1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
A great and marvelous sign— God’s execution of His wrath, in answer to the prayers of martyred saints. “There is also a progression. Whereas the trumpet judgments were restricted to ‘one third,’ the bowl judgments (further described in Revelation 16:1-21) are not so limited.” (Burton Coffman)
Thus, “The plagues of the seven trumpets had redemptive purposes; they were God’s judgment mixed with mercy intended to bring rebellious people to repentance, and want them that the time for repentance was rapidly running out, and that the door of mercy would be closed forever. The purpose and nature of the seven last plagues, however, is completely different. They denote God’s judgment unmixed with mercy. The bowl plagues are executed after the last call for repentance is given (Rev. 14:6-12) and the destiny of every human being has been fixed…” (Ranko Stefanovic)
God’s wrath “is not anger as we know it but righteous anger like the anger of Jesus (Mark 3:5), a righteous response to the awfulness of sin, the sign of an antipathy to sin. In His holiness God must react against sin. He did it first by offering a way of redemption and providing a means of ‘propitiation’ through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2), which was a way of righteously dealing with sin while forgiving the sinner, but for those who refuse that way His wrath against sin means that He must ultimately deal with sinners, first by attempts to make them consider their ways, and then [as here] in final judgment…” (Peter Pett)
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
All people and their works will be tested by eternal fire. "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on itendures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Cor. 3:11-15) They will only be saved if their faith had the blood of Jesus as it's only foundation.
“This sea of glass as our learned More thinks) hath.. an allusion to the sea of glass like unto crystal, reflected upon by the lamps of fire burning before the throne, Revelation 4:5,6…” (Matthew Poole) "The sea of fire can also be seen as in direct contrast with the lake of fire, the destructive fire which destroys the wicked (Rev.19:20), the one refers to eternal joy and bliss, the other to eternal judgment and destruction. They represent two aspects of the holiness of God: The one represent the joy of holiness received and enjoyed in the presence of God. The second the response of holiness to the sinfulness of the unrepentant. Those [of this great congregation of people] who are overcomers… are there with 'harps of God' in their hands. Harps speak of worship (Rev. 5:8; Ps. 33:2; 43:4), and joy (Isa. 24:8) and victory (Rev. 14:2). That they are ‘harps of God’ demonstrates a gift of special affection. They are His gifts. Their rewards have begun.” (Peter Pett)
3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! 4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
“The song of Moses (Exod. 15;1-27) is the song of an earthly deliverance and the song of the Lamb concerns a spiritual deliverance.” (Arno Gaebelein) “‘They sing the song of Moses’ - that which Moses sang, Exodus 15:1, when he and the Israelites, by the miraculous power of God, had got safely through the Red Sea, and saw their enemies all destroyed. — ‘And the song of the Lamb’ — the same song adapted to the state of the suffering, but now delivered Christians.” (Adam Clarke)
The song of Moses— “It is a song celebrating the One Who is a God of faithfulness, just and right. His work is perfect and His ways are justice (v. 4) in spite of His people’s unfaithfulness and failure (v. 5). But then, after a catalogue of their failure, it declares that He kills, but He makes alive. He wounds, but He heals (v. 39) and He avenges the blood of His servants and makes expiation for His people (v. 43). This deliverance is what God indeed has wrought, as witness of those gathered here. Thus this song epitomises the song of Moses. The song in Exodus 15 is nowhere called the song of Moses. That was the song of redeemed Israel.” (Peter Pett)
Saying, “Great and marvellous are your works (Ps. 104:24; 111:2; 139:14), Oh Lord God, the Almighty. ["nearly the same as Jehovah, God of hosts"- Clarke] Righteous and true are your ways (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 145:17), you King of the Ages (Jer. 10:10). Who shall not fear, Oh Lord, and glorify your name (Ps. 86:9)? For you only are holy (Ps. 86:10; 99:3; 99:5; 99:9). For all the nations shall come and worship before you (Psalms 86:9-12), for your righteous acts have been fully revealed.
“The fact that it is also called the song of the Lamb shows that these words refer to Him. He is the Lord God, the Almighty, Whose ways are marvellous, true and righteous. He is the One to be feared and glorified. He is the Holy One before Whom the nations will worship (Rev. 5:9). He is the One Whose mighty acts have been revealed, in the opening of the seals and the cleansing of His people. He is the One Who is great and marvellous, the King of the Ages, the Eternal King.” (Peter Pett)
5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
“Not the whole temple, but only that part to which this name was given.” (Albert Barnes)— “the holy of holies, the peculiar dwelling place of God.” (Justin Edwards) “Our fathers had ‘the tabernacle of witness [or testimony] in the wilderness’, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land etc...” (Acts 7:44–45) Thus we see pictured here “the heavenly tabernacle, with its curtains open so that the ark is visible (Rev. 15:5; cf. 11:19)…” (Baker Illustrated Bible Comm.)
This ark of the covenant housed God’s law— the Ten Commandments, “which the earth-dwellers disregard. God was now going to hold them to it and judge them by it.” (Dr. Thomas Constable) “From this ‘tabernacle of the testimony’ proceeded God’s oracles, there God gave answers from the mercy-seat, and therefore in the Book of Kings it is called the oracle.”(Matthew Poole)
6 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.
“And out of the temple came the seven angels — “expressive of their being commissioned and sent of God” (Justin Edwards) for execution of His wrath— “having the seven plagues,”— representing God’s perfect judgment of the wicked only. “Out of the rejected temple the angels of wrath come; it is ever true that out of rejected mercies the heaviest of plagues are forged.” (C. J. Elliott)
They “are clothed in pure, white linen; this is symbolical of the righteousness which demands the judgment wrath about to be poured out. And the golden girdles with which their breasts are girdled speak still more of divine righteousness.” (Arno Gaebelein) Their appearance resembled their High Priest— “Christ Himself (Revelation 1:13), apparently conveying that they were wearing the livery of their Master and therefore engaged in His business, just as a jockey wears the colors of the owner in a horse race. The judgment belongs to Christ.” (Coffman Commentary)
7 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.
“In the Old Testament, ‘golden bowls’ (Gr. ‘phiale’) are the vessels used in the temple for incense and offerings to God (cf. 1 Kings 7:40, 45, 50; 2 Kings 12:13, 25:15; cf. Rev, 5:8). The gold bowels of Revelation 15–16 are most likely the same as ‘the cup of the wine’ of the wrath of God’ in Revelation 14:10… While the heavenly temple was the place where God’s mercy and grace can be found,... it is also the place from which divine judgments emanate when people reject the gospel... These are the temple bowls of offering to God. In Revelation 5:8, the golden bowls are full of incense, representing the prayers of God‘s people that the twenty-four elders offered to God (cf. Rev. 8:3-5). This time, however, the golden bowls of intercession become the instruments of destruction, full of the wrath of God to be poured out on the wicked. Mercy has ceased for those on whom divine wrath will be executed. The execution of the wrath of God has been initiated by the prayers of God‘s faithful people.” (Ranko Stefanovic)
8 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.
“God cannot be approached at the moment when He is revealing Himself in all the terrors of His indignation.” (Milligan) "The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power" — “This symbolizes the judicial hardening of the incorrigibly wicked.
It will be recalled from Isaiah 6:4 that the ‘smoke’ from God's presence meant the prophecy of the hardening of Israel. So here, the smoke means that, in this situation, God's work of grace is finished.— ‘None was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues were completed.’ — ‘The sanctuary is inaccessible ... the time for intercession is past.’ [F. F. Bruce]” (Coffman Commentary) “The tabernacle of witness (Exodus 40:34, 35) as well as Solomon’s temple— the house of Yahweh (1 Kings 8:10,11; 2 Chron.5:14) were covered with or filled with a cloud— the symbol of God’s presence— when consecrated, “but it was at the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai that the glory of the Lord was hidden by smoke (Exodus 19:18)…” (Peter Pett) from a wayward people.