Articles
Revelation 15
Revelation 15
When the Babylonians took Solomon’s temple apart, the glory of God was gone. When Zerubbabel and Joshua rebuilt the temple, however, there was no visible manifestation of the Lord’s glory. When Herod refurbished the temple, there was no manifestation of the Lord’s glory in the temple. However, under Jesus Christ, the sanctuary not made with hands in the heavens is full of the glory of the Lord. Here is the picture of victory. In fact, it is the same picture that demonstrated victory in Exodus. We often think the crossing of the Red Sea is the climax of Exodus. Not so. The climax is when the glory of the Lord enters the tabernacle. God had sent the plagues on the enemies, He had delivered Israel through the Red Sea, He had brought them to Mt. Sinai. But the climax is when God shows His abiding presence by entering the tabernacle. That is exactly what is going on here. God has sent plagues of judgment and will continue to do so in the next chapter. But the real glory is that He is in the midst of His people. He takes residence in the sanctuary, which is His church. The promises of restoration are fulfilled not in a temple rebuilt on earth, but in the heavenly temple of God’s house. Praise the Lord! He dwells with His people.
A Word for Our Kids
Hey kids, I get that a lot of these pictures are weird. When I read them to my own daughter asking her to note just one thing that stands out, in Revelation she often says, “That made no sense. I have no idea what to say.” It’s tough. But one of the things you can do as you read is to listen for similarities to Bible stories you already know. For instance, in this one, after the victory, they sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. I hope that reminds you of the singing Israel did after crossing the Red Sea. That is exactly what you should think of here. You should see this as that same kind of victory. Sure, for a time it looked like Israel would lose, but in the end, they won. The same is true for us. Whenever evil stands against us, it may look like we are going to lose. But Jesus always wins. Praise the Lord!
Edwin Crozier
