Week 10 - Revelation 15 & 16
REVELATIONS
The End of God’s
Wrath
This is the third
and final set of seven in Revelation. The third set also contains a triplet of
sevens. Seven angels pour out seven plagues that are contained in seven bowls.
This emphasis is to show the finality and completion of God’s wrath. There is
an intentional effort on the part of the author to connect the end-time events
of this passage with the events of the Exodus. Any mention of plagues should
cause our minds to jump to the Exodus. But John also includes the Song of Moses
in chapter 15 and many of the plagues overlap with the plagues God sent on the
ancient Egyptians.
The connection is
important for understanding why God would pour out His wrath on the world in
this way. Exodus chapters 6 – 15 record the story of how God poured out His
wrath on Pharoah and his people so that he would let God’s people out of their
slavery in Egypt. God will not let sin go unpunished and He will not allow His
people to be in bondage forever. John connects these events of final judgment to
that ancient judgment on the Egyptians because he wants to highlight those same
truths. At the end of all things, God’s purpose will be the same. He will be
righting every wrong, punishing sin, and leading His people into eternal freedom.
It is for this
reason that the One who sits on the throne in Revelation 16:17 can say, “It is
done!”
along with the One who hung on the Cross. The Passover lamb of Exodus gave its
blood to temporarily protect God’s people from His wrath. The Risen Lamb of
Revelation gave His blood so He could permanently set God’s people free from
sin and lead them to their final Exodus into life everlasting.
This is the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.
THE POINT Jesus is
the fulfillment of all of God’s plans.
1)
Jesus is the Fulfillment of God’s Justice.
2)
Jesus is the Fulfillment of God’s Deliverance.
Revelation
15-16
The Seven
Angels with Seven Plagues
Then I saw another
sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are
the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared
to be a sea of glass mingled with fire — and also those who had conquered the
beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of
glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the
servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your
deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the
nations! 4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will
come and worship you, 5 After this I
looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and
out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in
pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And 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 and the sanctuary was filled with
smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the
sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
The Seven
Bowls of God’s Wrath
Then I heard a loud
voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth
the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out
his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who
bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured
out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every
living thing died that was in the sea. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl
into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard
the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and
who was, for you brought these judgments. 6 For they have shed the blood of
saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they
deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and
just are your judgments!” 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun,
and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the
fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues.
They did not repent and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl
on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People
gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain
and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. 12 The sixth angel poured out
his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare
the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of
the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false
prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits,
performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble
them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.15 (“Behold, I am coming
like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that
he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at
the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The
Seventh Bowl
17 The seventh
angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the
temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there
had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The
great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nation’s fell, and
God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the
fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be
found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven
on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague
was so severe.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 15-16
Study
Notes:
In a passage like
this, it can be easy to get lost in the weeds. Symbolism and figurative
language are so prevalent that we might miss the main point if we’re not
careful. Remember, the point of this passage is to show that Jesus is the
fulfillment of all of God’s plans — even His plans for the end of all things.
It’s not an accident that the words of Jesus on the Cross are spoken again here
by the One who sits on the throne (Revelation 16:17). This passage shows us
that God has always punished sin. It reminds us of the punishment He poured out
on Egypt with similar plagues. God will not let sin go unpunished. However,
this text also clearly points to the fact that God always makes a way for sin
to be forgiven. While the world curses God for His wrath, those who have placed
their faith in the Passover Lamb know what He means when He says, “It is done.”
We know that God fulfills His promise to punish sin, and it is a great comfort
to know that God will one day give sin and evil the final destruction it
deserves. But even sweeter still is the knowledge that this same God fulfills
His promise to make a way for His children to receive His mercy rather than His
coming wrath. Praise the Lord that it is done!
Two points to
remember:
1)
God is the Same Forever
There’s an
intentional connection for John between Exodus and these plagues. He’s trying
to show us that the wrath at the end of times is deeply connected to God’s
wrath for all time. This isn’t God acting out of character. It’s Him making
good on His eternal covenant. God punishes sin and He’s been doing that for all
of history.
2) Jesus
Delivers Justice
In this passage we
see God’s justice both through His wrath and His mercy. Regardless, God is
always just. This reminds us of our present hope in times of trouble. Though it
may seem that the bad guys always win, that no good deed goes unpunished, or
that all that’s been done wrong to you has been ignored, God is reminding you
that He will one day punish sin and evil finally and ultimately. We must remind
our hearts to hope in the sure justice of God.
Quotes:
“The fact that God
is a God of wrath is a reminder that we are not on our own in this broken
world. God sees the evil. God hates the evil. God is coming to end the evil.” –
Dallas Wilson
“The justice of God
was poured out on God in flesh so that we could be spared the judgment that we
deserved.” – Will Bray
“Believers can
endure the chaos of a sinful world because Jesus conquered it as the
sacrificial Lamb.” – Dustin Dozier
“You have a choice
today: the judgment of God or the mercy of God.” – Corey Watson
“Jesus will
ultimately purify the world from sin and deliver His people.” – Stephen Williams
Questions
for Discussion
What are some
things in your life that make you question God’s justice? How does this passage
teach us to trust and hope in the midst of those doubts?
God’s wrath isn’t
something new and it’s not something just for the end times. How does that
affect our everyday lives? How does that affect our view of God?
Why is it important
to know that all of God’s promises find their fulfillment in Jesus?
Do you sometimes
feel afraid thinking about the end of the world? How does the finished work of
Jesus on the Cross change our view of the end times? How does it bring us
comfort instead of fear?
What is the most
encouraging thing to you about Revelation 15-16?
END
Teacher Notes:
Click Play to Watch
Now, just a little note of clarification - I don't agree with many things Rob Bell promotes now - but I'm also not going to judge Rob Bell. His video's from past teachings I have found insightful and wanted to use with today's lesson.
Last week we talked about the 6 Stages of Our Journey of Faith:
This morning I want you to see how "The Walk" aligns with the Journey:
There are many
similarities between the bowl judgments and the trumpet judgments, but there
are three main differences:
- These judgments are complete whereas the trumpet judgments are partial.
- The trumpet judgments still give unbelievers the opportunity to repent, but the bowl judgments do not.
- Mankind is indirectly affected by several of the trumpet judgments but directly attacked by the bowl judgments.
Remember, the point
of this passage is to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s plans
— even His plans for the end of all things.
“You have a choice today: the judgment of God or the mercy of God.”
Corey Watson
What are some
things in your life that make you question God’s justice?
How does this passage teach us to trust and hope during those doubts?
MANY YEARS AGO, Max Lucado spent a week visiting the interior of Brazil with an experienced missionary pilot. He flew a circuit of remote towns in a four-seat plane that threatened to come undone at the slightest gust of wind. I could not get comfortable. I kept thinking the plane was going to crash in some Brazilian jungle. I kept shifting around, looking down, gripping my seat (as if that would help).
Finally, the pilot
had enough of my squirming. He looked over at me and shouted over the airplane
noise, “We won’t face anything that I can’t handle. You might as well trust me
to fly the plane.”
IS GOD SAYING the
same to you?
Question:
Do you ever feel
like you need to be delivered from the world?
I talked about the human tragedy going on right now before our eyes with sex trafficking and I said that their is a little boy out there right now waiting on his next abuse. You see, for this little boy as it was for Trace in the video - this storm in his life is his reality.
We want to know, "Where is God in this moment? and God wants to know, Where are we?"
We know these things are happening - ALL AROUND US!!
I pray that these little children hear God saying:
There are 12 Major Events in the Last Days - I want to highlight:
1.
The Rapture of the Church.
Christ comes in the
clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him (1 Corinthians 15:52). At
this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven,
too. From our perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological
timeline. The rapture is imminent; no other biblical prophecy needs to be
fulfilled before the rapture happens.
1.
The Rise of the Antichrist.
After the church is
taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8), a satanically empowered man will
gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27).
He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious
system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20).
2.
The Tribulation.
A period of seven
years in which God’s judgment is poured out on sinful humanity (Revelation
6–16). The Antichrist’s rise to power is associated with this time. During the
tribulation on earth, the Church will be in heaven. It is thought that at this
time the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur
in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6–10).
3.
The Battle of Gog and Magog.
In the first part
of the tribulation, a great army from the north, in alliance with several other
countries from the Middle East and Africa, attacks Israel and is defeated by
God’s supernatural intervention (Ezekiel 38–39). (Some commentators place this battle
just before the start of the tribulation.)
4.
The Abomination of Desolation.
At the midway point
of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel
and shows his true colors. The Jews are scattered, and many of them turn to the
Lord, realizing that Jesus is their Savior. A great persecution breaks out
against all those who believe in Christ (Daniel 12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation
12:17).
5.
The Battle of Armageddon.
At the end of the
tribulation, Jesus returns with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62). He saves
Jerusalem from annihilation and defeats the armies of the nation’s fighting
under the banner of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11–21). The Antichrist and
the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire
(Revelation 19:20).
THIS IS HOW FAR WE
HAVE COME
7. The Judgment
of the Nations.
Christ will judge
the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the wicked as
“sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this time the
Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will enter
the Millennial Kingdom; the wicked will be cast into hell.
8. The Binding
of Satan.
Satan will be bound
and held in a bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3).
9. The
Millennial Kingdom.
Jesus Himself will
rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capital. This will be a 1,000-year
period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20; Isaiah 60–62). Memorial
sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48).
10. The Last Battle.
At the end of the
1,000 years, Satan will be released from his prison for a short time. He will
deceive the nations once again, and there will be a rebellion against the Lord
that will be quickly defeated (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan will be cast into the
lake of fire, never to reappear.
11. The Great
White Throne Judgment.
All those in hell
will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of history will be
resurrected to stand before God in a final judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). The
verdicts are read, and all of sinful humanity is cast into the lake of fire.
12. The New Creation.
God completely
remakes the heavens and the earth. It is at this time that God wipes away all
tears and there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow. The New Jerusalem
descends from heaven, and the children of God will enjoy eternity with Him
(Revelation 21–22).
Next Week…The Fall
of Babylon (Chapter 17 - 19:1-10)
Desire – Power – Wealth
