Jonathan Falwell
The Revelation Series / Revelation 15–16
RECAP:
- Chap. 1 – John’s vision of Jesus, Jesus’ message for the churches, and His plans for eternity
- Chap. 2-3 – Jesus delivers a message to each of the 7 churches
- Chap. 4-7 – Jesus pulls back the curtain and unveils what things must happen and will happen
- Chap. 8-10 – We walked through the 7 trumpets, then the Little Scroll that God had them seal up what the seven thunders said and not write them down
- Chap. 11-12 – We were introduced to 2 witnesses who were killed by the antichrist and continues the campaign of persecuting Israel as an attack on God and His promises to Israel with the ultimate goal of destroying Jesus Christ
- Chap. 13 – The beast of the sea and the beast of the earth
- Chap. 14 – Jesus lines up the winning team to fulfill His plan
- Chap. 15-16 – The final bowls of judgment are poured out on the earth
1. The time has come
Vs 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
- “another sign” indicates John’s supernatural view given by Jesus
- “complete” (Greek – teleõ) same as John 19:28-30
- Number of SEVEN is once again referred to; the sign of completion
Vernon Mcgee – “I imagine that you thought the worst was over, but the worst is yet to come. We have already seen the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven personalities. Now the coming seven bowls of wrath are the worst of all.”[1]
2. It’s a time of worship
Vss 2-4 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! 4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
- “song of Moses” is found in Exodus 15:1ff
Exodus 15:1-2 I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
- “song of the Lamb” from Revelation 5
Leon Morris states: “With glory there is linked his power, which is very much in place in a book so full of the might of the Lord.”[2]
3. It’s a time of judgment
Vss 5-8 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. 6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Danny Akin states: “This is an ongoing reminder of God’s holiness. God’s glory is always manifest during the time of His judgment. Smoke from God’s glory made entering the temple impossible until His seething indignation was poured out. What a sign to the ungodly people on the earth who chose to shun the worship of a holy God and to follow the beast.”[3]
4. What is this judgment?
Rev. 16:1-20 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.”
- “loud voice” is God Himself speaking to the angels
Paige Patterson states: “He is the Creator, sustainer, and owner of the universe; his judgment on the forces that have sought to destroy the goodness and kindness of God as manifested in his creation is an inevitable consequence.”[4]
· First Bowl: Loathsome Sores
Vs 2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
- Correlation to the plagues of Egypt: Exodus 9
· Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood
Vs 3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.
- Correlation to Exodus 7
- During the Seven Trumpets, only 1/3 of the sea was turned to blood
· Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood
Vss 4-7 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” 7 And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
- During the Seven Trumpets, again only 1/3 turned to blood
- “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets…”
- This is the vengeance sought after in Revelation 6:9-11
· Fourth Bowl: Men are Scorched
Vss 8-9 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
- God would only have to make a slight adjustment to the position of the earth or sun
- Jesus promised this action in Luke 21:25-28
Luke 21:25-28 And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.
Kendall Easley states: “Thus, it is God himself with a loud voice from the temple who orders the sequence to begin. What the seven angels in heaven do has immediate impact on the earth. From the heavenly perspective, this is the full expression of the bowls of God’s wrath. From the earthly perspective of wicked people, these disasters become simply more reasons to curse God.”[5]
· Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain
Vss 10-11 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
- Correlation to Exodus 10
- “throne of the Beast and his kingdom” is a reference to the entirety of earth
- The people of earth continued to curse God even though they are keenly aware of the source and cause of their judgment
· Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up
Vss 12-16 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
- Hell’s trinity: dragon, beast, false prophet
- “frogs coming out of the mouth…” is a direct reference to demonic activity for the purpose of stirring the entire world against the people of God…Israel
- Euphrates River runs for 1,740 miles through Turkey, Syria and Iraq
- Even today, the Euphrates is slowly drying up[6]
- The drying up of the river will allow the armies from the East to make their way towards the final battle in Armageddon (harmageddon – mount of Megiddo)
Vernon McGee quotes Clarke’s Travels:
“…which has been a chosen place for encampment in every contest carried on in Palestine from the days of Nabuchodonozor king of Assyria, unto the disastrous march of Napolean Bonaparte from Egypt into Syria. Jews, Gentiles, Saracens, Christian crusaders, and anti–Christian Frenchmen; Egyptians, Persians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors of every nation that is under heaven, have pitched their tents on the plain of Esdraelon, and have beheld the banners of their nation wet with the dews of Tabor and Hermon.”[7]
· Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken
Vss 17-21 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
- The earthquake will split Jerusalem in thirds
- Babylon once again mentioned and will be discussed further in chapters 17-18
- Hailstones between 75-130 pounds
5. The bottom line
Rev. 15:4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”
Leon Morris gives great context here: “Before leaving this song notice that, though it is sung by the victors, there is no word in it about themselves or the way they overcame. Those who triumph in Christ fix all their attention on him. ‘Heaven is heaven because in it at last all self, and self-importance, are lost in the presence of the greatness and the glory of God’”[8]
- Let us never forget our God is a “holy” God so we must be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16)
[1] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophecy (Revelation 14-22), electronic ed., vol. 60 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 57.
[2] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 184.
[3] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 254.
[4] Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 303.
[5] Kendell H. Easley, Revelation, vol. 12, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 284.
[6] https://www.iflscience.com/why-is-the-euphrates-river-drying-up-and-what-does-it-mean-69923
[7] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Prophecy (Revelation 14-22), electronic ed., vol. 60 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 83.
[8] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 183.