The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb

[Revelation 15:2-4]

We meditated on two songs of Moses from the Bible. In meditating upon the two songs of Moses, we learned three things through Moses' first song, the song of victory (salvation) (Exod. 15:1-18): (1) We praise God as He is (vv. 1-2), (2) We praise what God has done for us (vv. 3-12), and (3) We praise what God will do in the future (vv. 13-18). And through the second song of Moses, the song that should not be forgotten (Deut. 32:1-43), we received five lessons: (1) We must praise God's greatness even though we are doing evil to God (vv. 1-6), (2) We must praise God for choosing us (vv. 8-9) and leading, protecting and training us in this wilderness-like world (vv. 10-12), (3) We must praise God the fact that we forget God's grace and that God's wrath will come upon us (vv.19-27) because of our apostasy (vv. 15-18), and yet we never realize it (vv.28-34), (4) We must praise God the fact that God removes all our powers and leaves us free from all idols and sins (vv. 35-38), and after that God judges our enemies (vv. 39-42) and (5) We must praise God the fact that we must rejoice because God has judged our enemies and has atoned us and the church (v. 43).

We want to meditate on “The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb,” based on Revelation 15:2-4. Here “the song of Moses the servant of God” refers to the first song of Moses in Exodus 15:1–18 we have already meditated on. As we meditate on this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, I want to obey the instructions God gives to us. I hope and pray that when our Lord Jesus comes back all of us can ascend to Heaven and sing this “song of Moses, song of the Lamb” together before the throne of God.

The first thing we want to think about is, "Who and where will sing this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb?"

Look at Revelation 15:2 – “And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.” The Bible says that those who will sing this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, are “those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name.” Who are these people? They are the last victors who have endured all persecution and tribulation and who have overcome the Satan's antichrist, the “beast”, by faith in Jesus (MacArthur). These final victors are God's victorious people whom God will triumph over. God will cause His people to triumph over the antichrist and the idols which the antichrist idolized the man (v. 2) (Park Yun-sun). That is, God will not allow His people to possess the number of the beast, the number of antichrist, “six hundred sixty and six” (13:18), on their right hand or on their forehead (v. 16) and will make sure that His victors will sing “the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb.” Good examples of the victors who will sing this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, are Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who comes out in Daniel chapter 3. They were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire (v. 20) because they didn’t serve or worship the golden image that the king Nebuchadnezzar had set up (vv. 14, 18). Listen to what they said to King Nebuchadnezzar: “… O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” How precious their faith is? They said that they would not serve or worship the golden image idol even though they would be thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. They believed that God would deliver them. And they told the king that they would not serve or worship the golden image even if God would not deliver them. See their faith and determination not to commit the sin of idolatry by violating God's commands, even in the midst of persecution and tribulation. These people of faith will be able to sing “the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb.” In Revelation 13:15, the Bible says: “And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” What does this prophecy mean? It means that if we don’t worship the idols of the antichrist who idolized the antichrist and man in the future we will be killed. At that time, we should neither bow down nor worship the antichrist and his idols like Daniel's three friends. In other words, we must keep our faith to the end and gain the final victory in the midst of persecution and tribulation. Then we will be able to sing “The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb.”

As I meditated on this, I remembered the hymn “On a Hill Far Away” verse 4 and the chorus: (v. 4) “To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, Its shame and reproach gladly bear Then He'll call me some day to my home far away, Where His glory forever I'll share”, (chorus) “So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it come day for a crown.” Every time when our church three ministries (Korean, English and Hispanic) members have joint worship, we sing this hymn together after the communion. When we sing the verse 4 and the chorus, what is our determination or commitment? Are we determined and devoted always have a rugged cross and be faithful till our death? Do we sing this hymn with the determination and devotion that we will be loyal to the Lord until we receive the final victory and receive the crown of glory? We are God's people who love the Lord's rugged cross. We are the Lord’s disciples who live by faith with bearing the cross and willing to be martyred. We are the people of the Holy Spirit who hold the rugged cross to the final victory. The Lord will make us victorious and will cause us to sing “the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb.”

Then what does the Bible say about where the victors will sing this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb in the future? In Revelation 15:2, the Bible says that the place we will sing that song is “something like a sea of glass mixed with fire.” The victors will stand on “the sea of glass, holding harps of God” and will sing the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb. Where is “the sea of glass”? Look at Revelation 4:6 – “and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.” Based on this word, Pastor John MacArthur said that “the sea of glass” in Revelation 15:2 is the transparent crystal platform or pavement before the heavenly throne of God (MacArthur). What is important here is that the future victorious people of God will sing “The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb” before the God's throne in heaven. Can you imagine that all the saints whom the Lord has saved and has enabled them to be victorious will go to Heaven and will sing the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb before the throne of God? As I meditated on this, I remembered the Korean gospel song “Short stop before eternity”: “At the throne of our God we gather And join to praise His holy name Because of His great love, God gave His only son Jesus Christ has redeemed us from our sins On the cross, God poured out His love so freely A stream that flows forevermore to every tribe and tongue All nations join the song Endless praise to salvation’s one true Lord To the Lord of all, who’s seated on the throne And to the Lamb of God This saving grace belongs To the Lord of all, who’s seated on the throne And to the Lamb of God We cry aloud forevermore.” With this hope we came up on the holy temple of the Lord and are praising and worshiping God on this holy Sunday, relying on the merits of Jesus who was triumphed on the cross.

The second and last thing we want to think about is, "What is the content of this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, that we will sing before the throne of God in the future. We can summarize it into three.

(1) The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, praises the almighty power of God.

Look at Revelation 15:3a – “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; ….” In Moses' first song in Exodus 15, which we have already meditated on, God, “a warrior” (v. 3), fought for the Israelites against the Egyptians (14:25) hurled the Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea (15:1, 4) so that the sea covered them (v. 10) and Pharaoh’s entire army had gone into the sea and not even one of them remained (14:28). Thus the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians (v. 30). So Moses and the people of Israel who experienced God's salvation said, “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation …” (15:2) and sang “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy” (v. 6). Moses and the Israelites, who saw the glory of the power of God who judged the Egyptians with the right hand of God's power and saved the Israelites, sang God's almighty power with fear of God and by faith (14:31). And Moses exhorted the Israelites in his second song, Deuteronomy 32:3: “For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God!” Therefore, the Israelites, saved by the right hand of God's power, sang of God's greatness. This almighty power of God was not only the power to save Israel, God's people, but also the power to judge the Egyptians, Israel's enemies. Perhaps we are familiar with the power of God's salvation, but are not familiar with the power of God's judgment. But even in the second song of Moses, which we have already meditated on, Deuteronomy 32:40-41, we can see that God's power is the power to judge our enemies: “Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever, If I sharpen My flashing sword, And My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me.” What does it mean? It means that God would consider the Israel's enemy who persecuted the God's people as His own enemy (“My adversaries”) and would render vengeance on them with the sword of judgment. The best place to see the power of God's judgment is the cross on Calvary. Heavenly Father poured out all the wrath on Jesus, the only begotten Son who bore all our sins and died on the cross. Why did God do that? He did it to save us. When we consider the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, not only we should praise the power of God's salvation but also the power of God’s judgment. This power of God's salvation and the power of judgment is being prophesized in Revelation 15:2-4 as God judging the Satan's antichrist, the “beast” (Rev. 15:2), enabling the saints to be “victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name” and saving His people. This is the great and marvelous works of God (v. 3). Just as Moses and the Israelites sang the Moses' song, the song of victory, by witnessing the power of God’s salvation and the power of God’s judgment in front of the Red Sea, the Bible prophesizes that we the church who witnesses the almighty power of God will sing the song of the Lamb to God. On the day when Jesus comes back, we will ascend to Heaven and will praise the power of the Almighty God who saved us forever.

(2) The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, praises the kingship of God.

Look at Revelation 15: 3b – “… Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!” “O Lord God, the Almighty” is “King of the nations” (v. 3). In other words, the Lord Almighty is the King of all nations who reigns over all the world. This is what Apostle John said in Revelation 11:15-17: “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.’ And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’” What does it mean? It means that the Lord God Almighty is the King who will reign forever and ever, and He is Almighty and He Himself will rule over the kingdom of the Christ, the kingdom of the world, with His great power. In the second half of Revelation 15:3, the Bible says that the way of the Lord God, the Almighty is righteous and true. This is similar to Deuteronomy 32:4, the second song of Moses, which we have already meditated on: “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” What does it mean? It means that the Lord God, King of all nations, not only destroy sins that is His justice of punishment (meaning of the word “righteousness”), but also fulfills every word He promises (meaning of the word “upright”) (Park). This is what Jeremiah 10:10 says: “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.” As I meditate on these words, I remember the gospel song “The Lord Reigns”: “The Lord reigns The Lord reigns The Lord reigns Let the earth rejoice Let the earth rejoice Let the earth rejoice Let the people be glad That our God reigns. A fire goes before Him And burns up all His enemies The hills melt like wax At the presence of the Lord At the presence of the Lord. The heavens declare His righteousness The people see His glory For You O Lord are exalted Over all the earth Over all the earth. Our God reigns Our God reigns.” The Lord God of all nations is just and angry with sinners who practice injustice and judges them. He is also true who fulfills His promise to the saints who are called righteous by bringing completion to their salvation. Because of that completion of our salvation, we will come before the throne of the glory of the God of heaven. And we will sing the kingship of God and sing this song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, “Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!” (Rev. 15:3b)

(3) The song of Moses, the song of the Lamb, praises the holiness of God.

Look at Revelation 15:4 – “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.” The Bible says that in view of the great and marvelous work of God Almighty and the righteous and true path of the King of all nations, all people will fear and glorify the Holy God. What is the reason? The reason is because they will know that Satan's antichrist or his idols are false gods and that only the Lord is the holy God. Apostle John heard this. Look at Revelation 16:5 – “And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things.” The Holy One, who are and who were, His righteous judgment comes, so that all people will fear Him and glorify Him. In other words, all people will fear and glorify the holy God because the Lord God Almighty, the King of all nations, will judge Satan, his antichrist, and idols to fulfill His salvation for the saints, the people of God. How will they glorify God? All the nations will come and worship before the Lord and will glorify God Almighty, the King of all nations. Let us sing the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty”: (v.1) “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God almighty! Early in the morning Our song shall rise to thee; Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Might-y! God in three Persons, blessed trinity!” (v. 2) “Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glass-y sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be” (v. 3) “.Holy, Holy, Holy! Tho' the darkness hide Thee, Tho' the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only, Thou art Holy! there is none beside Thee, Perfect in pow'r in love, and purity” (v. 4) “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty! God-in Three Per-sons, blessed Trinity! Amen.”

Wanting to go to the throne of God with the last victory and sing the power, kingship, and holiness of God,

Pastor James Kim