Joy and Judgment (Revelation 15)

Big Idea: Our salvation is characterized by both joy and judgment.

We’re about to enter what some call Holy Week. We are about to walk through some of the most significant events of Jesus’ life and ministry this week:

• his triumphal entry into Jerusalem;
• his final evening with his disciples, in which he washed the feet of his disciples and instituted the Last Supper;
• Good Friday, in which Jesus was crucified, dying as a sacrifice in the place of sinners, offering redemption and reconciliation with God;
• Saturday, the period between Jesus’ death and resurrection;
• Easter Sunday, which is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, signifying Christ's victory over death and sin, and the promise of eternal life for those who believe in him.

This is a significant week. If you want to understand the Christian faith, you need to understand the events that we remember this week.

But there’s a bit of a tension we feel every year. You can sense it today. Today is Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, crowds welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem, laying palm branches and cloaks on the ground and praising him as the King of the Lord. This makeshift carpet reflected their belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah. But as Jesus approached the city, he wept over it and announced its judgment (Luke 19:41). Was Palm Sunday a day of celebration or a day of judgment? Both. You feel the tension of joy and judgment on Palm Sunday.

And then you have Good Friday. On Good Friday, Jesus was shamed by being stripped naked. Nails were driven through his hands and feet. A crown of thorns pierced his head, and he faced a slow, agonizing death through blood loss and asphyxiation. His greatest suffering was spiritual; he carried the burden of humanity's sins and endured the punishment we should have faced. Jesus took upon himself the full weight of the Father’s wrath against our sins and completely satisfied it.

This is the day that Psalm 118:24 talks about:

This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Good Friday. The day the righteous Son of God was crucified, a day when the wrath of God was revealed against sin and godlessness, and yet a day that we call good.

Holy Week embodies this tension between celebration and judgment, between sorrow and joy. It runs through the entire week and captures the essence of God's redemptive plan.

These two themes run through the passage that we’re looking at today too.

Background to Revelation

As you probably know, we’ve been going through the book of Revelation. Revelation reveals the spiritual reality behind worldly events, highlighting that God is in control, even amid chaos. Despite evil appearing to triumph temporarily, God is firmly in control of history. Through Jesus, we have secured our redemption, and God will ultimately deliver perfect justice. We can stay faithful and confident, knowing that God is fulfilling his plan and will one day bring His people to dwell with him forever.

That’s what Revelation is about.

Revelation 15 is part of the central part of the book that goes from chapter 6 to 19. It’s about judgment. We’ve had seven seals and seven trumpets, and now we have seven plagues or bowls. I’ve argued that these series of judgments are three perspectives on the same thing, each one intensifying. The first set of judgments impacts a quarter of the earth, the second a third, while the final set is more total and comprehensive.

These are not seven new judgments; rather, they are the same seven judgments viewed from a fresh perspective, yet with heightened intensity. They show God's wrath towards sin. That’s why we read in verse 1: “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.” Finished has the idea of being filled up or completed. Chapters 15 and 16 reveal the completion of God’s anger and judgment.

You may be surprised that this chapter has two seemingly unrelated themes that we have to bring together. Chapter 15 is about two things. Here’s the first:

Joy (15:2-4)

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

You wouldn’t expect a chapter that begins with God’s wrath to be so joyful. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s going on here.

Verse 2 begins with a sea of glass mingled with fire, along with the people who had conquered the beast. What is this image about? We’ve already seen a sea of glass back in chapter 4 in God’s presence. This time it’s a sea of glass and fire; fire usually represents suffering.

These people are in God’s presence as they’ve passed through suffering. They’ve conquered. Some of them are probably martyrs. Maybe some of them have died of natural causes. They all have one thing in common: they conquered the beast.

Pause here: what a picture of death. We use various phrases to describe dying, including passed on, passed away, no longer with us, departed this life, and gone to be with the Lord. Here’s another one we can use for Christians who are faithful to the end: they conquered. Some of them were killed by the beast, but they were still victorious. Instead of viewing martyrdom as defeat, the early church celebrated it as victory. These believers triumphed by staying true to their faith despite intense pressure to surrender their beliefs. If you are in Jesus, and you stay faithful to the end, the day of your death will be the day you conquered. That’s what this is showing us.

But the passage goes on, and as it does, it adds a deeper understanding to what’s going on. These people are singing. What are they singing? The song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.

This brings to mind the day that Israel stood beside a sea and sang a song of praise to God in Exodus 15 for their deliverance. The Song of Moses and the Lamb in Revelation is a condensed version of the Song of Moses. It’s like humming the start of a song that brings an entire song to mind. This shorter version recalls the complete exodus story while pointing to humanity’s new exodus through Christ. It declares God as the true king of all nations, worthy of worldwide worship, in contrast to the beast's false claims to glory. This was also a joy that accompanied judgment. Israel sang this new song after God had judged Egypt. Joy and judgment go together.

Here’s the first theme we see in this chapter: joy. Unbridled joy. Not a shallow joy that comes from the absence of problems. This joy exists alongside the terrifying anger of a holy God directing his righteous wrath at sin. This is a joy that has survived suffering and death. This is the joy of those who have conquered, a joy that is based on the greatness of God and the greatness of his salvation.

What characterizes our salvation? Joy. Joy in heaven. Joy that centers on the greatness of God and his salvation.

But that’s not all. There’s something else that characterizes our salvation:

Judgment (15:5-8)

After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And 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, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15:5-8)

Here’s the scene. We see the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven. It’s the heavenly equivalent to the tabernacle that was with Israel in the wilderness. And out of its sanctuary come four living creatures. They give to seven angels seven bowls of God’s wrath. And everyone is overcome with God’s glory. Nobody can enter the temple until the seven plagues are finished.

We’re going to look at these seven plagues next week. But what I want us to see right now is how terrifying a picture this is. Heaven prepares for battle as God readies his final judgment. Like the plagues of Egypt, seven angels stand with golden bowls, poised to unleash God's power upon the earth. This awesome and terrifying scene shows divine justice about to unfold with unstoppable force. We’re going to return to this next week.

What I want us to see right now is this: joy and judgment belong together. Revelation 15 highlights the joy of those who stayed faithful to Christ and overcame, as well as God's judgment on those who did not submit. We don’t praise God despite his judgment; we praise God because of his righteous judgment. Spurgeon said that God's wrath reflects the deep bass notes of his praise, affirming the goodness and righteousness of his reign.

Our salvation is characterized by both joy and judgment.

Today is Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, some 2,000 years ago, there was the joy of the arrival of the promised Messiah, the King, come to deliver his people. Alongside this joy was Jesus weeping and pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem.

On Good Friday, there is the joy of full payment being made for the sins of all God’s people through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. At the same time, there is the judgment of God being unleashed upon the righteous sufferer, Jesus Christ. In all these circumstances, joy and judgment are tied together. Both are part of salvation. You can’t separate them when it comes to our redemption.

I want to ask you today if you’ve come to terms with both joy and judgment. Do you have a robust view of the righteous judgment of God against sin? Becky Pippert explains this well: “God’s wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer… which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being.”

God's judgment is real and it's terrifying. We're uncomfortable with it, yet the Bible teaches it's a reality. It is part of God's very nature. It's not an angry outburst; it's his righteous and just judgment against those who refuse to bow to his holy name.

The only way you can find joy in the face of God's judgment is through Jesus. You can only truly celebrate God's just judgment if you have received the redemption that Jesus offers.

Have you come to terms with the judgment of God? Have you seen it as a reality that every person must face? But along with that, have you experienced the joy of those who have been redeemed? The joy of those saved by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice allows you to one day stand by the river of judgment and praise God for your salvation.

Holy Week is about both joy and judgment. Our salvation is about both joy and judgment. Friends, come to terms with the righteous judgment of God. See him in his holy wrath and judgment, and then trust Jesus so that you can sing with joy because he is the just and holy God who has delivered you. Sing a song of praise to our great God.