[§257] Rev 15:5-8: God the Father Prepares for the Third Woe to Begin

This podcast explains the imagery used by John in Revelation 15:5-8. In these verses, John “looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 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. 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. 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.” The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven refers to God's celestial kingdom, which is typified and foreshadowed by the ancient tabernacle in the days of Moses and the temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel (Herod). God is in this heavenly temple and he commissions the seven angels to carry out the last seven plagues of the Third Woe as a sacred duty. Their priestly duty is symbolized by the nature of the priestly clothing described by John in these verses. After God commissions the seven angels to carry out the seven last vial plagues of the Third Woe, the golden vials full of the wrath of God are presented to them by one of the four beasts. The four beasts represent all of creation. One of the four is present in this heavenly scene because all of creation is concerned with the wrath of God that will be poured out on all people, animals, plants and minerals during the Third Woe. The temple in heaven is filled with the smoke from the glory of God, which prevents anyone from entering the temple to make intercession on behalf of unrepentant people who will be destroyed during the Third Woe. Even Christ‒the Great High Priest and mediator‒cannot make intercession or seek the mercy of God during the Third Woe when the wrath of God will be poured out without measure to cleanse the earth of all corruption in all elements of the earth during the Second Coming. The earth will be cleansed to become a terrestrial (paradisiacal) world at the Second Coming.