2.  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

3.  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints!

4.  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy:  for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Vs. 2-4.—­The “sea of glass,” or transparent sea, (as in ch. iv. 6,) refers us to the brazen sea before the throne of God in the temple.  In this sea the priests were to wash themselves, (Exod. xxx. 18, 19,) and in water drawn from it the sacrifices were to be washed also. (Lev. i. 9, 13.)

As the brazen sea typified the blood of Christ, that “fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness,” (Zech. xiii. 1,) so this “sea of glass” is the symbol of the same thing; for the Lord washes away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purges the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (Isa. iv. 4.) This happy company were victorious by the blood of the Lamb, “over the beast, his image, his name and number;” having clean escaped from them who live in error, both in civil and ecclesiastical relations.  Holding the eucharistic “harps of God,” they are the same company as those on Mount Zion with the Lamb, (ch. xiv. 1, 2.) There, their song was called new; here it is more fully described.  There it was said, “no man could learn that song” but themselves, here we have the matter of the song epitomised.  It is constructed of two parts, “the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.”  As the children of Israel at the Red Sea celebrated the praises of God’s justice in the overthrow of their enemies the Egyptians, so do these with united voice express their admiration and praise in anticipation of the final and awful end of these cruel, idolatrous and persecuting mystical Egyptians, (ch. xi. 8,) “saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”  They do also declare their faith in the universal dominion of their King; that “all nations shall come and worship before him.”  And to this day none but the witnesses are prepared either with intelligence or affection to “learn” or use this song.  We have the subject matter of both parts of this triumphant song, framed by the Holy Spirit and incorporated in the Book of Psalms, (as Ps. ii. 8; xviii. 37-45; xlv. 3-6; cx. 1, etc.) The fortunes of God’s covenant people till the ingathering of the Jews, with the fulness of the Gentiles, may be found in Moses’ song, (Deut. xxxii. 1-43,) and the “song of the Lamb” is found in chapter v. 9-13.

5.  And after that I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: