Revelation 15 · ESV Study Bible

The Messages of the Three Angels

The Harvest of the Earth

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

REVELATION 15 [†]Then r I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, s seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

2[†]And I saw t what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those u who had conquered the beast and its image and v the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass w with harps of God in their hands. 3[†]And they sing x the song of Moses, y the servant [1] of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

z “Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

a Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations! [2]

4 b Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are c holy.

d All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

5[†]After this I looked, and e the sanctuary of f the tent [3] of witness in heaven was opened, 6[†]and out of the sanctuary came g the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright i linen, j with golden sashes around their chests. 7And one of k the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven l golden bowls full of the wrath of God m who lives forever and ever, 8[†]and n the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and o no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

REVELATION—NOTE ON 15:1–8 Heaven’s Sanctuary Filled with Glory. Just as earlier vision cycles began with an opening of God’s heavenly sanctuary (4:1; 8:1; 11:19), so the cycle of bowls containing the last plagues, in which God’s wrath on rebels is completed, is preceded by a scene of celebratory worship offered by believers who share the Lamb’s victory.

REVELATION—NOTE ON 15:1–16:21 The Bowls of God’s Final Wrath. Another view of the victors’ choir prepares for the seven “last” plagues, envisioned as “bowls full of the wrath of God” poured out on earth’s inhabitants. Futurists see these bowls as representing future global judgments unlike anything seen before in history. They occur at the end of the great tribulation period and culminate in the battle of Armageddon (16:14–16), just prior to Christ’s return to establish his millennial kingdom.

REVELATION—NOTE ON 15:6 pure, bright linen. A preview of the bride’s holy beauty (19:7–8). The angels’ golden sashes resemble that of the Son of Man (1:13; see Dan. 10:5).

REVELATION—NOTE ON 15:8 As when the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–35) and temple (1 Kings 8:10–11) were consecrated, God’s holy glory is so intense that no one could enter the sanctuary. In this case, they couldn’t enter until the seven plagues … were finished (cf. “finished,” Rev. 15:1). The seven bowls (16:1–21) complete God’s judgment and mark the end of history, as confirmed by the severity of the judgments.

REVELATION—NOTE ON 15:1 another sign in heaven. Like the woman and the dragon (12:1, 3), these angels signify another turning point in the war between Christ and Satan: the completion of God’s triumph in the destruction of his enemies.

REVELATION—NOTE ON 15:3–4 The song of Moses, celebrating Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Ex. 15:1–18), is fulfilled in the song of the Lamb, which tells of a greater redemption of a new kingdom of priests (Rev. 5:9–10). A later song of Moses extolled the Lord whose ways are just (Deut. 32:1–43; esp. v. 4). In keeping with the angel’s eternal gospel (Rev. 14:7), the King of the nations will be feared, glorified, and worshiped by all nations (Ps. 86:9; Jer. 10:7) for his righteous acts of judgment (Ps. 98:2).