Some of you may not realize this, but one of the greatest battles in the American history was fought between October 12th and October 20th in the year of our Lord 2004. The nine day conflict raged back and forth between two battlefields: one in New York City and the other in Boston, Massachusetts. Who were the two opponents in this epic clash? On one side, the notorious favorites, who for decades used their deep pockets to subjugate and persecute those around them. They were dressed in blue. On the other side, the underdogs, who had been living in the land of exile for the past 86 years. They were dressed in red.
As the battle began, the villains in blue easily took the first three fights. But in the ninth inning of the fourth game they were about to deal the final death blow by bringing in one of their most famed and fierce warriors, a man called “The Sandman.” But after stealing a base and getting a hit that sent the skirmish into extra innings, General David Ortiz lifted his red stockings and led his soldiers to victory with a cannon blast over the right-field wall.
That single shot turned the tide of the battle, and the Boston Red Sox won the next three games against their archenemies, the New York Yankees, and they become the first major league team in history to come back from a 0-3 deficit in the playoffs. After a bloody sock, sweat, and tears in this battle, the Red Sox went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight games and become World Series Champions for the first time since 1918, capping off the greatest season in Major League Baseball history.
When the Red Sox won the World Series, everyone in the city of Boston erupted with victory cheers! People celebrated by jumping and dancing in the streets! And they sang a victory tune mash-up of Queen’s “We are the Champions” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Bumph! Bumph! Bumph!
Throughout the history of the world, victories have always been celebrated by singing victory tunes. Whether it is a sports victory, military victory, or political victory, people celebrate with emotional outbursts of vocal melody. As Willey Nelson says, “When the gun smoke settles, we’ll sing a victory tune, and we’ll all meet back at the local saloon; we’ll raise up our glasses against evil forces, singing ‘Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses!’”
When was the last time you sang a victory tune? When you got a raise at work? When you got married? When you shot a buck? When you passed the seventh grade? I’m sure that you have all experienced some victory in your life that has caused you to sing a victory tune! This happened in the Bible too!
The Exodus Celebration (Exodus 15)
One of the clearest examples of a victory tune in the Bible is “The Song of Moses” which is recorded way back in Exodus 15. Do you remember the story of the Exodus? The Israelites had been living in the land of exile in Egypt, where they suffered subjugation and persecution for 400 years. Then God raised up his servant Moses to say, “Pharaoh, Pharaoh, O baby, let my people go.” But Pharaoh would not listen, and God sent 10 plagues upon the land. Finally, Pharaoh relented and let the Israelites return east to the Promised Land, but afterward he reneged, and commanded his army to pursue them. As the Israelites approached the banks of the Red Sea, they saw the dust of the ensuing Egyptian chariots, and the Israelites began to fear for their lives.
Then God told Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea. God miraculously parted the waters in two and allowed the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. When the Egyptians pursued them into the sea bed, the waters came crashing down and annihilated them; not one of them survived. When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the peopled feared the Lord and put their trust in him. (Ex. 14:31) Moses and the Israelites were so overjoyed and they celebrated by singing a victory tune. The tune is now called “The Song of Moses” and it praises the Lord for all of his wonderful attributes: his strength, salvation, majesty, power, greatness, holiness, awesomeness, glory, miracles, and sovereignty. (Ex. 15) It is always appropriate to praise God for who he is and what he has done for all of us! It is good to sing victory tunes in celebration of Jesus winning the war over Satan when he was crucified and resurrected from the dead.
The Heavenly Celebration (Revelation 15:1-8)
The victory tune sung by Moses and the Israelites after the exodus is only a precursor to the victory tune that God’s people will sing at the second exodus that will take place when Jesus returns. This second exodus is depicted in Revelation 15. The apostle John looked up again and saw another marvelous sign: seven angels carrying seven last plagues. Just as God used plagues to pour out his wrath on Egypt, so he rains down plagues on the earth to judge unbelievers for their evil and to humble them to repentance before the final judgment. This series of bowl judgments is the last depicted in the Book of Revelation.
Then in verse 2, John sees the church, God’s true and faithful people standing beside the sea of glass in heaven. They stand victorious because they overcame by the way of the cross, that is, refusing to compromise with the ungodly agendas of the beast, who is a member of Satan’s sinister anti-Christian trinity. These believers did not succumb to the beast’s pressures and persecutions, but they remained faithful to Jesus Christ to the point of death. They each held harps and sang the song of Moses and of the Lamb.
Just as Israel praised God by the sea after he delivered them from Pharaoh, so the church praises God for defeating the beast on their behalf. Like God’s people of old, so God’s new covenant people praise him by singing the “Song of Moses.” But since this deliverance is even greater than the first deliverance, their song is also sung to the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who delivered them from sin and death. They take some of the same words from the song of Moses in Exodus 15 and use them in this new song. They sing about God’s “great and marvelous deeds” and praise him for his attributes of power, justice, truth, sovereignty, eternity, glory, and righteousness.
But before the saints sing this victory tune in heaven, the final series of judgments must take place on earth. In keeping with the exodus theme, John also saw a temple in heaven that was opened. This temple was like tabernacle that the Israelites used to worship God in the days after the exodus. The “testimony” refers to the Ten Commandments that were kept inside the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle. This image is used here to symbolize God’s Word going out from his dwelling place.
Seven angels come forth carrying seven plagues. That they are dressed in clean white linens with golden sashes around their chests implies their purity and glory. One of the four living creatures, who is a high ranking angel, gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with God’s wrath. No one was allowed to enter the temple until the seven plagues were completed.
Just like in the exodus story, the Israelites could not enter the tabernacle and worship God until he completed the series of plagues on Egypt, so God will not call his people to his heavenly dwelling until his judgments are completed on earth.
For the past 2000 years God has been pouring out the plagues of his wrath in the forms of natural disasters, political failures, economic collapses, and military conflicts. Even today, the genocides in Darfur and Syria, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the collapse of Greece’s economy, even our own economic recession, and the wildfires in Colorado are evidence of God’s preliminary judgments upon the world. These are all miniature glimpses of the final judgment that will take place when Jesus returns.
But the good news is that those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and have overcome the power of the beast and have not compromised with the world, they will stand beside the sea of glass and sing a victory tune in heaven. They will praise God for his wonderful attributes and give him thanks for his great and marvelous deeds.
As I mentioned earlier, I bet that every one of you has experienced some victory in your life that has caused you to sing a victory tune. But I certainly hope that it will not be your last! I hope that you all will experience the greatest victory of all—life in heaven forever and ever!
Therefore, on the basis of this text, I urge you to commit your life to Jesus Christ if you haven’t already! I urge you to keep your faith in spite of the trials, hardships, and doubts you may experience in this life! I urge you to continue living a life of holiness, despite the temptations you face! Live a life worthy of the calling that you have received! I urge you to continue to fight against the wiles of the devil and remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, even to the point of death!
If you do this, Jesus will one day call you home and you will join the heavenly chorus and sing a victory tune!