Revelation 15; Psalm 53

Revelation 15
This is the introduction to the coming bowl judgments. These plagues will be the last, and they will mark the end of God's wrath against sin. v. 1

Before we learn about these last judgments, we are given a picture of the believers in heaven who will be saved out of the Tribulation. They are the ones who will be victorious over the beast and will not submit to him or his mark. Many of them will have been martyrs. They are shown standing on a sea of glass and singing the "song of Moses." This song praises God for His faithfulness and deliverance. It praises God's great and marvelous works and recognizes Him as the Almighty--righteous and true--and King of the ages. He alone is holy, and all the nations will come and worship before Him. vv. 2-4  This is quite a scene to think of!

In v. 5, the "tabernacle of the Testimony" is the dwelling place of God. The four living creatures give to the 7 angels the 7 golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. v. 8 tells us something about the glory of God. From this chapter we've seen God's grace toward believers, His wrath toward unbelievers, His faithfulness and deliverance, His righteousness, His holiness, His sovereignty, His eternality, and His glory!

In chapter 16, we will read about the fearful bowl judgments.

Psalm 53
This psalm is much like Psalm 14.

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" v. 1 Notice that a fool says "in his heart..." This may mean that regardless of what he says with his lips, his behavior proves that he is not believing in God. Many may claim to believe in God, but their actions do not show it. Of course, some people are doubly foolish by proclaiming with their mouths the lack of belief in their hearts!

And so what is such a persons' behavior like? "They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good." vv. 1-3

Lest we begin to feel superior, lets take a look at the end of v. 1 and vv. 2-3. No one seeks after God! No one does good, not even one! This reminds us of our own sinful nature, and only by God's grace and mercy were we drawn to Him for salvation. Any goodness we have is because of our relationship to God.