“Just and true are your ways, O King of the saints!” (NKJV)

Undoubtedly the most famous words William Shakespeare ever penned were from the soliloquy in Hamlet, Act III, Scene One: To be or not to be.  The context of the play forbids applying them to those who are or wondering if they should be preterists.  Preterists are Christians from a certain theological camp that see most of the events described in the book of Revelation as having already occurred, somewhere around the two-thirds mark of the first century.  Now I don’t want to get into theological controversy, but I do remind myself anytime I’m working from Revelation that believers don’t agree in their understanding of this book.  Not by a long shot.  At least part of the reason is that in systematic theology, eschatology, the doctrine of future things, is the end of the theological “food chain”.  All that precedes it affects it.  Besides, we want to keep our focus on the focus, which today is King of the saints, not preterism.

But even still, we cannot avoid another (perhaps minor) controversy, namely, whether the focus is King of the saints or King of the nations or King of the ages, depending on which translation you use.  The reason for the difference is which Greek manuscript is the basis of your Bible.  The Received Text (TR) has the word from which we get our English word, sanctify, thus saints.  Other manuscripts have nations or ages.  As I have examined Revelation 15, I really don’t think the difference in wording significantly affects the primary point.  So let’s look at it.

Whether you’re a preterist or not, the context of Revelation 15 is significant.  It lies after chapters 13 and 14, where we find “beasts” with great power rising up to usurp global authority, and they don’t use it for good.  In fact, chapter 14 finishes with a scene describing a stream of blood about 4 feet high running just over 180 miles.  That’s a lot of dead people in one place!  Afterwards chapter 16 kicks off the seven bowls of judgment with incredible numbers of people perishing.  So both the placement of and the scene in chapter 15 are strategic, providing a short break from all the gore and judgment happening down under.

We find a vision in heaven, contrasted with events on the earth.  Then we see seven angels who have “seven last plagues”, contrasted with “those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name” (v. 1).  These are the redeemed that live during the period of time when the “beast of the earth” (13:11) forces everyone, on pain of death (v. 15), to worship his image (v. 14) and take his mark on his right hand or forehead (v. 16).  God gives this group harps and they begin singing a song similar to that of the song of Moses (15:3), the one the Israelites sang after they crossed the Red Sea.

Moses’ song shows up in Exodus 15, and it compares to that of the saints here.  Abraham’s descendants “died” as slaves in the water and emerged on the other side as a new nation that would take its place with other nations.  The saints in Revelation 15 died literally and emerged victorious in the resurrection as “a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9).  Pharaoh’s army found its demise in the collapsing and cascading waters of the Red Sea while unbelievers following the “beast” met their end in a red river of their own blood.  The emerging Israelites and the believers who found victory over the “beast” both sang of God’s character (Exodus: “majestic in holiness”, “unfailing love”; Revelation: “just and true”, “holy”), power (Ex: “working wonders”, “by the power of your arm”; Rev: “great and marvelous are you deeds”, “righteous acts”), uniqueness (Ex: “Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?  Who is like you…”; Rev. “Lord God Almighty”), fearsomeness (Ex: “awesome in glory”; Rev. “Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?”) and worth (Ex. “You will bring [your people] in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance”; Rev: “The nations will come and worship before you”).

Exodus 15:18 sums up the point of both stories: “The Lord will reign for ever and ever”.  Exactly.  Is there a significant difference if it is the King of saints or nations or ages?  Not really.  If he is the king of all of those — and he is — then the message is the same: whoever is the enemy, however big the problem, whatever is the issue, nothing thwarts or slows down God.  He will accomplish what he wants.  Period.

How is the story of your life going?  Are you seeing God accomplish his will in your life?  Can unbelievers see and hear you singing and rejoicing and pointing to your king, the King of saints?