Blessing and Woe

A few years ago, my wife and I were invited to attend the wedding for a young man who we were house parents for when we served with the Baptist Children’s Home.

We were given the date, the time, the location, and the dress code.

The day arrived, we excitedly and enthusiastically went to see this young man get married.

Only to discover, that the dress code we were given (And it is worthy of note that we got this from the guy, not the girl) was slightly less formal than the actual expectation!

Everyone else was dressed formally.

We were semi-formal at best. :) more like business casual

We were quickly given a lesson in ensuring we knew what the proper and right expectation was BEFORE arriving.

We were caught, somewhat unprepared.

As we move into Revelation 16 today, a similar reality, a similar warning is present, but with greater consequences if we go unprepared.

The Lord is coming.

He has come—in Grace, through Christ.

He is coming—in judgment through The Day of the Lord

Blessed is the one who eagerly awaits the coming of the Lord.

BUT

Woe to the one who refuses His coming.

Woe to the one who is unprepared.

All that remains is certain judgment. Not mere discomfort or awkwardness.

Judgment.

The stakes could not be higher.

As we look into chapter 16, we will see the end of God’s wrath come. The pouring out of these bowl judgments will mark the end of His wrath, the end of the Day of the Lord.

Chapters 17-18 will expand upon the Fall of Babylon

Chapter 19 will show us mankind’s final act of rebellion before Christ comes to establish His eternal kingdom.

But with chapter 16, we will see the full expression of God’s wrath against man’s rebellious unrepentance come to a close.

But inserted into this dark chapter, we will behold the third of seven blessings pronounced within the book of Revelation.

Thus, the eagles eye view of the chapter is this:

Big Idea: Blessed are the repentant ones who eagerly await the coming of the Lord, but woe to the unrepentant ones who reject repentance.

Body

Revelation 16 ESV

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.

Sin has consequence.

Negative consequence.

Need I really even make that statement? I think we are all aware of it.

But, problem is, because that consequence is sometimes delayed, postponed, or put off…sometimes we forget that we will be held accountable for the sinful choices we make.

Chapter 16 of Revelation is God collecting on unrepentant man’s tab.

But as one commentator put it…

Enduring the tribulation is a choice.

There is a way to avoid it. There is a way to be rescued from the wrath of God.

What is that way?

The gospel.

There is a reason that the second half of the tribulation is called “The Great Tribulation.” The terror and horror of those days will be bad, even by tribulation standards.

The wrath of God will reach epic proportions.

One of things that helps us to understand this is understand and know this: There are two words for wrath in Greek.

Thumos - used 8x in Revelation

Orge - Used 5x in Revelation

Both are similar in meaning but a slight distinction has been made that helps us see the difference.

Thumos means an agitated condition - an outburst of anger. Short lived but terrible in fury.

Orge - A more settled, abiding burn of anger…the kind that plans and take revenge. Longer lasting in nature.

The kind we see here in the bowl judgments is thumos version.

The outburst kind.

We see God’s wrath reaching a fever pitch.

God’s wrath has been at an orge for a long time. His patience finally wears out. The wrath, pent of wrath, against man’s wickedness and rebellion, explodes.

The dumping of these bowls of wrath is a Thumos level event; a thumos level wrath.

This is in fact, the third (and final) woe, spoken of earlier in Revelation. So terrible is what is to come.

In many of these, there are similarities to both the trumpet judgments and the plagues of Egypt. We will see similar veins of judgment that God has previously expressed.

As these bowls are dumped, it is important to note that it seems very likely that they will come in rapid succession.

It is for this reason that MacArthur contends they do not happen until the very end of the tribulation period…and why he puts some of the seals and all of the trumpets during the second half of the tribulation.

There is credibility to the argument that these are happening rapid fire.

Either that, or the effects of each judgment are so long lasting that they are still in effect when the next judgement falls.

But, I think it can be argued and defended that these are coming rapid fire.

So, with that said, let’s dig in.

Bowl 1 - Painful Sores (Revelation 16:1-2)

Revelation 16:1–2 ESV

The loud voice - though unidentified - like the other references where it is used, most likely refers to God Himself.

Go pour…

So the first angel went and the result…

Harmful and painful sores fell on ONLY THOSE who bore the mark of the beast.

Sores that have a double descriptive.

Loathsome and Malignant sores

These two Greek words mean “evil.” Together, they stress the festering, painful, incurability of the sores that will be inflicted.

Now, you may well recall, when God sent judgment upon Egypt, he also send some painful sores upon them. Exodus 9:10-11

Exodus 9:10–11 ESV

10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.

The boils, like here in Revelation, only affected those who were the object of God’s judgment and rebuke. Only the Egyptians bore the boils.

Only the unrepentant here in Revelation bear them.

Interestingly enough, one commentator (Amir) made a connection to Job as well.

When God pointed Job out to Satan and gave Satan permission to test him, initially, Satan was not permitted to touch Job’s person. Eventually God said, you can do whatever you want, you just cannot kill him.

What was it that Satan did to Job?

Gave him boils.

Painful sores.

NOW, we see God returning the favor. He inflicts boils/painful sores on those who worship the beast.

Maybe not a direct response or reaction, but an observation that was interesting.

Before this judgment can be fully recovered from, God sends another.

The next two bowls, in fact, will also be reminiscent of plagues sent upon Egypt; plagues involving bodies of water being turned to blood. Exodus 7:7-21

Bowl 2 - Seas to Blood (Revelation 16:3)

Revelation 16:3 ESV

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.

In Egypt, which body of water was turned to blood?

The Nile. Probably more fitting with bowl judgement three (as we will see momentarily) but nevertheless, a body of water, a source of life, especially in a land of dessert, no longer yields life, but but death.

The seas, which once had been a source of life, becomes a source of death.

This curse, this judgment reverses the beauty of Genesis 1:21.

Genesis 1:21 ESV

21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

God created the seas and filled them with life.

Now he corrupts the seas and fills them with death.

With trumpet 2, we saw 1/3 of the seas turned to blood, and we saw the resulting death that came.

Now, we see the rest of the job done.

There is uncertainty among scholars if this is limited in scope (Sea of Galilee, Mediterranean Sea) or if it refers to the entirety of the planets seas and oceans.

It does say, EVERY LIVING creature in the seas effect dies.

This judgement is planetary in scope, and since we are nearing the conclusion of the tribulation, I tend to agree with those who think it is the entirety of the planets seas and oceans.

Thus, this would probably also necessitate that the timing of this is, in fact, towards the end of the tribulation.

Some try to symbolize this, suggesting it is not literally turned to blood, but I see no reason to do so in the text; especially because we are told that every living creature in the sea died. I believe it will be literally turned to blood.

We already saw it happen on a limited scope in the trumpet judgments. It appears here that God is just finishing what He began then.

Specifically it says, it becomes like the blood of a dead man’s body/corpse.

What happens to a man’s blood when he dies and it spills out?

It coagulates. Thickens.

The seas become THICK. They no longer run. They become thick blood, that kills every living thing in them.

The stench, the consequences of which, you and I cannot begin to fathom.

We have, already, seen a small sampling of what this may look like. Commentator John Phillips notes it:

Revelation 12–22: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Second Bowl

Commentator John Phillips writes:

From time to time, off the coast of California and elsewhere, a phenomenon known as “the red tide” occurs. These red tides kill millions of fish and poison those who eat contaminated shellfish. In 1949, one of these red tides hit the coast of Florida. First the water turned yellow, but by midsummer it was thick and viscous with countless billions of dinoflagellates, tiny one-celled organisms. Sixty-mile windrows of stinking fish fouled the beaches. Much marine life was wiped out, even bait used by fishermen died upon the hooks. Eventually the red tide subsided, only to appear again the following year. Eating fish contaminated by the tide produced severe symptoms caused by a potent nerve poison, a few grams of which, distributed aright, could easily kill everyone in the world. An unchecked population explosion of toxic dinoflagellates would kill all the fish in the sea. (Exploring Revelation, rev. ed. [Chicago: Moody, 1987; reprint, Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux, 1991], 190–91)

Whether or not that is what this is in Revelation, it serves as a sampling, an example of what will happen on a global scale during this bowl.

Death comes. To the sea. Effectively, the seas are dead.

Sea travel is over.

Food from the sea is over.

The earth is literally falling apart.

After killing the seas, God comes for the springs, the rivers, and the fresh water next.

Bowl 3 - Rivers and Springs to Blood (Revelation 16:4-7)

Revelation 16:4–7 ESV

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!”

Trumpet 3 saw 1/3 of the earth’s fresh water turned to poison. It is already in scarce supply.

Now it is decimated.

The article “the” seems to designate that all remaining fresh water is affected.

And thus, all living creatures in that water also die.

The seas are gone

The rivers and springs are gone

And the food that man harvested from them, also gone.

With every source of water now having become blood…

The stench of that blood will be intense

The stench of death and rotting sea and water life, will be intense.

The fear and terror of all fresh water supplies will be intense.

And,I believe that the pain and suffering of the sores inflicted from bowl one, is still very present.

Life on earth is not a pleasant.

And yet…

With this third bowl judgement, we see a dueling of praise!

The angel in charge of the waters

Just are you…O HOLY ONE

Who is and who was

FOR YOU have brought about these judgements

They have shed the blood of the saints and the prophets

You have given them blood to drink

It is what they deserve

A personified altar (probably the same one from which the martyred saints cried out from) echos

YES

You are God Almighty!

Just and true are your judgments

These dueling cries are praise for God’s vindication of His saints

They affirm that God is right and just and true for doing what He has done.

God has the just and holy right to avenge wrongdoing. Romans 12:19

Romans 12:19 ESV

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Well, this is his repayment.

As wrong as “It is what they deserve” might sound…

As spiteful and vindictive as it might sound…

…it is as right—as God is.

This is the burden of sin.

This is the burden of unrepentance.

Punishment for wrong WILL come due. And it will be terrible.

And it will be praised as just, and true, and good by the righteous of heaven.

Bowl 4 - Scorching Heat (Revelation 16:8-9)

Revelation 16:8–9 ESV

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.

In this fourth bowl, the sun, long a friend of mankind, now becomes a source of judgement.

It’s heat will increase, scorching man.

Under this heat, plants will die.

Probably animals, and perhaps even man, will die from exposure. Already suffering painful sores, and deprived from fresh water, food, and probably seeing an increase in sickness from dead and decaying…well…everything…the increased heat exposure will cause many to die.

And it will increase the suffering of those already suffering.

Some have pointed out that under such heat, you will have polar ice caps melting, causing flooding, of now blood oceans and rivers. Heaps of dead animals being washed up with it.

MOST notable about this section…

Man KNOWS where the judgment is coming from.

God

And yet — they refuse to repent. They refuse to give God glory.

Their hearts remain hard and unyielding.

So deep is their rebellion

So deep is their love of sin

So deep is their adoration for the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, that they will not repent.

They curse God.

They only add blasphemy upon blasphemy.

Up until now, it is only been the antichrist who has blasphemed God, or who has been recorded as doing so…but now, man joins in.

And as they curse Him, as they languish under painful sores, blood seas and rivers, death and decay, flooding and reeking death being brought into where they dwell, and intense heat, then God shuts out the lights.

Bowl 5 - Darkness (Revelation 16:10-11)

Revelation 16:10–11 ESV

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.

Now, the opposite happens.

Where once light blazed, burning them, scorching them…

NOW…

Darkness descends.

But lest you think this is no big deal….think again for a moment.

This has happened before. In Egypt. Exodus 10:21-29 explains it so deep that NO one saw ANY one else for three days. They did not rise from their spots, it was so dark. It was localized though. Israel had light.

But it was so deep that even if someone sat next to you, you could not see them. They were blind for three days. They were immobile for three days.

The same level of darkness, on a global scale, descends again.

It says the darkness fell on the throne of Satan.

This is best understood to a reference to his kingdom, his dominion. It does not seem to refer to merely the seat upon which the beast sits, from which he governs the earth…but is representative of the entirety of the earth.

Because, the kingdom of the beast, of the dragon covers the entire earth, doesn it? Thus, this appears to be a world wide darkness.

Whether or not it will affect God’s people too is not clear. No exception seems to exist and yet we have seen that some of these judgments affect only those who bear the mark of the beast.

This will be a darkness so deep, it causes great anguish and quite possibly it’s own physical/psychological pain. Joel 2:2; 3:14-15; Zeph 1:15.

This will be a pain that adds to that which they are still suffering from.

They will gnaw their tongues in anguish…

and it specifically mentions their sores.

Sores from bowl one…

It appears that they still have those sores. The sores have not healed or not had time to heal before the sun hits, adding more, and then darkness do deep hits, they are literally in anguish.

DESPITE all this horror…

THE MOST horrific thing is the final sentence of this fifth bowl…

“They did not repent of their deeds.”

**Let silence hang for a minute**

Does it not baffle the mind that they still refuse?

It shouldn’t. Sin is that dark and deep.

Despite their suffering and pain, they cling to their false worship and idolatry. Their hardness of heart is only being made harder.

Wrath does not bring repentance. They refuse to repent and turn away. So their pain and suffering is all that is left for them.

By the time we hit bowl 6, we sense a shifting.

To begin with, there will be no more references to man’s unrepentance. This here is the last time we will see it.

Additionally, bowl 6 will bring no new assault in man or planet. We will see the River Euphrates affected but more preparatory rather than judgmental in nature. What it is preparing for? Man’s assault against God.

God is rapidly moving from offering repentance to only offering judgment. He will gather the rebellious of the world and repay them what is owed for their rebellion.

The twice stated, “They did not repent” is intended to remind that God has continually offered forgiveness if man would be repent and turn. But now, that offer is being rescinded.

The final conflict is coming.

And with it, the fall of Babylon and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom.

And so, bowl 6, is all about preparation for that final act of judgement in this tribulation period.

Bowl 6 - Gathering of Armies (Revelation 16:12-16)

Revelation 16:12–16 ESV

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.

This sets up the final battle before the millennial reign of Christ.

In it the great Euphrates River is dried up.

The Euphrates river is one THE key river of the Middle East.

It is the longest, flowing 1000 miles from the snowcaps of Mt. Ararat to the Persian Gulf.

It was on this river that the great city of Babylon originally stood.

The Garden of Eden was located near here (Gen 2:10-14)

The river marked the Eastern boundary of the land given to Israel.

It was from this river, somewhere, 200 million demons were released to terrorize the world (Rev 9:14).

This river is now dried up to make passage possible for the kings of the east to gather at Armageddon for battle.

These kings are most likely the ten horns, the ten rulers who ruled under the antichrist’s authority during the tribulation. They are summoned to war.

The means of summons are three evil spirits, like frogs.

Not literal frogs…

Not like the plagues of Egypt.

But spirits who come forth from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet—once again highlighting the unholy trinity of sorts we see between the three of them.

The fact that they come from the mouth indicates both that they are sent by the them AND that the means of control and influence they exert will be verbal.

Why frogs?

While we are not told specifically, it is worth nothing that frogs were unclean animals to the Jews. (Lev 11:10,41). Because they were so, perhaps that is why they are designed as frog like spirits here, showing their vileness, their uncleanness, their slimy and despicable nature.

They perform signs and move these kings of the east to gather for their destruction and demise.

Graciously and gloriously, in the midst of all this death, destruction, misery, and judgment, we come upon verse 15.

Revelation 16:15 ESV

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!”)

I believe this to be both an encouragement to the saints and a warning.

An encouragement—He is coming.

God has not forgotten or abandoned them.

In the terrors descending, it might be tempting or easy to believe He has.

But he is coming. He is coming, like a thief…unexpectedly, but He is coming.

THEREFORE, blessed is the one who is prepared. Who is ready.

The idea of being dressed, garments on, has the idea of being ready. You do not want to get caught, naked, because you were not anticipating the arrival AT ANY MOMENT.

Could well be a military preparedness as well.

A soldier caught with his pants down would certainly be ashamed at being unprepared for the moment he should have anticipated and been ready for.

It has the same sense of urgency and admonishment to be prepared that we see in the parable of the then virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.

THUS it is a also a warning.

The Warning - Be Ready

The danger always exists of saying the suffering is not worth it and just giving in.

The danger always exists of being deceived by the adversary; of not guarding truth, renewing the mind, and thereby being dragged away through deception.

The danger always exists of being apathetic. Of Getting lazy.

Big Idea: Blessed are the repentant ones who eagerly await the coming of the Lord…

Who are being watchful

Vigilant

Who keep their pants on in preparedness

Who endure suffering with joy

Who cling to the promise of His coming

And who do not give up.

Is that you church? Even now?

Are you eagerly awaiting the coming of the Lord?

Waiting does not mean inactivity…quite the opposite actually.

Waiting means actively obeying, actively serving, actively giving, actively doing the work of the Kingdom SO THAT when He comes, we are not found with our pants around our ankles and our unmentionables exposed.

It means, when He walks through the door (so to speak), we will not be embarrassed and He will be pleased by what He sees.

BUT woe to the unrepentant ones who reject repentance.

Woe to those who cling to unrepentance.

Woe to those who are unprepared.

Woe to those who curse His name.

And church, while a woe may not be due for a saint, even one who is displaying apathy or indifference…woe to you who are not eagerly anticipating his coming…and living in light of it.

But blessed are you…if you are eagerly awaiting His coming…that is the promise and encouragement.

In fact…

Revelation give us 7 “beautitudes,” 7 blessings.

This is the third we have seen so far.

Rev 1:3 - Blessed is the one who reads aloud, who hears, and who keeps these words.

Rev 14:13 - Blessed from now on those who die in the Lord.

Rev 16:15 - Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on so that he may not go about naked and exposed.

Rev 19:9 - Blessed is the one who is invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Rev 20:6 - Blessed is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The 2nd death will have no power over Him.

Rev 22:7 - Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book

Rev 22:14 - Blessed is the one who wash their robes so they have the right to each of the tree of life and enter the city by the gates.

BLESSED IS THE ONE who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed.

Blessed is the one who remains ready, alert, and waiting—eagerly anticipating and waiting.

Church, be eagerly waiting…

Trust the promise of His coming…

and may that promise fuel your daily devotion and activity.

The kings of the east, that these frog spirits are sent out to gather, assemble in the place called Armageddon.

Literally Har’ Megiddon.

Most believer it refers to Mount Megiddo.

Though not a true mount, but more of a hill, it probably refers to the hill country surrounding the plain of Megiddo (60 miles north of Jerusalem).

This is the site of Barak’s defeat of the Canaanites (Judges 4:5 cf Judges 5:19)

It is also the site of Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (Judges 7)

Ten miles across form Megiddo is Nazareth—hometown of Jesus.

This site has been pivotal and critical in the life of Israel. And it will be again, one final time.

And so, the armies of the world gather here.

But before the “battle” happens, one final bowl judgment falls.

Bowl 7 - Earthquake of earthquakes (Revelation 16:17-21)

Revelation 16:17–21 ESV

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.

The last bowl is poured out into the air.

And with this, land, sea, and air all have felt the judgments of God. All have been affected. Ultimately, the entire earth will feel the redemption it has longed for for so long.

Loud voice - God the Father

“It is done.”

The wrath of God, the Day of the Lord is complete—or will be at the conclusion of these judgements.

The grand finale is here.

And with it—the Kingdom of God—which will never end.

This is not the first time that something like this has been stated.

Where else have we heard a similar statement?

“It is finished.” John 19:30

John 19:30 ESV

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I find it incredibly profound that these two phrases have been uttered.

Upon the cross…

The wrath of God against sin was satisfied. His wrath was, once and for all dealt with for those who repent and believe.

Upon the completing of these bowl judgments…

The wrath of God against unrepentant man will be satisfied and done.

Yes, there will be one final battle at the end of the millennium, but there is not said to be the wrath of God, just His decisive act of dealing with the last rebellion that there ever will be.

Isn’t that profound and amazing?

The last rebellion that ever will be.

The cross…

The final judgements…

Forever put an end to the wrath of God.

WITH this bowl judgment, “It is done.”

And this will bowl will be terrible indeed…

Flashes of lightening

Rumblings

Peals of thunder

a great earthquake…

Nothing we haven’t seen before right?

Wrong.

No earthquake has ever been seen like this one…not even the ones God has sent during the tribulation.

The great city…

A reference to Jerusalem, not Babylon (compare to Revelation 11:8)

Jerusalem…

Will be split into three parts.

Cities of the world will crumble

Islands will sink

Mountains will be laid flat—the earth, literally, will be flatteneed

In fact, Zechariah 14:4-10 describe this in full detail

Zechariah 14:4–10 ESV

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. 6 On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. 7 And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. 8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. 9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. 10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.

Mt Olive will split in 2 and a valley running east and west will open up.

A spring of living water will flow year round from it.

All cities will be laid low and Jerusalem will rise—fitting, seeing as it is from here that Christ will reign.

But this earthquake, will be like no other. It will be flatten the globe and radically alter the topography of the earth.

And those who survive that, will deal with 100 pound hail pieces.

Just to give you perspective—the largest recorded hail was only 2lbs. These will be some colossal and catastrophic pieces of hail.

And still, yet after this, Jesus will meet this assembly army at Armageddon.

Bowl 7—the earth will shake and shift.

Judgement? Yes.

But also preparation for the eternal kingdom

Babylon will fall—a reality we will dig into more next week as we open up chapters 17-18.

The antichrist’s, the dragon’s kingdom will fall. And Christ will rule forevermore.

Conclusion

Church,

Big Idea: Blessed are the repentant ones who eagerly await the coming of the Lord, but woe to the unrepentant ones who reject repentance.

Listen, when you put these judgements together…

It is literally Hell on earth.

No, I mean literally, HELL—On earth.

Pain, sores…

Heat/fire…

Darkness…

Gnashing of teeth…

The little description of Hell that God give us…

Sounds just like this.

God is sampling literal Hell—on earth.

And even this is a mercy…a mercy that they might temporarily feel the wrath of God and repent before they are placed, forever, for an eternity, in it’s irreconcilable path.

They are a call to repentance.

A call that will be ignored and rejected by many.

The judgments of God, and the lack of repentance in the face of them, are the sobering reminder that wrath does not bring to repentance.

Signs do not bring to repentance.

Only grace can.

The judgments remind us that the wrath of God’s holy justice comes at great cost…

And enduring them is never enough to satisfy God’s holy demands.

As many judgements as have fallen, it is not enough to satisfy His holy wrath against their rebellion.

Eternity in Hell still awaits.

This ought to give us a deeper thanksgiving and gratitude for the gift of salvation

Which also happened to come at great cost

Free to us

But at great cost to Jesus, to the Father, to the Spirit.

Blessed are those whose repentance and faith has them eagerly awaiting His coming.

Woe to those who reject it. Who reject Him.

Blessed is the one who eagerly awaits His coming. For this one, clothed and watching, even judgment will be cause for celebration—for the king has come.

Are you eagerly awaiting?

Pray

Application

How can we actively prepare ourselves spiritually to be ready for the Lord's return?

What are the implications of rejecting repentance as described in the sermon?

What role does gratitude for salvation play in our anticipation of the Lord's coming?

What are practical ways you can show that you are eagerly awaiting the Lord's return?

How can you remain vigilant and ready in your faith amidst distractions and challenges?

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Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.