Revelation 15-16 Study
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Prayer
Discussion
Let’s read Revelation 15
Let’s read Revelation 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.
So first we read that John sees another sign in heaven. This calls back to the first signs in Revelation 12:1-3 where he sees woman about to give birth and the dragon waiting to devour the child. This sign is great and amazing. The sign is the seven angels with the seven last plagues. John tells us that with these plagues the wrath of God is finished.
Then John describes how he saw those who had conquered the beast singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.
What truths are declared in this song?
What truths are declared in this song?
His deeds are great and amazing
He is the Lord God Almighty
His ways are just and true
He is the King of the nations
There is none who will not fear him and glorify him / All nations will come and worship him because his righteous acts
God is holy
What’s the importance of a song like this being included in Scripture?
What’s the importance of a song like this being included in Scripture?
We should also praise God for what he has done. It should stir us up to praise him. We should reflect on how God delivered us from sin and death and gave us life in Christ. We should remember all of the times that the Lord has delivered us. Even if we’re not a person who sings, we should be praising God for who he is and what he’s done. These types of songs can help us do that. They can also help us keep our prayers in line with who God is as well.
Verse 8 tells us that no one was able to enter the sanctuary. Why is that? What does is reveal about the nature of God?
Verse 8 tells us that no one was able to enter the sanctuary. Why is that? What does is reveal about the nature of God?
The verse tells us the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power.
This calls back to when Moses finished the tabernacle at the end of Exodus:
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Then later in the temple that Solomon built:
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
No one can stand in the presence of God because he is too glorious and transcendent, which means he is above and beyond all things.
Now let’s read Revelation 16.
Now let’s read Revelation 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.
Now, we’re not going to get into each one of these. Instead, we’ll talk generally about all of them. What are some of the locations you see where God is pouring out his wrath?
Now, we’re not going to get into each one of these. Instead, we’ll talk generally about all of them. What are some of the locations you see where God is pouring out his wrath?
The earth, the sea, the rivers and springs, the sun, the throne of the beast, the Euphrates river, and the air. God is completely sovereign over all of creation and no one will be able to escape from God’s righteous judgment.
What is the response of the people to God’s wrath?
What is the response of the people to God’s wrath?
They did not repent and give him glory.
They cursed God.
They continued to reject God.
What are some reasons today people refuse to repent of their sins?
What are some reasons today people refuse to repent of their sins?
People love their sin and won’t turn away from it.
People are blinded by their sin and so they don’t see the the need for repentance and salvation.
They are misled by people who have convinced them that their sin is acceptable or not really sin at all.
They are not yet convicted of their sin.
There’s another kind of song or call and response in 16:5-6. What truths are declared in it?
There’s another kind of song or call and response in 16:5-6. What truths are declared in it?
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!”
God is just and holy for bringing these judgments. He is and was, that is, he is eternal.
Those who persecute God’s people to the point of death deserve this judgment.
God is Almighty, true, and just.
How do the truths about God in these chapters inform the way we view God’s judgment on the world?
How do the truths about God in these chapters inform the way we view God’s judgment on the world?
It is righteous. It may seem harsh to our one-sided minds, but it is not. Remember v. 6 tells us, “It is what they deserve.” One of the phrases that kept coming up in my reading last week was, “The punishment fits the crime.” Sin against God must be dealt with and God will deal with it, as we have read. When he does, it will be right and just.
In Romans 1-2 Paul talks about this. At the end of Romans 1 he works through a list of all kinds of evil. Sexual immorality, covetousness, envy, murder, strife, slander, boasting, just all sorts of sin. Then he goes on to say in Romans 2.
2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.
3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
God will deal with sin justly.
But we know that God has made a way for us to avoid his wrath. Jesus took God’s wrath on the cross so that we don’t have to. So we must repent and trust in Christ today because when the end comes, it will be too late.
And we must share this with lost people around us with urgency so that they too can have eternal life, instead of eternal punishment.
