Revelation Chapter 15 vs 1-8
We are entering God’s cross examination of the world. Two things are
happening. There are two ways sin can be judged. Sin is either judged by
lawful condemnation, or lawful grace. First, God who is perfect and
righteous in all His ways, a perfect and just judge, will exact the final
analysis. The absolute survey of the world unto the pronouncement of a
pure and just sentence. Honest, fair, ethical, honorable, objective, right,
unbiased and nonpartisan judgement. Absolute lawful condemnation.
If there is innocence, then there is freedom. If there is liability, there is
justice. As difficult as it is for many reasons, it is merited, appropriate, it is
right. If a judge was able to be bribed, for his or her judgement to be
swayed by coercion, we would demand that judge be removed. All would
agree that judge does not deliver justice. No question and no disagreement.
But when it comes to God rightly judging the world, it is so difficult for
many.
The defense presents its case. My goods, but look at all that IS good.
Overlook all that is not. Overlook my rebellion, my serving of myself,
overlook my criminalities, my breaking of the law… Not because I have
been good but because You Judge, You say You are good! If the Judge
were to comply, the Judge would be proven not good, corrupt!
So, the cross-examination comes. Which is the second thing that is
happening. Because the Judge is good. And the Judge in complete
preservation of His rightness, fairness, and goodness has discovered and
delivered a way for justice to be satisfied, for sin to be judged by grace. He
has given Himself to the sentence the criminal deserved. Did you receive
Him, and do you stand with Him…? Have you allowed your flesh to die
with Him and are you born again in the Spirit? Raised with Him to
everlasting life. Have you received Him, or did you crucify Him?
If the latter, the wrath/justice of God which was completed upon Jesus is
left incomplete in you… This is God’s cross-examination of the world.
Look at this first verse…
Revelation Chapter 15 Verse 1
John is in such wonder that he has to use the words great and
marvelous and somehow, he perceives there is a finality to what is
happening. We read here, “In them, the wrath of God is complete.”
This word for complete is astonishing. Used only seven times in the
scriptures. Seven speaks of perfection. It speaks of something that is
entirely whole. Something without the presence of anything else ever
that could never be added to because it is full only by being alone. It’s
the word in the Greek, “teleo.” A word attributed to Jesus on the
cross.
John 19:28, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now
accomplished (teleo), that the Scripture might be fulfilled (teleo), said,
“I thirst!” In that moment, these last plagues which is a statement of
chronology but also a statement of totality, finality, Jesus fulfilled the
justice of the good Judge. This was His moment in my place. How do
I know that? Jesus says something He only says once in His
earthly/human life. He said, “I thirst.” Why so significant?
Because it was Jesus who said, “If ANYONE thirsts, let him come to
Me and I will give him living water…” And yet here, it’s Jesus that
thirsts. He paid His living water, He gave His life, under my sentence,
so that there would be justice, and a righteous way, only one, for me
to go free… A way for sin to be dealt with rightly through grace!
That was the moment of complete. God’s wrath being completed in
Him. The last utterance of Jesus before submitting His life as
sufficient sentence for all sin, He cried out in John 19:30, “It is
finished.” Tetelestai in the Greek, the inflected form of the word,
“teleo.” And now you know why? So, I get to choose, because there
are two moments of payment in the Bible. Two moments of
completion. That completion of the righteous judgment of God, or this
one…
Revelation Chapter 15 Verse 2
These are the specific tribulation saints that wouldn’t take the mark,
who wouldn’t worship the beast. They lost at life! They didn’t go the
way of the world, what made human sense in the moment, and they
lost. In the eyes of the world, they were losers. Not so in heaven.
In heaven they are water walkers and we have GOT to be mindful of
eternity, Christians! If we don’t factor in heaven and eternity, in its
rightful place and order, which is first and primary (because it will be
what matters), then biblical Christianity sometimes doesn’t work for
us!
Love your enemies? Do good to those who spitefully use you!?
Choose faith over fortune!? Choose to put someone else before
yourself! Choose Christ before convenience!? Without being in any
way mindful of heaven, does that even work? But remembering the
cross, God’s great love for you, His intense worthiness, and the
coming of the Kingdom of God, moments of defeat transfigure
into defining moments! Even moments of greatest triumph!
Heavenly water walkers! Reminds us of Jesus. Walked right on top of
water during His earthly ministry. That’s the kind of power He had
and yet they crucified and shamefully killed Him. But hey, look at
Him now! The rightful, qualified and uniquely equipped Judge of all
heaven and earth!
There’s only one other water walker in the Bible. Peter. At the call
and command of Jesus. Matthew Chapter 14. And you’ll hear many
good and inspiring sermons asking you why you’re staying in the boat
and not walking on water. Simple answer, you’re not Peter.
Matthew 14:22 says, “Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and
go before Him to the other side…” Peter was told to get out of the
boat and walk on the water because he was terrified. They were
going to make it. Peter had a faith issue. That’s what that scene was
about. What’s the point? I have my orders. God give me faith to
steady on. And what you call ME to do, that will I do!
Back to the scene. The tribulation terminators walking on this very
great and marvelous sea of glass mingled with fire. That speaks of
water, glass and fire. In what circumstance do those things go
together? I can’t think of any. What are you wrestling with right now
in your life, in your heart, in your thinking that you can’t figure a way
out of? Can’t make sense of it.
The Word of God puts things together that in the moment are not only
impossibly difficult but also may not even make sense. Here’s where
faith is required. My desire, (not my habit because I often fall short),
but what I want because I know it is right and the winning path, is to
rewire my thinking in alignment with God’s ways. That is what faith
does.
And their song…
Revelation Chapter 15 Verses 3 – 4
The song of Moses recorded for us in Exodus 15, the song they sang
after coming across the red sea being delivered from the armies of
men. Apparently, it wasn’t complete, it was only the first part. John
says here that they sang the song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb.
The song of earth (Moses), and the song of the eternal (the Lamb). The
song of the law (Moses), and the song of grace (the Lamb). John
Chapter 1 verse 17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The song of the finality,
the convergence of all of ALL, is the law in perfect harmony with
grace as the Truth, the Way, the Life is revealed!
Revelation Chapter 15 Verses 5 – 7
This chapter is setting the stage for the completion of ALL things…
It’s like a party of sevens! Seven angels, having the seven last
plagues, are given the seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God.
Not wrath as in thrashing anger, that’s not the word…its thymos in the
Greek meaning ignited passion…passion for all things to be
accomplished and for what the enemy, what sin and the flesh has
corrupted to be forever returned to incorruption! This is the same
passion that led Him to the cross!
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth.” Ever since man sinned, God has shown that He is
full of grace. The shear fact that all of creation wasn’t wiped out
completely right then, and even today, here we are, history is full of
the grace of God. And now, when grace is rejected, the world will
experience full of justice and truth in the only other possible option!
But the destruction of men, even evil men that reject God, gives Him
no pleasure! His heart has always been for all men to be saved and
so as the kosmos is prepared to be overturned finally, done away with
eternally… God All Mighty says, “I need to be alone…”
Revelation Chapter 15 Verse 8
What kind of love is this, that even as folks pay the debt themselves
as per their own demands, in full culpability, what kind of love is this
that even as His only Son is murdered for the sake of saving any who
would humble themselves, what kind of love is this that even as He is
rejected and hated and spat upon and pushed away, what kind of
love is this, that He weeps over their just penalty?
A love very much unlike me…a love very much beyond my
understanding…a love that I haven’t even begun to understand
how much I don’t deserve, but also that I haven’t even begun to
understand how much He wants to give it to me…
Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Matthew 23:37, “Oh Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are
sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a
hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
The implication…the reason for Him demanding to be alone until the
final plagues are accomplished…His will is to gather, His will is to
save…it is the will of the world that brings about this just and true
judgment…this ditch that they’re all falling into…while God’s
goodness is not in any way lessened…
Because there are two righteous and just ways for sin to be judged.
And we, you, I get to choose through faith. Faith in ourselves or faith
in Jesus Christ. One way is just justice through grace. The other
option, just justice through righteous sentencing…