<p>15:6 <em>And there came out from the temple the seven angels that had the seven illnesses, dressed with precious linen, pure and bright and golden sashes around their chests</em>- The vials are poured out by angels &quot;clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles&quot; (15:6). This description is similar to that of the One like the Son of man of chapter 1- the Lord Jesus Christ. It could therefore be appropriately applied to those who have identified themselves with the Lord, that is to say, the saints. Rev. 19:8 says that fine linen is &quot;the righteousness of the saints&quot;. These are perhaps the latter believers of whom we read in 11:5,6: &quot;If any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies&quot; and &quot;these have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues s.w. &quot;illnesses&quot;, as often as they will&quot;. Their power &quot;to smite the earth with all plagues&quot; is exactly what happens in the vials, which are full of allusion to the plagues on Egypt. The Angels may therefore represent the believers, whose guardians they are- and it is those latter day believers who pour out the vials of the wrath of God, the seven last plagues.</p><p>Given all the allusions to Egypt, we wonder why there are seven plagues and not ten. Perhaps this is to suggest that potentially possible judgments will not happen; perhaps because of the prayers of the saints at the time, or the required repentance of Israel happening, or God's mercy in cutting short the days. See on 10:4.</p>