December 21, 2024 - Revelation 15-16

John sees the bowls of God’s final wrath, which contain the last plagues that are visited on the earth’s inhabitants:  sores and blood and fire and darkness and drought and unclean spirits and earthquake.  How terrible are the plagues upon those “who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image” (16:2).  Here’s the thing, though:  Before the plagues is a wonderful heavenly scene in which the saints, those who conquered the beast and its image, 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!’” (15:3)  As I was reading this, I had the thought that the scene, in some ways, is very much like our Baxter Easter mornings in Cave Hill.  We stand amidst the tombstones and graves filled with bones and rejoice that, in the midst of all those reminders of the pain of death, we have nothing to fear.  Because of our Savior, we stare down death and sing with these saints the song of Moses!

Awake, and sing the song

Of Moses and the Lamb;

Tune every heart and every tongue

To praise the Savior’s name.

Sing of His dying love;

Sing of His rising power;

Sing how He intercedes above

For those whose sins He bore.

Tell, in seraphic strains,

What He has done for you;

How He has taken off your chains

And formed your hearts anew.

His faithfulness proclaim

While life to you is given:

Join hands and hearts to praise His name

Till we all meet in heaven.   -- William Hammond (1745)