15 1 The seven Angels having the seven last plagues. 3 They that conquered the beast praise God. 6 To the seven Angels, 7 seven vials full of God’s wrath are delivered.
1 And [a]I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven [b]Angels having the seven last plagues: for by them is fulfilled the wrath of God.
2 [c]And I saw [d]as it were a glassy sea, mingled with fire, and [e]them that had gotten victory of the beast, and of his image, and of his mark, and of the number of his name, [f]stand at the glassy sea, having the harps of God,
3 And they sung [g]the song of Moses the [h]servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, [i]Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty: just and true are thy (A)[j]ways, King of Saints.
4 (B)Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name! for thou only art holy, and all nations shall come and worship before thee: for thy judgments are made manifest.
5 [k]And after that, I looked, and behold, the Temple of the tabernacle of Testimony was open in heaven.
6 And the seven Angels came out of the Temple, which had the [l]seven plagues, clothed in [m]pure and bright linen, and having their breasts [n]girded with golden girdles.
7 And therefore [o]four beasts gave unto the seven Angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God which lived for evermore.
8 And the temple was full of the smoke of the glory of God and of his power, and [p]no man was able to enter into the Temple, till the seven plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled.
Footnotes
- Revelation 15:1 This is that other place of the acts of Christ, as I noted before, 14:14. Now therefore is showed a singular work of the judgment of God belonging to the overthrow of Antichrist and his forces of which divine work the preparation is described in this Chapter and the execution in the next. The preparation is first set down generally and in type in this verse: and is after particularly set forth in the rest of the Chapter.
- Revelation 15:1 Of which Rev. 8:9, in pouring forth in the plagues of the world: for even these plagues do for the most part agree with those.
- Revelation 15:2 There are two parts of the narration: one the confession of the Saints glorifying God, when they saw that preparation of the judgments of God, unto verse 4: another the vocation, instruction, and confirmation of those instruments which God hath ordained for the execution of his judgments, in 4 other verses.
- Revelation 15:2 This part of the vision alludeth unto the sea or large vessel of brass in which the Priests washed themselves in the entrance of the Temple: for in the entrance of the heavenly Temple (as it is called, verse 5) is said to have been a sea of glass, most lightsome and clear, unto the commodity of choice mixed with fire, that is, as containing the treasury of the judgments of God, which he bringeth forth and dispenseth according to his own pleasure: for out of the former, the Priests were cleansed of old and out of this the ungodly are destroyed now, Rev. 4:6.
- Revelation 15:2 That is, the Godly martyrs of Christ, who shall not give place even in miracles unto that beast: of these, see before, Rev. 13:17 and 14:9, 10.
- Revelation 15:2 Glorified God, from the particular observation of the weapons and instruments of God’s wrath, floating in the sea of glass.
- Revelation 15:3 That song of triumph which is Exod. 15:2.
- Revelation 15:3 So is Moses called for honor’s sake, as it is set forth, Deut. 34:10.
- Revelation 15:3 This song hath two parts, one a confession, but particular in this verse, and general, in the beginning of the next verse: another, a narration of causes belonging to the confession, whereof one kind is eternal in itself, and most present unto the godly in that God is both holy, and alone God, another kind is future and to come, in that the elect taken out of the Gentiles (that is, out of the wicked ones and unbelieving: as Rev. 11:2) were to be brought unto the same state of happiness by the magnificence of the judgment of God, in the next verse.
- Revelation 15:3 Thy doings.
- Revelation 15:5 The second part of the narration (as was [noted,] verse 2) wherein first the authority of the whole argument and matter thereof is figured by a forerunning type of a temple opened in heaven, as Rev. 11:19, namely that all those things are divine and of God, that proceed from thence, in this verse. Secondly, the administers or executors, come forth out of the Temple, verse 6. Thirdly, they are furnished with instruments of the judgments of God, and weapons fit for the manner of the same judgments, verse 7. Finally they are confirmed by testimony of the visible glory of God, in the last verse. A like testimony whereunto was exhibited of old in the Law, Exod. 40:34.
- Revelation 15:6 That is, commandments to inflict those seven plagues. Here is the figure called Metonymy.
- Revelation 15:6 Which was in old time a sign of the kingly or princely dignity.
- Revelation 15:6 That is, girding was a sign of diligence, and the girdle of gold was a sign of sincerity and trustiness in taking in charge the commandments of God.
- Revelation 15:7 Of these before, Rev. 4:7.
- Revelation 15:8 None of those seven Angels might resume, till he had performed fully the charge committed unto him according to the decree of God.