The Final Seven Bowls
Unveiled Hope • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Revelation 16:1
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.”
Revelation 16:2
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.
Revelation 16:3
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.
Revelation 16:4
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
Revelation 16:5
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.
Revelation 16:6
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
Revelation 16:7
7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”
Revelation 16:8
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.
Revelation 16:9
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.
Revelation 16:10
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
Revelation 16:11
11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
This is a CF-18 fighter jet…Canada has about 90 of them…to be replaced…top speed 1,800km/hr
On approach…maybe small speck in sky…quiet, calm and peaceful…passes over top …then BANG!
In our every day…in western culture at least…how often or do we ever think about God’s judgment?
Relatively speaking…we in Canada have had it pretty smooth, calm and quiet
I wonder if it was a calm & quiet day in the city of Corinth when the apostle Paul picked up his pen and wrote to the church in Thessalonica.
Maybe the world was …peaceful & secure.“..“business as usual”smooth calm & quiet… Don’t talk about God’s judgment Paul Things are good…quiet …secure
Prompting Paul to write sobering words:
“You yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labour pains upon a woman with child and they will not escape…” 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
15 yrs later apostle Peter uses the same picture of …when he warned his readers:a thief in the night
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10
Their message was clear: The time of God’s judgment upon the earth will come…and it will come without announcement, without a news flash, without warning.
Paul and Peter warned of the coming judgment…John witnessed it in a stunning revelation.
Revelation 16 describes the final round of ever increasing judgments on people who will stubbornly take the side of evil and oppose the Lord in spite of countless warnings throughout the 7yr period.
We have been looking at the final wrath of God against sin His final judgment of sinners.
Last week in the final 7 Bowls of God’s wrath about to be poured out on earth…were introduced.
This morning we will look more closely at the bowls of wrath to be poured out on the earth.
We will not get through all 7 this morning, but we will look at the first 5. Revelation 15
(Just to let you know…we are on the downward slope of our study in Revelation…)
God’s Word provides for us the only source for hope in this dark world. You and I are reassured of God’s presence in the midst of this dark world…that He is in control…He promises…even in the world’s darkest moments…God is there…and He is sovereign. He is in control.
Some believe the Bowls repeat the Seals/Trumpet judgments …while there are SIMILARITIES
There are more differences then similarities…especially in the degree of devastation.
ex. 7 are …& than any of the previous judgments. Bowl judgmentsworldwidemore intense
This is why they are called judgments.“the last”
If you remember the plagues that God sent on Egypt…you will see some similarities there as well.
Where we have been in …God’s judgments against sinful rebellious humanity RECALL…
Rev. 5…Scroll of God’s plan…for judging sinful mankind…sealed with 7 seals
Only Jesus…the Lamb of God could… take the scroll and open it
Rev. 6 beginning with the 4 horsemen…7 seals on the scroll are Judgments…
Rev. 7 before seal 7 is an interlude…a glimpse of heaven…144,000 & people from every nation.
Rev. 8-11 7th Seal opened up the …increasing intensity…cataclysmic events…1/3 of humanity wiped out…including ugly scenes of the demonic world unleashed on the earth…before trumpet 7 an interlude…… Rev. 8-11…7 Trumpet judgmentsa glimpse of heaven
As the 7th Seal intro’d the 1st Trumpet…the 7th Trumpet leads to the first of 7 Bowl judgments.
We left off last week with the temple in heaven filled with the smoke of God’s glory and power so no one could enter the temple until the last judgments were carried out.
Let’s pray and then we will look at Revelation 16 together this morning.
v.1 “Then I (John) 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.”
John hears a loud voice…(20x in ) Whose voice is that? Revelation
says no one was in the Temple……so it must be the loud. (see it again in )15:8 voice of Godv.17
After hearing the loud voice commanding the seven angels to pour their seven bowls of Gods wrath upon the earth…the angels instantly obeyed.
Remember… = shallow saucers…not poured out gradually…they’re dumped out…all at once. bowls
1. The FIRST Bowl…Loathsome & Malignant Sores… Revelation 16:2
“So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who are the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.”
The first angel with the first bowl stepped out immediately and poured out his bowl upon the earth.
The only people affected…are those who “had taken the mark of the beast and worshiped its image."
Remember the Beast and false prophet didn’t rise to power until the 2nd half of the 7yr Tribulation period…when they begin a worldwide program of branding those who worship them and oppressing those who don’t.
They think they are on the winning side by receiving the mark…they will join the war machine who will hunt down persecute and kill this who believe in Jesus Christ.
Notice the result of this bowl dumped on the earth…results in . people being inflicted with sores
Described as. “harmful and painful” loathsome & malignant NASB)”foul” “horrible”
When used together they…stress that these sores will be festering, painful, and incurable
Some suggest…the sores are a result of the mark…horrible, putrefying, disfiguring, incurable
The sores bring…unrelenting pain & disfiguring ugliness…on those who have rejected Jesus Christ.
Note: there is a definite distinction made between those who have and those who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ…and those who worship the beast and his image and have the mark of the beast
Only those who worship the image of the beast and have his mark that are afflicted with the sores.
The beast…who they worship as is powerless to heal them of these painful sores.a god…
These sores will not affect those who have trusted in Jesus…. (whose name is written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the LambSee: Revelation 14:9-11)
2. The SECOND Bowl…Oceans Turn to Blood…Revelation 16:3
“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.”
Still REELING from the first bowl…the second angel steps forward and dumps his bowl of God’s wrath into the sea and it turns to “…blood like a corpse and every living thing in the sea died
If you remember the first plague in Egypt was the turning the water of the Nile to blood. (Ex. 7:20-24)
The 2nd Trumpet judgement turned a third of the seas to blood. (Rev. 8:8-9)
But this bowl’s effect is so MUCH MORE INTENSE
The oceans of the world cover about 70% of the earth’s surface and this is all turned to blood.
The verse says it became like the blood of a corpse. (a dead body)
Is this actual blood?
It was like that of a dead man its thickened and everything living in the oceans died. seems to mean…
The stench of the blood and of decaying bodies of every living thing in the seas will be unimaginable.
John MacArthur, “The transforming of the world’s seas into putrid pools of stinking death will be a graphic testimony to the wickedness of man and a reversal to the day when God originally gave life to all sea creatures (Genesis 1:21).
How God will supernaturally do this…we can’t say. But ocean travel and transport will cease to exist at this point drastically reducing the transport of goods to the world’s ports.
This will compound the shortages that already exist due to the .earlier judgments
3. The THIRD Bowl…Fresh Water Turns to Blood…Revelation 16:4-7
Still suffering from the effects of the first bowl…loathsome painful grotesquesores…
Not having recovered from the oceans of the world becoming blood & death…
The third angel comes and dumps his bowl of God’s wrath into the rivers and springs of water on the earth and they too…became blood.
Now keep in mind…already freshwater has been in short supply because the third trumpet had poisoned a third of the world’s freshwater. (Revelation 8:10-11)
The destruction of all of earth’s fresh water will cause unthinkable hardship and suffering.
When the Nile was turned to blood they were able to dig around it to find water to drink Exodus 7:24.
Here we are not told if that is possible.
After this devastating bowl of God’s wrath…is poured out into the rivers and springs of the world we are introduced to , now whether this is the angel that poured the bowl of God’s wrath on the springs and rivers or this is another angel who is God’s overseer of the earth’s waters, we are not told, but the angel of the waters this angel speaks and defends God’s righteous judgment.
v.5-6 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. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
God’s judgment of sinners is without a doubt righteous because He is the Holy One.
He is the Holy One He is the Holy One at the end times…and for all of eternity.from eternity past…
Because He is holy…His wrath against sin is terrifying and deadly…it is a JUST and APPROPRIATE RESPONSE… to sinners who have rejected Him.
The angel of the waters says : the wicked have spilled so much innocent blood in their slaughter of saints and prophets, that they are getting what they deserve, since they are so bloodthirsty God has given them blood to drink
They deserve it! They will have rejected clear powerful persuasive preaching of the Gospel throughout the Tribulation period…the clear and evident judgments of God, the angel flying overhead, the 144,000 witnesses…God’s repeated call for them to be saved.
Instead they will have mercilessly persecuted and killed believers…
Some say: This is awful! Why would God be so extreme in judgment?
He is perfectly just & holy.
John writes that he heard respond in agreement with the angel of the waters, saying, . the altar Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.Revelation 16:7b
Souls under the altar (martyred during Tribulation) asked God back in Rev. 6:10 “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
That judgment has come…and they give praise to God that His judgments are true and righteous.
All the way through the Scriptures….God’s judgments are always true and righteous
4. The FOURTH Bowl…Sun Scorched Earth…Revelation 16:8-9
As the fourth angel did not pour his bowl on the earth…. he dumps it on the sun
The sun will be superheated by God so that “….” it was allowed to scorch people with fire
Searing heat exceeding anything in human experience will burn men so severely that it will seem that the atmosphere is on fire. See also: Isaiah 24:4-6
Again, this plague seems to be directed to those who have the mark of the beast and worship his image, because in the Greek it literally says, “…and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.”
This article used with men implies that those saints living on the earth at this time do not suffer from this plague, and possibly it does not affect animals, but only those who worship the beast.
One writer notes that “Another possible consequence of this intense heat is the melting of the polar ice caps causing the oceans of blood to rise and submerge coastal regions miles inland with the putrid waters of the dead oceans. This could cause widespread damage and loss of life, just adding to the misery of the already devastated planet.”
It seems as if God is providing another opportunity for rebellious humanity to repent and turn to Him.
Some may say…If only sinful mankind knew the power and righteous judgment of God they would repent… but if they did not repent when God’s grace was offered…they will not repent at His judgment.
Note… the people affected by this plague of the sun recognized it was God who has the power over this plague and all those they have suffered before it …but they do not repent before God, instead they blaspheme His name.
Until this point we have only read in Revelation of the Antichrist blaspheming, here those following him adopt his wicked character and refuse to repent which would give glory to God as the just and righteous Judge.
Instead they blaspheme His name…even though their so-called saviour…the Antichrist…cannot do anything to alleviate the pain and suffering caused by these plagues.
This hardness of heart is incredible…when you think of all they have faced…but just like their leader they will continue to hate God and blame Him and refuse to repent.
5. The FIFTH Bowl…Darkness…Revelation 16:10-11
The fifth angel came with the fifth bowl of God’s wrath and he dumped it on the throne of the beast and darkness came to the kingdom of the beast.
We don’t really know where the throne of the beast is…probably a reference to his kingdom.
Does this darkness extend all over the world?
Are there pockets of light where the saints of God are? We are not told.
We do know that when God brought darkness on the land of Egypt, the area where the Israelites lived was not darkened.
We are not told here if God will make a distinction between those who are His and those who have rejected Him to follow the Antichrist.
For those who have rejected Christ the collective effect of the painful sores…fouled oceans…lack of drinking water…the intense heat…all engulfed in thick blackness, will bring UNBEARABLE MISERY.
BUT NOT EVEN THIS…will bring people to repent… They will continue to REJECT Him..
We are told “…” because of the intense, unending pain of the sores they were afflicted with, and they BLASPHEMED the God of heaven for afflicting them with the pain and with their sores, but they did not repent of their wicked deeds. they gnawed their tongues in anguish
They recognized that the pain and the sores and all that had happened was judgment from the God of heaven… but they did not repent.
This is the last reference in Revelation to the unwillingness of man to repent.
The final two bowls which we will look at next week…contain the severest of all the judgments, and will set the stage for the return of Jesus Christ to put an end to hardened, unrepentant and defiant sinners.
PERSONAL REFLECTION & ACTION…
WRAP UP…
This morning we have begun to look at the LAST JUDGMENTS of God on mankind who have refused to repent…and they turn their back on God…
They acknowledge the judgments are from the God…yet they still turn their back on Him
They refuse to repent of their sin…
They refuse to recognize that God is the Sovereign Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe,
And because they refuse to recognize this…they will die in their sin…and they will go into an eternity of intense suffering in the Lake of Fire.
What they do not realize is at the Great White Throne judgment
They will recognize who God is and
They will recognize the sacrifice that was made for them in the death of Jesus Christ…
But by then…it will be too late.
Philippians 2:9-11 tells us that because of the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The signs of His coming multiply…even now we see signs of willful rebellion…
How does knowing this text…affect how you and I live today?
There is coming a day when everyone…those who accept Him and those who reject Him…will acknowledge who Jesus is.
The question for you to answer…
Will you RECOGNIZE who Jesus is today…while you are still alive?
AGREE with God that you are a sinner…and turn from your sin.
BELIEVE that Jesus died in your place…taking God’s wrath for your sin.
And 3 days later rose again proving that God’s wrath for your sin was completely & fully satisfied because of your faith in Jesus Christ a death and resurrection.
Dear friends…you can freely make this confession now and throughout eternity,
Or you will have no choice when you stand before God.
The choice is still ….yours
