THE
REVELATION
OF
JOHN THE DIVINE*

Revelation 15

1The seven angels with the seven last plagues. 2The song of them which overcome the beast. 5The seven angels receive the seven golden vials full of the wrath of God.


1AND 1I saw another sign in heaven, 2great and marvellous, 3seven angels having 4thea seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

1 As in the two previous chapters the ascent, deception and tyranny of the antichrist was treated at large, now the Holy Spirit, in some following chapters, comes and relates, for the comfort of believers, the plagues and punishments which shall come upon antichrist and his entire realm, till he shall be utterly destroyed at last; whereof the vision, contained in this chapter, is but a preparation.

2 That is, which signifies great and marvelous things.

3 Whether or not these seven angels were the seven angels that are frequently mentioned before, is uncertain. But this is certain, that they were instruments, whereby God has already executed in part, and will yet execute in part His judgments upon the realm of the antichrist, as shall be further declared in the next chapter.

4 That is, power over the seven last plagues, namely, which God shall cause to come upon antichrist’s followers in this world. For, after the last judgment the wrath of God shall abide upon them and upon all wicked men forever, as was testified before in Rev. 14:10, 11, and hereafter is also testified in Rev. 19:3 and 20:10. See also Mat. 25:46 and John 3:36.

a Rev. 11:14.

2And I saw asb it were 5a sea of glass mingled with fire: and 6them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and 7over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, 8stand on the sea of glass, having 9the harps of God.

b Rev. 4:6.

5 Since this history does entirely refer to the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt, as also to the punishment of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the Red Sea, and lastly to the song of praise, which Moses, standing on the shore of the Red Sea, with the children of Israel, have sung about their deliverance and about the punishment of the Egyptians, this sea of glass mingled with fire must also be compared to the Red Sea, wherein the Egyptians perished and through which the Israelites were delivered. These are then the many nations which are under the superstitious reign of the antichrist, as the angel himself declares in Rev. 17:1, 15, which like a sea do continually rage and are drowned in their superstitions, and seek to overwhelm therein the true believers with themselves; which is mingled with fire, by reason of their cruelty and blind zeal in persecuting them, and is transparent as glass in the eyes of the Lord, before Whom are naked and manifest all their actions, Who notwithstanding brings His people, through all this tumult and danger, over unto the shore and haven of salvation, as Moses did the children of Israel under the shadow of the Angel of God. See also previously in Rev. 4:6.

6 That is, true believers, who, according to their spiritual state, had overcome the beast, as they, according to the body, had been tempted, persecuted and oftentimes killed, forasmuch as they always continued steadfast in the faith.

7 See of this and of the following in Rev. 13:14, etc.

8 That is, who had escaped all dangers and did come into safety, as the Israelites, having come through the Red Sea to the other side of the shore, were free from all care and trouble, Exod. 15:1, etc.

9 That is, fair and excellent, as this phrase is much used among the Hebrews; see Gen. 23:6; Psalm 36:6, and therefore suitable to play and sing upon them the praise of God.

3And they sing 10the song of Moses the servant of God, and 11the song of the Lamb, saying, 12Greatc and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; justd and true are 13thy ways, thou King of saints.

10 That is, the song wherewith Moses praised God for the deliverance of His people, which is recorded in Exod. 15:1, etc.

11 That is, which is sung by believers to the honor of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, for the spiritual redemption purchased by Him, whereof an example is related in Rev. 5:10; 12:10, 11.

12 The words of this song of praise are for the most part joined together out of some places of the Old Testament, as in Psalm 25:10 and 86:8, 10; Jer. 10:7.

c Psalm 111:2; 139:14.

d Psalm 145:17.

13 That is, Thy counsels and actions, though men are not always able to comprehend it. See Rom. 11:33.

4Whoe shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for 14all nations shall come and worship before thee; for 15thy judgments are made manifest.

e Jer. 10:7.

14 That is, the elect out of all nations. See Rev. 5:9, 10.

15 Namely, against antichrist and his followers; of the execution of these judgments shall be treated in more detail in the next two chapters.

5And 16after that I looked, and, behold, 17thef temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven 18was opened:

16 Namely, after the song of praise of believers about God’s future judgments. A further preparation to the execution of God’s judgments is declared in the following verses.

17 Some are of the opinion that the temple is here so called, because it was made according to the pattern of the tabernacle. But here the Greek word naos, that is, temple, that is, for the Holy of Holies, can be more suitably taken for the innermost part of the temple, that is, for the Holy of Holies, as this word is also sometimes used, Psalm 28:2, which agrees with the innermost part of heaven, where God has His throne, and where the twenty-four elders and the four beasts, with the holy angels stand round about, as was shown before and especially in chapter 4. And this is, as it were, God’s tribunal in His celestial congregation, where the judgments of God are pronounced, and the angels commanded to execute the same, as the sequel implies.

f Rev. 11:19.

18 Namely, to publish publicly and execute the judgment or sentence of God against antichrist and his followers. A comparison taken from royal thrones and tribunals, which are opened when sentences shall be pronounced.

6And the seven angels came out of the temple, having 19the seven plagues, clothed 20in pure and white linen, and having their breasts 21girdedg with golden girdles.

19 That is, the power and charge of the execution of the seven plagues, as previously in verse 1.

20 Namely, to signify the purity and justice, not only of their persons, but also of God’s judgments, whereof they were executioners.

21 Namely, to express their readiness, swiftness and alertness in executing God’s judgments; according to the custom of the Eastern people who are girt about with broad girdles, when they undertake or go about some difficult business. See Luke 12:35; Eph. 6:14.

g Rev. 1:13.

7And 22one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels 23seven golden vials 24full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

22 Namely, which afore stood nearest to the throne of God, with the twenty-four elders, and who represented the entire church of Christ, at whose request and for whose vengeance these punishments are poured out upon the realm of the antichrist. See earlier in Rev. 4:6.

23 These vials were a kind of drinking bowls, not deep, and contained ordinarily as much as a man was able to drink all at once.

24 That is, of the wine of the cup of God’s wrath, whereof see earlier in Rev. 14:10.

8And 25the temple was filledh with 26smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and 27no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

25 Here reference is made to what happened in the tabernacle, Exod. 40:34, which was overshadowed at its dedication with a cloud of God’s glory, so that Moses could not enter into it; as also happened at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, 1 Kings 8:10. Others perceive that reference is made to Isa. 6:4, whereby the smoke the righteous judgments of God upon the people are signified.

h Exod. 40:34; 1 Kings 8:10; Isa. 6:4.

26 That is, proceeding from the throne of God’s glory, which was compassed about with lightnings, thunderclaps, voices and burning lamps, all signs of God’s glory, as the same is described in Rev. 4:5.

27 Namely, to behold or search further into these judgments of God, since they are unfathomable, Rom. 11:33, and which can then be only fully understood, after they are fulfilled. Others, take it thus, that the shutting of the tabernacle by the smoke of God’s glory, after the announcement of God’s judgment upon the antichrist and his worshippers, yet signifies a sequel of God’s judgments upon them; namely, that they would not be amended by any of these punishments, or be brought to meditation of what will come after, to consider these judgments, as they ought, to their own salvation; but that they would be therein more and more blinded and hardened, and regard it no sooner than when it would be too late, when the last vial would be poured out upon them, and they would be cast into everlasting destruction, as Paul hereof yet speaks in 2 Thes. 2:11, 12. See also in Rev. 16:9, 11.