Bird's-eye view
This short but potent passage in Revelation 15 marks the solemn transition from prelude to the final, catastrophic act of judgment upon covenant-breaking Israel. The scene shifts to the heavenly sanctuary, the true control room of history, from which all earthly judgments are decreed and dispatched. John sees the very heart of heaven's worship center opened, not for mercy, but for the execution of wrath. Seven angels, robed as holy priests and royal executioners, emerge from the immediate presence of God to receive their instruments of judgment: seven golden bowls filled with the undiluted wrath of God. This is not arbitrary anger; it is the long-awaited answer to the prayers of the martyrs. The scene culminates with the sanctuary being filled with the smoke of God's glory and power, an awesome and terrifying sight that signifies the time for intercession is over. The verdict has been rendered, the sentence is set, and the divine glory of God is so manifest in this judgment that no one can approach until the sentence is fully carried out. This is the final preparation for the pouring out of the seven last plagues, which represent the swift and total dismantling of the apostate Jewish world order in the first century.
At the heart of this passage is the principle that heavenly worship and earthly judgment are inextricably linked. The judgments that are about to fall are not chaotic historical accidents; they are the direct result of a divine decree issued from the throne room. The purity, holiness, and glory of God are the very reasons for the wrath that is unleashed. It is a holy wrath, a just wrath, and a wrath that vindicates the blood of the saints. The final moments for old covenant Jerusalem have arrived, and heaven is preparing to act decisively.
Outline
- 1. The Final Judgment Unleashed from Heaven (Rev 15:5-8)
- a. The Heavenly Origin of Judgment (Rev 15:5)
- b. The Angelic Ministers of Judgment (Rev 15:6)
- c. The Divine Instruments of Judgment (Rev 15:7)
- d. The Unapproachable Glory of Judgment (Rev 15:8)
Context In Revelation
Revelation 15 serves as the staging ground for the third and final cycle of judgment, the seven bowls. It follows the vision of the 144,000 and the announcement of the eternal gospel and the fall of Babylon in chapter 14. Chapter 15 opens with the saints who were victorious over the beast singing the song of Moses and the Lamb on the sea of glass (15:1-4), celebrating God's just and true ways in anticipation of the judgments to come. Our passage (15:5-8) immediately follows this song of victory. It provides the theological and liturgical basis for the bowl judgments detailed in chapter 16. The trumpets announced judgments that were partial, affecting a "third" of the earth. The bowls, however, are comprehensive and final. This passage shows us that these final plagues, which will "fill up" the wrath of God, originate in the holiest place, are administered by holy beings, and are a manifestation of the very glory of God. This entire sequence is the climax of God's covenant lawsuit against the "great city" where the Lord was crucified (Rev 11:8), which is apostate Jerusalem.
Key Issues
- The Heavenly Sanctuary as the Source of Judgment
- The Priestly and Royal Garb of the Angels
- The Bowls of Wrath and the Prayers of the Saints
- The Theophanic Smoke of God's Glory
- The Cessation of Intercession
- The Preterist Fulfillment in A.D. 70
The Control Room of History
When we read a passage like this, we must continually remind ourselves that John is being shown what is happening behind the curtain of history. Earthly events, particularly the great cataclysms of judgment, are not random. They are orchestrated. What John sees here is the divine setup for the final act of the drama involving God and first-century Jerusalem. The sanctuary in heaven is opened, and out of it comes, not a word of mercy, but a procession of judgment. This is the holy of holies, the place of the testimony, where the covenant law is kept. And it is from this place that the verdict of covenant-breaking is issued and the sentence is executed.
The imagery is thick with Old Testament allusions. The tabernacle, the priestly garments, the bowls, and the smoke of God's glory all point us back to Israel's worship. But here, all that liturgical furniture is repurposed for war. The place of atonement has become the place of wrath. This is because the final atonement has been accomplished in Christ, and those who rejected that atonement now face the unmediated holiness of God. The time for sacrifices and intercessions within that old system is over. The glory of God is now manifest not in accepting offerings, but in pouring out judgment on those who rejected His Son.
Verse by Verse Commentary
5 And after these things I looked, and the sanctuary of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
John's attention is directed to the source of the coming action. It is the heavenly sanctuary itself. This is not just any sanctuary; it is specifically "the tabernacle of testimony." This points us directly to the holy of holies, where the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the law (the testimony), was kept. This was the heart of Israel's covenant relationship with God. For this place to be opened in heaven signifies that the judgment to come is a covenantal judgment. The law, the testimony which Israel had broken, is now the basis for the sentence. The very center of God's holy presence is where the verdict is rendered and from which the executioners are dispatched. Judgment is not a fringe activity of God; it flows from the very center of who He is.
6 and the seven angels who have the seven plagues came out of the sanctuary, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.
Out of this opened sanctuary come the seven angelic agents of destruction. They are described as having the seven plagues, indicating their assigned task. Their clothing is highly significant. They are dressed in "linen, clean and bright," and have "golden sashes." This is the attire of priests and royalty. It echoes the description of the high priest's garments in the Old Testament and even the description of Christ Himself in Revelation 1. This tells us that the judgment they are about to execute is a holy, priestly, and royal act. It is not a dirty job outsourced to demonic beings. It is a pure and righteous work carried out by the highest-ranking ministers of the heavenly court. Their purity stands in stark contrast to the defilement of those upon whom the judgment will fall.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
The angels do not act on their own initiative. They are given their instruments of wrath by one of the four living creatures, the cherubim who stand in the immediate presence of God's throne. This emphasizes that the judgment is authorized at the highest level. The instruments themselves are "seven golden bowls." In the temple liturgy, bowls were used to hold the incense, which represented the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8). Here, the bowls are filled not with incense, but with the wrath of God. The connection is profound. The prayers of the persecuted saints, crying out "How long, O Lord?" (Rev 6:10), have been heard. Those prayers have ascended to God, and now the answer comes down in the form of wrath. God's judgment is the vindication of His people. The wrath belongs to the God "who lives forever and ever," reminding us that His judgments are not fleeting emotional outbursts but are rooted in His eternal and unchanging character.
8 And the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
This is a powerful theophanic image, a manifestation of the presence of God. When the tabernacle was dedicated in the wilderness (Ex 40:34-35) and when Solomon's temple was dedicated (1 Kings 8:10-11), the house was filled with a cloud or smoke of God's glory, so much so that the priests could not enter to minister. It was a sign of God taking possession of His dwelling place. Here, the meaning is similar but with a terrifying edge. God's glory and power are so intensely focused on the execution of this final judgment that all normal traffic in the heavenly courts ceases. "No one was able to enter." This signifies that the time for mediation, for intercession, is over. No one can approach God to plead for a stay of execution. The sentence against apostate Jerusalem is now irrevocable. The glory of God is being revealed in His power to judge, and nothing can stand in the way until that judgment is complete.
Application
This passage should instill in us a profound and holy fear of God. Our God is not a sentimental grandfather in the sky. He is a consuming fire, and His holiness requires that sin be judged. The wrath described here is not a temper tantrum; it is a holy, pure, priestly, and glorious response to covenant rebellion and the shedding of innocent blood. We must never domesticate God or remake Him in our own image. The same glory that saves is the glory that destroys those who reject the only way of salvation.
Secondly, this passage is a great comfort to the persecuted church. It teaches us that our prayers are heard. The cries of the saints are not forgotten; they are collected in golden bowls in heaven. And in God's perfect time, the answer comes. God will vindicate His people. He will settle all accounts. This should give us endurance and patience in the midst of suffering, knowing that our ultimate vindication is not in our hands, but in the hands of a just God who lives forever and ever. Justice will be done, and it will flow from the very throne of God.
Finally, we see the finality of rejecting Christ. The smoke that filled the sanctuary meant that the door for intercession was closed. There comes a point when judgment is set. For that generation in Jerusalem, that point came. For individuals today, that point comes at death. As long as it is called today, the door of mercy is open. But we are warned not to trifle with the grace of God. The same sanctuary from which mercy is offered is the same sanctuary from which judgment will one day proceed. Let us therefore flee to Christ, the only shelter from the coming wrath, and cling to Him who alone can save.