Revelation 16- "It is Done!!"

When we look at Rev 16- we are seeing the unfolding of final events history

The book has given multiple glimpse of judgement from different angles

With the 7th trumpet in Rev 11:15-19- we have God declared as king of the world

Nations are judged , righteous are rewarded

Since then, we have been given a glimpse as how it all came about since the beginning

With Satan trying to subvert Gods plan and even snuff out Jesus

Unsuccessful, he turned all of his forces against the church

He has raised and will continue to raise up mighty opposition to the church and if possible snuff them all out

But in the midst of what looks to be defeat, Chapt 14 emerges and John sees Gods people forever secure with him

Chapt 15 and 16 are connected

15 is the opening of the temple and the final verdict is set in motion and will not stop until all of Gods holy and just plan is complete

Chapt 16- shows us how all that take place

Revelation 16:1 ESV

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.”

Whether is God who is speaking or one of 4 beast around the throne

the command bear the absolute authority of God and the bowls of wrath are unleashed

Revelation 16:2 ESV

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.

Many have made connections to the bowls, seals and trumpets being similar to some of the plagues of Egypt

How God judged Pharoah and the Egyptians and spared his people

This one is similar to the the 6th plague of boils

This came upon all who took the beast mark- those who caved to the pressure and proved themselves unworthy and unfaithful to God

Revelation 16:3 ESV

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.

This is reminds us of the first plague

Can you imagine all oceans to be blood? the smell would be bad enough not to mention the rot of all the dead animals in it

Revelation 16:4 ESV

The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.

Atleast with the previous bowl their was water to drink

Not anymore- All is gone

Rain cycle doesnt occur anymore due to the oceans being blood

All processes are crumbling

Romans 8:22 ESV

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

The long awaited day is here and it will finally be completed

Revelation 16:5–6 ESV

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!”

The angel who is in charge of the waters, Im not absolutely sure who that it is but Rev 14:18 speaks of the angel in charge of fire

Maybe they have control over these elements but regardless their comment is the most important point here

The sound from the angelic being is, “You are holy God!!”

You are right, you are just, this is all the absolutely right things to do

The world rejected, persecuted and killed the church and now they get blood to drink

Its what they deserve

I read this great illustration- I may need to shorten this

Revelation—The Spirit Speaks to the Churches Chapter 28: The Seven Bowls of Wrath (Revelation 16:1–21)

CONSIDER CHRISTMAS FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE. Having created this astonishing universe, he made this earth that is perfectly fitted for human life in every detail. Then he created human beings in his image and likeness, and everything was very good. Think of the gifts he has given us. Life. Five senses. Friendship. Family. Love. And yet if we had the opportunity to murder God and seat ourselves on his throne, we would do it. Every sin we willfully commit is an implicit declaration that we are usurping God’s throne and doing as we please.

How has God responded to those who treat him this way? Instead of crushing the rebellion, he initiated a plan to forgive the rebels. If we were to try to anticipate what God might do to redeem rebellious humanity, none of us would expect him to do it the way he has. God chose to send his Son in the most vulnerable way possible—as an innocent, helpless baby.

If we were to look at God’s timing from a worldly perspective, we might accuse him of parental negligence. He did not arrange for his Son to be born into the world at a time when universal health care was available. He did not plan for it to happen when modern medicine was a possibility. He did not even secure a room in an inn, to say nothing of a hospital.

The Son of God came in the most vulnerable way possible, perhaps in the worst conditions possible, but God pulled it off. The baby lived, even though born without hospitals, doctors, or even a room in the inn.

My wife and I are often struck by the sweet innocence and purity of our young sons. At their young age and in their sheltered lives they are unbesmirched by so much of the world’s filth. But they’re sinners nevertheless. It is difficult to imagine the innocence, purity, honesty, nobility, and wholesomeness of a man who never sinned, ever. I suspect that in our pride most of us would probably find him objectionable, until he loved us in some disarming way.

So God creates this pleasure dome of a world that we live in and gives us more than we could dream of or imagine experiencing. To show our thanks to him, we rebel against him and try to usurp his kingdom. In response God sends a love gift, his Son. Perfect. Innocent. Pure. A little baby who grows to be the most noble, most upright, most loving, most understanding, best human being who has ever lived. To show our gratitude, we crucify him. And then we go on about our business as if nothing significant has happened. We are all like the adulteress described in Proverbs 30:20: “she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong.’ ”

None of us is just like God. None of us is holy like God. But we all know how we would feel and how we would respond if someone treated us the way the world has treated God. We would feel a righteous indignation. Transpose the righteous indignation you would feel into perfect holiness, multiply it by all the sins of all the people who have ever lived or ever will, and we can begin to understand why Revelation 16 is in the Bible.

But not only are the angel declaring Gods justice,

Revelation 16:7 ESV

And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”

The altar says- “You are Lord and you are just!!”

Clearly altars cant speak- but

Revelation 6:9–11 ESV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

So what we see is God finally answering their request not a moment too soon and with the absolute perfect amount of holy wrath

In Gen 15- God makes a promise to Abraham that God will bring his descendants back to the promised land but

Genesis 15:16 ESV

And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

God has set amount of wrath before he unloads

He is longsuffering with people

But in Rev 16- there is not more longsuffering- just suffering that is long, just and fitting of the crime

Revelation 16:8 ESV

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.

In earlier trumpets the sun was affected by not shining but here the suns heat is intensified and unbearable

Sun- 93million miles away- provides a suitable living environment- but no longer the case

Revelation 16:9 ESV

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.

So what we see is what should break hearts only hardens them

They should repent and worship God but instead they curse Him

This is how all man is unless God opens their eyes to see their sin and brokenness

Beloved, as you read this passage may we praise God that He has opened your eyes to see the truth because without it this would/could be us

Revelation 16:10–11 ESV

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 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

With the 5th bowl- the focus is the beast himself and its kingdom

Utter darkness- nothing more unnerving and horrifying

I remember being in cave and they turned off the lights in the tunnel and it was so dark you could feel it

We all had to single file at that point due to narrowness of the path and even though you know the person is literally 1-2 feet from you, your mind says where did they go

Whether this physical blackout, spiritual blackout is guaranteed

Instead of repenting- they just gnaw their tongue in pain and anger

Revelation 16:12–16 ESV

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. 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. 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. (“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!”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

All of Israels enemies would have been form the east- the west is the ocean

So what John see is the rivers dried up so that the Satan can rally his people against Jesus for one last hoorah

He seemingly speaks deception to them and the world follows him as he continues his tricks the day of Lord approaches

Vs 15- is crucial- Jesus interjects this truth at the perfect time

He reminds his people- Im coming like a thief- only know to God but he is coming quickly

So we are left once again with a reminded to persevere to the end and be ready

Vs 16- We have Armageddon mentioned as the place where Satan gathers his forces but thats all we hear

There is no battle- Satan is no match- he is a defeated foe

This isnt some grudge match- its absolute destruction without a word needed to be said

I want to remind you of how the demons begged Jesus to not destroy them or torment them before this day came

And that was in veiled holiness wrapped in human frailty

there is no battle- Jesus has no match

Revelation 16:17–21 ESV

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!” 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. 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. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 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.

Vs 17- the only other time words were uttered was such force and meaning was on the cross when Jesus says “It is finished”

Glimpse of what happened then occur in the end of time

This is the final upheaval

The heavens erupt, the earth quakes and breaks like never before

Hebrews 12:26–29 ESV

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Beloved may we stand in awe of God tonight and evermore

Its grace and grace alone that you are saved

All things pass away but not Gods people

When you get to verse 21- you have huge hailstones raining down on earth but man only curses God because the judgement is finally fitting

Buts that how man is now- everyone wants grace with no responsibility or consequences

However, a day is coming when the long-suffering God is will no suffer sinners no longer

Beloved, he coming like a thief, be ready and be faithful