Revelation 15:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened,

NIV: After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple--that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law--and it was opened.

NASB: After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,

CSB: After this I looked, and the heavenly temple--the tabernacle of testimony--was opened.

NLT: Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open.

KJV: And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

NKJV: After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.

After hearing the harps and voices blending in the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb—songs of redemption and victory— John looked and saw the temple being opened in heaven. This temple is a real temple. In Revelation 8:3–5 the prayers of God's people ascend to the golden altar. In Revelation 11:19, we read that God's temple in heaven opened and revealed the ark of the covenant. When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle's furnishings, He instructed him: "See that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain" (Exodus 25:40; 26:30; 27:8) Hebrews 9:23 calls the tabernacle's furnishings, "copies of the heavenly things." So, currently there is a temple in heaven, and John saw that it was opened in heaven. However, the New Jerusalem will not include a temple, "for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (Revelation 21:22).

Revelation 15:5–8 describes the seven angels emerging from the sanctuary in heaven in possession of seven plagues. They receive seven bowls full of the wrath of God. No one is able to enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues end. Chapter 16 of Revelation tells what happens when the seven angels pour out the bowls of wrath onto the earth. The great day of God's wrath is described in Revelation 19:11–15 and prophesied in Isaiah 13:6. Matthew 13:40–42 reports Jesus' prediction that rebels will be taken away from the earth.

This chapter reports that the apostle John saw an amazing sight in heaven. First, he saw seven angels having seven plagues, which he said are the last plagues to occur to finish God's wrath. Next, he saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire. Those who had conquered the beast, its image, and its ''666'' number were standing in front of the sea of glass, and they were holding harps. They sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. They addressed God as the Lord God Almighty and the King of the nations. Finally, John saw the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven open. The seven angels with the seven plagues emerged from the sanctuary. They were clothed in pure bright linen with golden sashes around their chests. He saw one of the four living creatures give each of the seven angels a bowl full of the eternal wrath of God. Then smoke from God's glory and power filled the sanctuary. No one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues were finished.

Revelation 15 falls between the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments. Like the events described in chapter 14, the events given in chapter 15 do not occur in chronological order. Like the opened seals and the trumpets, the judgments introduced in this chapter number seven. They are said to be the final judgments. They involve terminal judgments on the empire of the beast from the sea and the beast from the land (Revelation 13).

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''

Accessed 5/7/2024 1:43:45 AM