Season 5 Podcast 153 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, P, Chapter 15:2-4 B “Sea of Glass.”

Revelation 15 begins with the introduction of the seven angels having the seven last plagues, yet it is a vision of hope for it deals with the promise of exaltation in Celestial Glory to those saints who remain faithful. In this Podcast and the Podcast that follows I shall focus on the Sea of Glass.

Revelation 15:2

“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”

“Sea of Glass mingled with fire” suggests absolute purity. Fire purifies gold, an image used by Peter relating to the trial of our faith.

1 Peter 1:7

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

Malachi speaks of the refiners fire. He is also using Temple Imagery.

Malachi 3:1-3

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

We are introduced to the Sea of Glass as early as the Book of Kings.

1 Kings 7:3

“And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.”

The above is in reference to the building of Solomon’s temple. The Molten Sea rests on the backs of twelve oxen.

1 Kings 7:25

“It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.”

The above refers to the baptismal font in Solomon’s Temple. Baptism is a form of purification or cleansing. We can better understand the Sea of Glass if we first understand the purpose of Solomon’s Temple. They are all temple images: 1 Kings 7 and Revelations 4, 15, 21, & 22. Each helps us to understand the other. In the Book of Revelation, we are first introduced to the Sea of Glass in Revelation 4,

Revelation 4:1-6

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.