The Seven Bowl Judgments

In chapter 15, we reach the prelude to the final series of judgments, the bowl judgments. After these judgments are carried out, the pouring out of God's wrath on the earth will be complete. These are the final judgments on the earth before the return of Jesus.

 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 glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God ³and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
   “Great and marvelous are your deeds,
   Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
   King of the nations.^[a]
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
   and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
   and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”^[b]
 5 After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. ⁶ Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. ⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.


John is still writing from his vantage point in heaven. John first sees seven angels with the final plagues for the earth standing in God's throne room. John then sees the sea of glass that he had described seeing in God's throne room in Revelation chapter 4. The glowing fire is the final wrath of God against the earth. Standing on or besides the sea (depending on which translation you read) are those that are victorious over the Beast. These represent the church that had been raptured before the tribulation, and the dead in Christ that have risen at this point, also all those that had been martyred for believing in Christ during the tribulation period. They have been given harps, and sing the song of Moses and the lamb. Worshiping God and Jesus.
 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
   “I will sing to the LORD,
   for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
   he has hurled into the sea. Exodus 15:1
This is a song of joyful deliverance. Moses sang this song when Israel was delivered from Pharoah's armies, and the saints will be singing it at this point because we are delivered from Satan and his Beast. 


Now we return out of the interlude to the moment when the seven trumpet judgments have ended. 
¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. Revelation 11:19
Now the final judgments are ready to be carried out on the earth. The seven angels that are in charge of the bowl judgments come out of the temple of God. They receive their bowls from one of the four living creatures that are around the throne of God. The final judgment of God is now ready to be poured out on the earth.