Revelation Sermon - 38

Revelation: The Seven Bowls Part 1

Revelation 16:10-16

1. Introduction –Today we are going to look at the 5th and 6th bowls. Bowl 6 is pretty popular – and it’s a passage that has been the victim of some creative interpretation.

a. But bowl 5…I think bowl 5 answers a lot of questions for us.

i. Bowl 5 puts a lot of things into perspective for us.

1. Bowl 5 gives us deep insights into why things are the way they are.

b. So, we’re going to take our time things morning – we aren’t going to rush through bowl 5 to quickly get to the battle of Armageddon.

i. We’re going to give the fifth bowl the attention it deserves. We’ll study what it says and what it has to say to us today.

1. And if we understand what the fifth bowl is about, it will help us better understand the sixth bowl – Armageddon.

a. We’re going to study the background of this verse, it’s historical context, then we’ll study what it means… And you may find out it doesn’t mean what you think it does.

2. Bowl 5 – The fifth bowl is actually reminiscent of the fourth trumpet.

a. In chapter 8, when the fourth trumpet was blown, a third of the sun, moon and stars were darkened.

i. Here, at the pouring out of the fifth bowl, we are told that the beast and his kingdom, that is, those who follow and worship the dragon, the beast and the false prophet, they are all plunged into agonizing darkness.

1. We aren’t told what happened in this darkness, but it is painful – perhaps combined with the sores from the first bowl or the result of the scorching heat from the fourth bowl…

a. But there was grinding of teeth – and people cursed God because of their pain.

b. And while there are echoes of the fourth trumpet here – this bowl is more similar to the 9th Egyptian plague.

i. Remember, a lot of these judgments are modeled after the plagues God unleashed on Egypt before Israel was freed from slavery.

1. There’s a reason for that, because throughout the book of Revelation there are undertones of a new exodus.

a. Here, the plagues are unleashed as God once again prepares his people for another exodus…

i. Not from Egypt to the Promised Land, but from this life into the next life…

1. From this creation into a new creation.

c. And if you know the story of the Exodus, you know that with each successive plague, whether it was frogs or gnats, or boils, or livestock dying or crops being destroyed…or darkness, you know that with each plague Pharaoh’s heart was hardened…

i. He refused to acknowledge his own sinfulness, he refused to repent, he refused to acknowledge YHWH’s power, and he refused to let God’s people go.

1. And here in Revelation 16, the bowl of darkness has the same affect.

a. As the plagues are poured out, we’re told by a common refrain that people cursed God. They do not repent of their evil deeds.

d. Much like Pharaoh of old, when confronted with the power and majesty and judgment of God – some choose to focus on their own plight instead of their sin towards God.

3. Like Today – And this is where the fifth bowl gives us some insight into our world today.

a. People who refuse to repent and determined NOT to recognize any connection between a life that displeases God and the pains and sores that follow.

i. So, why is our world the way it is? Because God has made himself clearly know. He has revealed himself through creation, through his written world, and through his Son Jesus.

1. He has made known his ways and his commands…and people still refuse to repent.

b. So, God pours judgment out on the world. And while some repent as a result of that judgment, there are others who still refuse.

i. God pours out a little more judgment, one third this time, and while some repent, there are still those who refuse…

1. And we see this pattern repeated until God fully and finally pours out his righteous wrath on all who refuse to repent.

a. We live in a world that is actively living against the ways of God. Immorality is rampant throughout our world – God’s natural plan for humanity is being rejected, and people are praised as heroes and courageous when they directly go against the ways of God.

c. And as a result of rampant sin, God pours out his judgment. And instead of turning to in repentance as that judgment is poured out – instead they defiance, they curse God and refuse to repent.

i. Even though God has made himself clearly and plainly known – people still go their own way…

1. And God, as Paul writes in Romans 1, God gives them over to the object of their desires.

a. The world trades natural relations for unnatural ones…and celebrates it when it happens.

i. God gives them over to a depraved mind.

d. And what we have to realize is that there is still time to repent. Today can be the day of salvation…but time the time for repentance is quickly coming to an end.

i. Why is the world messed up? Because of sin, because even though God is clearly making himself known, even though God is already pouring his judgment out as wake up calls…

1. Some are impervious both to the goodness and the severity of God.

e. This warns us that people become like the object they worship.

i. Those who worship God – seek to obey his commands and seek to live a righteous life.

1. Those who worship the beast, become like the beast, take on the characteristics of the beast,

a. And like the beast, those who worship the beast live defiantly in the face of God’s existence.

4. Sixth Bowl – And because of what we looked at in the 5th bowl, the content of the sixth bowl shouldn’t surprise us at all.

a. And when this bowl is poured out, for the first time in these judgment sequences, we see evil actively reacting against God.

i. There’s a lot going on in this bowl, a lot we have to figure out before we can even talk about Armageddon.

b. First, notice that like the 6th trumpet we studied in the spring, in the 6th bowl the Euphrates River is involved.

i. In the 6th trumpet a demonic cavalry was unleased from the east and 1/3 of the world’s population was destroyed.

1. Here, in the 6th bowl, John sees the river dry up, so kings and their armies can march unimpeded.

a. Admittedly, there’s a lot going on here. A lot of symbolism, a lot of historical context that we have to grasp in order to properly understand what John is seeing.

i. Remember that the Euphrates River was the eastern most border of ancient Israel, and was the eastern most border of the Roman Empire of John’s day.

1. On the other side of the river lived the much feared and unconquerable Parthians.

c. For a few minutes I want us to focus on what John sees here. The river dries up. Think of the times throughout the Bible when water dries up.

i. In most scenes, there a common theme – the drying up of water was an act of God’s intervention in order to advance the cause of his people.

1. Think about it – the Israelites are trapped at the Red Sea – the Egyptian army is charging at them…what happens?

a. God opens the sea and their exodus is secured.

ii. 40 years later, Israel, now under Joshua’s leadership is camped on the banks of the Jordan river…

1. They are ready to take possession of the Promised Land, but the river stands in their way…

a. What happens? The river dries up, the people cross and the conquest begins.

d. Later on, in Israel’s history, the Euphrates river is dried up through an amazing feat of science.

i. When Cyrus and his Persian army were expanding their territory, they came to the Babylon, but found the city with its walls impenetrable.

1. But Cyrus exposed Babylon’s one weakness, it was built over top of the Euphrates River.

a. So upstream, Cyrus and his men dammed the river, diverted its flow and the river downstream dried up.

i. And the dry riverbed because a highway for Cyrus and his army to march on, march under the walls of Babylon and capture the city.

ii. And it was Cyrus the Great who declared that God’s people could return to Jerusalem thus ending their 70 years of exile in Babylon.

1. But this example here seems to be the antithesis to all those examples. Instead of advancing the cause of God’s people, the drying up the Euphrates in Revelation 16 allows the armies of the world to march against God’s people.

a. However, we’ll see that these armies are deceived and are actually marching toward their own destruction. Thus once again advance the cause of God’s people. More on that later today and in later weeks.

5. Frogs – Next, what’s the deal with the frogs? I want to quickly look at this, otherwise we won’t have time to look at Armageddon.

a. Four quick points to understand what is going on here. Frogs were connected with plagues. Again, remember Egypt was plagues by frogs before Israel was freed from captivity.

i. Frogs were considered unclean creatures.

1. Frogs are famous for their incessant but meaningless and harmless croaking.

a. And in the ancient world, frogs were considered to be the bringers of the power of darkness.

b. So to say that frogs came out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet is to say that their words were like plagues… Their words were unclean… Their words were empty and futile… And their words brought forth the power of darkness.

i. But instead of seeing the words for what they are, the rulers of the world – those who claim allegiance to the dragon, the beast and the false prophet… instead of seeing their words as deception, they instead gather for battle at the summons of this unholy trinity.

6. Armageddon – And they gather at a place called Armageddon. Now a few things about this location and this battle we have to sort out.

a. First, there is no place in the Middle East called Armageddon. This word is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word Har – Megiddo. The means Mount Megiddo.

i. Har is the Hebrew words of mount and Megiddo was a fortified city overlooking the plain of Jezreel.

1. And what we have to know about Megiddo and specifically the plain of Jezreel where Megiddo is location is that it was THE battlefield for ancient Israel.

a. If ancient Israel was involved in a battle, it most likely took place in the plain of Jezreel – at Megiddo, at Har-Megiddo.

b. On one side of the plain stood Mount Tabor – from which Deborah and Barak launched their assault on the Canaanites.

i. On this plain, Gideon and his men blew their trumpets and shined their lanterns and overthrew the Midianites.

1. On the other side of this plain stood Mount Gilboa, on which King Saul was killed by the Philistines. Behind the fortified city of Megiddo stood Mount Carmel – where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal in an epic showdown.

a. It was at this place, Har-Megiddo, that King Josiah was died in battle against Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, thus weaking Judah, eventually leading to their capture by the Babylonians. It was THE battlefield in the ancient world…

ii. So it is altogether appropriate that Megiddo should symbolize the location of the final battle between good and evil.

c. Some scholars take this literally – meaning that literal armies will much from across the Euphrates and a literal battle will take place at a place called Armageddon – in which all the armies of the world will unite.

i. But this interpretation doesn’t fit the symbolic nature of Revelation. First, the Euphrates doesn’t hold that much importance in the modern world.

1. And as good of a location as Megiddo was for ancient warfare – it is so small by modern standards that it couldn’t even hold a single modern military formation – much less the combined armies of the world.

d. What happens here in Revelation 16 is ancient Israel’s association with Har-Megiddo has become a type – a symbol of the last battle against Jesus and his people – a battle that will take place throughout the whole earth.

i. And while Armageddon is a type -a symbol it does depict real future events.

1. Don’t get me wrong – the forces of evil will attack the people God. In some ways it is already happening.

a. The Bible is abundantly clear that there will be a final conflict between good and evil.

i. But Revelation doesn’t depict this happening on a literal battlefield at one particular time.

1. Armageddon is a symbol – a type. Using an ancient battlefield, where Israel once experienced their most humiliating defeat – and turning it into a place of victory.

e. Much has been made of the Battle of Armageddon, but what we find out later in Revelation is that the battle is never actually fought.

i. Sure, the forces evil ramp up their persecution and attacks against God, but in the final days, when the conflict has reached its highest…Jesus shows up and the whole thing is over.

1. In a nanosecond, this supposed battle of Armageddon is over as Christ swoops in to rescue his people.

7. As Promised – And that’s exactly what Jesus promised to do here in the sixth bowl. His message to John and to his church was so important that he interrupted John’s vision to bring it himself.

a. People could get a little anxious, hearing of marching armies and persecution against God’s people…

i. But Jesus interrupts with words of comfort and exhortation.

1. I will come, Jesus said…I will rescue you.

a. It kinda reminds of Gandalf in the Two Towers – as the battle of Helm’s Deep is raging on – as it looks like good will be defeated by evil – Aragon remembers Gandalf’s words…

i. Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day – at dawn, look to the east.

1. And in the move deliverance came.

b. Jesus promises to rescue his people…at their darkest hour, when the pressure is at its highest, when the world seems to bear bearing down on us – Jesus promises deliverances.

i. But he also warns about preparedness

8. Application – And Jesus’ words bring us to a natural conclusion and 2 natural points of application.

a. Understand that persecution should bring anticipation not despair.

i. The Bible is quite clear that the world will get worse and worse and it will get harder and harder to be a Christian…but God’s people will ultimately be delivered.

1. And while things are getting worse and worse, we should realize that means we’re getting close and closer to the end of history – to the time of Christ’s return.

b. But that also means we must be ready for his return. Until the day of his return our mission is to spread the gospel to as many people as we possibly can. While we are still on earth, there is still time for others to come to Christ.

i. We can fall into a laziness trap, we can’t fall into the trap that Jesus’ coming ‘is still a long way off.’

1. We must be ready, living out calling as God’s people, sharing message of his grace, being a godly example to the people around us – and standing apart in our attitude, our actions and morals from the people of this world.

a. This is our calling until time runs out.