To God Be The Glory

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TO GOD BE THE GLORY (REVELATION 15)

BBC has a concise report on the history of plagues:

In the 6th century, the plague of Justinian killed as many as 50 million people, perhaps half the global population at the time.

In the 14th century, the Black Death may have killed up to 200 million people.

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed 50 to 100 million people. The virus infected one in every three people on the planet at the time.

Smallpox may have killed as many as 300 million people in the 20th Century.

HIV has killed an estimated 32 million people and infected 75 million.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200325-covid-19-the-history-of-pandemics

As we move to Revelation 15, we are reminded of the first 11 chapters on the devastation on earth, followed by the war in heaven in chapter 12 and the havoc of the beast in chapter 13, but the Lamb’s outright victory in the rest of the book.

What does it mean to live for God and look to Him no matter the circumstances? How can we be faithful and fruitful no matter the time? Why is God always the leading player and not the supporting actor in history?

Be the Voice of Victory

1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues — last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God

On February 4, 2022, 7:57 a.m. my neighbor sent me a newspaper link with the following headlines: “Ma Wan tested positive for sewage results, so all residents must undergo mandatory testing!

I asked my neighbor, “When are you going?” He replied, “Around 10 a.m,” which was two hours later. I questioned, “Where are we to go?” He answered, “At the 11th block by the beachfront. How about you? Do you have to work?” I Said, “No. Ok, wait lobby for me.” He texted, “Ok, wait 10 am downstairs.” I asked, “By the way, when did you know about the testing? He said, “Last night.”

As I went downstairs five minutes before 10 a.m., I questioned the lobby reception, “How come nobody notified me about today’s testing? The person said, “I just came in, I was not on duty last night!”

We lined up with his wife and two boys for slightly more than two hours, but at least we talked non-stop!

Three months later, I received a second notice that a resident in our housing block alone was infected, and I took it within ten minutes a day’s work.

Revelation 15 is quite a shock to speakers because we’re down to 8 verses, the shortest chapter so far in the book, in contrast to a long 29 verses in chapter 2. There are more “plagues” (plege) in this chapter than any chapter in the Bible, with the adjective “seven” quantifying the plagues each time (vv 1, 6, 8). A plague is transmittable, treacherous and toxic. It could be water, waste or wastewater. No medicine or mask, vaccine or ventilator, physician or protection can help.

The seven angels appeared in chapter 10 when the seventh seal was opened (Rev 10:1-2), disappeared for six chapters to reappear in chapter 15, this time with seven plagues for the fullness, finality and fury of it! The recurrence of “seven” for seven angels, seven last plagues (v1) and seven golden bowls (v 7) means the plagues’ enormity, entirety and extremity.

What constitutes plagues? Up to now, locusts (Rev 9:3), fire, smoke, and brimstone (Rev 9:18-20), and even bodily wounds (Rev 13:3). Modern day plagues range from birds to bees, pestilence to pandemics, from fire to floods, and from livestock to laboratories. The plagues did not quite fully portray God’s wrath, but it was forceful and furious enough.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines wrath (v 1) as “strong vengeful anger or indignation; retributory punishment for an offense or a crime: divine chastisement.” It is not pleasant, peaceful or pretty, but passionate, punitive and permanent, and yet preventable because God wants us to repent. The wrath of God is His displeasure, disapproval and dismay at sin. There is no calming, computing it or cancelling the fury. It is anger exploded, erupted, expanded and extended.

God’s wrath is directed at the unbelieving, the unrepentant and the unsaved. While the phrase “the wrath of God” occurred in the previous chapter (Rev 14:10), the two verbs that described the wrath of God is “completed” (v 1) and “filled” (v 7). Completed (v 1) refers to the timeline and “fill” is the waterline.