What is the meaning of Revelation 15:1? Then I saw “Then I saw” (Revelation 15:1) signals a fresh scene in John’s orderly, Spirit-given panorama. • John is continually moved from one vision to the next (Revelation 4:1; 6:1; 19:11), reminding us that the events unfold on God’s precise timetable. • The wording underscores eyewitness testimony; John records what he literally sees, just as he earlier “testified to everything he saw” (Revelation 1:2). Another great and marvelous sign in heaven John has already described “a great sign” (Revelation 12:1) and “another sign” (Revelation 12:3). This new sign is both “great and marvelous,” inviting awe. • The location is “in heaven,” the control room of the universe (Isaiah 66:1; Revelation 4:2). • Signs in Scripture point beyond themselves to God’s power and purpose—think of the plagues in Egypt (Exodus 7:3) or Jesus’ miracles (John 2:11). • Here the sign’s subject is judgment, yet it is “marvelous” because it vindicates God’s holiness (Revelation 15:3-4). Seven angels • Angels repeatedly carry out pivotal tasks in Revelation (Revelation 8:2; 14:6-9). • The number seven, marking fullness (Genesis 2:2-3; Revelation 5:6), shows that God’s heavenly host is perfectly adequate for the mission. • These are literal, personal beings—servants who “excel in strength” and “do His will” (Psalm 103:20). With the seven final plagues • The term “plagues” deliberately echoes Exodus, where judgments against Egypt demonstrated God’s supremacy (Exodus 9:14). • Revelation 16 will detail these plagues as seven bowls poured out upon the earth. Just as the trumpet blasts intensified earlier warnings (Revelation 8-11), the bowls bring irreversible consequences. • Calling them “final” indicates there will be no further deferment; mercy’s window is closing (Revelation 10:7). With which the wrath of God is completed • God’s wrath is His settled, righteous response to sin (Romans 1:18; Nahum 1:2). It is neither capricious nor excessive. • “Completed” foreshadows the climactic cry, “It is done!” when the seventh bowl is poured (Revelation 16:17). • Judgment’s completion prepares the way for the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9) and the new heavens and earth (Revelation 21:1). God finishes what He starts, whether in redemption (Philippians 1:6) or in retribution (Revelation 14:10-11). summary Revelation 15:1 presents a new heavenly vision in which John sees seven angels commissioned to deliver the last series of judgments. This “great and marvelous sign” assures believers that God’s plan is on schedule, His justice is thorough, and His wrath will finally reach its appointed end. Once these plagues are poured out, divine judgment is complete and the path to eternal restoration is cleared. |
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