Revelations is as I quoted before the revelation or unveiling of Jesus Chrsit.
Rev. 15:1"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God." (Revelation 15:1). After making mention of this "sign in heaven," John proceeds with a brief summarization of the victory of the overcomers, as if to say, "Let these points be strong in your vision, before I tell you of the plagues." These will be the "last plagues," as with them God's wrath, His indignation against all unrighteousness, is finished, reaches its climax, and is ended.
"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire." This was first mentioned in Revelation 4:6, "And before the throne was a sea of glass like unto crystal." But now there is an added qualification, "mingled with fire." Truly the overcomer can stand thereon, because the cleansing of His consuming fire has done its work within. There is no negative reaction to the fire. There is no fear of exposure, or scrutiny. While it is written, "There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known," (Matthew 10:26), yet these can be transparent before all, and stand unashamed. When everything within us is pure, as He is pure, let the unveilings take place-- we can stand upon the sea of glass, and rejoice that we have been made partakers of His righteousness.
"And I saw... 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. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb."
"The song of Moses," was a song of deliverance, exalting the power of God, magnifying the One who brought them through in victory. "Then sang Moses... this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously... The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God... Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods ? Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders..." (Exodus 15:1-2, 11).
"And the song of the Lamb." Now the song expands to another dimension, for the Lamb is the REDEEMER of all men, and He sings of the totality of salvation for all mankind. "All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; and shall glorify Thy name. For Thou art great, and doest wondrous things: Thou art God alone." (Psalm 86:9-10).
"And all flesh shall come to worship before Me, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 66:23).
"For He will famish all the gods of the earth, and men shall worship Him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen." (Zephaniah 2:11).
"Saying, Great and marvelous 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."
Yes, the first fruits sing of victory over the beast, his mark, his image, his number. They exalt the One who has brought them into this deliverance. But then they go on to prophetically sing of the ultimate, that "ALL NATIONS shall come and worship before Thee." It is not just our deliverance-- it is what He has purposed for ALL men everywhere, including the far off isles of the sea.
With this VICTORY clearly in focus, let the outworking of it begin! "I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened." Out of this purified, qualified, holy temple of His dwelling, proceeds the ministry. The messengers are "clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles." Such oneness with the holiness and divine nature of God, their ministry is totally righteous, executing the will of God to perfection.
"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."
"If you walk contrary unto Me, and will not hearken unto Me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. - I will walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins." (Leviticus 26:21, 24).
The certainty of justice and correction is sure-- not as a negative whipping as payment for sin, but as a chastening to teach, a discipline to learn-- "For when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:9). The process is not an end in itself, but the means to an end-- through all the judgments a vital correction is made, bringing forth a "godly sorrow that worketh repentance to salvation." (2 Corinthians 7:10). His judgments do not save us, but they condition and prepare us to receive HIM who is our Salvation. They cause us to turn to the Lord in repentance, and we find He has been drawing us to Himself through it all.
So great is His glory and power that fills the temple, that no man can enter until their sevenfold cleansing is complete. This was prefigured in the early church, "And of the rest durst no man join himself to them..." (Acts 5:13). When GOD'S HOLINESS fills the temple, no man will be able to enter and retain his filthy garments. "Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness." (Matthew 22:12-13). The standard is not lowered to accommodate the world. The purgings will intensify until all are clean, clothed with His righteousness, and ready to be received by Christ.
"And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." (Revelation 16:1). Then follows the plagues of purification. They correspond to that which we saw in the ministry of the seven trumpets, and are also prefigured in the plagues that came upon Egypt.
While the processings might be severe, yet "I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus." - "And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments." (Revelation 16:5, 7).
Truly we can bear witness, "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." (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Moffatt's translation reads: "Steadfast -He rules aright, HIS METHODS ARE IN ORDER DUE, a God trusty and wholly true, upright and honest." While Ferrar Fenton adds the thought, "ALL HIS LINES ARE STRAIGHT."
What a declaration! His work is perfect, all His lines are straight, His methods are in due order, all that He does is RIGHT! Therefore it rightly follows, "All His ways are judgment." Everything He does is to bring about a restoration and setting right that which has been perverted, distorted, defiled, etc. HE IS OUR GOD OF SALVATION! Were He to draw a line in your life, it would be a straight line-- and that means you would be brought into alignment with that uprightness. "I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a Father to Israel." (Jeremiah 31:9). All of His methods, His workings, are in proper order, proper time, perfect sequence, as He steadily draws you to Himself.
So long has Christendom programmed their doctrines with a negative view, that to read of the pouring out of the plagues brings a shudder, a fear, for all they see is calamity and distress, while actually God has promised the opposite. Full well He knows the propensity of humanity to do evil. He knows of the self-will and rebellion, that we have "turned every one to his own way." But He also has promised, "I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." (Isaiah 42:16).
So ingrained is the self-will and rebellion of man, that the first strokes of judgment only harden them in their waywardness. "And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him glory." Yet even in their cursing they are forced to acknowledge that the Almighty God was in control, He had "power over the plagues." They blaspheme God in a reaction to their pain and distress. But while the wrath of God is love's severity, yet it remains purest love, seeking the ultimate good for creation, and so it continues to apply the strokes of chastisement. Repentance will come, but how great is the need for the inworking of His judgments, until that submission comes.