10-6-2019 Vengeful Bowling Revelation 16
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Introduction:
I like bowling! I don’t know why exactly, but I do. It is not like I am very good at it, but I find it satisfying. Perhaps there’s something to throwing this big heavy ball down an ally to gain momentum before smacking into all these pins and making them come crashing down. Maybe it’s the sound at first of the bowling ball charging down the alley building suspense and then the fast crackling sound of all the pins falling. Or perhaps it is seeing these nice neat orderly set pins explode into chaos in an instant.
Maybe this could be a picture of God’s kind of bowling. In our passage this morning, we find angels who go bowling but instead of a heavy ball, it is with heavy plagues that swift destruction comes.
Transition:
Last week we saw a pause, angel’s assignments, and worship in heaven. Following the introduction of the bowl judgments in chapter 15, today’s chapter 16 provides details about each of the seven last plagues. Today we begin to examine the destruction of this Earth-- This is done by a just a righteous God to Earth dwellers who won’t repent.
Scripture Reading:
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.
When viewed alongside the previous trumpet judgments, the differences are few and the similarities many--both the trumpet and the bowl plagues are patterned after the Egyptian plagues. However, there are still differences. While the trumpets kill a third of humanity, the bowls bring total destruction. We are told in v.9 that God has control over the plagues. In v.1, the temple voice of YHWH initiates the plagues, while in v.17 the voice from the throne completes them.
With the pouring out of the seventh bowl, God gives Babylon the Great the cup filled with the wine of his wrath, but the details of Babylon’s downfall await chapters 17 & 18.
In vv.5–7 A brief break comes to announce that God judges as one who is “just and true,” reflecting the principle known as "the law of retribution.” In other words, God “will repay each of us according to our deeds” (2:23). This theme runs through the Old Testament (e.g., Psalm 62:12]]
and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
and the New Testament [[Rom. 2:6]],
He will render to each one according to his works:
and it surfaces repeatedly in Revelation, with reference to both believers and unbelievers. Throughout the Scriptures, God “remembers” and repays accordingly
Transition:
So John hears a voice giving specific orders in verse one to commence bowling. John records the start of the game of divine bowling:
I. Three strikes is a Turkey (vv.2-4)
I. Three strikes is a Turkey (vv.2-4)
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.
You can see the similarity between the 1st, 6th, & 7th Egyptian plagues in these first three bowls (some translations say vials)
The first three bowls are focused on those who worshiped the beast and took his mark. The significance of turning the water sources into blood is clarified in verses 5–7. Those who worshiped the beast are being judged for the martyrs’ blood, with which judgment the heavenly martyrs under the altar agree (6:9). Since such vengeance was expected for the earth dwellers, the beast worshipers and the earth dwellers are the same group.
Illustration:
Transition:
This is the just suffering of those who have disobeyed God
II. Bowling for 300 (vv.5-7)
II. Bowling for 300 (vv.5-7)
Here is John’s literary break in the series of bowl judgments to comment on the reason and the goal of these plagues
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!”
Between the third and fourth bowl we encounter a spontaneous hymn of praise celebrating God’s justice and bringing comfort to those who have suffered. In spite of the severe judgments, God is holy, eternal, just, and true. Those who have shed the blood of God’s holy people are now made to drink a judgment of blood. The law of retribution appears throughout Revelation, but perhaps nowhere with more force and clarity than here. The altar, no doubt including the martyrs of chapter 6, responds with an affirmation of God’s character and sovereignty.
Illustration:
Transition:
III. Bad Rack, Good Flush (vv.8-21)
III. Bad Rack, Good Flush (vv.8-21)
In bowling, a bad rack is misaligned pins and a good flush is a solid, on target hit.
The fourth bowl intensifies the heat of the sun, but the ungodly fail to repent and glorify God; rather, they harden their hearts as Pharaoh had done and curse God —therefore, they are the “bad rack”
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.
we are told that the ungodly respond to these divine judgments by refusing to repent of their evil deeds, including their demon worship, idolatry, murder, magic arts, sexual immorality, deception, and theft. In spite of the judgments, they refuse to change their thinking or alter their lifestyles. They never accept responsibility for their own sinfulness but curse or blaspheme God instead. In spite of the severe suffering, symbolized by the gnawing of their tongues (v. 10), there is no hint of humility, much less repentance or submission in worship.
Even under the judgment of the most intense heat and darkness, the beast worshipers will not respond positively to the eternal gospel. They will not repent or glorify God
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.
This second to last judgment begins with the removal of the barrier between God’s people and their enemies, the “great river Euphrates.” The “kings from the East” (16:12) and the “kings of the whole world” (16:14) represent pagan political powers allied with the beast. The likely background is Ezekiel 38–39, where Gog and Magog depict enemies who war against God’s people. The counterfeit trinity speaks forth demonic spirits resembling frogs that perform miraculous signs aimed at assembling the kings for battle. The repetition of “mouth” indicates that their chief weapon is not military in nature, but demon-inspired rhetoric and propaganda that deceives.
(“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!”)
This “parenthesis” provides the central spiritual message for us—in light of the coming battle, Christians should remain faithful and resist compromise. Nakedness symbolizes shame, guilt, and liability to judgment.
Jesus has repeatedly warned his disciples (and by extension: us) to stay alert because his return would occur suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief in the middle of the night.
Illustration:
We better stay awake!
Human Experience: Have you ever hit the snooze button on your alarm clock, let your eye open a millimeter to check the time, and realized you must have hit that button more times than you realized? Suddenly, you move from drowsy awareness to jump-out-of-bed alertness because you’re late! How often do we exist in that hit-the-snooze-button-one-more-time state of existence when it comes to our readiness to do kingdom work?
And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
They are to gather at “Armageddon” (v.16) for the “battle on the great day of God Almighty”. Since Megiddo was the location of important ancient battles, “Armageddon” came to represent a specific geographical location of the final battle between YHWH and the forces of evil.
The seventh bowl brings history to a close.
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.
YHWH’s voice from the temple declares that his purposes of salvation and judgment have been accomplished: “It is done!” As with the seals and the trumpets, the storm theophany concludes the bowl judgments, yet with utmost severity.
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.
Babylon the Great represents any great center of pagan power and certainly represented Rome in the first century . God’s splitting of the city into thirds and the resulting collapse of the nations demonstrate its complete destruction.
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.
So What?
So What?
So there are NO sleeper pins in this game!
In addition to reminding us that God judges evil, the bowl judgments also speak powerfully to those who profess Christ.
1. Christians should be prepared for Christ’s imminent return.
1. Christians should be prepared for Christ’s imminent return.
While Jesus’s statement in v.15 might seem a bit out of place at first glance, it actually gets to the heart of the matter for John’s audience. As we will see in chapters 17–18, Babylon, with its political momentum and economic security, has the power to lull us to sleep spiritually. Jesus intrudes to shock us out of our slumber and warn us that his return will be sudden and unexpected. Most interestingly, in this third of seven beatitudes in Revelation, Jesus blesses the individual (“the one”) who stays awake and remains clothed. “the great eschatological battle turns out to be an individual spiritual battle.” In Jesus’s words, he warns his followers to stay alert and remain watchful (e.g., Matt. 24:4, 42, 44; 25:13).
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
In the parables that conclude the discourse in the Gospel of Matthew, he defines watchfulness as faithfulness. To stay alert means to stay focused on doing what God has told us to do. This Revelation passage offers a prime opportunity to help people discern what is most important when applying prophetic-portions of Scripture.
2. How people respond to judgment reveals the condition of their hearts.
2. How people respond to judgment reveals the condition of their hearts.
Although these judgments are brought against unbelievers, we can still learn from their negative example about how not to respond to spiritual discipline. At the end of the trumpet judgments people refuse to repent, and at the conclusion to the bowls they curse God three times. The ungodly respond to judgment not by humbling themselves, changing their ways, and crying out for mercy but by blaming, even cursing, God. Although the beast cannot sever the bond between God and His child—even when we curse, we have God’s name on our lips—satan can so warp the child that it hates the Father.” The way a person responds to perceived discipline reveals the condition of their heart. Sadly, some people who claim to be Christians regularly respond by refusing to repent and consistently blaming God and God’s people, when what is needed is a humble acceptance of personal responsibility and repentance.
Illustration:
YHWH looks for humble, contrite hearts
Bees are hardwired to like certain colors and not others. In fact, scientists suggest that people who are nervous about being stung should be careful about what colors they wear. Darker colors will tend to repel, lighter colors, to attract. In a similar way, our God is attracted to humble hearts. His eyes are drawn to those who see, love, and fear him!
Conclusion:
Because God is just and true, he will judge those who persecute his people.
Christians should be prepared for Christ’s imminent return.
The ungodly respond to judgment not by crying out for mercy but by cursing God in unrepentant defiance.
God will defeat the unholy trinity and the pagan powers at the epic eschatological battle in preparation for the last judgment.
-- Where are we in this?
-- Will we repent?
-- Will we live only for ourselves?