The Revelation of John 15

¹ And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

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.

³ 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.

⁴ Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

⁵ And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

⁶ And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

⁷ And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

The Bowls of the Wrath of God

Stored in the Temple before being poured out?

If the bowls of God’s wrath were kept in the Temple before being handed to the angels, this raises an interesting question: how can the idea of a holy sanctuary be reconciled with the presence of elements of divine judgment stored there until the appointed time?
This situation suggests that the Temple is not only the place of divine presence and grace but also a central point of judgment.

The Bible contains examples showing that God can "withhold" judgment until the right time. For example, in Deuteronomy 32:34-35, God says that His wrath is "stored up" and sealed "in His treasuries" until the day of vengeance comes. The same idea appears in Isaiah 66:6, where a loud noise comes from the Temple, announcing divine judgment. These passages suggest that God's wrath can be stored until a predetermined time is fulfilled.

An important observation from Revelation is that immediately after the bowls are given to the angels, the Temple is filled with smoke, and no one can enter it (Revelation 15:8). This detail raises a possible explanation: once the bowls are released, the Temple is "cleansed" of the presence of divine wrath that had been stored there. This process resembles the Day of Atonement from Leviticus 16, when the sanctuary had to be cleansed of the accumulated sins of the people.

Connection with Daniel 8:14 – Cleansing of the Sanctuary

In Daniel 8:14, it is said, "For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed." This verse refers to a cleansing process of the Sanctuary, similar to what took place on the Day of Atonement in the Levitical system.

If Daniel 8:14 marks the beginning of a process of cleansing the heavenly Sanctuary, then Revelation 15-16 can be seen as the final stage of this process when judgment is fully released and the Sanctuary is finally "cleansed." Thus, while Daniel 8:14 marks the beginning of the cleansing, Revelation 15-16 could be the moment when this cleansing reaches its climax through the pouring out of the bowls. This suggests that the heavenly Temple is not only a place of divine presence and intercession but also a place where judgment unfolds. God’s wrath had been held there until the final moment, and once it is released, the Temple is "purified" by the manifestation of divine glory.

The Little Horn from Daniel 8 and the Seven Bowls from Revelation

Another important aspect is how the actions of the Little Horn from Daniel 8 relate to the bowls of God’s wrath from Revelation 15-16. In Daniel 8:9-12, the Little Horn is described as attacking the heavenly Sanctuary, taking away the "daily sacrifice" and defiling the temple. This suggests that the Sanctuary is not only affected by the sins of the people but also by an external influence—a power acting against the truth and the divine system of worship.

If the defilement of the Sanctuary by the actions of the Little Horn represents a spiritual and doctrinal degradation that has been tolerated for a long time, it is natural for God’s wrath to be withheld until the appointed time. The seven bowls can thus be seen as a direct reaction of God against this accumulation of injustice. Once sin reaches its peak, judgment is released, and the Sanctuary is cleansed.

This idea is also supported by other biblical passages that speak of how God waits for sin to reach a critical point before intervening. In Genesis 15:16, God says that "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete," indicating that there is a specific moment when divine judgment becomes inevitable. The same principle applies in Revelation 18:5, where it says that "her sins have piled up to heaven."

Why are the bowls stored in the Temple?

If the bowls are kept in the Temple until the moment of their release, it means that God’s wrath is not applied immediately but is accumulated until a critical point is reached. This reflects the biblical principle that God delays judgment, giving time for repentance, but when the measure of sin is full, He intervenes decisively.

This idea also explains why, in Revelation 15:8, the Temple is filled with smoke right after the bowls are given to the angels. A possible interpretation is that the smoke symbolizes divine glory that "reoccupies" the Temple after God’s wrath has been released. This is reminiscent of Old Testament moments such as 1 Kings 8:10-11, where the cloud of God’s glory fills Solomon’s Temple, preventing the priests from entering.

In this context, we can see a clear parallel:

• In Daniel 8:14, the Temple must be cleansed after being defiled.

• In Revelation 15-16, after God’s wrath is released, the Temple is restored and filled with divine glory.

2300 Evenings and Mornings

In Daniel 8:14, the text states: "Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed."An essential aspect is the meaning of the word "then"in the original Hebrew. It derives from the verb "צָדַק"(tzadaq) in its nifal (passive) form, "וְנִצְדַּק"(venitzdaq), which means "to be justified, to be cleansed, to be vindicated."The grammatical structure of the sentence does not include a distinct adverb that strictly expresses a precise chronological sequence but rather conveys the idea that the event of cleansing the sanctuary will occur sometime after the end of the 2,300 evenings and mornings.

This means that "then"does not necessarily indicate an exact moment but only that the action follows this period. The text does not specify whether the cleansing begins immediately or if there is an indefinite interval of time between the end of the 2,300 evenings and mornings and the beginning of the cleansing. Therefore, the event may take place immediately or after a longer period, and the text does not provide any concrete indication of how soon after the mentioned period this action will occur.

In Revelation, at the sound of the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:19), the Temple of God in heaven is opened, and the Ark of the Covenant becomes visible. This is a significant scene because it shows a direct revelation of God’s presence and His covenant. After this scene, in Revelation 15:5-8, we see the seven angels with the seven final plagues coming out of the Temple, and the Temple fills with smoke from the glory of God, so that no one can enter it.

An important aspect to analyze is who could have entered the Temple before it was filled with smoke. The biblical text does not clearly mention that anyone had entered there before this moment. We only know that the seven angels come out of the Temple to bring the plagues. It is not stated that anyone else had entered or exited before them.

Who could have had access to the Temple before this scene?

There are a few possibilities based on other biblical passages:

1. God Himself- In Revelation, the heavenly Temple is associated with the presence of God. In Revelation 16:1, a loud voice is heard from the Temple, giving the command to pour out the plagues, indicating that God is present there at that moment.

2. The Lamb (Christ)- Although Hebrews 9:11-12 states that Christ entered the Most Holy Place in heaven with His own blood, there is no clear mention in Revelation that He is in the Temple. On the contrary, He is always described as being before the throne (Revelation 5:6; 7:17; 14:3; 22:3), suggesting that the Temple and the throne are distinct locations.

3. Ministering Angels- In the Old Testament, angels are seen as ministers in the presence of God (Isaiah 6:1-7, Ezekiel 10), leaving open the possibility that some angels may have had access to the Temple before this scene, but there is no explicit mention in Revelation to confirm this.

Another essential aspect is the significance of the fact that no one could enter the Temple once it was filled with smoke (Revelation 15:8). This is reminiscent of episodes from Exodus 40:34-35 and 1 Kings 8:10-11, where the cloud of God's glory fills the Tabernacle or Solomon’s Temple, preventing people from entering that place. In Revelation, this event probably symbolizes a critical moment in the history of salvation, where there is no more room for intercession or change—judgment is final and irreversible.

An important question is whether this moment marks the entry of God into the Temple. Until that point, He is described as being on His throne. In Revelation 15:8, the Temple fills with smoke from the glory and power of God, reminiscent of Old Testament moments when God "entered" the sanctuary and it became inaccessible. Additionally, in Revelation 16:1, a loud voice from the Temple commands the angels to pour out the plagues, indicating that someone is now there. If this voice is God’s, as the context suggests, it is reasonable to conclude that this is the moment when God enters the Temple to execute the final judgment.

The Cleansing of the Temple through the Release of the Seven Plagues

The idea that the only "impure" element in the Temple is the seven bowls of the wrath of God is essential for understanding the final judgment process described in Revelation. These bowls are not a contamination of the Sanctuary in the traditional sense of sin, but they represent accumulated divine wrath, which must be released for the Temple to be definitively cleansed.

If in Daniel 8:14 we see a prophecy about a moment when the Sanctuary will be cleansed, in Revelation 15-16 we see exactly how this happens, through the pouring out of the seven bowls. This shows that the cleansing process is not ceremonial but executive—the divine judgment must be applied to the world for the Temple to be freed from this accumulated "tension."

The Order of Events: How Is the Temple Cleansed?

The process of cleansing the Temple follows a clear sequence:

1. The wickedness of the world increases, and God's wrath accumulates in the Temple.The bowls are kept there until the measure of sin is complete.

2. The bowls are given to the angels (Revelation 15:7).This indicates that the moment of judgment has arrived and that divine wrath is about to be released.

3. The Temple is filled with smoke, and no one can enter (Revelation 15:8).This shows that intercession has ended and that nothing can stop the judgment.

4. The seven bowls are poured out on the earth (Revelation 16).This is the executive phase of judgment when God’s wrath is fully unleashed.

5. After the bowls are poured out, the Temple is completely cleansed.There is nothing left to hinder the full manifestation of God’s glory.

The seven bowls of the wrath of God are the only "harmful" element found in the Temple. They do not represent contamination in the sense of sin but symbolize accumulated divine wrath that must be released for the Temple to be fully restored.
The cleansing of the Temple mentioned in Daniel 8:14 is related to this process of releasing divine wrath, and Revelation 15-16 shows the final moment when this cleansing is accomplished through judgment.

The bowls are kept in the Temple because God does not execute judgment immediately but waits until the measure of wickedness is complete. Once this point is reached, His wrath is poured out, and the Temple is fully cleansed.

Therefore, the cleansing of the Temple is not performed through a ceremonial ritual but through the definitive removal of evil, through the process of divine judgment.