Why is the fear of God significant in Revelation 15:4? Text of Revelation 15:4 “Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” Immediate Literary Setting Revelation 15 opens the vision of the seven bowl judgments. Before wrath is poured out, John sees “those who had conquered the beast” singing “the song of Moses…the song of the Lamb” (15:3). Verse 4 is the climactic refrain. The fear of God is placed at the hinge between God’s redeemed people celebrating victory and the world about to experience final judgment. In apocalyptic structure, this fear highlights both worship (the redeemed) and warning (the rebellious). Canonical Continuity of the Fear of God • Genesis 22:12—fear demonstrates faith. • Exodus 15:11—Song of the Sea asks, “Who is like You—majestic in holiness…awesome in praises?” John intentionally echoes this, linking deliverance from Egypt with ultimate cosmic deliverance. • Proverbs 1:7—fear of Yahweh is “beginning of knowledge,” providing the epistemic foundation that Revelation now consummates. • Ecclesiastes 12:13—“Fear God…this is the whole duty of man.” Revelation completes the trajectory: the fear motif that introduced wisdom now culminates in final worship and universal acknowledgment. Holiness as the Ground of Fear “You alone are holy.” Holiness (ἅγιος) signifies separateness, moral perfection, and unapproachable light (Isaiah 6:3). Because God’s holiness is singular and unsurpassed, fear is the only rational response. Holiness without fear would be moral indifference; fear without holiness would be pagan terror. Revelation holds both—holiness ignites fear, fear issues in glory to God. Eschatological Significance: Global Accountability “All nations will come and worship.” The fear of God prophesied in Psalm 86:9 (“All nations…shall glorify Your name”) becomes reality. Revelation anticipates Zechariah 14:16, Isaiah 66:23, and Philippians 2:10-11. The judgment bowls that follow (chapters 16-18) display the “righteous acts” that induce worldwide fear, leaving humanity without excuse. Evangelistic Function: Prelude to Repentance In Revelation 14:6-7 an angel preaches an “eternal gospel…Fear God and give Him glory.” Fear is the leading edge of grace: recognition of divine majesty precedes reception of divine mercy. Romans 3:18 indicts the ungodly: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Revelation 15:4 answers that lack; the coming judgment reinstates proper fear. Doxological Outcome Fear is not an end; it propels glorification. “Who will not fear… and glorify Your name?” Worship (προσκυνήσουσιν) flows from recognized holiness. Revelation’s liturgies (4-5; 7; 19) enact this dynamic: awe-inspired praise exalts the Lamb. Covenantal Echo: From Exodus to Eschaton Song of Moses (Exodus 15) celebrated liberation through judgment on Egypt; Song of the Lamb celebrates universal liberation through judgment on the beast. Fear in both songs functions identically: vindicating God’s covenant faithfulness and magnifying His name among the nations. Pastoral Application for the Church 1. Cultivate reverent worship: Hebrews 12:28—“Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” 2. Proclaim the gospel fearfully and faithfully: Jude 23—“save others, snatching them out of the fire.” 3. Live holy lives: 2 Corinthians 7:1—“perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Invitation to the Unbeliever God’s revealed righteous acts culminate at the cross and will climax in final judgment. The rational response is repentant fear leading to trust in the risen Christ, “for there is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12). Summary Fear of God in Revelation 15:4 is significant because it (1) anchors worship in God’s unparalleled holiness, (2) universalizes accountability ahead of imminent judgment, (3) fulfills the canonical narrative from creation to consummation, (4) validates the gospel’s call to repentance, and (5) demonstrates that reverent awe is the foundation of both individual morality and cosmic order. The resurrected Christ guarantees it; Scripture’s reliability confirms it; creation’s design showcases it; and future history will manifest it when every nation bows in fear-filled adoration. |
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