“A Great and Marvelous Sign”
Revelation 15:1-8
“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.” [Rev 14:15]
“…the wrath of God is complete” is described as “a great and marvelous sign.” This brings us to the end of a long parenthetical [Rev 10-14]. Revelation contains several parentheticals within the chronology of judgments leading to Christ’s Return. The parentheticals provide insight into the personages that come on the scene during the Tribulation but do not necessarily move the judgment chronology forward.
Chapter 15, however, returns us to the judgments timetable: “seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”
“…the chronological order of events in Revelation is presented basically in the seven seals [6:1-17; 8:1]. The seventh seal includes all of the seven trumpets [8:1-9:21; 11:15-19]. The seven bowls of divine judgment are included in the seventh trumpet. The order of events forms a dramatic crescendo, the seventh seal being all-inclusive of the end-time events including the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet including the events described in the seven bowls. Christ then returns immediately after the seventh bowl. The intervening sections such as 10:1-11:14; 13-14; 17-18 do not advance the narrative chronologically. Chapter 19 follows immediately after chapter 16 in the chronological development.” [Walvoord]
“another sign” is interesting to observe in 15:1 with the additional comment of being “great and marvelous.” The other two signs were back in Rev 12; Israel, that is the “woman,” and the final world empire under the control of Satan, the “great red dragon.”
Walvoord comments, “The three signs taken together represent important elements in the prophetic scene.”
This third “great and marvelous” sign will be the completed judgment on Satan’s final world empire and the deliverance of Israel.
In summary, the great and marvelous work will be God’s word coming to pass in these final judgments that lead to His Glorious Return.
