Revelation 15:1-4

I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: (15:1-3a)

This is a very interesting vision, because it begins with a vision of the triumphant church after the consummation; that is after the last judgment. Notice the presence of the seven angels with the seven last plagues, which signal God’s last and final act of judgment. There is a sea like glass, glowing with fire, and on the shore of that sea is the assembled church in its triumph giving glory to God.

First of all, notice that the sea is calm, glassy even. What a contrast to the image of the sea that we normally see in apocalyptic passages that is tempest tossed representing the turbulence of this world. Here, it is glassy calm and glowing with fire, symbolizing the completion of God’s judgment. Having completed the judgment, God has calmed the sea once and for all. Next, we see the triumphant church on the shore, which draws a very distinct parallel with the Israelites as they rejoiced on the shore of the Red Sea after God had judged the great army of Pharaoh, reminding us of the parallels we studied earlier between the plagues of Egypt and the deliverance of the Israelites, and the “New Exodus” that is found in Revelation.

The people are playing harps and singing a “new song” of Moses and of the Lamb, combining the image (new song) we have seen before with the Exodus, bringing the point home.

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
    Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    King of the nations.
 Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (15:3b-4)

Of course, we remember from earlier passages that the song interprets the vision, and here the people are all singing God’s praises for revealing His “righteous acts”. What righteous acts were revealed? God’s last judgment and the consummation of the Church. The lines of the “new song” of Moses and of the Lamb has very deep roots in Old Testament Scripture which remind us that this is the outcome that God has been moving toward from the beginning, the full and complete redemption of humanity from sin, rebellion, death and all evil. This scene, dear reader, is our entire Christian hope, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, in four verses. (cf. Ps.111:2-3; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 10:7; Ps. 86:9, 98:2).

This is all wonderful and marvelous, but don’t get too comfortable, for when we get together next, we will find a sharp change of scene in verse 5…