The 7 Bowls of Wrath
Revelation 16:1-21
March 12, 2017
Last time we met we saw the arrival of seven angels who had 7 plagues.
And we were told that in these plagues “the wrath of God is finished”
Literally, “the THUMOS of God is TELEO”
God’s rage is paid in full.
And we saw heaven’s response to the arrival of these 7 angels s.
Well this morning we see that rage spilled out.
This is where God actually begins to flog humanity.
And the very reality here that we are witnessing
Only emphasizes the other warnings of the New Testament.
Jesus said:
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
You may be familiar with the famous puritan preacher Jonathon Edwards.
Widely regarded as perhaps the greatest theological mind America ever produced.
His most famous sermon is one entitled: Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God
“There is no Want of Power in God to cast wicked Men into Hell at any Moment. Men’s Hands can’t be strong when God rises up: The strongest have no Power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his Hands. He is not only able to cast wicked Men into Hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly Prince meets with a great deal of Difficulty to subdue a Rebel, that has found Means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the Numbers of his Followers. But it is not so with God. There is no Fortress that is any Defense from the Power of God. Tho’ Hand join in Hand, and vast Multitudes of God’s Enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in Pieces: They are as great Heaps of light Chaff before the Whirlwind; or large Quantities of dry Stubble before devouring Flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a Worm that we see crawling on the Earth; so ‘tis easy for us to cut or singe a slender Thread that any Thing hangs by; thus easy is it for God when he pleases to cast his Enemies down to Hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose Rebuke the Earth trembles, and before whom the Rocks are thrown down?
The wrath of God is no laughing matter.
And this morning we are reminded that God’s wrath is also NOT A MYTH.
I want to begin by telling you what you are about to see.
First – You are going to witness 7 terribly awful plagues (blows) on humanity.
They read pretty simple, but to spend any time at all pondering them
Will certainly cause you to shudder.
Second – You will undoubtedly notice a rather strange and obstinate response to this wrath,
And it is this I want to address from the beginning.
3 times we will see that the recipients of God’s wrath will “blaspheme” God for it.
2 times we will see that these same people “did not repent”
And it almost sounds like we are dealing here
With a group of people who are exceptionally strong.
A group who are able to resist God’s wrath and survive His torment.
THAT IS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENING
(and I want you to understand that)
TURN TO: Exodus 7
In Exodus 7 we have the beginning of Moses’ dealing with Pharaoh
As God has sent him to rescue the Israelites from bondage.
It is very important that you understand the intention of God in all of this.
READ: EXODUS 7:1-5
So do you see that before Pharaoh was ever even approached that God had already decided to harden his heart?
God predetermined to make Pharaoh obstinate and resistant.
Why?
So that God could demonstrate His power
In the unleashing of all the plagues.
If Pharaoh had repented after the first one, then the world would have never understood the truly magnificent power of God.
I realize this idea flies in the face of many people’s view of “justice” and it totally obliterates this notion of “free will”, but we must agree that the Bible says what it says.
God has determined to unleash plagues on Egypt
By which His great power will be manifested
And He will do that by hardening Pharaoh.
Let me show you.
In Exodus 7:8-12, Moses performs that sign of turning his staff into a serpent.
Exodus 7:13 “Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.”
In Exodus 7:14-21, Moses turns the Nile to blood.
Exodus 7:22 “But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.”
In Exodus 8:1-14, we see the plague of frogs
Exodus 8:15 “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.”
In Exodus 8:16-18 we see the plague of gnats
Exodus 8:19 “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.”
In Exodus 8:20-31 we see the plague of flies
Exodus 8:32 “But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.”
In Exodus 9:1-6 we see the deadly pestilence
Exodus 9:7 “Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”
In Exodus 9:8-11 we see the plague of boils
Exodus 9:12 “And the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.”
In Exodus 9:13-33 we see the plague of hail
Exodus 9:34-35 “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.”
And just in case you’re missing the point, God clarifies it again.
Exodus 10:1-2 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”
Then in Exodus 10:3-19 we see the plague of locusts
Exodus 10:20 “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.”
In Exodus 10:21-26 we see the plague of darkness
Exodus 10:27 “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.”
And again we are given some clarity.
Exodus 11:9-10 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”
And then in Exodus 12:29 we see the final plague which is the death of the firstborn.
And Pharaoh consents!!!
Exodus 12:30-33 “Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the LORD, as you have said. “Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.” The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.”
However, once the children of Israel leave:
Exodus 14:5-8 “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.”
And then you know the story, Israel is trapped at the Red Sea
And the Egyptians are approaching.
Exodus 14:15-18 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. “As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. “Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
Do you see what was happening in that story?
God was judging Pharaoh and hardening him at the same time
That He might continue to judge Him.
Pharaoh wasn’t resisting God, Pharaoh was being used by God.
For what purpose? TO DISPLAY HIS POWER.
Romans 9:17 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
You get the idea there
WELL, IT IS THE SAME HERE.
These men on earth are not stronger than God,
God is demonstrating His power and wrath through them.
Why would God do that?
TO BRING HIMSELF GLORY
Did we not read it last week?
Revelation 15:3-4 “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”
It is something that we must understand.
God will be glorified either in the salvation of sinners,
Or in the judgment of them. But God will be glorified either way.
Isaiah 5:16 “But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.”
So, what we are seeing here is
God flogging humanity, just as He did Egypt,
To the end that He may be exalted in judgment.
Look at verse 1.
“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “God and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
It wasn’t an idle threat.
Those seven angels aren’t just for show.
God is actually doing it.
So let’s look at these judgments together.
#1 WE SEE THE SUFFERER
Revelation 16:2
Look at the particulars of what this bowl of wrath brought to the earth.
“a loathsome and malignant sore”
The first thing God does is pour out on people some sort of plague
By which their entire body breaks out with boils and sores.
It is the same word used to describe the beggar Lazarus.
Luke 16:21 “and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.”
This same sort of thing is also pictured in the book of Job.
Job 2:7-8, 11-12 “Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes…Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.”
There we find that not only were the boils miserable,
They actually made Job somewhat unrecognizable.
This is awful to say the least.
But what you really need to recognize is who received this sores.
“the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.”
After all, they had been warned.
Revelation 14:9-12 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
It’s no wonder John told us to count the cost of taking that mark.
You won’t like what comes with it.
Here are people who’d been warned by God not to take that mark,
And they ignored God and did it anyway.
And now they are paying for that decision.
Let that be a reminder that you cannot ignore the warnings of God forever
And expect that nothing will come of it.
Romans 2:4-6 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”
Those who rejected God’s truth are here receiving His wrath.
The Sufferer
#2 WE SEE THE SATISFACTION
Revelation 16:3-7
“sea…became blood, like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.”
The same happened to “the rivers and the springs of waters;”
So just about the time earth gets afflicted with horrendous sores,
Now they don’t even have the means to treat them.
It was certainly miraculous when Jesus turned water into wine,
It will be just as miraculous when He turns water into blood.
This already indicates to us that we must be near the end,
For humanity won’t last long on the earth
Now that the water supply has been totally removed.
I tend to think all of these plagues are poured out in about a week’s time.
God is just pounding humanity with blow after blow after blow.
But we also see that here in the midst of this awful moment,
Heaven has another response.
(5-7) “And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
Heaven unanimously says that this is totally fitting!
And all those who are below the altar who had for so long cried out
That God would avenge their blood on the earth
Are now totally satisfied with what God has done.
And they cry out:
• “Righteous are You”
• “They deserve it”
• “True and righteous are Your judgments”
There is another commonly overlooked reality about judgment.
SINNERS DESERVE IT
Listen, any time the creature openly and willingly defies the Creator,
The one who was created deserves to be destroyed.
You are probably familiar with Jeremiah’s potter analogy:
Jeremiah 18:6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.”
But are you familiar with what became of that clay pot?
TURN TO: JEREMIAH 19:1-13
“Topheth” by the way was the city dump.
If a pot won’t do what a pot was made to do,
It has no purpose and can only expect to be destroyed and discarded.
And this is true for humanity.
• We are all created beings who must answer to the One who created us.
• If we offend or ignore that Creator we can most certainly expect that
there will be repercussions.
When God judges sinners it isn’t wrong, it isn’t even regrettable.
IT IS JUST
And heaven is totally satisfied with what God is doing here.
The Sufferers, The Satisfaction
#3 WE SEE THE SUFFERING
Revelation 16:8-11
Without a doubt we’ve already seen quite a bit of suffering.
• The sores are certainly terrible.
• The loss of all water is certainly terrible.
• The dead marine life stinking up the shore is certainly terrible.
But just in case you fail to grasp how awful this all is,
These next two plagues seem to make the point.
• God commands the sun to “scorch men with fire”
• And then God does something to “the throne of the beast” that darkens it
And whatever it is, it causes extreme pain.
Because men “gnawed their tongues because of pain.”
And “pain” IS THE POINT.
God is punishing sinners.
Sometimes my kids get spankings.
(It’s an old Indian trick I picked up from my dad)
One time when Zech was due, he said, “But it’s gonna hurt!”
I just said, “If everything goes according to plan it will.”
That’s the point!
If it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t punishment.
Here it is pain…on purpose!
And humanity should not be shocked at this.
Jesus told us over and over that there would be.
Matthew 8:12 “but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:42 “and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:50 “and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 22:13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew 24:51 “and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I mean what did you think He meant when He said,
“weeping and gnashing of teeth”?
Yet many today are quickly abandoning this entire idea of
The doctrine of eternal punishment.
Perhaps you’ve seen or heard a little about the new “Christian” movie out.
It’s called “The Shack”, maybe you’ve read the book. (20 million people have)
The whole premise of the book is
To highlight God’s tremendous love for us.
The problem is by trying to elevate God’s love,
The writer actually totally misrepresents God in other ways.
On pg. 120 the figure who supposedly portrays God, The Father says:
“I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.”
As Al Mohler pointed out:
“The idea that sin is merely “its own punishment” fits the Easter concept of karma, but not the Christian gospel.”
But that view portrayed in The Shack is hardly new.
Universalism is a common view because people have refused to believe
That God could or would ever inflict pain on sinners.
Many have stated that inflicting severe pain just doesn’t sound like God.
WELL, IT IS GOD.
God does and God will inflict pain on sinful humanity.
SINNERS WILL SUFFER – IT IS JUST!
Beyond that,
We see that reality I told you about at the beginning of the sermon.
These who are suffering are not repenting and they continue to blaspheme God.
That only goes farther in proving that this pain is warranted.
The Sufferers, The Satisfaction, The Suffering
#4 WE SEE THE SOVEREIGNTY
Romans 16:12-16
Do you see just how in control God is here?
This judgment probably seems like a little bit of a relief
Since all that happened was one of the rivers of blood how dried up.
But we are told that God did that “so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.”
God opened a door for people to travel through.
And then God simply let Satan do what Satan does, which is lie to people.
(13-14) “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 spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.”
You remember that blood bath we read about a couple of weeks ago
When the wine press was trampled.
Well here is how God brought all the grapes to the press.
He is gathering them all together.
The irony here is that God is in such control that
All He had to do was dry up one river and the enemy did the rest.
God is using Satan.
THAT IS WHAT WE CALL PROVIDENCE
God let’s men (even Satan) do whatever they want, and at the end of the day they end up doing exactly what God determined.
And all of these people were gathered “to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.”
That’s going to prove to be a mistake!
But also here we find another warning to the reader.
(15) (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”)
This is a warning to be prepared.
Remember what Jesus taught us?
Matthew 24:36-44 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
You had better be prepared because this day is coming.
The Sovereign God has determined it.
It would be foolish not to be ready for it.
The Sufferers, The Satisfaction, The Suffering, The Sovereignty
#5 WE SEE THE STATEMENT
Revelation 16:17-21
As soon as this seventh bowl is poured out God says, “It is done.”
It is the Greek word “GINOMAI”
It literally means “to come into being” or “to happen” or “to become”
And I think this is a word that
God has been waiting to speak for generations.
• It wasn’t long after creation that God was so disgusted with humanity that He flooded the entire world with judgment.
• Not long after that He rained down fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness.
We’ve seen Him destroy nations, bring judgment time after time after time
AND YET STILL HUMANITY SEEMS BENT ON BELIEVING
THAT THE THREAT OF JUDGMENT IS A MYTH.
Peter even wrote in his second epistle:
2 Peter 3:3-4 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
• People will doubt the reality of judgment.
• People will write books like “The Shack” in which they will insinuate that judgment is a mere myth.
• “God won’t do it!”
• “A loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell”
That is why I think this statement is so fitting.
• After opening seven seals and inflicting judgment on the world…
• Then after blasting seven trumpets and inflicting judgment on the world…
• And then after pouring out seven bowls of wrath on the world…
God’s first words were:
“I DID IT!” – “IT HAPPENED!”
“It is done.”
So much for all those mockers who said judgment was a myth.
And then God wrecked the earth one more time.
• He shook the earth like it has never been shaken, and ripped Jerusalem into 3 parts.
• He annihilated every island and mountain.
• And then He pelted humanity with 100lb hail stones.
Judgment is not a myth.
Judgment is the predetermined and justified act of a holy and sovereign God to demonstrate His power and bring Himself glory by crushing all of His creation which had rebelled against Him.
Now friend you can just stick your head in the sand
And act like judgment won’t actually come.
But that is a foolish decision.
So what is the answer?
Romans 5:6-10 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
The answer for the holy wrath of God has always been the cross.
God does not demonstrate His love by doing away with judgment.
God demonstrates His love by pouring that judgment out on His own Son.
And through that redemptive work of the cross
Those who are God’s enemies by reason of their rebellion
Can be forgiven and become God’s children.
That is how you escape wrath…through the perfect work of Christ.
Scripture has commanded us to repent of our sin,
And to place our trust in the atoning work of Christ
And “we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Don’t ignore the promise of judgment,
Let the promise of judgment motivate you to run to Jesus.
For on this day, all those who didn’t will pay for it severely.
