Today we will look at chapter 15 from the Revelation of St. John the Apostle.
Met. Athanasios of Limassol
In this chapter, our Lord Jesus Christ appears as a Lamb. The image of a lamb reveals Christ’s sacrifice for the world: Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). Thus, God and the Lamb are the same Person. This chapter says: And 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 (Rev. 15:1). The Apostle John says he saw another vision.
When Scripture speaks of a sign, it speaks of something with significant meaning, like a special event. These are signs from God, not human signs (such as, for example, when we see a cloud in the sky, or some unusual natural phenomenon of particular interest). A sign of God is the energy of God. The Apostle John saw a sign in Heaven, great and marvelous. He saw many signs, but this one was great and marvelous. He saw seven angels having seven plagues in their hands. The wrath of God will finish with them. In the angels’ hands were torments and plagues for men.
You may ask: “Does God really want plagues and to bring harm to men?” Of course not. God doesn’t send and doesn’t facilitate evil. However, we men, by our apostasy, our sins, and our rebellion, bring a spiritual law into effect: To the extent that we distance ourselves from Divine protection, we draw closer to the place where diabolic energies spread, where God’s care practically doesn’t penetrate. But still, man himself attracts these plagues (or punishment, as we express it), not God.
St. John the Theologian When Holy Scripture speaks of the wrath of God, it doesn’t mean that God gets angry as we do, with our passions and weaknesses, when we start to get nervous, irritated, to do something in the heat of passion, which is unseemly, which does no good, which defames and wounds us, and leads to problems and bad consequences. In a state of rage, no matter what we do, no matter what we say, everything will turn out bad. The expression “wrath of God” is used by the Holy Fathers and the Apostles not with its strict meaning, but to show us that a certain event has inexorably descended upon us, like a thunderstorm, and we have nothing left to do but to wait it out. It’s scary and frightening, it puts fear in our hearts. This is what the “wrath of God” means. But God also grieves when confronted with the manifestation of a spiritual law that acts like a thunderstorm. The further you move away from God, the closer you get to the devil. The Holy Fathers speak about this very clearly. There’s mathematical precision in this: When you depart from God, you lose the sense of the Divine presence, Divine consolation, Divine energy, and you find yourself as if exposed and vulnerable to the devil’s influence.
Throughout its journey, mankind has constantly moved (and is moving) away from God through the freedom given to it and therefore has caused itself the plagues that will be discussed later. These are all signs, mysteries. It’s unlikely that seven angels holding one plague each will literally appear before us, as described in Revelation. In fact, nothing will happen exactly as described in Revelation, but these events will come to pass.
And 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 (Rev. 15:2). The Apostle John sees before him something that looks like a sea of glass, something like a huge skating rink, as I understand it, with fire beneath it. The mass of the sea was made of glass, with a fire blazing inside. A frightening sight. And this fire was beneath those who had overcome the beast, who hadn’t submitted to the beast, to the antichrist, to his image and mark.
Remember, in chapters 12 and 13 the Apostle John tells us about a number that’s talked about a lot—everyone interprets as he understands it—and about a woman who bore a male Child and fled into the desert. This woman symbolizes the Church, and the whole war against the Church is shown. Then another beast appears, which comes out of the abyss and resembles a lamb. This is the antichrist. He wants everyone to worship the first beast. And this beast had an image and number—666, as it says in 13:8.
All this is very mysterious, and it’s very dangerous for us to interpret it with our own reasoning. Let’s leave it as it’s written in Scripture. At the same time, when all this will happen, God will give men reason and wisdom to understand what it is. How many attempts have already been made to interpret these images—the number of the antichrist, the image of the beast, the false prophet—but none of them can be considered absolutely true. It’s impossible to say: “It will be like this.” We know there will be a number of the name of the antichrist and without this number you won’t be able to buy or sell unless you have his mark, as it says in chapter 13. This mark will be placed on the right hand and the forehead.
I’ll tell you honestly, when I first read Revelation, I didn’t believe these words that the antichrist would put a mark on us. Will he really have such a seal? And will he really run after us to put this mark on our hands? I couldn’t understand it. Fifteen years ago, it was impossible to imagine. However, now I can understand it and imagine it very easily. I’m not saying what exactly will happen, but I’m saying that now, in modern conditions, it’s easy to imagine some kind of seal that will be put on everything. We wish this wouldn’t happen, of course.
Christians will then stand atop this glass sea as victors over the antichrist and the beat and the false prophet, holding the harp of God. They won’t be literally holding harps in their hands, but as St. John the Theologian says, it’s to show us that the people of God will have a singular spiritual activity—to glorify God, because they will live in unceasing amazement, will glorify and thank God, live in the presence of God, not bending under the weight of sorrowful circumstances. And not because they’ll become unfeeling, not because they’ll say: “Thank God, we didn’t suffer at all,” but because such a state will be the fruit of God’s grace given to them, which strengthens a man to remain peaceful and full of prayer and God’s praise in all difficult circumstances.
And 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 (Rev. 15:3). Do you remember how the Prophet Moses led the Hebrew people through the Red Sea? He was a great prophet and great saint, although the Church doesn’t celebrate his memory very festively. When Moses divided the Red Sea by the power of God, the people passed through it to the other shore and thus the people of Israel were saved. After that, the Israelite people sang a beautiful hymn. Before them walked the Prophetess Miriam, who sang a doxology, a wondrous hymn to God, Who led them through the Red Sea. This is the first of the Biblical odes that we sing every day at Matins.
Prayer of Moses After the Israelites Go Through the Red Sea, Ivan Kramskoi. 1861 The first ode is dedicated to Israelites’ miraculous passage through the Red Sea. “ In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army,” and all the irmosi talk about it. Thus, the people of God, these servants of the Lord, sing the hymn of Moses. The passage of God’s faithful people through the demonic storm of the antichrist, the beast, the false prophet will be such a great blessing that they’ll sing the great song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
There is also the song of the Lamb. There’s also the song to our Christ Who has conquered forever: Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who 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 (Rev. 15:3–4). I sing great praises to the Lord for having delivered me from the hardships I was in. Holy Scripture speaks about the name of God, about which there is such great confusion. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the name of God is Yahweh, or Jehovah, as they say.
But unfortunately for them, that’s not the case at all. Because in Holy Scripture, in the second chapter of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians it says: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth (Phil. 2:10). This is also spoken of in the Old Testament, that all people will worship the name of God. All peoples of the earth will worship the name of Christ; they will give Him divine worship and serve Him, giving thanks that He delivered us from this suffering by His name.
Following this, the Apostle John beheld another vision. He was continuously seeing something: This was a vision that he contemplated and recorded for men.
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in Heaven was opened (Rev. 15:5). The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony was opened in Heaven. The Apostle sees everything that was described in the Old Testament. Do you remember how the Prophet Moses saw in a vision all that he later wrote to the Jews—including the Temple of Solomon and all the rest? God said to him: “Be very careful. Do everything exactly as you saw it on the holy mountain.” And we often speak about how the Divine Liturgy is a copy, a reflection of the Heavenly Divine Liturgy. The saints saw in contemplation and recorded what was celebrated in the Liturgy. They didn’t just think it up—it was a copy of what they saw. So here, the Apostle John saw how the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony was revealed in Heaven.
And 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 (Rev. 15:6). They were seven bright angels, dressed in linen robes—pure, sparkling, and unblemished. They were girded with golden belts. The Jews and ancient Greeks, and we Cypriots, have always worn belts. Remember when they brought the belt of the Theotokos, we spoke about why the Theotokos gave her belt to the Apostle Thomas. She gave it to him as a sign. Belts were very important, symbolizing chastity, purity, integrity, the power of the Holy Spirit, and vigilance. When a man was girded, it meant he was in constant vigilance, which is why we have the expression on Cyprus: “girded with a belt.” Do you remember how I told you that our grandmothers used to always wear a thin belt made of the same fabric as a dress or skirt? The Theotokos had this kind of thin belt, woven from camel’s hair. As the fathers from Vatopedi Monastery told us, archaeologists have confirmed that it was a work of the first century made of camel hair, as preserved in Tradition. Seven angels were girded with golden belts, which signified the high mission entrusted to them, the great work for which they were sent, unceasing vigilance, purity, and obedience to God.
And 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 (Rev. 15:7). The Apostle is speaking of the four animals that held up the altar of God. Remember how in our churches, the Lord Almighty is depicted under the dome, with four prophets around Him, and on the four arches usually the four Evangelists who uphold the Church on their four Gospels. The prophets foresaw these Evangelists as four beasts—a bull, lion, eagle, and man. And these four beasts are depicted around the throne of God. The angels are holding golden vials that one of the four animals gave them.
It’s clear that it was the Evangelist John who is shown in the form of one of the beasts, who wrote one of the Gospels (the most theological Gospel), who is now transmitting Revelation to us. He gave the seven angels golden bowls full of the wrath of God, Who lives forever. God lives eternally. This is stated so strongly here to show that God fears nothing, and is subject to no danger. We shouldn’t be overcome with anxiety that we have to protect God. We’re the ones in danger—men risk falling into delusion, sinning, falling away from God’s calling and abandoning their love for God, but God isn’t subject to any danger.
And 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 (Rev. 15:8). The temple was filled with smoke. It’s reminiscent of Mt. Sinai and other appearances of God that took place in smoke and darkness, accompanied by supernatural events that point us to the presence of God in that place, causing fear and awe. No one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were over.