Revelation Chapter 16 (Part Two)

Timeline Summary of Chapter 16

The end of chapter 16 is the end of God’s judgment

After the events described in Rev 16 is the 2nd coming

Chapters 17 & 18 describe in detail the destruction of the world’s system, of Babylon.

Chapter 19 will detail the 2nd Coming

Rev 16:2 The 1st Bowl - Painful sores on those loyal to the beast - earth dwellers

Rev 16:3 The 2nd Bowl - The seas turned to blood and all sea life dies

Rev 16:4 The 3rd Bowl - The fresh water turned to blood

Rev 16:8 The 4th Bowl - The sun is modified and scorches the earth dwellers

Rev 16:10 The 5th Bowl - The throne of the beast is judged an there is uncommon darkness

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

The primary purposes of the seven bowl judgments are:

1 - to pour out God’s righteous wrath in judgment of the earth dwellers

2 - to graphically demonstrate the unrepentant nature of the earth dwellers who are already doomed by the mark they have taken (Rev. 14:9-11+).

The trumpet judgments were partial and intended to produce repentance, the bowl judgments are completely punitive, the earth dwellers having passed the point of possible return.

Bowl Six

Revelation 16:12–16 “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.”

Events:

The Euphrates River is dried up

Three unclean spirits (demonic) emerge

With supernatural powers they convince the kings of the world to assemble for battle

All the nations of the earth assemble for battle

Take note of the words of Jesus inserted between v14 & 16 - Revelation 16:15 “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!”)”

What is the purpose of this statement, its timing?

A Very Specific Time & Place

When do they assemble for battle? “The great day of God the Almighty”

Did you know most prophecies concerning Jesus where fulfilled in the last week of his life?

Did you know most biblical prophecy points to the time of His second coming and will be fulfilled in the last week of earth’s life?

Zechariah 12:1–3 “1 The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”

Zechariah 12:9–11 “9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.”

King Josiah was killed here - why was the mourning so great?

2 Kings 23:25 “25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.”

Joel 3:2 “2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,”

Zechariah 13:8–9 “8 In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. 9 And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ””

Zechariah 14:1–3, 9 “1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.” …. “9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”

Isaiah 10:20–23 “20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.”

Bowl Seven

Revelation 16:17–21 “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 nations 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.”

This is the very end of the battle - the judgements are complete

What is the penalty for blasphemy?

Leviticus 24:16 “16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”

Joshua 10:11–14 “11 And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. 12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”

Earthquakes in Scripture - Symbolism?

Labor Pains, But who’s pregnant?

Romans 8:22–23 “22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Prophesied Signal

Zechariah 14:4–5“4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.”

What is this reference?

Isaiah 6:1 “1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”

This earthquake in 750BC was 7.8 to 8.2

Amos 1:1-2 Two year warning

Seven Earthquakes in the NT

Mt 27:52 - Jesus is crucified

Mt 28:2 - The Resurrection

Acts 16:26 - Paul & Silas break out of prison

Rev 6:11-12 - After the martyrs are revealed

Rev 8:4 - Prayers of the saints are presented

Rev 11:12-13 - The two witnesses are killed

Rev 11:18-19 - The end of the world’s system