REVELATION 15
·
"And I saw another sign in heaven,
great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them
is filled up the wrath of God." (Rev 15.1).
Since the beginning of creation
the Eternal projected that the lights of heaven will serve for signs:
·
"And God said, Let
there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the
night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:" (Genesis 1.14).
And Jesus said that such miracles would happen to announce
the closeness of His coming:
·
"And there shall be signs in the
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things
which are coming on the earth:
for the powers of heaven shall
be shaken." (Lk 21.25,26).
This is, however, different from what is practiced
by the mundane in their sects:
·
" Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of
the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are
dismayed at them." (Jer 10.2).
·
"Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them
to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear,
nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your
fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be
for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling
and for a rock of offence to both
the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem." (Isaiah 8.12-14).
After sounding the seventh trumpet, the Church is
caught and then John sees the 3Rd sign in heaven:
·
The first one was the woman
clothed with the sun. This signal was great in the eyes of John (Reve 12.1);
·
The second one was the
great red dragon (Rev 12.3). The signal in itself was not great, but only the dragon.
·
The third one was the seven
angels with the seven last plagues, which was great and marvelous (Rev 15.1).
In response to the cry of the martyrs, John sees:
1st
-
The faithful remnant of the
Creator who is never forgotten before Him;
2nd -
The wiles of
Ha-Satan due to the infidelity of the people of the Creator;
3rd
-
The trial which shall come
upon all who do not know the Creator, nor obey the gospel of our Lord
Jesus (2Thes 1.7,8).
The seven bowls,
at this moment in history, will be ready to be discharged, but before John
see the judgment of the seven bowls, he sees the difference
between him that serves the Creator and between the ones who does
not serve Him (as in Exodus 11.7; Mal
3.18). He sees the Israelites that were preserved spiritually in
the Great Tribulation.
While the
followers of the beast are tormented (as
in Rev 16.10,11), they, even in the midst of trials and
tribulations, will have a song of the Eternal in themselves (Job 35.10).
Before John heard the blasphemy of the wicked (Rev 16.10.11) he
hears the anthem of the victors (Rev 15.3,4).
With this I
believe that it is clear: before we think to see the wicked being
punished, our desire should be to see the Church being clothed with the glory
of the Eternal.
Chapter 15 is
the continuation of chapter 11. After the sanctuary (Jesus
- Rev 21.22) be opened and the ark of the covenant (Church) be
seen in it, John sees seven angels with the last plagues. After seeing
this, John's attention is directed to the Israelites who believed in
Jesus in the great tribulation.
Meanwhile, the
seven angels come into the sanctuary to be dressed appropriately for the
mission that the Eternal had for them. Closes the sanctuary.
Since then no
more intercession. The door of grace is closed. The conversion is not
more by the grace of Christ, but by faith and obedience to His Word.
·
"And after that I looked, and, behold,
the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: and the seven angels came out of the temple,
having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen,
and having their breasts girded
with golden girdles." (Rev 15.5,6).
The seven angels
with the seven plagues come out of the Holy Place which is in the tabernacle in
heaven. While in the earthy tabernacle the law was the testimony that was kept
in the holy of holies, the heavenly tabernacle of the testimony is the eternal
life:
·
"And this is the record, that God
hath given to us Eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5.11).
Considering that
Eternal life is in Jesus (Jn 17.3; 1 Jn 5.11,12), therefore
the exit of the heavenly sanctuary indicates that the seven angels were coming
out of the living presence of the Lamb (i.e., it was
not something arbitrary or punishment for any sin. Rather, this confirms that
the faults committed were not "mere" sins of the flesh, but
a direct affront to Jesus and all that He is, namely, his Word). Consider
also that the cups are made of gold, signifying that the judgments have to do
with the rejection of the own living presence of the Eternal (remember
that there's only gold inside the tabernacle and bronze outside the tabernacle).
The angels will launch
their scourges over those who rejected the living Word of Eternal, and not
just "mere" laws as in Old Testament times.
·
"He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall
he be thought
worthy, who hath trodden under
foot the Son of God,
and hath counted the blood
of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of
grace?" (Heb 10.28,29).
This was the
type of response expected by martyrs (Rev 6.9-11).
The vials, that for
the wicked are pests (Rev 15.1), to
whom belongs to Jesus, it is cause for rejoicing, because it points to the
coming of Jesus and to the end of the gap between rich and poor (Rev 6.5),
although, unfortunately, the majority of the poor prefer to mourn the loss of
their misery to inherit the kingdom that the Eternal allocated to
them (Matt 5.3; James 2.5).
Understand: what
does it mean the visit of an emissary of the Eternal? For who is right in
the sight of Him, represents hope, life, knowledge, blessing. However, for
those who are wicked, represents fear (Gen 3.10; Matt 22.11,12).
The fact of the
sanctuary of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened means that it
was closed (Rev 15.5). When John
began to see, the Holy of Holies was open. While he looked to the
Israelites who came out of great tribulation, the seven angels came and the
Holy of Holies was closed.
After the seven
angels receive their commission, the Holy of Holies was opened bringing
what, for the Church of Jesus and the elect means deliverance.
Detail: these
bowls are not natural disasters, nor the work of Ha-Satan, but of the Eternal
which will do each living being without Christ to drink of the
fruit of their works (Job
5.13; Ps 7.16; Joel 3.7; 1 Corinthians 3.19; Rev 14.17-20).
The ornament of
the priests remembers the way in which Ha-Satan was adorned:
·
"Son of man, take up a lamentation
upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in
beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden
of God; every
precious stone was thy covering, the sardius,
topaz, and the diamond, the
beryl, the onyx, and the
jasper, the sapphire, the emerald,
and the carbuncle,
and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets
and of thy
pipes was prepared in thee in the day that
thou wast created." (Ezek 28.12,13).
They were
dressed in a way that fits to their position and condition. They were ministers of genuine
discipline of soul:
1. They
were complete in number and qualification: "Seven angels and seven
plagues";
2. They
come directly from the presence of the Eternal: "come out of the temple of
the tabernacle of witness";
3. They
are divinely marked and adorned as priests of the Eternal: dressed in
pure linen and bright;
4. They
have a serious commission. True education of the soul involves pain. The
enormous severity is a blessing for those who believe in Jesus.
The Holy of
Holies terrestrial contained the ark of the covenant in which was the
witness (the tablets of the law), which was
used against Israel:
·
"That ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt 5.45).
In the Holy of
Holies in heaven, the ark of the covenant is the Church,
which will be present at the rapture (Rev 11.19),
being their life in Christ the true testimony which will bring the condemnation
of the bowls to all who do not accept Jesus and His Word:
·
"He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day." (John 12.48).
Comes the
question: if the Eternal dwells in every place and the heaven,
theoretically, is a place completely pure, then why to have a Holy of
Holies in heaven? This means that it is not every angel who has access to
the intimacy of the Eternal (see His face):
·
"Take heed that ye despise not one
of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in
heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt 18.10).
Basically
there are two types of angels who have access to the face of the Eternal:
·
The angels of the little children;
·
These seven angels who will throughout the earth
to pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of the Eternal.
The vials,
although are trials, they are also an opportunity for repentance. To the
contrary, the Eternal could eliminate all instantly.
After seeing
those who won the beast, His image and your brand, again John sees the shrine to
be opened. When the angels exit, they appear clothed:
·
Dressed in pure and shining
linen. This is the same dresses of the bride of the Lamb (Rev 19.8 - the righteous deeds of the saints) and reminds the garment of armies of heaven (the only difference is that, in place of “shining”, it is written “white”
- Rev 19.14). Consider that we all ought
to wear the breastplate of righteousness (Eph 6.14).
·
Girded, at breast height
with belts of gold (as
Jesus was also - Rev 1.13), which
represents the truth (Eph 6.14), which is more precious than gold (Prov 2.3-5; 3.13-15; 23.23; Eph 6.14).
That is, they
were dressed with the justice of the Kingdom of the Eternal (Matt 6.33),
which was attached to the body of them by the truth which liberates (John 8.32). This
teaches us that true justice is possible only in our lives when we retain
the truth.
Furthermore, the
fact that the angels are dressed of this mode is proof that the bowls were not
arbitrary judgment. Instead, testify to the real meaning of eternal life: truth
and justice in the Eternal. Even more: confirms that they are at the
service of Jesus and His bride.
Therefore, which
gives the angels authority to launch the plagues is the faithful witness of
elected, which confirms the truth (see 2Cor
10.6).
·
"And one of the four beasts gave unto
the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever." (Rev 15.7).
The seven
angels, initially, had only the seven plagues. After entering the sanctuary,
they receive garments of pure and shining linen, and shall
be girded with golden belts by breasts. Only after this these angels
receive the golden vials full of the wrath of the Eternal.
This means that
the "wrath of the Eternal" is one thing and the "plagues" are
another.
Note how the
angels, even arriving at the right moment and each one having the exact plague,
yet they could only do something after being clothed with the righteousness of
the Eternal, being girded with His truth, as well as receiving the wrath from Him.
That is, this
shows that the seven angels may not do what they think is right and true, nor
send the plagues. The pests must be a manifestation of righteousness and truth
of the Eternal, as well as accompanied by the feeling that is to overwhelm each
one.
Without the
wrath of the Eternal, the plagues of the angels would seem mere natural disasters.
However, with the anger of the Eternal, all the worshippers of the beast came to hate
Him for knowing that it was He who was behind the plagues (Rev 16.11,21), to
the point of declaring opened war to Him (Rev 16.14).
The idea is that
each one is angry with the sins of their neighbor and, with
this, seek the conversion in Christ. However, they will prefer take grudge
against the Eternal, seeing that it is with His permission that such
pests are sent.
Note how is one
of the four living creatures that gives the seven angels
the wrath of the Eternal. Considering that the function of these beings
is to testify the gospel of Jesus, then is the gospel that gives the basis
to divine judgment. That is to say, the same gospel that saves is what brings
condemnation.
In addition,
whereas the four living creatures are seraphim who, together, they carry
in themselves, the four characteristics of Christ, soon only a very special
angel to be able to do, by the suffering, a ministration so obvious about the
character and justice of the Eternal.
The detail is
that the bowls of four living beings contained initially incense representing
the prayers of the saints.
·
"And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,
having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours,
which are the prayers of saints." (Rev 5.8).
Another thing to
be observed is that it is the anger of that Who lives forever. Understanding
that God is love (1Jn 4.8,16), so it
is His love that leads the wicked to anger (for the
pleasure that they have in exploring His true servants, channeling the goodness
and gifts of Eternal inside them for futile things).
The Eternal is
presented as the one who lives forever and ever in contrast with the beast and
the false prophet whose life is so short. This shows that the wrath of the
Eternal is not impulsive (suddenly), but something
very well constructed.
Finally, these vials
are proof that those who now supposedly can escape the judgment of men
and the Eternal (in fact they cannot escape.
To be deprived of the love of Jesus is already a terrible punishment,
since, without this, their lives are sterile and meaningless),
nothing can make in the Great Tribulation. Thus, while there is still
time, allow the Eternal find you with His presence (2chr 15.2; Jer 29.13,14).
·
" And
the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and
no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven
angels were fulfilled." (Ap 15.8).
"and no man
was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels
were fulfilled". Comes the question: why? The meaning of these words has
something to do with Exodus 19.21:
·
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the
LORD to gaze, and many of them perish." (Exodus 19.21).
Nobody can
approach the Eternal for sees Him, unless they have received permission to do
this. This seems to be difficult to understand, since that it is entering the sanctuary
that we can better understand Jesus and His designs (Psalms 73.17).
However:
·
"And teach customs, which are not
lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans." (Acts 16.20,21).
·
"But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians
2.14).
Jesus wants to
talk to us, but often we cannot receive what He has to reveal (see John
16.12).
Because of the
glory of the Eternal and His power, the heavenly sanctuary was filled
with smoke. We can see the manifestation of such a cloud in some occasions:
·
When the tabernacle of
Moses was ready (Exodus 40.34), the glory of the Eternal filled it, so that he may not
enter;
o
"Then a cloud covered the tent
of the congregation,
and the glory of the LORD filled
the tabernacle." (Exodus 40.34).
This is the
smoke by which He is surrounded as the righteous Legislator.
·
When Solomon's temple was
dedicated, a cloud filled it, insomuch that the priests could not stand (1Kings 8.10,11):
o "And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place,
that the 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 had
filled the house of the
LORD." (1 Kings 8.10,11);
o "So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the
cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God." (II Chronicles 5.14).
·
When Isaiah saw the Lord
seated on a high and lifted up throne, the posts of the door moved at the voice
of Him that cried, and the house of the Eternal in heaven was filled
with smoke (Isaiah 6.1,4):
o "And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried,
and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because
I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of
a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen
the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6.4,5).
·
When Ezekiel saw the glory
of the Eternal filling His house,
he fell upon his face (Ezek 44.4,5):
o "Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and
I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and
I fell upon my face. And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark
well, and behold with thine
eyes, and hear with thine
ears all that I say unto thee concerning
all the ordinances
of the house
of the LORD, and all the
laws thereof; and mark well the entering
in of the house, with every
going forth of the sanctuary." (Ezek 44.4,5).
·
After Solomon praying in
the temple, the cloud filled the temple so that the priests could not enter:
o "And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD,
because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house." (II Chronicles 7.2).
Also, here, nobody could
come because of the smoke that filled the heavenly sanctuary (Rev 15.8).
When someone
enters in a given place, the same goes for three reasons:
·
To perform or get some service;
·
For
refuge;
·
To
have fellowship.
Note in the
above passages that the smoke is always associated with the
tabernacle (or temple, both the physical and the heavenly), as
well as the laws related to it. It is also related to the action
of the Eternal. Whenever the Eternal expresses His living presence,
the role of all is to be quiet, one way or another:
·
"But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth
keep silence before him." (Hab 2.20).
The smoke also
indicates the Eternal wrath upon the wicked, which are like smoke:
·
"And mount Sinai was altogether on
a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof
ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." (Exodus 19.18)
·
"And he looked toward Sodom and
Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke
of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." (Genesis 19.28).
·
"It shall not be quenched night nor
day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it
shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever." (Isaiah 34.10).
·
"In my distress I called upon
the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and
my cry did enter into his ears. Then the earth shook and
trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and
shook, because he was wroth. There went up
a smoke out of his nostrils, and
fire out of his mouth devoured:
coals were kindled by it." (2Sam 22.7-9)
·
"There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it." (Psalm 18.8).
·
"As smoke is driven away, so
drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the
wicked perish at the presence of God." (Psalm 68.2).
·
" Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to
me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that
burneth all the day." (Isaiah 65.5).
·
"Therefore
they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as
the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the
smoke out of the chimney." (Hosea 13.3).
On this basis,
the smoke indicates that, in the second half of the Great Tribulation, the
Eternal will act in a well visible way, making drops His wrath upon
the wicked. At this moment, there is nothing more that can be done to enter
into the sanctuary of the Eternal and obtain His favor.
Until the
seven bowls are poured, no sacred service will can be done.
There is no more
chance of change:
·
"He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is
righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still." (Rev 22.11).
Nobody can come
also to try to intercede for the neighbor coming, with this,
denigrate and appease the wrath of the Eternal. The smoke reveals that the
plans of the Eternal cannot be frustrated, neither changed (Job 42.2). Each
one will have to live what was preached by the Church, as well as 144,000
sealed and the two witnesses.
The Holy
Spirit will continue working on His cleanliness and justice in their
sons, but there will be no conversions. The smoke reveals an obscure
vision of the purposes and presence of the Eternal in the midst of
everything that is happening in the Great Tribulation.
They have to live by faith in a "dead" word (dead in the
sense that it does not count with the face of the Eternal to speak to them in
the midst of everything).
There will be no
preaching of Scripture, there will be no prophecies (hence Amos 8.11-13). All
the prayers seem unanswered. Nobody will feel the presence of the Spirit of the
Eternal. Each one will believe on the basis of what they heard in the past and
based on what they will be experiencing, namely, the fulfillment of the
prophecies. Remember that the end (this moment) only
come after the gospel of the kingdom has been preached to all nations (Matt 24.14).
While the seven vials
are not all poured (and it is not said: "It is
done - Rev 16.17), no one can enter into the sanctuary for any of the
reasons cited above. Whereas the seven bowls last since the rapture of the
Church until Jesus come to judge the nations, so throughout the second half of
the 70th week (with exception of the first three
and a half days), there will be no communication with the heaven.
Why does the
term “the gospel of the kingdom”? The same as Jesus began to preach in His
time: "the Kingdom of the Eternal is near" or "now is the
Kingdom of the Eternal" (Matt 3.2; 10.7; Mark
1.15; Luke 10.9,11). The proclamation of the good news, mainly during the
first half of the 70th week, saying that the millennium is coming,
is to serve as a confirmation for all to see during the Great Tribulation (the last three
and a half years, without counting the first three and a half days) that
everything that was preached by the Church, by the 144,000 sealed and by the two
witnesses was true.
The smoke,
at the same time that reveals that the Eternal is present, it also
reveals the impossibility of intimate relationship with Him while the
first tabernacle continues erected (Heb 9.8). And
it doesn't matter if the individual is on earth or in heaven: without
being in Christ, it is not possible to have intimacy with the Eternal,
nor be used by Him (see Isaiah 6.5-8).
Comes the
question: what gave occasion for the seven angels were dressed in character to
be worthy to administer the seven vials? Or, if you prefer, what was it that
made the seven angels dressed?
It isn’t in
vain that, between verses one and five there is a vision. It is
in favor of these winners that angels will be dressed and have
authority to pour the plagues.
In the realm of
the Eternal, individuals are motivated to act on the basis of what they are
sure that will happen (and not on the basis of what
it is expected to happen).
·
"And I saw as it were a sea of glass
mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and
over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name,
stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." (Rev 15.2).
John sees again
the sea of glass that is before the throne (Rev 4.6).
Only that, here, this sea is mingled with fire. Here you can see the
answer to the following question:
·
"LORD, who shall abide in thy
tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?" (Psalm 15.1).
·
"Who shall ascend into the hill of
the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?" (Psalm 24.3).
·
"And said to the mountains and
rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his
wrath is come; and who shall
be able to
stand?" (Rev 6.16.17).
While the sea
here is disturbed, the redeemed will be on a sea of glass. But, what would this sea
of glass be?
·
"And the likeness of the firmament
upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible
crystal, stretched forth over their heads above." (Ezek 1.22).
·
"And they saw the God of Israel:
and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire
stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." (Exodus 24.10).
·
"And he shewed me a pure river of
water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb." (Rev 22.1).
That is to say,
John sees the "sea of glass" as the bottom of the river of life
flowing from the throne.
And as we know,
the Living Water represents the Word of Jesus and the Holy Spirit who confirms
this word:
·
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit." (John 15.2).
·
"Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water
by the word," (Eph 5.25,26).
·
"In the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any
man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture
hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake
he of the
Spirit, which they that believe
on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that
Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (John 7.37-39).
The sea of
glass also recalls Jesus walking on the water.
Recalls the brazen
sea that stood at the entrance of the temple (or the laver
of bronze that stood at the entrance of the tabernacle) for the
purification of priests.
As to the fire,
it is another instrument of purification that burns the chaff, straw, wood and
hay and purifies the gold, silver and precious stones. Note how are two types
of purification: internal fire - 1Peter 4.17) and
external (water - the wicked around us):
·
"And he said, The LORD came from
Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined
forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery
law for them." (Deut 33.2).
·
" And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am
not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and
he will throughly
purge his floor, and gather
his wheat into the garner;
but he will
burn up the
chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3.10-12).
·
"Now if any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made
manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of
what sort it is. If any
man's work abide which he
hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man's
work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet
so as by fire." (1 Cor 3.12-15).
In other words,
what John saw were the Israelites who came out of great tribulation. As they
didn’t receive the mark of the beast and accepted Jesus, they were saved.
However, as they didn’t believe in Jesus before the rapture of the Church, they
have been saved in the midst of the fire.
That is, it
reminds us of the two baptisms that John the Baptist foretold that Jesus would
give them:
·
"I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire:" (Matt 3.11).
They would
be (and will be) baptized with the Holy
Spirit (water) and with fire (the law):
·
"And he said, The LORD came from
Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined
forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery
law for them." (Deuteronomy 33.2).
There is the baptism
with fire (in which the wicked will be burned - Matt 3.12), as
well as the purification by fire which will happen in those who
are silver and gold in the hands of the Eternal (Zech 13.9; Mal 3.1-3).
Besides, note in
Malachi that the coming of Elijah (related to
one of the witnesses) is connected to the custody of the law by
Israel:
·
"Remember ye the law of Moses my
servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the
statutes and judgments." (Mal 4.4)
It is also
worthy of note the following verses:
·
"Moreover, brethren, I would not
that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and
all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;" (1Cor 10.1,2).
·
"Know ye not, that so many of us as
were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6.3).
The Israelites
were baptized into Moses, being guided by the cloud of the Eternal and in the
midst of the Red Sea which served to free them from their enemies. The
Israelites of the Great Tribulation will be baptized into Christ's death (like us),
since it is through this that His presence lives in us, guide us and frees us
from the sin of the flesh, the world and Ha-Satan.
We have the
doctrine of the permanent value of the trial. When someone wins a fight, it isn’t
as if nothing had happened. All the experience lived in the midst of the struggles accompany
them so that they can serve as a consolation in the lives of others who
are going through the same (2Cor 1.3-5; 1Pet 5.8,9).
Similarly, the
Israelites victors of the beast are not merely as the Israelites victorious
before the Red Sea. Although these Israelites redeemed are an allusion to the
people of Israel in the Exodus (Moses and the men singing, Miriam
and women celebrating with timbrels and dances in
front of the Red Sea when the Egyptians were destroyed), there are two
differences:
·
Here the sea is firmly and accurately reflects the glory of the Eternal in them through the
victory of them amid all the suffering imposed by the beast;
·
Here the redeemed will sing in the midst of the fire,
while in the Exodus, "After crossing it."
The victory of
this group (and, mainly, the fact of they
praise the Eternal while they are at the peak of the fighting and suffering) gives
the seven angels authority to arrange the seven bowls (see 2Cor
10.6) in which they obeyed (see 2Tess
1.5-8). Nobody have excuse for being unfaithful, because several managed
to win, even under the same conditions.
These
redeemed had harps of the Eternal. The ones that were previously seen with
harps were the 24 elders (Rev 5.8).
Comes the
question: why is it said the winners of the beast, his image and the
number of his name?
It is because
there are three victories to be won:
·
The beast -> they do not seek their
rights complying the orders of the beast, much less seek to justify themselves
by making use of the political, legal and police system established by him.
Instead of relying on the powers of the world, humbling themselves before the Antichrist to
maintain control of all this, they shall trust in the blessing of Eternal
which, in addition to enrich without bringing pain (Prov 10.22), is
the only one that is really good (James 1.16,17), superabundant (1Cor 2.9; Eph 3.20; Romans 5.17) and
that really makes a difference.
·
Your image -> the satanic
community. They haven’t fellowship with them. In other words, they do not
worship the Jesus in the same way that the worshippers of the beast
worship him (they do not follow the religious system);
·
The number of his name -> that is, they
will not reach goods in this world (including
food, drink or dress) conniving with those who violate the principles
of Holy Scripture (they do not follow the economic
system of the beast).
·
" And
they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,
saying, Great and marvellous are thy works,
Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of
saints. Who shall not fear thee,
O Lord, and glorify thy name?
for thou only art holy: for all nations shall
come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." (Ap 15.3,4).
As each bird
produces its own song that cannot be perfectly imitated, so each song can only
be learned by those who lived his letter.
Considering that
the creation (Job 38.7), the birth of Jesus (Lk 2.13,14) and
the second coming of Jesus were concluded with music (Rev 15.3,4)
(in the plane of the Eternal, Jesus has already come), soon in all
the time we have to be music in the hands of the Creator.
This song
portrays the life of them as a sweet smell before the Eternal (see Exo 29.18,25,41; Lev 1.9,13,17;
2.2,9,12; 3.5,16; 4.31; 6.15,21; 8.21,28; 17.6; 23.13,18).
Comes the
question: what is the content of this song?
1. They are extolling the Eternal in person. He is:
a. Lord God Almighty: while the dragon is
exalted by giving the beast his power,
his throne and great authority (Rev 13.2), only the Eternal has
all power, domain and landlord (owns everything - Psalm 24.1);
b. Just and true: with Him there is no
partiality, nor the deceptions of Ha-Satan. The Eternal works on top of what is
real and good for all;
c. King of the Nations: Even though the king
of nations seem to be Ha-Satan (Hab 2.8; 13.7), he is so only the prince of
this world (Jn 12.31; 14.30; 16.11;
Ephesians 2.1,2). At the end:
o " All nations whom thou hast made shall
come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name." (Psalm 86.9).
d. The Lord fearsome and worthy of glory:
This is a weird question (who would
not fear thee), taking into account that there are billions of
individuals who do not fear the Eternal. They even mock Him. However, when
Jesus manifests Hs judgments, until the inhabitants of the world will learn
righteousness (Isaiah 26.9,10).
o "Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the
nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee." (Jer 10.7).
o "The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take
hold on the
inhabitants of
Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall
be amazed; the mighty men
of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them;
all the inhabitants
of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread
shall fall upon them; by
the greatness of thine arm
they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people
pass over, O LORD, till the people pass
over, which thou hast purchased." (Exodus 15.14-16).
The trials that will be inflicted
on the beast and his image will aim to teach the people to reverence and
worship the Eternal (although, unfortunately, this
does not happen).
Here is the reason to fear and
glorify the Eternal:
1.
He himself is saint;
2. His
domain extends to all nations;
3. His
acts of righteousness are now visible to everyone.
Only in the
final judgment, everyone will bow before the Eternal and confess who He
is (Isa 45.23; Rom 14.11; Phil 2.10).
That is, the works of the Eternal are great and marvelous because they are made
in truth and justice, so that nobody can have contact with the same
without wanting to live with everything that the Eternal is.
While the world will amaze themselves after the beast, saying,
"Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" (Rev 13.3,4), the true worshipers do
not think on beat him on the material plane. Instead, they will understand that
the only way to overcome him will be having lost everything she
extols (Phil 3.8). Henceforward, instead of not wanting to annoy him to continue having
access to the world (Acts
4.19; 5.29), they prefer to be
overcome by him (Matthew 5.39-44) in order to achieve the real prize (Matt 10.39; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
e. The Holy: while those who dwell on
the earth (Rev 13.8) follow that who will blaspheme against the Eternal (His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven) and make war against the saints (Rev 13.6,7), who belong to Jesus
praises Him who is holy followed Him. After all, among other things,
Jesus died for this:
o
"In the body of his flesh through
death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" (Col 1.22);
It is in vain that one of
the names by which the Eternal is identified is Holy:
o "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57.15);
2. They are extolling what the Eternal does:
a. His works are great and wonderful:
·
"The works of the LORD are
great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." (Psalms 111.2).
·
"I will praise thee; for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that
my soul knoweth right well." (Ps 139.14).
·
"The LORD is
righteous in all his ways, and holy
in all his works." (Ps 145.17).
The key
point here is that the work of the Eternal is great (it is not
small, of little scope) and admirable (a art workt,
worthy to be addressed thoroughly). The Eternal is seen as the
owner of everything (Lord) and able to do all
things in favor of their works. Comes the question: what works they
were talking about, since the judgments of the bowls had
still not been? Consider that all the works of the Eternal yield
thanks to Him (Ps 145.10).
While the world is amazed by the signs that the antichrist
operates (Matt 24.24; 2Thes
2.9-12; Rev 13.13), the believer in Jesus
only is wondered when the Eternal operates, no matter how beautiful and
efficient seems to be human technology;
b. The acts of justice of the Eternal is made manifest:
o All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thy face,
O Lord, and glorify thy name." (Psalm 86.9).
While the people on the earth will rejoice with the "justice"
promoted by the beast (for
example, when he kills the two witnesses that, condemning the evil deeds, were
bringing a lot of damage to persons (Rev 11.7-10). Something similar also happen
to Jesus (Mark 5.16,17) and Paul (Acts 16.20,21), the people of the Creator is pleased with only His righteousness, even
when this involves a lot of pain and suffering (as occurred with the seven trumpets, as well as persecution undertaken
by the Antichrist).
3. They were exalting the paths of the Eternal: these were righteous and true.
"Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness
unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and
without iniquity, just and right
is he." (Deut 32.3,4).
Unlike the path
of the human being who is false (because it does not lead to
anything beyond this world. It does not reveal the Eternal as Creator, but
takes the individual only to try to understand and dominate nature in order to
be dod about it and conduct all by their own
interests) and unfair (always seek
the benefit of one group over another). Jesus as King of nations, leads
the whole world so that all may experience inside themselves the truth and,
thus, to live by trusting in Him (see Hab 2.4; Rom 1.17; Gal 3.11; Heb 10.38).
While the antichrist will change times and law (Dan 7.25) and does not do
anything other than trick (Matt 18.25;
2Thes 2.9-12; Rev 13.13,14), being
master of intrigues (Dan 8.23), the path of Eternal is not misleading, much less leads to
illusory results (as the
false peace of the Antichrist who will last three and a half days, namely,
after the death of two witnesses - 1Thes 5.3) or that only favors some people (unjust).
4. They exalt the final triumph of the Eternal: all nations shall come and worship before the Eternal
because their acts of righteousness will manifests:
o "All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before
thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name." (Psalm 86.9).
o " And it shall come to pass, that
from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh
come to worship before me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 66.23).
In
the end, all the riddles of life will be unraveled, and with a fair,
true and perfect picture, the Eternal look lovely and beautiful.
This
is the holiness of Jesus which will stimulate all the nations in the
millennium, to come and worship before Jesus.
o "O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of
affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and
shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
vanity, and things wherein there is no profit." (Jer 16.19).
That
is, the nations worship Jesus before Him to
realize that there is no other place in which they can achieve something big,
brave, just, true and holy.
While the worldly worship the beast (Rev 13.4,7.8), such worship is only
circumstantial. At the end of everything, all will bow before the Eternal (Phil 2.5-8) and confess that He
alone is truly Lord (Isaiah 45.23).
That is to say,
this song represents how the Eternal’s Word became real in the lives of
those who won in the Great Tribulation, to the point of making them the
good fragrance of Christ (2Cor 2.14-16).
Even with all the apparent influence, wisdom, power to keep everyone and
everything under control through technology, giving the impression that,
finally, peace came (1Thes 5.3), the
Church of Christ never will be leaded by the powers of this world. Even in
the face of death and suffering struggles and persecutions, yet is
unwilling to pass over the beast to win the world (after all,
such as in the time of Jesus' death this time was dedicated to their tormentors
and the power of darkness, the same will be in the seventieth week: this
time is to be manifest before all the works and results
brought by the power of darkness). Rather, they will
give their lives for love of Jesus (Matt 10.39; Rev 12.12) in
order to continue to target (Phil 3.13,14), aiming
something greater (Heb 8.9,10,13-16).
Through the
canticle of the victors, we learn that the important thing is not our
achievements (the redeemed do not sing about themselves), but
the ability of the Eternal to keep
us from falling (Jude 24), get
rid of temptation (2Peter 2.9). Lastly,
are the works of Him who are great and wonderful.
And the song is
called:
·
Song of Moses because remembers the occasion on which the Eternal freed Israel,
giving opportunity for the faithful in the Creator could praise Him without wasting
time, energy and resources building vain things (Exodus 1.11) and praising the
false gods of Egypt.
Detail: The servant of the Lord is used as a special honorable
title with respect to Moses (Exodus 14.31; Num 12.7; Ps 105;
26; Heb 13.5) (Dt 34.5; Js 1.1,7,13,15; 8.31,33; 11.12;
12.6; 13.8; 14.7; 18.7; 22.2,4,5).
·
Song of the lamb because remember the liberation that the life of Christ offers to
all those who would believe in Him. These no longer need to subjecting the
Antichrist and the things of this world that are under his domain (which was granted per Ha-Satan - Matt 4.6). They can praise the Creator, living for loving their neighbor, even in
the midst of the great tribulation and poverty (2Cor 8.1-5; 1Thes 1.6; Rev 2.9).
Why is quoted
Moses and Jesus?
·
"For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (Jn 1.17).
Moses represents
the law and the prophets, inasmuch as he was the prophet through whom the law
was given. Jesus is the one that expresses the Favor of the Eternal
and the truth, of which depend all the law and the prophets (Matt 22.40). That
is, singing this hymn, the winners were confirming the power that is in the favor
of the Eternal to enable us to live the law (Rom 8.3,4). It
is good to remember that Jesus promised to praise the Lord in the midst of the
congregation (Psalms 22.22,25).
This song is not
merely to celebrate the qualities and attributes of the Eternal (such as
angels do), nor to only speak of their deeds. This is the song
of Moses and of the Lamb, that is, which shows how law and grace, Old and New
Covenant are related.
This song,
deeply rooted in the Testament of the Law, says:
·
The works of the Eternal - " Great
and marvellous are thy works, Lord God
Almighty";
·
The paths of the Eternal - " just
and true are thy ways, thou King of saints".
·
The dignity of the Eternal - " Who
shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art
holy"
·
Worship of the Eternal - " for
all nations shall come and worship before thee;".
Also note that
the entire focus of this hymn is in the Eternal and His deeds, and not what
they suffered to achieve victory (as that highlighting the merit of
them).
Detail: the largest
judgment was about to fall on all humanity and, at no moment, we see someone
interceding before the Eternal to minimize such judgments or even
make them cease (all agree, including the
Israelites who came out of great tribulation). On the contrary:
what we see is a hymn being sung.
All
consent to the judgment of the Eternal, including the Lamb, known for
being a Friend and Savior of sinners. In this hymn is the accusation of
Moses (Jn 5.45) and Jesus (Jn 12.48).
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