How to overcome extreme Circumstances

 Read Revelation 15.

The 7th angel blew his trumpet back in chapter 11.  The resulting judgment is announced here as having seven parts, called bowls of God's wrath.  They will begin to be poured out in the next chapter.

The Apostle John saw a glassy sea in heaven.  This is surely the same one he saw in 4:6 before the throne of God.  And, this group of conquerors is the same as he saw in chapter 7.  They are believers in Jesus who died in this horrific part of the Tribulation.  Several questions are in order.

How did they overcome the tyranny of the Tribulation?
The environment will be three-pronged.  Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet will command control of everything and everyone.  But those who know the Lord will not participate in evil or in false worship.  Their commitment is stated in 12:11-"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."

Their personal faith in the shed blood of Christ on the cross provides eternal forgiveness and eternal life.  Such assurance helped them to remain faithful and endure any temporal sufferings.  Their true home and true life could never be taken from them.

What were they doing in heaven?
Around the throne, they were playing harps and singing.  This particular song is called the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.  There are three songs of Moses in the Old Testament.  His original song took place by the Red Sea and seems appropriate here.  It is a song of God's miraculous deliverance of His people.  Moses composed and sang it when the most powerful army in the world ("horses and rider") drowned.  Here in the Tribulation, martyrs will be singing after the army of the Antichrist will be destroyed (14:20).

The song of the Lamb would be about God's eternal deliverance and, perhaps, the same or similar to Revelation 5: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."

What were they singing?
This is a classic worship hymn, praising the God of heaven for who He is and what He has done.
1. His deeds are great and amazing.  When one stops to consider the creation of the universe, life in all its various forms, the demonstration of His power throughout history and in these prophecies, how can we not stand in awe?

2. His ways are just and true.  There is no injustice with God.  His judicial actions may be delayed on our time table, but they are certain to come.  There is no falsehood in what He does or has said.  His word is totally reliable and without error.  Every word has meaning and may be trusted completely.

3. His nature is holy.  He alone is holy.  All purity, all holiness, all sacredness emanates from the Lord God Almighty.  When we become part of His faith family by faith in Jesus, we are partakers of His holiness and declared holy.

4. His actions are right and have been revealed.  There is no wrongdoing or mistake made by God.  On this side of heaven, we may not understand and, indeed, may even question what God is doing.  But much like Jesus said to the disciples before the crucifixion, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." (John 13:7)  In heaven, such concerns will either be made plain or they simply will no longer matter.

The question for us is, "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?"