1And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
2And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
5And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
6And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Understand This
Revelation 15, explained
What Revelation 15 is saying
A brief but theologically dense interlude introduces the seven bowl judgments. Those who conquered the beast stand on a sea of glass mingled with fire, singing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb—a composite hymn celebrating God's righteous judgments (dikaiai hai hodoi sou). The heavenly temple (naos tēs skēnēs tou martyriou) opens to release seven angels bearing golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, and the temple fills with smoke from God's glory so that no one can enter until the plagues are complete.
The background behind it
The Song of Moses alludes to Exodus 15, sung after the Red Sea deliverance, and Deuteronomy 32, Moses' final prophetic song. The 'tabernacle of testimony' language connects to the wilderness tabernacle (Exodus 38:21), grounding the heavenly scene in Israel's foundational worship traditions. The impenetrable smoke recalls 1 Kings 8:10–11, where God's glory filled Solomon's temple.
Themes running underneath
The victors' song combines Exodus liberation with Lamb-centered worship, declaring that God's judgments reveal His character to the nations. The inaccessible temple during the pouring of the bowls signals the irreversibility of the final judgments—intercession's window has closed. The glass sea mixed with fire suggests both the Red Sea crossing and purifying judgment.
Why it still matters
The victors' song insists that God's judgments are not arbitrary but flow from His holy character. The chapter challenges readers to trust in divine justice even when its particular manifestations seem severe.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.