Revelation 15

Re 15:1-8.

THE

LAST

SEVEN

VIALS OF

PLAGUES:

SONG OF THE

VICTORS OVER THE

BEAST.

1. the seven last plagues--Greek, "seven plagues which

are the last."

is filled up--literally, "was finished," or "consummated": the

prophetical past for the future, the future being to God as though it

were past, so sure of accomplishment is His word. This verse is the

summary of the vision that follows: the angels do not actually receive

the vials till

Re 15:7;

but here, in

Re 15:1,

more plagues after these until the Lord's coming in judgment. The

destruction of Babylon

(Re 18:2)

is the last: then in

Re 19:11-16

He appears.

2. sea of glass--Answering to the molten sea or great brazen

laver before the mercy seat of the earthly temple, for the purification

of the priests; typifying the baptism of water and the Spirit of all

who are made kings and priests unto God.

mingled with fire--answering to the baptism on earth

with fire, that is, fiery trial, as well as with the Holy Ghost,

which Christ's people undergo to purify them, as gold is purified of

its dross in the furnace.

them that had gotten the victory over--Greek, "those

(coming) off from (the conflict with) the beast-conquerors."

over the number of his name--A, B, C, Vulgate, Syriac,

and Coptic omit the words in English Version, "over his

mark." The mark, in fact, is the number of his name which

the faithful refused to receive, and so were victorious over it.

stand on the sea of glass--ALFORD and

DE BURGH explain "on (the

shore of) the sea": at the sea. So the preposition,

Greek, "epi," with the accusative case, is used for

at,

Re 3:20.

It has a pregnant sense: "standing" implies rest, Greek

"epi" with the accusative case implies motion "towards." Thus

the meaning is, Having come TO the sea, and now

standing AT it. In

Mt 14:26,

where Christ walks on the sea, the Greek oldest

manuscripts have the genitive, not the accusative as here. Allusion is

made to the Israelites standing on the shore at the Red Sea,

after having passed victoriously through it, and after the Lord had

destroyed the Egyptian foe (type of Antichrist) in it. Moses and the

Israelites' song of triumph

(Ex 15:1)

has its antitype in the saints' "song of Moses and the Lamb"

(Re 15:3).

Still English Version is consistent with good Greek, and

the sense will then be: As the sea typifies the troubled state out of

which the beast arose, and which is to be no more in the blessed world

to come

(Re 21:1),

so the victorious saints stand on it, having it under their feet

(as the woman had the moon, see on

Re 12:1);

but it is now no longer treacherous wherein the feet sink, but solid

like glass, as it was under the feet of Christ, whose triumph and power

the saints now share. Firmness of footing amidst apparent instability

is thus represented. They can stand, not merely as victorious Israel

at the Red Sea, and as John upon the sand of the shore,

but upon the sea itself, now firm, and reflecting their glory as

glass, their past conflict shedding the brighter luster on their

present triumph. Their happiness is heightened by the retrospect of the

dangers through which they have passed. Thus this corresponds to

Re 7:14, 15.

harps of God--in the hands of these heavenly virgins,

infinitely surpassing the timbrels of Miriam and the Israelitesses.

3. song of Moses . . . and . . . the

Lamb--The New Testament song of the Lamb (that is, the song which

the Lamb shall lead, as being "the Captain of our salvation," just as

Moses was leader of the Israelites, the song in which those who conquer

through Him

[Ro 8:37]

shall join,

Re 12:11)

is the antitype to the triumphant Old Testament song of Moses and the

Israelites at the Red Sea

(Ex 15:1-21).

The Churches of the Old and New Testament are essentially one in their

conflicts and triumphs. The two appear joined in this phrase, as they

are in the twenty-four elders. Similarly,

Isa 12:1-6

foretells the song of the redeemed (Israel foremost) after the second

antitypical exodus and deliverance at the Egyptian Sea. The

passage through the Red Sea under the pillar of cloud was Israel's

baptism, to which the believer's baptism in trials corresponds. The

elect after their trials (especially those arising from the beast)

shall be taken up before the vials of wrath be poured on the beast and

his kingdom. So Noah and his family were taken out of the doomed world

before the deluge; Lot was taken out of Sodom before its destruction;

the Christians escaped by a special interposition of Providence to

Pella before the destruction of Jerusalem. As the pillar of

cloud and fire interposed between Israel and the Egyptian

foe, so that Israel was safely landed on the opposite shore before the

Egyptians were destroyed; so the Lord, coming with clouds and in

flaming fire, shall first catch up His elect people "in the

clouds to meet Him in the air," and then shall with fire destroy the

enemy. The Lamb leads the song in honor of the Father amidst the great

congregation. This is the "new song" mentioned in

Re 14:3.

The singing victors are the 144,000 of Israel, "the first-fruits," and

the general "harvest" of the Gentiles.

servant of God--

(Ex 14:31;

Nu 12:7;

Jos 22:5).

The Lamb is more: He is the SON.

Great and marvellous are thy works, &c.--part of Moses'

last song

(De 32:3, 4).

The vindication of the justice of God that so He may be glorified is

the grand end of God's dealings. Hence His servants again and again

dwell upon this in their praises

(Re 16:7; 19:2;

Pr 16:4;

Jer 10:10;

Da 4:37).

Especially at the judgment

(Ps 50:1-6; 145:17).

saints--There is no manuscript authority for this. A, B,

Coptic, and CYPRIAN read, "of the NATIONS." C reads "of the ages," and so Vulgate

and Syriac. The point at issue in the Lord's controversy with

the earth is, whether He, or Satan's minion, the beast, is "the King of

the nations"; here at the eve of the judgments descending on the

kingdom of the beast, the transfigured saints hail Him as "the King of

the nations"

(Eze 21:27).

4. Who shall not--Greek, "Who is there but must fear

Thee?" Compare Moses' song,

Ex 15:14-16,

on the fear which God's judgments strike into the foe.

thee--so Syriac. But A, B, C, Vulgate, and

CYPRIAN reject "thee."

all nations shall come--alluding to

Ps 22:27-31;

compare

Isa 66:23;

Jer 16:19.

The conversion of all nations, therefore, shall be when Christ

shall come, and not till then; and the first moving cause will be

Christ's manifested judgments preparing all hearts for receiving

Christ's mercy. He shall effect by His presence what we have in vain

tried to effect in His absence. The present preaching of the Gospel is

gathering out the elect remnant; meanwhile "the mystery of iniquity" is

at work, and will at last come to its crisis; then shall judgment

descend on the apostates at the harvest-end of this age

(Greek,

Mt 13:39, 40)

when the tares shall be cleared out of the earth, which thenceforward

becomes Messiah's kingdom. The confederacy of 'the apostates against

Christ becomes, when overthrown with fearful judgments, the very means

in God's overruling providence of preparing the nations not joined in

the Antichristian league to submit themselves to Him.

judgments--Greek, "righteousnesses."

are--literally, "were": the prophetical past for the immediate

future.

5. So

Re 11:19;

compare

Re 16:17.

"The tabernacle of the testimony" appropriately here comes to view,

where God's faithfulness in avenging His people with judgments on their

foes is about to be set forth. We need to get a glimpse within the Holy

place to "understand" the secret spring and the end of God's righteous

dealings.

behold--omitted by A, B, C, Syriac, and

ANDREAS. It is supported only by Vulgate,

Coptic, and PRIMASIUS, but no manuscript.

6. having--So B reads. But A and C, read "who have": not that

they had them yet (compare

Re 15:7),

but they are by anticipation described according to their office.

linen--So B reads. But A, C, and Vulgate, "a stone." On

the principle that the harder reading is the one least likely to be an

interpolation, we should read, "a stone pure ('and' is omitted in A, B,

C, and ANDREAS), brilliant" (so the Greek):

probably the diamond. With English Version, compare

Ac 1:10; 10:30.

golden girdles--resembling the Lord in this respect

(Re 1:13).

7. one of the four beasts--Greek, "living creatures." The

presentation of the vials to the angels by one of the living creatures

implies the ministry of the Church as the medium for manifesting to

angels the glories of redemption

(Eph 3:10).

vials--"bowls"; a broad shallow cup or bowl. The breadth of the

vials in their upper part would tend to cause their contents to pour

out all at once, implying the overwhelming suddenness of the

woes.

full of . . . wrath--How sweetly do the vials full

of odors, that is, the incense-perfumed prayers of the saints,

contrast with these!

8. temple . . . filled--

(Isa 6:4);

compare

Ex 40:34;

2Ch 5:14,

as to the earthly temple, of which this is the antitype.

the glory of God and . . . power--then fully

manifested.

no man was able to enter . . . the temple--because of

God's presence in His manifested glory and power during the execution

of these judgments.