Revelation 15:3 “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.”
Observation: In Revelation 13, John had described astonishing visions of a ten-horned beast with seven heads, each with a blasphemous name, and another beast with two horns whose miraculous powers bring massive deception to the earth. He had seen the Lamb on the throne surrounded by 144,000 who had been “purchased from among men as first-fruits to God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4).
A series of angels then announced the coming judgment and issued dire warnings of approaching destruction. Finally, seven more angels took center stage, each with a unique plague about to be released upon the earth. John wrote that these plagues are the last “because in them the wrath of God is finished” (Rev. 15:1). These angels broke forth in the song of verse 3, a song of Moses and the Lamb, a song that unifies Old and New Testaments, the beginning and the end.
Application: Listen for a moment to heaven’s music sung by these seven angels: “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” Then John said that the angels were given seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, and the temple was filled with such smoke from the glory of God that no one could enter until the wrath had been poured upon the earth.
The mind reels in sensory overload in reading this passage. The song of Moses (Ex. 15:1–18) and the song of the Lamb (Rev. 5:9, 12) coming together in majestic chorus moments before God’s pent-up wrath is poured upon earth. Were no reservists needed in heaven’s workshops to sharpen swords and tune up the armaments? Apparently not, for this battle would be fought with voices lifted in song. By this time, all choosing is done. Jesus, whose meek coming as a sacrificial lamb had brought the offer of salvation, will now be revealed in the fullness of His roles as King and Judge. God’s wrath is no longer to be a mere threat, useful to motivate the watchful among us to improved behavior like the patrol car gaining in our rear-view mirror.
As baffling as it is for a law-abiding citizen to understand, there are some who floorboard the gas pedal as flashing lights approach; these people, once cuffed, will then curse the authority holding them to account. But accountability is coming. The payment of every debt is certain; the only question for me is who will pay my debt? Will I accept Christ’s payment, or foolishly insist upon paying it myself?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, as the songs of heaven fill the universe, I thank You that Your payment for my debt is sufficient.