Revelation 15:1-16:21 (Justice Done and Praised)

Introduction

Psalm 37, verse 28 says, “the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.” The prophet Isaiah said, “the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Is. 30:18). And the Lord Himself said (through the prophet Jeremiah), “I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight” (Jer. 9:24).

Friends, I wonder if you’ve ever really considered the reality that God is a God of justice. I could multiply these biblical citations many times over; the Bible is full of references and direct affirmations that God is a God of justice. He loves justice; He delights in justice; He always executes impartial and perfect justice.

Do you know that God’s justice is why there are imprecatory prayers in the Bible?[i] An imprecatory prayer is a prayer of lament, a prayer of outcry, a prayer for God’s curse on those who are both His enemies and yours.

We have examples of this kind of prayer in many places… Psalm 5 is one of them. The psalmist prayed, “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray… For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you” (Ps. 5:1-10).

Is it ok to pray that God will “destroy those who speak lies”?

Is it ok to pray that God will “make” the wicked “bear their guilt”?

Is it ok to pray that God will “let them fall” and “cast them out”?

The Bible teaches us that these prayers are not only acceptable… they are commendable… they are right… they are good.

In our study of Revelation, we’ve seen another example of this kind of prayer… and that one is really the touchstone for our main passage today. In Revelation 6, we read about “saints” who had been persecuted and even killed for their faithfulness to Christ, and these cried out from beneath the heavenly “altar,” praying, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:10).

These martyrs for Christ were told there to “rest a little longer,” but the implication is that their prayers would soon be answered (Rev. 6:11). Just a bit later, in Revelation 8, the seven trumpet blasts began with a reference to this same prayer. And the sense we get there is that the trumpets of God’s judgment were indeed God’s answer to it (see especially Rev. 8:2-5).

In our passage this morning, there are repeated some of the same phrases and themes of what we’ve already read about in those trumpets. However, the emphasis earlier in Revelation was on the kind of judgments God was sending to “those who dwell on the earth” (God’s judgments were both physical and spiritual). Whereas, in our text today, the emphasis is on the reality that God’s judgment is coming… and that it will be a vindication of those who have suffered for their faithfulness at the hands of those who oppose Christ and oppose His people in the world.

Friends, it is true that God loves sinners; and it is true that we ought to be compassionate toward those who are not now believing and following Christ. But it is also true that God hates unrepentant and rebellions sinners; and it is also true that one day all heaven (including Christians) will rejoice and praise God for the distribution of His wrath against those who are indifferent or hostile toward Him.

God will be praised both for His grace and also for His justice.

Let’s read and consider this passage today, and let’s think about the explicit and implicit responses it urges from us.

Scripture Reading

Revelation 15:1–16:21 (ESV)

15:1 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, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

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.

16:1 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.

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.

Main Idea:

Christian, one day soon, God will deliver justice upon all those who oppose Christ and persecute His people; so, keep the faith and trust Him to do right.

Sermon

1. A Brief Recap

Our passage today (in many ways) is the beginning of the end of Revelation.

The book began by John introducing himself as the last prophet and describing his first vision – the resurrected and glorified Christ. Jesus is no longer the suffering servant; He is the risen King of glory who is with His people.

Then the book of Revelation gave us seven personalizedletters to seven real churches in Asia Minor (present day Turkey). Each of those letters (in chs. 2-3) called for faithfulness amid tribulation in this world and promised blessing for those who persevere or “conquer.”

After the letters, John recorded the foundational vision of Revelation (in chs. 4-5)… this vision is the one that all the other visions (like a boomerang) spring from and return to… It’s a vision of the throne-room, where God (Father, Son, and Spirit) is pictured to reign as total sovereign… and where the crucified and resurrected Christ is proclaimed as the “worthy” one, who is able to unfurl the final revelation of all that God has been doing in the story of redemption from the very beginning and particularly what God will do to bring this story to an end.

Revelation 6-11 described (with seven seals and seven trumpets) God’s present and coming judgment on the world as well as God’s salvation for His people. Each cycle of seven started in the throne-room (that’s where God’s judgment and salvation began), and they ended there too (with God’s people celebrating both God’s salvation for them and God’s justice on everyone else).

Chapter 12 broke the pattern of sevens, and there we began to read about various visions the Apostle John received which collectively and symbolically depict the epic story of the whole Bible. There was a “dragon” at war with a promised “child” (rich imagery that’s repeated throughout the Bible and ultimately points to Jesus). The “dragon” was unable to destroy the “child” (or Messiah or Christ), so he turned his fury against all those who are associated with the Christ.

Then in chapter 13, we read about two “beasts” who took up the cause of the “dragon.” These “beasts” represent the whole earthly system (or at least the demonic influence behind it) that opposes Christ and His people in the world. In every way (politically, economically, religiously), the “beasts” are animated by the “dragon’s” rage and animus against all that is good and true.

In chapter 14, we learned that the beastly system of this world has a name, and it is “Babylon.” This “great city” is representative of a worldly kingdom that is under God’s judgment, but for a time “Babylon” appears to be the pinnacle of strength and wealth and prestige.

And, of course, this is the time in which we live now… this is the time when all Christians have lived… the time between Christ first coming and His second… the time when Christ does reign as King, but what we see and experience in this world can sometimes make it look like someone else is in charge.

As we begin to consider this next series of visions (in our chapters this morning), it will help us to know that what we’re reading about nowis the beginning of a reversal of all that’s been described over the last few chapters.

First came the dragon, then the beasts, and then Babylon; and each of these were described as having great power and apparent success in their war against Christ and His people.

But starting with our passage today (and continuing through the next few chapters), we will read about the complete and utter disaster that is soon to fall… first upon Babylon, then the beasts, and then(finally) upon the dragon himself… They only appear to be powerful and successful, but their destruction is at hand.

Pointing out this literary structure (the rise and fall of the dragon, the beasts, and Babylon) helps us to remember that Revelation is not meant to be understood as a linear narrative. It’s not a story that begins in chapter 1 and ends in chapter 22… We’ve already seen multiple descriptions of God’s final judgment and His salvation for His people. Rather, it’s a book of visions that paint similar-but-distinct pictures for us (1) of the way things are, (2) of the certainty that this present age will end, and (3) of what we can expect as we await that final day.

Once again, the purpose of this whole book is not to tell us exactly what will happen and when… but rather to warn us of the tribulation that is common to all Christians and to urge us to persevere in faithfulness to Christ… motivated by the hope of salvation and also by the promise of vindication.

A lot of what we read about last Sunday focused on the hope of salvation, but today, the focus is on the promise of vindication.

Remember the prayer of the saints in Rev. chapter 6: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:10). The answer we get in Rev. 15-16 does notspecify timing, but it does affirm the certainty that God will vindicate His people.

2. Song of the Lamb (15:1-4)

Our text begins with John’s introduction of a new vision or a new set of visions. John says he “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 [or “completed” or “accomplished”]” (Rev. 15:1).

And this set of visions (like many others in this book) include John both seeing and hearing. In fact, there are (in our passage) six voices or commands or words from heaven… and these form the structure of our text (at least as I see it).

The first voice or word from heaven John hears is a “song,” and we noted the significance of this song quite a bit last Sunday. This “song of Moses” and “song of the Lamb” (v3) is the same “song” of the “redeemed” we read about last week from Revelation 14. I argued last Sunday that this song was an allusion to the “song of Moses” in Exodus 15, and our passage today makes that connection explicit. The “song of Moses” IS the “song of the Lamb” (v3), and those who get to sing it are those who have been “redeemed from the earth” (Rev. 14:3).

Just like the Israelites of old, the saints here are “standing beside the sea of glass” (Rev. 15:2), which means that the water has been calmed for them. The Israelites crossed the sea while God held back the waters for their safe passage, and then they stood safely on the shoreline to watch God bring the waters down on the heads of Pharaoh and his army (these were God’s enemies and theirs).

So too, the “sea” in Rev. 15 is “mingled with fire” (v2), which indicates that the water bears judgment and wrath for those who are not standing on the shore and singing the song of salvation.

Unlike Exodus 15, here in our passage, the song comes before the flood of God’s wrath… but it is no less a song of salvation, which includes praising God for the distribution of His judgment. See it there in v3-4.

“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev. 15:3-4).

As we shall see throughout the rest of our passage today, this song is not focused on God’s grace and love and rescue, but instead on God’s justice and wrath and vindication.

3. Wrath from the Temple (15:5-16:1)

The second voice or word from heaven in our passage appears in chapter 16, verse 1; and it is “a loud voice from the temple” which commands the angels to “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God” (Rev. 16:1).

Now, I don’t know why the English Standard Version of the Bible has translated the repeated word “sanctuary” at the end of ch. 15. It is the same word in Greek as the one translated “temple” in ch. 16, verse 1. Every other major English translation uses the word “temple” for all of them. And the whole point here in this section is that the “bowls” of judgment and “wrath” that are about to be described are coming “from the temple” or that most holy place where God dwells.

It is as though John saw the “temple” of heaven itself “opened” up (v5), and the “seven angels with seven plagues” come “out of” that very “temple” (v6). The angels themselves are “clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests,” which symbolizes their association with Christ Himself (v6; cf. Rev. 1:13)… They are Christ’s representatives, His messengers, the deliverers of His own righteous anger toward those who are “on the earth” (Rev. 16:1).

That’s the emphasis of v8, where we read that the “sanctuary” or the “temple” was “filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary [or “temple”] until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished” (Rev. 15:8).

God alone is able to deliver justice like this. He alone is righteous and holy, and it is His own glory that demands retribution for all the ways He and His people have been maligned and ridiculed and insulted and attacked by insolent and arrogant sinners who live their whole lives in rebellion against Him.

Friends, I know it may seem hard to hear and understand (because of the way such a false and distorted version of Christianity has been peddled in American Evangelicalism for so long), but the Bible never wonders… it never asks the question… “Why would God send a sinner to hell?” or “Why would God unleash His wrath upon the people He created?”

No, the Bible never asks such questions, because the answer is obvious! God is holy! God is just! God is the mostholy and most just judge ever, and He must deliver justice upon those who have sinned against Him… because that’s what good judges do… they deliver justice!

The question behind our passage today (as I’ve said a couple of times now) is “How long… O Sovereign Lord… how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:10).

And the answer we get from Revelation 15 and 16 is, “Don’t you worry. God’s wrath is coming; and God will vindicate His own justice and your faith.”

Friends, do you believe that?

Brothers and sisters, do you believe that? Does that promise help you cling to Christ even when others around you insult and mock you for it? Does that promise help you keep the faith and trust God to do right even when it seems that the whole world praises and rewards the opposite?

Christian, one day soon, God will deliver justice upon all those who oppose Christ and persecute His people… You can count on it.

4. Praising God’s Justice (16:2-7)

The third and fourth voices or words from heaven in our passage come as a result of the first three “bowls” of God’s “wrath” (Rev. 16:1). The third voice is of an “angel” and the fourth is of “the altar” (which I think is representative of the saints who were crying out in Rev. 6)… And both are praising God for His justice.

Once again, the visions and symbols of Revelation are drawing heavily from OT history and prophecy. And, once again, a major backdrop for what we’re reading here is the story of the Exodus.

This was the case for the “seven trumpets” (Rev. 8:6-11:19), and it is also true of the “seven bowls” (Rev. 16:2-21). They all generally correspond to the “plagues” God sent upon Egypt long ago, and (like we’ve seen before) the “plagues” here are both ratcheted up and directed specifically at those people who are marked off as “earth-dwellers” or “people of the beast.”

I said this last week, but it will help us remember if I keep explaining it… the book of Revelation divides all humanity into two groups: (1) the people of God, the people of Christ, the people who are heavenly and marked with the name of God/Christ; and (2) the people of the dragon, the people of the beast, the people who are earthly and marked with the name of the beast.

Just like the Exodus story, God knows how to send plagues upon His enemies and simultaneously to protect and preserve His own people from those judgments. As we’ve been reading about in Revelation, this does not mean that Christians won’t suffer affliction and tribulation in this world… quite the opposite… Christians are warned that they will indeed suffer at the hands of the wicked and from the fury of the dragon who animates them.

But Christians have nothing to fear from God’s wrath. The afflictions we face, brothers and sisters, are only temporary… and when God’s wrath is poured out (generally throughout this age and ultimately in the end) we will not fall under it… No, we shall stand… and we shall praise the God of our salvation for sending judgment and wrath upon those who hate Him and hate us.

And this is exactly what we read here.

When the first three “bowls” of God’s wrath are poured out “on the earth” and all those who “bare the mark the beast” (v2-4), John heard two words of praise for God’s justice.

First, “the angel in charge of the waters” (or the messenger God sent to pour out His own wrath) said, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve” (Rev. 16:5-6).

Next, “the altar” (or the saints who cried out for God’s justice) said, “Yes. Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments” (Rev. 16:7).

Brothers and sisters, one day soon, God will deliver justice upon all those who oppose Christ and persecute His people, and we shall praise Him for it. The Bible does not call Christians to pick up the sword to defend Christ’s name or His reputation; but that does not mean that no one ever will.

No, Christ Himself will bare the sword on the last day, and He shall vindicate His name and His people.

At present, in this life, it is for us to walk the path that Christ has laid before. He came the first time as the suffering servant, and we ought not expect to be treated better than He was by this world that so hated our Lord and King.

But when Christ returns (when He comes the second time), all the world will see Him as He is (in glory and in power), and all who remain faithful to Him will be vindicated in their faith, vindicated in their belief, vindicated in their life of love and obedience to Christ.

May God make us faithful!

5. Cursing God’s Justice (16:8-16)

The fifth word from heaven shows up as a parenthetical call or exhortation in v15, and we’ll get to that more in our final point for today… but this exhortation comes (it almost seems provoked by the context)… it comes amid a flurry of amped up rebellion on the part of those who are the objects of God’s wrath.

The next three bowls of God’s wrath are described here in v8-16, but there is a notable addition to each plague-description. Each time another bowl is poured out, John says that sinners “cursed” God and “they did not repent” (v9-10). What’s more, they even “assemble” for “battle” against the God they hate (v14, 15).

Note the contrast! When God pours out His justice, the response from heaven was praise; but the response from earth (from those who remain in sin) is cursing and war… The world, the dragon, the beasts, and all who are with them… they hate God’s justice… they despise it… they curse justice, and they war against the God who does it.

This is also a theme picked up from the Exodus story, and it is a theme that has already been echoed in the seven trumpets of Revelation. Like Pharaoh and his people of old, those who oppose God throughout the ages do not remain indifferent toward God when He presses His demands upon them.

We saw last week, in Revelation 14, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message that certainly includes a promise of salvation, but only for those who believe it. For those who reject Christ’s authority over their lives, the gospel is a message that makes demands they do not want to meet. Sinners must turn from their sin and trust and follow Christ. And even now, when rebellious sinners are pressed to respond to the gospel with repentance and faith… their love for sin is displayed in their hatred for the God who commands them to give up their sin.

Surely, many of us can give testimony of having shared the gospel with a friend or loved one who has become hostile toward us. If we are talking with people about the biblical gospel – that God is worthy of worship and obedience, that we have sinned against Him and deserve justice, that Christ has lived and died to save sinners, and that the only right response is to repent and believe in Him – if we are talking about that gospel, then at some point our hearer is going to have to decide… “Will I bend the knee to Christ, trust Him as my savior and obey Him as my Lord? Or, “Will I reject Christ, continue living as I have before, and pretend that everything is going to be just fine?”

And if they reject Christ now, our recourse is to continue praying for them… keep on pleading with them… go on urging them to turn from their sin and trust in Him. But one day, their rejection of Christ will have a far more severe result… one day, they will come face to face with the resurrected Savior-King, and their opportunity to be counted among His people will be passed.

And those same people who rejected Christ when we offered them the good news of the gospel will reject Christ and even curse His name when they feel the full weight of their sin and God’s judgment bearing down upon them.

Friends, don’t imagine that the arrival of God’s judgment is going to automatically make sinners humble and remorseful. Don’t you understand the hardness of heart that exists within us! Apart from God’s grace (changing our hearts, giving us love for Him where once there was hatred), we would never feel genuine sorrow over our sin… We (like everyone else) would only blame God, we would cling to our sin, and we would even curse God for judging us.

This is what Revelation 16 teaches us…

But there are two exhortations here as well.. one explicit and the other implicit.

6. Two Exhortations (16:17-21)

As I noted a bit ago, the fifth word from heaven is there in v15, and it is an explicit exhortation for Christians to “stay awake” and “keep [our] garments on” (v15). This is a call for Christians (like the repeated call throughout the whole book) to remain faithful… to persevere… to remember what Christ said is true, even if the whole world would seem to indicate the opposite.

The sixth word from heaven is “a loud voice” from “the temple” and “the throne” itself, and it is a declaration that all is “done”(v17). The final “bowl” and the description that comes along with it (including “flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake”) is a proclamation that God’s judgment upon “Babylon the great” will most certainly come in full (v18-19). God will “remember Babylon,” and He will “make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath” (v19).

We talked a lot about the imagery of the “cup” last Sunday, and you are welcome to ask me more about it after the service today, but I want to conclude here by highlighting the two exhortations we can draw from all that we’ve read and considered this morning.

Because God will soon deliver impartial and perfect justice on the world, what are we to do?

Well, that depends on where we stand with Christ at this moment…

“Exhortation” is a fancy word that means an appeal, a warning, a plea, or an urging. And it seems to me that there are two of them in our text this morning. Like we noted last Sunday, the book of Revelation was written to and for Christians. Therefore, the main teachings and commands we find here are aimed at Christians. And yet, the non-Christian may also learn and benefit from reading and hearing the contents of this book… if God should grant them ears to hear it.

The explicit exhortation is for Christians to to “stay awake” and “keep [our] garments on” (v15). Brothers and sisters, we must be alert… both to the promises of the gospel and to the deceptive appearance of the way things usually are in the world. The gospel teaches us that there is life and salvation (there is joy and blessing) for the one who trusts and follows Jesus. This is what it means to “keep [our] garments on” (v15)!

But the world around us will sometimes make us feel like the best way to live is by making compromises with the world, by hiding our commitment to Christ, and by going along to get along.

Brothers and sisters, just hold on! Persevere! Keep the faith! Live in obedience to Christ! One day soon, God will deliver justice upon all those who oppose Christ and persecute His people… He will vindicate us for being faithful… and we shall praise Him for it.

The implicit exhortation is for anyone who is not right now turning from sin and trusting in Christ. Friends, be warned… the promises of the gospel are true… both the promises of grace and salvation… and the promises of justice and wrath.

This world may make you feel at ease in your sin… It may even reward you for it… at least for a time… But Babylon the great will soon be destroyed, and so will all who remain in opposition to God and His Christ.

The implicit exhortation for you (if you are not right now turning from sin and trusting and following in Jesus) is to stop what you’re doing… give up your life of sin and rebellion… and throw yourself on the mercy of the King… while He extends His hand of grace to you… For one day soon, the same Christ who saves sinners will come to deliver justice to them… and none shall escape His wrath.

May God help Christians to persevere… and may God help sinners to repent and believe… while there’s still time.

Endnotes

[i] See a brief explanation of imprecatory prayers here: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2019/03/can-pray-imprecatory-prayers/