“After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed” (Revelation 15:5-8).
This portion of Scripture presents us with seven majestic angels who are dressed in formal attire, so to speak. Their raiment and their emergence from this heavenly temple attests to the official nature of what is about to take place. You see, these celestial beings are poised to unleash an unprecedented series of plagues. In fact, the word “plague” itself conveys the apocalyptic nature of these afflictions, for it refers to “a public calamity, [or] heavy affliction” in the original language of this passage. (1)
We should also note how these plagues will be dispersed: seven bowls filled with the wrath of God. In contrast to a bottle that restricts the rate at which its contents can be emptied, a simple turn of the wrist is all it takes to jettison the contents of a bowl. As we’ll see in the following chapter, this does not bode well for God’s enemies.
Finally, there is an important detail tucked away within the final verse of this chapter: “…the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed” (CSB). The fact that no one can approach God during this period is significant. You see, there was once a time when God was accessible. But here now in Revelation chapter fifteen, that time has passed. At that point, God’s temple will remain inaccessible until justice prevails.
However, since God is accessible to us today through Christ, we would be wise to take some good counsel from the pen of the Biblical prophet Isaiah…
“Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let wicked people abandon their ways. Let evil people abandon their thoughts. Let them return to the Lord, and he will show compassion to them. Let them return to our God, because he will freely forgive them” (Isaiah 55:6-7 GW).
(1) G4127 – plege – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4127/kjv/tr/0-1/
Image Attribution: Paul Strand, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons