes on the heels of a description of a sea of judgment. This is Exodus. However, remember that Jesus is the Greater Moses! Those who followed Moses through the Exodus and who confessed the Shema, etc., still fell away. All of the Lamb’s people are accounted for, sealed and victorious, gathered and singing the song off the Greater Moses! They have heeded…answered…obeyed the call to persevere and now sing the song of redemption, celebrating God’s victory over His enemies!

Revelation 15:3b “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!”

Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi all use Lord God the Almighty to refer to God as He sovereignly directs His people’s history. God has brought all of human history to this point where wickedness is judged and the righteous in Christ are redeemed.

Revelation 15:3c “Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!”

Just = legally and ethically right, proper and fitting. True = consistent with reality. These are moral expressions of God’s character, fleshed out in how He acts.

God is the King of the nations, an expression consistent with Ps.2:6, 8 (“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” and “…I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”)

Revelation 15:4 “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.””

While the beast forced dragon-inspired worship, the Lamb’s followers know that ALL worship only belongs to the Holy Lord.

All nations will come to the Lamb. After the announcement of the 144,000 in Rev.7, John turns and sees an innumerable multitude from every tribe, language, nation and tongue. Further, this idea is also present in Paul’s point that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.

Jesus’s righteous acts have been revealed, reminding us that there will be no question concerning the nature of God’s deeds in the end. The ancient serpent sowed seeds of doubt concerning God’s dealings with man, questioning God’s motives in the temptation of Adam and Eve. Man has struggling with doubting God ever since. In the end, all will know that God was in the right the entire time.

So let’s pause and consider the picture painted here in the first portion. What do we see with the Song of Moses? God and His holiness and His actions and His redemption MUST call forth the praise of His people.

Seeing the Seven Plagues

Revelation 15:5 “After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened,”

The last time the reader saw the heavenly temple was in Rev.11:19, just after the kingdom had been given to Christ. This is the same as what is currently taking place — The Lamb and His army are gathered on Mt. Zion (14:1), judgment has come for Babylon and her harem (14:8-11; Dan.7:11-12), and the earth has been harvested of both the righteous and the wicked (14:14-20). Here, it is simply explained again and in slightly different language.

The original tabernacle had the tablets of commandments which revealed God's will perfectly. There are clear Exodus motifs present throughout this passage, so the connection is certainly there, but this testimony goes beyond revealing God's just will... His very actions have been revealed, and they are true, just, and righteous.

The tabernacle was once set up as a means for God to live near His people b/c of their sin. It was where sacrifices were held that reminded Israel of the grace and mercy of God. This picture becomes fully fleshed out as the temple is opened, the redeemed are there through the sacrifice of Christ, and the wicked are to receive the their fit punishment.

Revelation 15:6 “and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests.”

Those who come forward to carry out the judgment plagues are clothed in pure white linens. There is a sanctified purpose for their presence. And, they're able to wear white b/c that purpose has already been revealed to be righteous. Also, the fact that they are clothed similarly to Christ might point to the fact that they are carrying out either in His stead or by His commission.

A similar sentiment to the 7 plagues of judgment occurs in Lev. 26:21. That's the only other place where seven plagues are used in reference to judgment for sin. I make that point to remind us that in Leviticus 26, Israel is called out of idolatry with successive “seven” judgments (much like the book of Revelation). The sevens get progressively worse if Israel does not repent. And, anytime we read plagues, we’re naturally going to think of Egypt and Moses and the Exodus. These plagues likely would have still been in Israel's mind when Moses handed down the commands of Leviticus. On the heels of a passage that the leaves the reader with a choice, either the idolatry of Babylon or the life of the Lamb, here we see indeed God judges those who reject Him. The warnings of Leviticus serve a two-fold purpose: 1.) to call the faithful of Israel to repentance, and 2.) to harden the apostate of Israel. These plagues will vindicate the faithful and judge the apostate. How do we know vindication is in mind?

Revelation 15:7 “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,”

This is a parallel scene to Revelation 8:3–5 “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” and Revelation 16:7 “And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!””) In both places, the altar is mentioned (even though here it is missing, it is safe to assume its presence because of the parallels). In chapter 8, the altar has the prayers of the saints crying out throughout church history for vindication. Now, God gives His answer: wrath. The saints are vindicated and the opposition is judged.

Finally, Revelation 15:8 “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.”

Why could no one…enter the sanctuary? I thought the believer could now enter with boldness into the presence of God. John paints and emphasizes the fact that God is God, utterly holy, and he does so with pictures from the tabernacle and temple. The sanctuary…filled with smoke is very similar to the scene played out before Isaiah in chapter 6 and Isaiah’s vision of God. Exodus 40:34 (“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”) also shows God’s glory in similar language. The presence of God’s glory in the sanctuary elsewhere prohibits God’s ministers from entering into the sanctuary at the establishment of both temples:

Exodus 40:34–35“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

1 Kings 8:10–11“And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

Again, stepping back, what do we find with this passage of Scripture? Consider this — prayer and the picture of persevering faith.