Sacred Commissions of the Third Woe Angels (Rev 15:5-16:1)

God's Sacred Commission to the Seven Angels (Rev 15:5-8)

In Revelation 15:5-8, seven angels receive a sacred commission from God the Father to pour out the final "Vial Plagues" of the Third Woe. The temple in heaven is fully engulfed in smoke to represent God's glory and the wrath of his indignation. (Ex 40:34-35, 2 Chron 7:1-4) John can also see the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, "where repentant souls would find mercy before the eternal throne. The mercy seat, serving as it were as the throne of God, was a symbol of his forgiveness and of his goodness and grace." (The Mortal Messiah, Vol. 1, 102) In John's vision, however, the ark of the covenant symbolizes judgment as it is located "in 'the tabernacle of witness,' i.e in the tabernacle containing the tables of the law by which God witnessed against Israel." (Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament, [Rev 15:5]) The tables of the law (Ten Commandments) serve as a witness against disobedient people who refuse to repent, including the unrepentant telestial-worthy people who survive the Second Woe (Rev 9:20-21), to face God's wrath during the Third Woe.

The seven angels wear sacred clothing in Revelation 15:6 because their mission of destruction is a sacred calling to cleanse the earth. The plagues are seven in number to reflect their sacred call. The angels receive the Vial Plagues in Revelation 15:7 from one of the four beasts representing all creation (Rev 4:6-7), to signify that all of creation approves and supports the Third Woe cleansing of the earth.

Smoke Fills the Temple in Heaven (Rev 15:8)

Revelation 15:8 states that because "the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; … no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." This imagery alludes to the Day of Atonement when Israel's ancient High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to make intercession for the sins of Israel. In this annual ritual, the high priest acted as a mediator between God and Israel in the similitude of Jesus Christ‒the great high priest‒who will enter the heavenly temple when the seventh seal opens in Revelation 8:3-4 to make intercession for all mankind.

In Revelation 15:8, we see again the heavenly temple, but this time, the symbolic smoke is so thick that even Christ, the Great High Priest, cannot enter the heavenly Holy of Holies to intercede or seek God's mercy on behalf of the unrepentant people that remain on earth. "No one would be permitted to enter to make intercession–to turn away [God's] wrath–to divert him from his purpose…. The mercy-seat, in this respect, was inaccessible; the time of judgment on the great foe had come." (Barnes Notes, Vol. 14, 356)

God the Father is clearly present in his temple where the mercy seat can be seen, but when the Third Woe begins not even Christ‒the mediator, the intercessor, and the great high priest‒can enter to advocate for the unrepentant people who are about to suffer for their own sins as Christ suffered because they would not repent. (D&C 19:15-17) Their death, however, shall bring a remission of their sins even as the earth is cleansed. With that end in mind, the Lord's loud voice in Revelation 16:1 tells the seven angels: "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth."

For more on the seven angels and their sacred charge, check out my podcasts from May 3 and 5, 2026.

May 3, 2026 — Podcast

May 5, 2026 — Podcast