The representation about the Judgment Day and the general resurrection was appropriate to most of the Jewish believers well before the coming into the world of the Savior. And this representation supposed that everybody comes to the Judgment, independently of the fact if during his life he belonged to the people of God or not. Such view on the Judgment was due, above all...
The representation about the Judgment Day and the general resurrection was appropriate to most of the Jewish believers well before the coming into the world of the Savior. And this representation supposed that everybody comes to the Judgment, independently of the fact if during his life he belonged to the people of God or not. Such view on the Judgment was due, above all, to the understanding of the fact that the God of Israel is also the God of the whole world, and he will judge not only His people, but also all other peoples of the earth.
But under the light of the revelations of the New Testament, Christians began to look at the Judgment not quite as they looked at it and look at it the Jews. From the Jewish point of view, the Judgment is a process if not momentary, then in every case, more or less compressed in time, he supposes that the resuscitated come to the Judgment so that God sums up their life lived on earth and give the appropriate definition. For the Christian the Judgment begins with the coming into the world of the Messiah: indeed, Jesus says directly that the one who believes in Him does not come to the Judgment, but the one who rejects Him is condemned by the same rejection.
In such case we could call our time - the time of Judgment: because choice is possible until the day of the return of the Savior, when the results will be summarized. On the other hand, our time is not only the time of Judgment, but also the time of the Kingdom to come. One is connected with another: because the acceptance or the rejection of the Christ also means the acceptance or the rejection of this Kingdom that He brought into the world. And man does not come to the Judgment, according to His own words, not because he takes this or that decision, but because the decision to trust Christ also means the choice of the Kingdom, and the introduction to the life of the Kingdom eliminates the question of Judgment.
But if it is so, is it then any sense in general to speak about the Judgment in regard to the Christians? If we who call ourselves Christians were such in the fullness and till the end, then there would really be no sense to speak about the Judgment in relation to us, as there is no sense to speak about it in relation to those who in the Book of Revelation are called "participants of the first resurrection”, over whom “the second death has no power”.
In certain churches, such people are called "holy", although it would have been more exact to call their life example of the Christian righteousness (because "holy" in the books of the New Testament are called all the Christians without exception). But, since in our spiritual life we are rather often Christian only by moments, we join the life of the Kingdom from time to time, and most of the time we live the life of "this world", then we will have at the Judgment to sum up the result of this our dual and double minded existence. And there is only one means to avoid the Judgment: to finally become people spiritually whole and live only the life of the Kingdom. Or simply speaking, to finally become normal, real Christians.
15
15:1 And I saw seven holy angels having the seven last plagues - Before they had the phials, which were as instruments whereby those plagues were to be conveyed. They are termed the last, because by them the wrath of God is fulfilled - Hitherto. God had borne his enemies with much longsuffering; but now his wrath goes forth to the uttermost, pouring plagues on the earth from one end to the other, and round its whole circumference. But, even after these plagues, the holy wrath of God against his other enemies does not cease, Rev 20:15.
15:2 The song was sung while the angels were coming out, with their plagues, who are therefore mentioned both before and after it, Rev 15:1-6.
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire - It was before "clear as crystal," Rev 4:6, but now
mingled with fire, which devours the adversaries. And them that gained, or were gaining, the victory over the wild beast - More of whom were yet to come. The mark of the beast, the mark of his name, and the number of his name, seem to mean here nearly the same thing. Standing at the sea of glass - Which was before the throne. Having the harps of God - Given by him, and appropriated to his praise.
15:3 And they sing the song of Moses - So called, partly from its near agreement, with the words of that song which he sung after passing the Red Sea, Exo 15:11, and of that which he taught the children of Israel a little before his death, Deu 32:3-4. But chiefly because Moses was the minister and representative of the Jewish church, as Christ is of the church universal. Therefore it is also termed the sons of the Lamb. It consists of six parts, which answer each other:
- Great and wonderful are thy works, Lord God Almighty.
- For thou only art gracious.
- Just and true are thy ways, O King of the nations.
- For all the nations shall come and worship before thee.
- Who would not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?
- For thy judgments are made manifest.
We know and acknowledge that all thy works in and toward all the creatures are great and wonderful; that thy ways with all the children of men, good and evil, are just and true. For thou only art gracious - And this grace is the spring of all those wonderful works, even of his destroying the enemies of his people. Accordingly in Psa 136:1-26, that clause, "For his mercy endureth for ever," is subjoined to the thanksgiving for his works of vengeance as well as for his delivering the righteous. For all the nations shall come and worship before thee - They shall serve thee as their king with joyful reverence.This is a glorious testimony of the future conversion of all the heathens. The Christians are now a little flock: they who do not worship God, an immense multitude. But all the nations shall come, from all parts of the earth, to worship him and glorify his name. For thy judgments are made manifest - And then the inhabitants of the earth will at length learn to fear him.15:5 After these things the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony - The holiest of all. Was opened - Disclosing a new theatre for the coming forth of the judgments of God now made manifest.
15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple - As having received their instructions from the oracle of God himself. St. John saw them in heaven, Rev 15:1, before they went into the temple. They appeared in habits like those the high priest wore when he went into the most holy place to consult the oracle. In this was the visible testimony of God's presence. Clothed in pure white linen - Linen is the habit of service and attendance. Pure - unspotted, unsullied.White - Or bright and shining, which implies much more than bare innocence. And having their breasts girt with golden girdles - In token of their high dignity and glorious rest.
15:7 And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels - After they were come out of the temple. Seven golden phials - Or bowls. The Greek word signifies vessels broader at the top than at the bottom. Full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever - A circumstance which adds greatly to the dreadfulness of his wrath.
15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke - The cloud of glory was the visible manifestation of God's presence in the tabernacle and temple. It was a sign of protection at erecting the tabernacle and at the dedication of the temple. But in the judgment of Korah the glory of the Lord appeared, when he and his companions were swallowed up by the earth. So proper is the emblem of smoke from the glory of God, or from the cloud of glory, to express the execution of judgment, as well as to be a sign of favour. Both proceed from the power of God, and in both he is glorified. And none - Not even of those who ordinarily stood before God. Could go into the temple - That is, into the inmost part of it. Till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled - Which did not take up a long time, like the seven trumpets, but swiftly followed each other.
16
16:1 Pour out the seven phials - The epistles to the seven churches are divided into three and four: the seven seals, and so the trumpets and phials, into four and three. The trumpets gradually, and in a long tract of time, overthrow the kingdom of the world: the phials destroy chiefly the beast and his followers, with a swift and impetuous force.The four first affect the earth, the sea, the rivers, the sun; the rest fall elsewhere, and are much more terrible.