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PART 5.6 - THE SONG OF THE CONQUERORS (REVELATION 15:1-4)
REVELATION 15:1-4
1 I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them God’s wrath is finished. 2 I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who overcame the beast, his image, his mark, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3 They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. 4 Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
The Praying Man in Patmos: After the seer had foreseen the judgment of the earth in two stages, he presumably began to worship, to give thanks, to pray, and to intercede. For him it was not a matter of secrets, schedules, and background of the events of the Last Times, but he prayed and suffered for his churches in Minor Asia, as they lacked their shepherd who was exiled by the authorities of the Roman Empire. John had seen in his vision the fierce wolves coming in his church and how thunderbolts and hail came over the abandoned church, yet he had to stay passive in Patmos. He could do nothing else than to pray, to believe, and to hope.
The response of Jesus Christ to John's suffering for his churches was the revelation of a series of visions which he entrusted to his apostle so as to comfort and teach generations to come. Even though John was exiled and condemned to inactivity the Lord set up a pulpit for his servant, where he could preach to all nations of all generations to come. Thus he animated an old promise anew: Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him (Psalm 126:5-6).
John saw in heaven a great and sheer incomprehensible sign. Seven lofty angels appeared who had to carry out the last seven judgment plagues so as to complete his just fierceness.
The Choir at the Sea of Glass: At first the patriarch became aware of something like a sea of glass before the throne of God, the waveless surface of which extended widely to all directions and allowed insight in what nations do. This calm sea looked like a big screen of a monitoring centre, where day and night each motion in the air around the earth can be observed. The sea of glass was crystal clear, calm and transparent. Therefore rains of fire and worldwide forest and urban fires as heralds of upcoming judgments of God could be seen therein.
On the border of the sea of glass John saw a great choir of singers having the harps of God. He was told: They are the conquerors who had overcome the anti-Christ in great weakness, despising their death, solely by trusting in the preserving grace of the Lamb of God! Neither did they worship the son of perdition nor did they bow their knees before his robot-like statue nor did they take his mark or number. In spite of all persecutions and temptations neither the son of the dragon nor the false prophet nor the harlot of Babylon could prevail over them, because they loved the Lamb of God and committed themselves to Him. They had the seal of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. As they were born again, they could not be killed by derision or death. They had overcome the world by their belief in the Father, in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. They are living in Christ – forever (1 John 5:4-5).
As a special reward for their spiritual victory over the anti-Christ, gained without earthly weapons, the singers were given the heavenly harps out of the storehouse of God. Previously mentioned singers before the throne of God who skillfully played such harps were the twenty-four elders around the throne of the Lord God Almighty (Revelation 5:8-10) and the angels who accompanied the 144,000 singers with a unique music (Revelation 14:2-3).
Thanksgiving and victorious songs of the conquerors in the Last Times had yet a different content than the previous worship hymns and were well-balanced concerning the praise and the reasons therefore. The conquerors sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Presumably they were orthodox Jews holding fast to the Law of Moses as well as modern Jews or Christians from all nations who glorified the crucified Son of God. In their choir the separation between Jews and Christians form unclean nations has been overcome. They have been one in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22). The Lamb had incorporated them in himself, and in his Spirit they worshipped God.
They Mighty Acts of God: In the first verse of the song of the conquerors of the Last Times the mighty acts of God are praised. They praise his works and not their own victory, and they do not speak of their suffering. They testify to the wonderful, unsearchable and amazing works done by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Our God is at work! He does not sit in heaven stock-still like Buddha who is laughing and is enthroned above the misery of his peoples. Jesus reveals: My Father has been working until now, and I have been working (John 5:17). Since his beloved and wonderful creation had been fallen in sin, rebellion and ungodliness, the rest of God was at its end. He has been working, acting, and saving; and he has been taking a hand in the history of man. The driving power of his actions is his love. The Old and the New Testament is full of verbs describing the acts of God in a certain time, at particular places and to individual persons. The life and deeds of Jesus and the acts of his apostles in the Holy Spirit are to lead us to grateful worship. Even in the days of the anti-Christ the acts of God do not come to an end, in the contrary Jesus says: Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20)
The conquerors are addressing God as Lord. That speaks for the fact that the majority of the singers comes from the people of the Old Testament, as in the scriptures of the Torah, in the psalms and in the prophets 6,828 times Yahweh (Lord) is spoken of. He is the God of the covenant who has committed himself to his stubborn people with his eternal faithfulness. He smote them, he deported them to Babel, but he did not abandon them. When they let his Son be crucified, he scattered them among the nations. Yet he remained faithful to them even in the gas chambers of Hitler. Their faith became their righteousness.
The singers from the new covenant on their part testify to Jesus as their Lord. This title of Jesus appears 216 times in the New Testament and means that the Lamb of God has sealed with his own blood an everlasting covenant with his followers. He bestows them eternal life. Every tongue will at the end of the times confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11).
The term “God” is in Hebrew Elohim. “El” means “strength” and “power” (Matthew 26:64), “Him” is a plural pronoun. Therefore Elohim means: The strength and power is not one person but a unity of a plurality. Christians see in that a hint to the Holy Trinity. Jews and Muslims, however, designate this plural name as a mode of worship (majestic plural). The term “Elohim” appears 2,600 times in the Old Testament, yet it is not defined by itself, but gets its meaning through the name “Yahweh” as it is written in the beginning of the Ten Commandments: I am Yahweh, your God! (Exodus 20:2)
So as to be sure that their song will not be misunderstood, the singers add to the name of their Lord a third lofty attribute: He is the Almighty! On good days, this title easily crosses our lips. Yet in distress, in affliction, in persecution, in slander, in torture, in weakness, in insecurity and in death of not only individual believers but of whole churches this title will become a confession which is opposed against the visible reality. Martyrs at all times and of all nations died for the sake of Jesus because they believed that Jesus is the Son of God Almighty. We read this confession that God is “God Almighty” eight times in the book of Revelation (Revelation 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7.14; 19:6.15; 21:22) as a pertinacious testimony of those believing in an unstoppable victory of the Lamb. Their bold testimony to the creator, Lord, and judge of the world is the weapon by which the anti-Christ, his tricky prophet, and his syncretism teaching harlot will be overcome.
If the choir of the singers beside the sea of glass were only Christians from the nations, then they may have addressed God as the “almighty Father” by means of the Nicene Creed. On the other side in this case it is a matter of judgment, punishment, and plague, so that it may seem suitable in this case, to address God Almighty as “Lord and King” and not as “Father".
The Righteousness of God Almighty: The second line of this song goes more in detail, as there God's ways are spoken of being just and true even in all unsearchable events. God is more righteous than the most incorruptible judge of the earth.
Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding well; Though with patience he stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all.
Job, afflicted with loathsome sores, confessed: As for the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict. (Job 37:23)
We most likely see the depth of the justice of God on the cross. The Holy One hates the sin of every man and must atone it for the sake of justice without mercy. Without shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). Yet the creator loves his fallen, defiled, and stubborn creations so much that in his son he took all sins of the world on and died as a substitute for all men. He remains just even so when he justifies the unrighteous (Romans 1:17), because he himself served their sentence. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. (...) he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)
However, who refuses, denies or slanders the grace of the king of the universe and the self-sacrifice of his only son on behalf of us, has to serve his own punishment. He will be hit by the full measure of the wrath of God. That is the case with every anti-Christian spirit and every henchman of the enemy of God. Who does not worship the Crucified One, onto him will fall the shadow of the cross and judge him. We should pray more for the enemies of Christ so as to save them from the inescapable judgment. We are to witness to the truth of the redemption in Christ for them so that they cannot accuse us on the Day of Judgment saying that they did not know anything of that.
The King of the Nations: The singers address the Lord as “King of the nations". “King” denotes in the Semitic language area the almighty owner of all counties, towns and men in the area of his authority. Linguistically speaking the whole authority, legislation and judgment are assigned to him. Thus the address “king of the universe” means that the Almighty has the right to deal with men as he likes. He had created them, they belong to him. He is their owner. They must submit to him and unconditionally be at his disposal, either deliberately or by force. That is exactly the understanding of what Allah means in Islam! Who does not accept his revelation must be destroyed.
Yet our king is gentle and lowly in heart, our God is patient (Matthew 11:28-30; Zechariah 9:9). He is love in person (1 John 4:16). He is also spirit, light and truth (John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 1 John 1:5 and other verses). Therefore he uncovers all uncleanness, all lies, and all rebellion. Nothing remains hidden before him. Our king fights for the truth and for justice (John 14:6; 17:17). To him belong the majesty of God, all his glory, loftiness and power (Matthew 16:27; 24:30; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 13:26; Luke 9:26; 21:27 and other verses). The kings of all nations on the earth are well advised to deny themselves and receive the king of all kings, and honor and kiss him (Psalm 2:10-12).
Who does not receive the king of all kings, excludes himself from his kingdom and thus declares war against the God-King! Who may be such a fool so as to rebel against the authorised representative of God? The rebellion of men against their Lord runs in their blood. They want to be free to do what they like without God. Therewith they destroy themselves.
The anti-Christ and his prophet are the representatives of the fully developed demonically influenced rebellion of men against their creator. Their doom is certain.
The Fear of God and His Glorification: The third line of the song of the conquerors beside the sea of glass calls on all creatures to worship God Almighty, the Lord and King of Israel and of all nations.
The jurisdiction of God after the atoning death of his Son is based on unlimited grace. The only adequate response to that is that we honor God and give thanks to him. Who trembles before him and fears him with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength, worships him consciously and commits himself, his family and his church to him. To any honest worship of the Lord by us belongs the complete commitment of our will, our plans, our time, and our property. Therefore search yourself: To whom do you belong? Are you a slave of your desires, dreams and drives? Or have you denied yourself and taken up your cross and followed Jesus, who is the will of God manifested in a man? How much are you frightened by disease, men, demons or your death? Do not fear any creature, as your creator and Lord is almighty. How deeply rooted is your reverence for God in your heart? The conscious fear of God in an attitude of worship is the right basis for loving God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength. Who does not fear God, loves him little. We should fear and love God so as to glorify his name and not to sin. Who gets a sense of the holiness of God like Isaiah the priest (Isaiah 6:1-7), becomes contrite because of his loftiness and majesty, yet at the same time will also be freed so as to praise God deeply for his grace and judgments (Luke 5:8-10).
Did you already think earnestly of how you can glorify your creator, Lord and judge, your Savior and redeemer? The unspiritual man mostly lives for himself, according to his own ideas, and for his own honor. This pathological egoism will be overcome through the knowledge of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Study the ways of the Lord in the Old and New Covenant, then He will become the focus of your thinking and the purpose of your life. His strength, his truth, his love, his being, and his patience are like a great stream watering the desert of your heart and making it fruitful.
God wants to transform you into his image (Genesis 1:27-28). Not only your words and thoughts are to honor God Almighty, but your whole being may reflect his love and his loftiness. Jesus taught us that the first and foremost plea of the Lord's Prayer is that the name of the Father may be hallowed. To him as many children are to be born as there are stars on heaven. Through the Holy Spirit they bear the hereditary factors of God in them, and they glorify him, their father, through faith, love, and hope more and more. If you want to glorify the Father and the Son in your life, then ask for the grace of his Holy Spirit so that he may transform you into the image of your heavenly Father and his Son. Place yourself completely at his disposal, because he is worthy of it. Aim your whole live at Him like the son flower is always directed towards the sun, then the beams of His love will bear fruits of His Spirit.
The privilege to glorify God through all our doings (Matthew 5:16.48) arises not only in good times but especially in persecution under brutal torture and during times of being spied on. In communistic China, for instance, the suppressed church is growing most rapidly!
Not only words glorify the Holy Trinity, but pure, joyful and freed serving, helping and bearing burdens speak often louder than many words. The patience of the saints during persecution is a sermon in itself.
Who is Holy? After the singers beside the sea of glass with the harps of God had praised the Lord as the almighty king and owner of all men, and uttered the mighty acts and testified his guidance and judgments as being just ways, they immerse themselves in the reasons of their worship.
They confess that the Lord solely is holy. This confession includes the Son and the Holy Spirit as they are all one. Their love, lowliness and meekness, their self-denial, patience and faithfulness are the mystery of their everlasting unity and harmony.
In the triune God does not dwell any injustice, pride, or lie. God and his word are true and not falsified. In him there is neither beguilement nor deception. He is pure truth and eternal love.
Our God is sinless, holy and righteous. Jesus lived among us and lives nowadays with his Father without guile, being thoroughly pure and holy. The Spirit of the Lord is truth and holy love. He quickens us through his life and makes us participate in his great and never ceasing power.
The blamelessness of God is one of the mysteries of his existence and the radiant protection shield of his love. His sinlessness shines brighter than a flash and judges all creatures. The four living beasts at the throne of God always cover their faces and bodies by means of their wings, so that they may not be killed and extinguished by the holiness of God. They confess day and night the sum of their perception and understanding: Holy, holy, holy is The Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)
As God is holy, he wants us to be holy too. His word is a command to us: You shall be holy, for I am holy! (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16) Without being sanctified by the blood of Christ and his Spirit we will not see the Father (Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:8), for he cannot tolerate the darkness of our sin-defiled lives (1 John 1:5 and other verses).
In the light of God all religions, idols, emperors, presidents, popes, and pastors are defiled. Even Mary was not holy in herself. All men err, lie and are impure. Solely the holiness of God is able to save and sanctify us, to cleanse us and preserve us pure. God sanctifies us solely by grace so that we may glorify the name of the Father.
The knowledge of the holiness of God had been deepened in the singers beside the sea of glass through much suffering and torture. They lived in the midst of dirt, of uncleanness, and of sinfulness and blasphemy being poured out by the spirit of the anti-Christ and his false prophet. Yet the martyrs closed themselves off against this contamination of their souls and kept themselves only open for the holiness of the Trinity. Thus they were preserved in the hand of Christ and in the authority of his Spirit.
Mission to the Nations in the End Times: The singers beside the sea of glass glorified the triune God with an astonishing declaration of faith which was completely contrary to the reality on earth. They testified: All nations will come and worship before you!
We are experiencing nowadays the rapid progress of a multicultural syncretism having syncretistic goals and the aim of a new world ethos – without God! Whether this development comes up as socialism or as democracy or as a dictatorial system or a traditional kingdom is not decisive. For the world has become a global village, and the nations will become “aligned", whether they want it or not! Television, internet and a flood of print media let the poison of a propaganda which is unbound from God trickle into all households and hearts.
Today there are 193 states comprising 11,874 ethnic groups with 6,528 languages, whereby the mixture of the peoples in Israel are not taken into account. Missions and evangelization according to the pattern of the time of grace will more and more often strictly be banned as not wanted in the name of “rest” and “peace among the world religions". In the era of the anti-Christ against any open proclamation of the gospel action will be taken like a political offender, and the majority of active Christians will be eliminated. Yet the Spirit of Christ blows where it pleases. You hear its sounds, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going (John 3:8). Even in most oppressing tribulation and darkness the wonder of evangelizing of the nations will not cease. Spiritual life will break through irresistibly in spite of the anti-Christian shroud which covers the earth!
But God has still other possibilities to carry out his world mission when the time of grace comes to an end. The judgments of God will be so devastating, targeted and ongoing that the masses will realize and recognize that all idols, mascots, spirits, amulets and insurances, but also all emperors, leaders and dignitaries are mere ciphers without power and strength. Even the son of the evil one and his false prophet will be at a complete loss. The upcoming judgments of the Lord will open the eyes of many people so that they recognize the futility of their belief in progress and reject technical acquisitions, genetics or space stations as being counterproductive. The wicked egotism of man, his naive gigantism and his subtle will to power will crumble to dust when once the judgments of the holy Almighty shake the fundament of our existence.
Then innumerable survivors will try to repent – not out of love of God and His lamb or because they believe in him, but because of sheer fear and of horror at the existence, holiness and majesty of the king of the nations. Men will repent and worship him! And worshipping the Lord because of anguish and in trembling fear of God is still better than any anti-Christian self-idolization of man or naive godlessness.
We should boldly ask for grace of repentance for our nations in the last days, so that they “all” flee to the almighty creator and judge and beg for deliverance from his judgments. As long as the door to God is ajar, the punishments of God Almighty are aimed at the repentance of the ungodly. Who worships the Lord of all lords, will drink from the well of his righteousness and may get healed.
Thus we should not pray skeptically and gaze at the present anti-Christian realities, but join the far sighted singers beside the sea of glass. These conquerors testify boldly and emphatically to the gathering of “all” nations so as to worship God and his Lamb!
The Justification of the Judgments of God: Our existence is based on law. The standard for our live is God. He is our law. In Semitic languages “law” means also “truth". Jesus testified: I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) He therewith bore witness that in his moral conduct the judgment of God has come to the fore. Christ's words are spirit, and life, and truth. Who “eats and drinks” his words, who assimilates them will be transformed in the image of his love, patience and meekness.
Moses has taught us the Law of the Lord which is based on the love of God and his holiness. This Law of Moses Jesus had exemplified to us through his own life and had fulfilled it. The spirit of truth wants to engrave the 500 commandments of Jesus found in the four gospels into our consciences and implement them in our lives.
Yet who closes his mind to the word and spirit of Jesus continuously, is already judged as he does not believe in the Son of God (John 3:18.36). He rejects his judgment and his only Savior from the wrath of God. Instead he chooses the just judgment of God for his sins and remains under the anger of God Almighty. Jesus had extinguished the guilt of all men, yet he who rejects his eternally valid atoning death, condemns himself. The holiness of God will examine thoroughly and burn these hardened people (John 16:7-11).
The judgments of God are justified. His judgments are right. There is no-one who does well not even one – except Jesus! Solely He delivers us from our condemnation and transforms us in his love from within our heart, wisdom, and truth. Solely through Jesus we become righteous. Solely in him we are and remain sanctified. He is our hope.
The singers beside the sea of glass saw into the depth of the judgments of God and recognised his unchangeable righteousness. They worshipped God Almighty because of his upcoming judgments. They were convinced of his faithfulness, his sentences and his judgment in such a manner that they praised him in advance because of his holy decisions. They had experienced and suffered the iniquities, lies and crimes of the anti-Christ and of his false prophet, yet they resisted them. They had saw through the anti-Christian despotism over all nations. It looked like as if the son of the evil one would conquer by deception of the masses and by changing the law. But the martyrs believed in the promised victory of the Lamb and his gracious right. Therefore they praised in advance believing that the judgments of God are just and his law will prevail.
The rule of the anti-Christ is short-lived. Afterwards all nations being horrified will try to return to their creator and judge and worship him because his judgments are faultless and just (Psalm 89:1-9).
PRAYER: Our just and merciful Father, we magnify and thank You because Your patience and uprightness are beyond our understanding. You are the Holy One, and Your Christ will judge the peoples and individuals in truth and mercy. You are the Judge of the peoples You created and You and Your Christ are worthy of the peoples praise and worship. However, he who worships another spirit sins and will be condemned. Amen.
QUESTION:
- Who are the singers in heaven, who praise the greatness and power of God?