The Book Of Revelation (part 26)

Revelation 15 – The Prelude to the Final Judgments.

12.9.2020

Revelation 15

Tonight we’re going to look at Revelation 15. This chapter gives a prelude to the final bowl judgments. Tonight, I want to give a brief recap of what has happened leading up to the bowl judgments.

A scroll in God’s right hand (Rev. 5) contains His plans to cleanse the earth of all rebellion and bring it back to its pristine, perfect condition before sin ruined it.

Remember that the seals, the trumpets, and the bowl judgments are sequential- they don’t happen at the same time – they follow one another.

All of these things are sequential events in the 2nd coming of Christ…

Revelation 15:1 (NKJV)

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.

Then I saw another sign in heaven…

John is referring to the fact that this was not the first sign he saw.

He saw two signs in heaven in Revelation 12:

Revelation 12 shows the conflict between Satan and the kingdom of God.

Revelation 12:1 (NKJV)

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. (2) Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

He saw a second sign in Revelation 12:3:

Revelation 12:3 (NKJV)

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

The sign of the woman clothed with the sun was the sign of Israel as a nation.

The sign of the fiery red dragon is referring to Satan.

Revelation 12:4 (NKJV)

His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

In Revelation 12, John summarizes the conflict between Israel and Satan. The dragon (Satan) seeks to destroy Jesus who is the seed of the woman clothed with the sun.

God stepped in when Jesus was born and warned Joseph in a dream of the danger Jesus was in and moved them before Herod could kill Jesus (See Matthew 2).

Revelation 12:5 (NKJV)

She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

What was revealed to John skipped all of Jesus’ life and ministry, and skips his death and resurrection, and goes right to His ascending to heaven.

John then is shown the persecution of Israel by Satan during the time of the antiChrist.

Revelation 12:13-14 (NKJV)

Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child (this was Israel). (14) But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

God protects Israel during this time by having Israel go into a solitary place, the wilderness where Israel was protected by God for 3½ years.

You remember that 144,000 were sealed by God so that they would not be killed by the antiChrist (Revelation 7).

In Revelation 13:

The beast rising out the sea, the antiChrist, empowered by Satan, not only persecutes Jews, but also turns his persecution to the church where he unleashes severe hatred towards Christians as well as Jews (Revelation 13:1).

He begins a worldwide program where he seeks to control the world, seeking to control the world through ruling their ability to conduct commerce with a mark of some kind. Most people will yield to Satan’s schemes through the antiChrist simply because they want to feed their families and survive financially.

Those who refuse the satanic reign of the antiChrist will suffer great persecution and many will die.

We (the church) will be here for perhaps 4½ to 5 years of the antiChrist’s reign…it gets really bad 3½ years into it.

In Revelation 14:

Revelation 14:1 (NKJV)

Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Here, Jesus the overcoming, victorious Lamb, is standing with the 144,000 Jews who are sealed by God and protected from the antiChrist’s vengeance. They are called the firstfruits of the Lamb in Revelation 14:4, for they are the first of many people who during this time put their faith in Jesus for salvation.

Three angels proclaim warnings of judgements from God that are coming on the kingdom of the antiChrist and those who follow him. Anyone who follows him will suffer eternal judgment.

Back to Revelation 15:1:

Revelation 15:1 (NKJV)

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.

So again, the 1st sign was in Revelation 12:1, which was the Woman clothed with the sun (Israel) holding the Christ Child.

The 2nd sign was the red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horn, which is the devil that empowers the antiChrist to wreak havoc on Jews and Christians and to deceive the masses of humanity into following him.

And the 3rd or last sign is the 7 angels holding the Bowl Judgments.

This is the final defeat of all rebellion against God and His kingdom!

The 7 angels have the 7 last plagues. These 7 last judgments complete the wrath of God on earth and cleanse the earth of all sin and corruption.

When did God’s wrath begin?

Look again at Revelation 6:12, when the 6th seal is opened on the scroll in God’s right hand:

This is into the second half of the 7 year period of what is typically called the Tribulation.

Revelation 6:12-17 (NKJV)

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The cosmic disturbances here, with the sun,moon, and stars losing their luster, signal to the world that judgment is about to come – (17) For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” They also signal to the church that the rapture is imminent.

Terrible persecution is happening at this time of Great Tribulation.

This time is cut short for the church by the rapture of the church.

During this 6th seal, the church is raptured to heaven, just before the 7th seal is opened.

Matthew 24:29-31 (NKJV)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The church is seen in Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17 (NKJV)

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, (10) and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (11) All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, (12) saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (13) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” (14) And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (15) Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. (16) They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; (17) for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Then, in Revelation 8, the last seal is opened on the scroll in God’s right hand, and this begins the Day of The Lord – The wrath of God upon the antiChrist and the world that follows him. The church is in heaven, and wrath breaks our full bore during the 7 Trumpet Judgments found in Revelation 8 and 9.

The final trumpet judgments end with the 7th trumpet being blown in Revelation 11:15, and Jesus returns in His Second Coming.

This ends the 7 year period typically called the tribulation.

75 additional days

Remember that there are an additional 75 days after this, and during these 75 days God’s wrath through the bowl judgments in Revelation 16 is completed and the earth is prepared for the 1000 year reign of Christ.

Daniel 12:11-12 (NKJV)

And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

From the time that the antiChrist desecrates the rebuilt Jewish Temple and turns against Christians and Jews, beginning the Great Tribulation, until the end of the antiChrists reign is 3½ years plus an additional 30 days.

Jesus will return at the end of the 7 year time we call The Tribulation (Revelation 11:15), and then there are 30 days during which the 2 witnesses will be killed and will resurrect in Revelation 11, and during which the 7 Bowl Judgments will occur in Revelation 16.

Then there are an additional 45 days during which God will prepare the earth for Jesus 1000 year reign!

The scene just before the Bowl Judgments are poured out:

Revelation 15:2-8 (NKJV)

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.

The Seal, Trumpet, and Bowl Judgments run consecutively, not together. They are a progression of God cleansing the earth of all moral defilement before the return of Christ!