Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

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A REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
A VICTORIOUS SONGS AND THEN PLAGUES

[“Temple Worship”]
Key Word: Temple
Theme Verse: 2

Revelation 15:1 – 7 Angels with 7 Plagues

RV15:1 And I saw another sign in the Celestialum (great and wonderful): 607 7 angels having the 7 last plagues 608 because in these the anger of The God is finished. 609 [Numbers 22:22]
607 Great and wonderful: The grandest description of a “sign” thus far.
608 The 7 last plagues: These will end the Apocalypse.
609 The anger of The God is finished: Compare Revelation 6:17; 14:9; 19:5. “The anger of God” only occurs once in the Bible at Numbers 22:22. It occurs five times in Revelation. [Revelation 14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1] The anger of God existed for at least 1,500 years until Revelation promised an end to it here.

Revelation 15:2-4 – Saints Sing a Victory Hymn

RV15:2 And I saw a sea of glass mixed with fire 610 and those coming out 611 of their conquest of the wild Sea Beast, 612 and the Image of the wild Sea Beast, 613 and the number of its name. 614 The victorious stood upon the sea of glass 615 holding harps of The God. 616
610 A sea of glass mixed with fire: This may be the floor of the Throne-room. The colors reflected would be jasper (diamond with its rainbow bursts), ruby, and emerald. (Revelation 4:6) Mix these and there is a scene of shimmering fire.
611 Those coming out: Compare Revelation 7:14.
612 The wild Sea Beast: Compare notes on Revelation chapters 13, 17. Is this the Eighth King who had the death stroke and yet revived, or ascended out of the Abyss?
613 The Image of the wild Sea Beast: These victorious ones would have to be those Saints contemporary with the Great Oppression and the Rapture to follow. They would be very similar, if not identical, with the Large Crowd of Revelation 7:9-17. Compare Revelation 13:5-7, 10, 15-18.
614 The number of its name: They have refused the engraving of 666 and thus “endured.” (Revelation 13:10, 11)
615 The victorious stood upon the sea of glass: Therefore, standing on the reflective floor of the Throne-room just as the Large Crowd stand before the Throne at Revelation 7.9. That the 144,000 and the Large Crowd are the same is shown by DNTT, Vol 2, pages 695-6: “… 12 x 12,000 = 144,000 who are sealed… Thus the number 144,000 does not denote a numerical limitation of those who are sealed; it is symbolizes the final perfection of the people of God. (cf. also Revelation 7:9). In this respect when John sees them, as opposed to hearing the number of the sealed, they are ‘a great multitude which no man can number, from all tribes, peoples and tongues’ (cf. Revelation 7:9 with Revelation 7:4).”
616 Holding harps of The God: Compare Revelation 14:3 as these are the 144,000. (Revelation 5:8)
RV15:3 And they are singing the song of Moses the slave of The God 617 [Exodus 15:1] and the song of the Lamb, 618 saying: “Great and wonderful are Your works, 619[Psalm 86:9] YHWH, God Almighty. 620 Righteous and true are Your ways, 621 [Deuteronomy 32:4] the King throughout all periods of time. 622 [Jeremiah 10:7, 10]
617 The song of Moses the slave of The God: Compare the song of Moses following the plagues on Egypt and the salvation through the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:1-21)
618 The song of the Lamb: Compare Revelation 5:8 with Revelation 7:10.
619 Great and wonderful are Your works: This is a quote from the LXX at Psalm 86:10; 92:5; 98:1.
620 YHWH, God Almighty: The source for this phrase at Psalm 86:10 does not use YHWH, but “God.” The Greek text has KYRIE HO THEOS. Some would want “Jehovah” here.
621 Righteous and true are Your ways: Or, just. From Psalm 145:17 where YHWH occurs. Compare Deuteronomy 32:5; Psalm 145:17.
622 The King throughout all periods of time: Compare Exodus 15:18.
RV15:4 Who will not fear You, 623 [Jeremiah 10:7] YHWH, 624 and not glorify Your Name, [Psalm 86:12] because You alone are loyal? Because all the [non-Jewish] nations will come 625 [Psalm 86:9] and they will worship in Your sight because You have made Your righteous decrees manifest.” [Psalm 86:9]
623 Who will not fear You: This entire refrain is a multiple conflate of Jeremiah 10:7. YHWH occurs in the context of that passage suggesting this song is addressed to YHWH here.
624 YHWH: This may be a location where YHWH would appear, judging from the context of Jeremiah 10:7. The Greek lacks “the” before Lord (KYRIE). Note the use of the noma sagrada is in the mouths of celestial beings.
625 All the [non-Jewish] nations will come: This is from Psalm 86:9. Compare Psalm 2:1, 2, 5, 10-12. These “nations” are those of Revelation 20:3, 8; 21:24 (Lamsa); and, likely the same as Zechariah 14:3, 14, 16.

Revelation 15:5-8 – Angels Leave Temple with Plagues

RV15:5 And after these things I saw and the Divine Habitat 626 of the Celestial Tent of the Witness 627 [Acts 7:44] in the Celestialum was opened.
626 Divine Habitat: Or, temple, sanctuary, shrine. The NAOS of Revelation 7:15.
627 Tent of the Witness: Compare Revelation 7:15; 11:2, 19; 21:3. The phrase “tent of the witness” is from Acts 7:44. (Hebrews 8.5) This is the tabernacle of Moses as it is throughout the Apocalypse and not the temples of either Solomon or Herod. It is always “in heaven.”
RV15:6 And 7 angels 628 having 7 plagues, [Leviticus 26:21] clothed in clean bright linen, 629 and girded about their breasts with golden girdles, came out of the Divine Habitat.
628 Angels: In the Apocalypse angels come and go from the Temple or Divine Habitat, showing it is not the edifice of only the Saints. The Temple (NAOS) is in existence before the Saints ever reach there. Compare Revelation 11:2.
629 Clothed in clean bright linen: Compare Revelation 7:9, 14; 19:8, 14. See Revelation 1:13 regarding the “girdle.””
RV15:7 And one of the 4 Living Creatures 630 gave to the 7 angels 7 golden bowls 631 full of the anger of The God who is living throughout all future periods of time.
630 The 4 Living Creatures: The four ZOA of Revelation 4:6.
631 Golden bowls: Compare Revelation 5:8.
RV15:8 And The Divine Habitat filled with the smoke from the glory of The God 632 [Isaiah 6:4] and from His power. No one was able to enter into the Divine Habitat 633 [Exodus 40:34, 35] until the 7 plagues of the 7 angels are finished. 634
632 The Divine Habitat filled with the smoke from the glory of The God: This is likely a conflate paraphrase from 1 Kings 8:10 and Isaiah 6:4. Compare also Exodus 40:34; Leviticus 16:2; 2 Chronicles 5:14.
633 No one was able to enter into the Divine Habitat: This was the case when the High Priest offered up incense in the tabernacle’s Most High. No other priest could be serving within the tabernacle. It is interesting that the NAOS is now closed until these plagues of divine anger are finished or fulfilled. The fact the Saints are seen in heaven before the Throne at Revelation 15:2 may prove the Saints are already within the Temple having “come out” of the Great Oppression (Revelation 7:14) and called out of Babylon before the plagues occur. (Revelation 18:4) These plagues come upon the Sea Beast and Babylon the Great. (Revelation 22:18)
634 Until the 7 plagues of the 7 angels are finished: Compare also Revelation 10:7.

Review Questions on Chapter Fifteen

What is now seen?
Who are in the Throne Room singing?
What is their song?
Who leave the sanctuary with what?

Mark Heber Miller