‘Day 272

“After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,  and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in [c]linen, clean and bright, and their chests wrapped with golden sashes. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.” Revelation 15.5-7. NASB 

Consider this: the ‘Testimony’ here mentioned was the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 31:18) that Moses placed in the Ark of the covenant which was in the earthly Most Holy Place. (Exodus 25:16) Here the Tabernacle of the testimony is seen in heaven! Because of there importance, they become a focal point of the devil’s attack I the last days. (Rev 12:17 c.f. Rev14:12)

John often echoes the language of the Old Testament in writing out his visions. In these echoes, he is not pointing the reader to a specific Old Testament text. We will only understand his meaning, however, if we go back to the Old Testament and dig it out in its original context.  
Here’s how echoes work: What is a lemon? Well, it certainly is a citrus fruit with a fairly sour taste. But the term has an extended meaning in Australian culture. A lemon is a new car that doesn’t deliver on its promise. It may be brand new but it is dysfunctional. It gives its owner far too many troubles and spends much too much time in the repair shop. 

Now if you live in Australia, you are familiar with this symbolic use of “lemon.” In the context of automobiles, a lemon is a bad car. The term actually came from a book by Ralph Nader about bad cars, which most Australian’s would not even know today. It is just an ingrained term of our culture.  
The seven bowls of wrath are a terrifying piece of Revelation’s legacy to the world. Along with the seven trumpets, they pile up images of suffering, assault, and unrepentance. But in John’s Jewish culture, bowls would have had a strangely positive ring. The word for “bowls” is found repeatedly in texts describing the implements of the sanctuary in the Old Testament (Exod 27:338.23; Num 4:14; 2 Kings 25-14-15-,2 Chron 4:8, 21). They are also mentioned in Rev 5:8 as containing the prayers of the saints. When the wrath of God strikes the earth, He will still be listening to the prayers of His people.