Revelation 15

THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT

‘And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, thou King of saints.’

Revelation 15:3

I. The Church Triumphant.—When the song of the triumphant Church is called ‘the song of Moses the servant of God’ the reference is to the Church of the Israelites and their leaders when Pharaoh and His hosts had been buried in the waters. The song was not only of thanksgiving to the Lord, but exultation over the wicked, rejoicing in their destruction. ‘The song of the Lamb’ is a song of which even now we can strike some notes. It may be considered as that ‘new song’ the burden of which is the ‘worthiness’ of the Redeemer. The ‘thousand times ten thousand of thousands’ which are ‘round about the throne’ were heard by St. John saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’

II. The Song.—‘Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.’ It celebrates the greatness of the plan of God as displayed in the occurrences of the Judgment Day.

(a) It will be ‘ a great and marvellous work’ when the ‘tares shall have been separated from the wheat,’ all unrighteousness detected and exposed, the wicked banished and the faithful exalted.

(b) The Church affirms God’s ‘ ways’ to be ‘ just and true,’ as well as His ‘works great and marvellous’; and this is a most important assertion when considered as called forth by the transactions of the judgment. The judgment will include in its searchings and sentences the heathen world as well as the Christian—men who have had none but the scantiest portion of revelation and those who have been blessed with its fulness.