Great and Marvelous: God's Character Revealed in Revelation 15

So we're picking back up where we left off last week, talking about the character of God.

And actually, we're going to be in chapter 15, verses 3 and 4.

Tonight's where we pick up in Revelation 15, verses 3 and 4,

Revelation 15:3

talking about the character of God here.

It says, and they sang the song of Moses, the bondservant of God,

and the song of the Lamb, saying, great and marvelous are your works.

O Lord, 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.

For all the nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

You see, the song sung by the glorified saints before the throne here,

it's an anthem of praise to Almighty God.

The ultimate motive of God's wrath, I want you to get this tonight,

is his holy, righteous character, which demands that he judge sinners.

And I don't know if you ever thought about this, but every one of us sitting

in this room tonight, we have a yearning for justice.

We have a yearning for things to be done right, for it to be done correctly.

In fact, when we see, especially things done against us, but just even in the

world at large, when we see an injustice, we tend to want that righted, okay?

Now, obviously, not to the level we're not God, obviously, but we have that

desire in our hearts because we're created in his image.

We don't want to see an injustice done. But even more so here,

I want y'all to get tonight that ultimate motive of God's wrath.

Is his holy, righteous character. That's what we're talking about first tonight,

the character of God, which demands that he judge sinners.

It is God's holy nature, in other words, soon to be revealed here in judgment

against their persecutors, right?

We're in the tribulation, the great tribulation.

And actually, out of all that, it elicits this song from the redeemed. Isn't that great?

I mean, I don't know about y'all, but I remember a verse, and I believe it's

Psalms that talks about that they sang aloud upon their bed, right?

Anybody ever sang in your bed? I'm just asking.

Don't want to get too personal tonight. All right. I mean, I have too.

I mean, some of y'all may say y'all are weird, but hey, it happens.

I sing in the bed at times and I have sang in the shower.

In fact, I've written a few songs in the shower.

Okay. I won't share those tonight, but anyway, but anyway, this elicits this

song of praise from the redeemed to the Lord because they're seeing how he is

carrying out his marvelous acts here.

His wrath is being executed because he is holy.

This song of Moses is the first of several songs that's recorded in the Old Testament.

The Israelites, if you remember, they actually sang a song of praise when the

Lord gave them water in the wilderness.

I think all of us probably would have, right? Thirsty. Numbers 21 records that.

Moses taught the children of Israel a song. if you remember,

of remembrance shortly before his death. That's recorded in Deuteronomy verse 31.

And that song of Moses is in view here because it deals with Israel's unfaithfulness

and God's punishment of the nation before her restoration.

And the context here tonight of Revelation chapter 15, is not one of unfaithfulness,

Revelation 15 · chapter mention

but of faithfulness that triumphs, okay?

Deborah, if you remember, Deborah and Barak sang a triumphant victory song celebrating

Israel's defeat of the Canaanites, whose forces were actually led by the notorious Sisera.

Some of y'all may remember those names when we're studying the book of Judges,

but Judges chapter 5 is where that's found.

Judges 5 · chapter mention

There was a song sung to the Lord as part of the restoration of worship in Hezekiah's day.

That's in 2 Chronicles 29.

And in addition, David and others wrote the Psalms, the hymn book of ancient Israel.

And Solomon wrote the song of Solomon, right?

And the historical setting for the song of Moses comes from the time of the Exodus.

As the bondservant of God, Moses was called to lead the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt.

And God delivered them, if you remember, from Pharaoh's pursuing army.

What did he do? What did he part?

Remember? Right. The Red Sea, stacking the water on either side of the path,

thus allowed the Israelites to crawl safely on dry land.

And after they were safely across the collapsing waters, you remember what they did?

They drowned the Egyptian army.

And on the far side of the Red Sea, the Israelites actually sang a song.

That's kind of a theme, right? I mean, this is their response.

They sang a song of praise to God for their deliverance.

Let me share this real quick because it ties in. It says, Then Moses and the

sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord and said, I will sing to the Lord,

for he is highly exalted.

The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him. My Father's God, and I will extol him. The Lord is a warrior.

The Lord is his name.

Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has cast into the sea, and the choicest of

his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power.

Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

And in the greatness of your excellence, You overthrow those who rise up against you.

You send forth your burning anger and it consumes them as chaff.

And at the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up.

The flowing waters stood up like a heap.

The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said,

I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil.

My desire shall be gratified against them. I will draw out my sword,

my hand will destroy them.

You blew with your wind, the sea covered them.

They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?

You stretched out your hand, the earth swallowed them.

In your loving kindness, you have led the people whom you have redeemed.

In your strength, you have guided them to your holy habitation.

The peoples have heard, they tremble.

Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.

Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed. The leaders of Moab trembling grips them.

All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

Terror and dread fall upon them.

By the greatness of your arm, they are motionless as stone.

Until your people pass over, O Lord, Until the people passed over whom you have purchased.

You will bring them a plant and plant them in that mountain of your inheritance,

the place, O Lord, which you have made for your dwelling, the sanctuary,

O Lord, which your hands have established.

The Lord shall reign forever and ever.

That's the song of Moses, Ezekiel 15. Now, I've often wondered,

like, that would be kind of cool to hear that put to music, right?

Now, I've heard bits and pieces of it put to music.

I don't know if I've heard the whole thing ever put to music,

but I just wonder what it would have sounded like.

What? You said it was in Ezekiel 15.

I'm sorry, Exodus 15. Did I say Ezekiel? I apologize.

See, my wife keeps me straight, okay? The song of Moses was a song of victory.

I want y'all to see that tonight.

And deliverance for the righteous. And at the same time, judgment and wrath on God's enemies.

The tribulation saints, don't

miss this tonight, gathered in triumph in a place of safety and security.

It will echo the same song of deliverance sung long ago by the people of Israel

here in the book of Revelation.

And in addition to singing again with new meaning, the song of Moses who led

Israel in the redemption from Egypt, the redeemed saints here before God's throne

also will sing the song of who?

The Lamb, who is, that's Jesus, who is their eternal Redeemer.

That song actually was first heard in chapter 5 of Revelation, verses 8 through 14.

And let me refresh our memory quickly on that. When he had taken the book,

the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb,

each one holding a harp and a golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers

of the saints and they sang a new song saying, this should be familiar.

Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals for you were slain and

purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God and they will reign upon the earth.

Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around

the throne and the living creatures and the elders and

the number of them was myriads and myriads and thousands

of thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is

the lamb that was slain to receive

power and riches and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing and every

created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under

the sea and all the sea and all things in them

I heard saying to him who sits on

the throne and to the lamb be blessing

and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever and the four living creatures

kept saying amen and the elders fell you see like the song of moses eastwood

the song of the lamb expresses the themes of god's faithfulness,

deliverance of his people and judgment of his enemies.

Commentator John Phillips actually compares and contrasts these two songs.

And sometimes I will share thoughts of different commentators,

right? Those that are looking in scripture.

And I want to just share, this is pretty brief. I want to share what he said

about these two songs in comparison really quick.

He said, the song of Moses was sung at the Red Sea.

The song of the Lamb is sung at the Crystal sea.

The song of Moses was a song of triumph over Egypt. The song of the Lamb is

a song of triumph over Babylon.

The song of Moses told how God brought his people out. The song of the Lamb

tells how God brings his people in.

The song of Moses was the first song in scripture.

The song of the Lamb is the last.

The song of Moses commemorated the execution of the foe, the expectation of

the saints, and the exaltation of the Lord, the song of the Lamb deals with the same three things.

So I thought it was interesting the way he compared those two because the words

of the song recorded here, they don't match exactly either the song of Moses

in Exodus 15 or the song of the Lamb in Revelation 5.

But the themes and many of those key terms that are found there are very similar.

And this song adds some new stanzas, by the way, some new stanzas to this triumph

song of God's redeemed people.

Yet every one of its lines truly does. I want y'all to see this as well.

It finds an echo in the Old Testament.

Great and marvelous. Look at it here. Great and marvelous are your works.

That's reminiscent of Psalm 139, 14. You remember that one? Wonderful are your

works, and my soul knows it very well.

The title, Lord God, the Almighty, celebrating God's omnipotence.

What are we talking about when we say that God is omnipotent?

All powerful, right? This is one of the attributes of God. We did a whole series

on the attributes of God not long ago.

If you didn't get a chance to check that out or be a part of that,

you can check it out on the website under the sermon podcast page.

We have it all lined up in a playlist there for you on the attributes of God.

I think we did 17 weeks looking at the attributes of God.

And so as we look at it here.

The Lord God Almighty, celebrating God's omnipotence, he's all-powerful,

essential to the triumphant power of the last judgments.

It appears, y'all, this theme here appears throughout Revelation.

And the title God Almighty was the name by which God revealed himself,

if you remember, to Abraham in Genesis 17 and 35 and 48 and Ezekiel 6.

And the exclamation, righteous and true are your ways, well,

that reflects the Old Testament truth that all God's works are true and His

ways just, as it says in Daniel 4, verse 37.

Daniel 4:37

God is called the King of the nations. In Jeremiah 10, verse 7,

Jeremiah 10:7

the phrase, who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name.

Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? It's also drawn from Jeremiah chapter 10, verse 7.

Jeremiah 10:7

So the truth here is that God alone is holy.

It's often repeated throughout the Old Testament. The phrase,

for all the nations, will come and worship before you, actually is a quote from

Psalm chapter 86, verse 9.

Psalms 86:9

While the phrase there, your righteous acts have been revealed,

it echoes that same Old Testament passage like Judges chapter 5,

Judges 5 · chapter mention

Daniel 9, Micah 6, all of those.

And the song of these redeemed saints here, here's where it ties in with the

character of God, because it extols his character.

It extols God's character as the omnipotent.

We said that was all powerful. Y'all got to help me.

The immutable, what does that mean?

Doesn't change, right? He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The sovereign, what does that mean?

He's in charge of everything. He's over everything. He is sovereign over all.

Nothing shakes God off the throne. There's nothing he doesn't know, right?

So he's omnipotent. He's immutable. He's sovereign. He's perfect and righteous creator and judge.

You know, just thinking about that, it just sparked in my mind because in Sunday

school, we're going through the Bible in four years, okay?

I'm holding up five, four years. I can really count. Four years,

we're going through the entire Bible. And we're in the book of Genesis.

We're talking about creation. We're focusing on creation every week for a little while here.

And I stop and think about, we talked about this morning, how he is our creator,

how he actually spoke the world into existence and all the stars and the sun,

all that, everything, the whole galaxy,

everything he created, right?

And we stop thinking about, hey, man, just that one star we call the sun,

how powerful it is and how hot it can be, right?

And how ferocious, how much energy is there.

And about, man, we're talking about God, that just comes flying out of his mouth.

And it wasn't just the wine.

There are myriads and myriads of other signs, so to speak, stars.

God created it and he sustains it by the word of his power.

Colossians says, Jesus holds all things together. So when I look here,

I think about the righteous creator.

A lot of times while people want to navigate to evolutionary theories and all

that kind of stuff, which, by the way, is incompatible with Genesis,

if you literally read the book of Genesis, literally, it is totally incompatible.

And the reason that men have to make up things and try to come up with things

like each day wasn't really 24 hours,

you know, it was this long period of time and all these other things that men

come up with to try to avoid accountability with their creator, who is also the judge.

But I want y'all to know too, and I'll be quiet on this part, move on.

I want you to know too, as we saw this morning, he's not only the creator and

judge, but he's also our Savior.

If you can imagine that, that kind of God is our Savior.

Because he is all that, God must and will judge sinners like he's going to here

in the book of Revelation.

If he ignored their sin, think about it for a moment, if he ignored their sin, he would not be holy.

He would not be righteous and true to his nature.

You know the reason it's wrong to tell a lie.

Yeah, you're on the path. It's sin. The Bible says so.

But what's the ultimate reason it's wrong to tell a lie? Because God is truth.

It's his nature, his character. It's a violation of that.

And that's the ultimate reason that it's wrong to even tell a lie is because God is truth.

And he will hear judge sinners. Like I said, he can't ignore sin.

In fact, the cross is the greatest evidence I can think of, Brother Thomas,

where God does not ignore sin.

Jesus took it all. He took my place. The full wrath of God was poured out upon his son in my place.

That is the ultimate look, if you want to say so, it's so true,

of the wrath of God and also the mercy and the grace of God.

Wow, it's all of that.

So he couldn't ignore sin. He's holy. He's righteous. He's true to his nature.

The prophet Habakkuk, not Chewbaccah, Habakkuk, speaking to God,

put it this way, your eyes are too pure to approve evil and you cannot look

on wickedness with favor.

Does God pervert justice or does the Almighty pervert what is right?

Ask Job. You remember old Job? In Job 8, Psalm 19, 9 answers,

the judgments of the Lord are true.

They are righteous altogether.

So the song here tonight closes with joyful anticipation of what?

Of the millennial reign of Christ, where it says, when all the nations will

come and worship before God. In the words of the psalmist, all the earth will

worship you and will sing praises to you.

They will sing praises to your name in Psalm 66, verse 4.

Psalms 66:4

In the earthly millennial kingdom, it will come about that any who are left

of all the nations that went up against Jerusalem will go up from the year to

year to worship the king,

the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of the booths.

It says in Zechariah 14, 16, after God's righteous acts of judgment have been

revealed during the tribulation, the time anticipated by Isaiah is going to come.

Listen to what he said. He said, and it shall be from new moon to new moon and

from Sabbath to Sabbath.

All mankind will come to bow down before me, says the Lord.

Kind of reminds you that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. That's it.

And y'all, that really is everyone.

Y'all have to think about all the people, everybody we know in our culture and

people that have lived, that are still living, those who have passed on.

Everybody is going to confess that he is Lord.

But that time will mark the first phase, I should say, of the fulfillment of

Philippians chapter 2, verses 10 through 11, you know this one.

Philippians 2:10–11

It says, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow of those who are in heaven

and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue, like we said,

will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

So that's all about the character of Almighty God. Then we have the plan of God.

Look at this. We're going to look at verses 5 Chapter 8 of Revelation 15.

Hang with me just a moment.

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

And the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple,

clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.

Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven bowls full

of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with

smoke from the glory of God and from his power.

And no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

And I think I told you all the other week that word plagues,

you can view that not necessarily as diseases, but as a blows of wounds where

God strikes his enemies, right?

Those plagues. And each of the angelic players in this unfolding drama we see

here in the book of Revelation, is going to fulfill his assigned duty according

to God's plan. I want y'all to see that.

This is all part of God is sovereign, right?

I mean, y'all, our salvation, was our salvation just a reaction of Almighty God?

Like he didn't know that we were going to sin.

And all of a sudden he said, oh boy, let's get over here in the corner,

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and let's come up with a plan.

When was the plan of salvation coming to being? Remember?

Before the foundation of the world.

Wow. Talk about a sovereign God, right?

And so it's all according to his plan. It's always been God's purpose to judge

sinners and to destroy sin.

The eternal fire has already been prepared for the devil and his angels.

If you remember in Matthew chapter 25, verse 41, and it awaits those whom God

Matthew 25:41

will one day sentence to eternal punishment there.

God's holy angels await the time when they're going to actually play their role,

so to speak, in God's judgment of sinners.

Matthew 13 talks about it. And here in the new vision, they're given the instruments of execution.

As it does throughout Revelation, by the way, the phrase, after these things

I looked, it really introduces a startling, dramatic new vision here.

Something is about to draw saw John's attention away from the redeemed saints

singing their praises before the Lord, right, before his glorious throne,

this new vision revealed to him the bold judgments, which are to come in the next chapter.

But first, John saw the angels who will carry out those judgments.

And as he watched, look what it says again, the temple of the tabernacle of

testimony in heaven was opened.

The apostle here had seen a similar side, if you remember, in an earlier vision,

which anticipated this opening.

When the temple of God, it said, which is in heaven was opened,

and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple, and there were flashes of

lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

That was back in chapter 11, verse 19 of Revelation.

So this naos, temple, refers to the holy of holies, the inner sanctuary.

If you remember where God's presence dwells, it emphasizes that God is the source of the plagues.

The tabernacle was sometimes referred to as the tabernacle of testimony.

You can see that in Exodus 38, Numbers 1, Numbers 10, Acts chapter 7, verse 44.

Acts 7:44

Because the most important item in it is the Ark of the Covenant,

sometimes called the Ark of Testimony.

And it was so named because it contained the testimony, the two stone tablets

on which God had written what?

The Ten Commandments, his holy law, like a mirror, right, that shows us ourselves in truth.

God had written the Ten Commandments. In fact, in an earlier vision,

God's throne room was open so the faithful could see in, back in chapter 4, verse 1.

And in this vision, the heavenly tabernacle, of which the earthly tabernacle

was only a copy, if you remember, as we studied in Hebrews, was open to reveal

the most severe earthly judgment.

Ever on the unfaithful. Y'all, this is it. Remember, it's the last one.

It's the last judgment, right?

And as John watched the seven angels, it says, who had the seven plagues came out of where again?

Out of the temple. And this time, the time has come in God's sovereign plan,

in other words, for the seven plagues, which represent the final deadly judgments

to be poured out on the world.

This is referred to as well in Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

These seven angels will execute God's plan.

They were clothed, if you look back in the passage here, in linen, clean and bright.

That fabric, it represents, what do you think? Their holiness, their purity.

And really, it really befits them, right? Such glorious, holy, majestic beings.

The angels were even, it says, girded around their chest with golden sashes,

running across the torso from the shoulder to the waist.

And after solemnly here proceeding from the inner sanctuary of God,

give this picture, God's heavenly temple, the seven angels receive the means

by which they'll dump God's judgment.

One of the four living creatures, that's cherubim, an order of high-ranking

angels, give to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of what?

Full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, it says.

Phyllis, bowls refers to shallow saucers, if you will.

And that imagery is not that of a stream that's kind of being poured out gradually

out of a picture or something like that,

but it's of the whole contents of the shallow saucers actually being hurled

down, all in a flood of judgment.

Bowls are part of the temple furnishing, if you remember, and they were associated with the sacrifices.

Those who refuse to drink the cup of salvation, talked about in Psalm 116 verse

Psalms 116:13

13, will be drowned in the judgment poured from the bowls of this wrath because

God lives forever and ever, it says.

He has the power to put an end to sin so that it cannot exist again forever in his holy presence.

And out of the heavenly temple came not only the angels, but also what?

Smoke. Smoke, symbolizing really the glory of God and his power.

Smoke, it's an emblem of majesty.

We see that in Exodus chapter 19. It also symbolizes God's glorious presence

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

in the Old Testament tabernacle or temple.

The smoke also symbolizes God's wrath. because it says thus no one was able

to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

See, the glory cloud, if you will, will remain in the heavenly temple until

the earth is completely purged, cleansed, and prepared for the king and his kingdom.

I don't know about y'all, but I know seeing this, when we think of all this

wrath that's being poured out, that is, it's like terrifying.

But also, I hope you can see in this passage and what we're looking at,

it's also for us who are redeemed, it's like a time of rejoicing.

It's like, wow, I mean, sin being destroyed, right? I mean, he's pouring out all of his wrath.

This scene described in this chapter really establishes the background for the

final definitive judgments that's going to be poured out in chapter 16.

And once the wrath of God was poured out on Jesus Christ because of what he

did for sinners, right? We talked about that earlier.

In the future, don't miss this tonight, his wrath will be poured out on sinners

because of what they did to Jesus Christ.

It's true that the Lord is patient toward you,

not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance,

as it talks about in 2 Peter 3, 9, and that even in his wrath,

he will remember mercy, it says in Habakkuk 3, verse 2.

Habakkuk 3:2

Yet, y'all, many refused, you know, mercy.

And in fact, here, you know, many refused what God had offered in Christ,

right? We know that. We see that every day all around.

Yet here, mercy refused, in this case, brings judgment, doesn't it?

By the time God pours out the seven bowls of his final wrath on the earth,

sinners will have been warned repeatedly, repeatedly to repent.

They'll have experienced numerous terrifying judgments, which they'll acknowledge came from who?

God. They will have heard the saving message church of the gospel preached by

the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, the two witnesses and other redeemed Gentiles

and Jews there in the tribulation.

They will even have heard the gospel from an angel flying in mid heaven that's

proclaiming to the whole world and everyone will see and hear.

They'll hear all of that, yet tragically, they'll harden their hearts and they'll

fall into calamity, as it says in Proverbs 28, 14.

They will pay a fearful price for failing to heed the scripture's warning.

Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Don't harden your heart.

As it talks about in Hebrews, don't do that.

Today is the day of salvation, right? But I am grateful that God is holy, that he is just.

He has a plan and he is going to execute it.