Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Revelation 15 before reading the devotional below.
If you ever wondered why there are so many images of angels with harps, today’s chapter gives you the answer. A lot of people have a lot of interesting ideas about what heaven will be like, often pieced together from obscure moments in the Bible that describe one specific scene. Angels have done a lot of things in Revelation, from relaying messages to fighting wars to carrying plagues to playing harps. Angels seem to play important roles both in heaven and on earth.
The focus of today’s chapter is on the song the angels are singing. Again we see the complexity of God as his glory and the Lamb’s glory are shown as one. The concept of the Trinity is not directly explained in Scripture, but there are these moments where God the Father, Jesus the Son (or the Lamb in this case), and the Holy Spirit are spoken of as one being. Here we see this song of worship to God very similarly echo the worship of the Lamb in Revelation 5:12. The Lamb was declared worthy to receive honor and glory, and in today’s song (called the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb) God is declared as the holy one who will be glorified. The angels were singing all these songs to worship God.
I love the complexity of God’s nature that is both beautiful and paradoxical. The Lamb is given the glory which can only belong to God, and his song is also one of worship to God. Is he worshiping himself? Scripture reveals that God is able to have relationship and complete love within himself. He has chosen to share that with humanity, but he does not need us. He is whole and unified. I don’t know what all that means except that I am called to participate in a supernatural kind of love that I don’t have to hold together. My relationship with God does not depend on me making him okay. God’s glory is something to behold and to worship, and it will exist whether or not I choose to participate. And I definitely don’t want to miss out!