God’s Rage
Revelation 15:1-8
March 5, 2017
For the last several weeks we have actually been looking at
A parenthetical section here in the book of the Revelation.
It was a section meant to reveal that despite the efforts and rage of the enemy,
Nothing could keep Christ from returning, from destroying His enemies,
Or from establishing His reign upon the earth.
Jesus wins!
But now, having completed that section, we now return to
The chronological flow of the events during the tribulation.
You’ll remember that back in chapter 5 we saw that the One on the throne
Was holding a scroll, sealed up with 7 Seals (The title deed to the earth.)
We then saw the Lamb take that scroll and begin to open it,
And with each seal opened a new judgment fell upon the earth.
• The first seal brought false peace
• The second seal brought world war
• The third seal brought famine
• The fourth seal brought death
• The fifth seal incited God’s vengeance as we saw the martyrs below the altar
• The sixth seal was described as a mighty earthquake which even caused the
sky to roll back like a scroll.
• The seventh seal ushered in 7 angels with 7 trumpets
• The first trumpet saw a third of the earth burned up
• The second trumpet saw a third of the sea turned to blood
• The third trumpet saw a third of the fresh water turned bitter
• The fourth trumpet saw a third of the sun, moon, and stars struck
• The fifth angel saw the release of a demonic army (locusts)
• The sixth angel saw the release of 100 million man demonic death army
• When the seventh angel sounded all we heard was the pep rally and
announcement that Jesus would reign, but before we saw the effects of
that sounding we entered the parenthetical section which we have been
recently studying.
Well now we pick back up and we see the effects of that 7th trumpet.
(1) “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.”
So just as the opening of the seventh seal brought forth 7 trumpets, so also the sounding of the 7th trumpet brings in 7 angels with 7 plagues.
And these plagues are said to be the “last”
For in them “the wrath of God is finished.”
We are now very near the end of the 7 year period,
And we are about to see the final culmination of God’s wrath here.
However, before we move on we need to have a little conversation here
About “wrath” to help you understand what you are seeing.
In the Bible there are actually two different Greek words
That are both commonly translated as “wrath”.
One is ORGE (ar-gay) and the other is THUMOS
ORGE is a deep seeded, seething, fuming anger which is bent on revenge.
It is unrelenting, but may not always be immediately apparent even though it is. You may not see it, but it is there, and it hasn’t forgotten, revenge must be had.
THUMOS is the knee-jerk explosion.
It flairs up quickly and passionately and even at times violently but may also pass away fairly quickly too.
If you were looking for other words to translate these two,
You might do it like this.
ORGE would be “seething anger”
THUMOS would be “passionate rage”
NOW…
Most of the time in N.T. God’s wrath is the ORGE type of wrath.
Matthew 3:7 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Ephesians 2:3 “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
And there are many others, but you get the idea.
• We are talking about God’s eternal seething anger toward sinners, and the vengeance that He most certainly will take on them.
• His anger may not always be readily visible, but rest assured it is there and it is coming.
• This wrath will be delivered for all eternity in hell.
Incidentally, it is also this ORGE wrath which Jesus Christ fully bore on behalf of the elect on the cross so that we might be saved.
And after Jesus drank this cup of God’s wrath, He said, “It is finished!” (that is, “paid in full”).
Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
We learn that God had “passed over” the sins previously committed.
He hadn’t forgotten them and to be certain He was still angry about them,
He had just thus far delayed in dealing with them. God’s ORGE was there.
But on the cross Jesus drank that cup, He bore that “wrath”,
He took God’s ORGE on behalf of the elect who place their faith in Him.
BUT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ORGE WRATH IS.
(God’s eternal wrath on sinners)
Now, also in the New Testament when THUMOS is used,
Most of the time it refers to the anger of man. It is that fit of rage.
Galatians 5:19-20 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,”
Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
It was the rage of Jesus’ hometown when He confronted their sin.
Luke 4:28-29 “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.”
It was also the rage of the Devil after he was permanently removed from heaven.
Revelation 12:12 “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
So when we see God’s wrath we are almost always looking at ORGE
And when we see man’s wrath we are almost always looking at THUMOS
In fact, outside of the book of the Revelation,
THUMOS is only used to describe God’s wrath 1 time.
(and there both words are used)
Romans 2:8 “but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.”
That is they will receive ORGE & THUMOS
So while the New Testament (outside of the Revelation) does not mention GOD’S THUMOS we know according to Paul that it IS COMING.
Well, that day is clearly during the tribulation.
For the book of the Revelation speaks of God’s THUMOS over and over.
(14:10, 14:19, 15:1, 15:7, 16:1)
And most commonly God’s THUMOS is used in conjunction with
These 7 plagues or bowl judgments which we are now looking at.
I point this out to you because I want you to understand:
• The wrath we are about to see is not the slow, patient, long-lasting
wrath of God. It is not the ORGE.
That wrath is certainly still present and will be seen again
For all eternity in the lake of fire
• But the wrath we see here is God in a fit of rage! (His THUMOS).
Certainly God is not being sinful here,
But God is about to “twist off” or “Uncork” if you will.
In fact, you see in verse 1 that we are introduced with
“seven angels who had seven plagues”
“plagues” translates PLEGE (play-gay)
In Acts 16:23 it is translated “blows”
Acts 16:23 “When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;”
In Luke 12:47-48 it is translated “flogging”
Luke 12:47-48 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
What we are talking about here is NOT God just quietly seething in anger
As He waits for the day of His final judgment of sinners.
Here we are seeing God in full fury and rage literally exploding on sinners.
• He is flogging them
• He is inflicting blow after blow after blow on them
And I just want you to understand that as we look at the text.
There are 3 things we need to see here.
#1 THE NECESSITY OF GOD’S RAGE
Revelation 15:1
The 7th trumpet has just sounded.
This is also the “third woe” that John spoke of.
And John says:
“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.”
A unique phrase here.
You will remember that as Jesus bore the wrath of God on the cross, He ended by saying “It is finished!” (TELEO)
We have since learned that that very Greek word has been used
To stamp on bills of sale to indicate “paid in full” or “fully satisfied”
Jesus did that.
Well it is that same word TELEO used here.
In dispersing these 7 angels with their 7 plagues or floggings,
God is in fact satisfying His great rage.
Within God is a righteous rage and a passionate holy anger
That must be satisfied.
NOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT,
Even though for us most of the time the response is sinful.
More than once I’ve chunked a rip-stick clear out into my yard.
• You come out your door while it’s dark and the kids have left it right in front of
the door, you nearly break your neck, and THUMOS must be displayed.
• Something has to feel pain, or you’re just not gonna feel any better.
• So in that moment you pick up that rip-stick and chunk it at the tree in your
front yard.
That may in fact be sinful on our part,
But it demonstrates here the rage behind what God is doing.
THERE IS A BURNING PASSION IN HIM WHICH MUST BE SATISFIED.
I realize this may come as a shock to some of you
Because it seems that the Christian community today,
And especially those in the Christian music business
Have made it their ambition to convince people that God is not angry.
I heard one Christian song a few years ago:
“He’s not made at you, He’s not disappointed, His grace is greater still than all of your wrong choices.”
Now, if that song were being sung to believers there is some merit to it
For Christ did satisfy God’s wrath toward believers.
But that song was written to unbelievers who are continually begged throughout the song to come to Jesus just as you are.
I would love to ask that band, “Why do people need to come to Jesus if God isn’t angry?”
But you understand the sentiment.
God is continually portrayed today as the ultimate laid back deity
Who doesn’t get His feathers ruffled about anything,
AND THAT JUST ISN’T TRUE.
He not only has ORGE, He also has THUMOS and it must be satisfied.
Psalms 7:11 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.”
Jeremiah 25:15-29 “For thus the LORD, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. “They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.” Then I took the cup from the LORD’S hand and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and its kings and its princes, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day; Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes and all his people; and all the foreign people, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod); Edom, Moab and the sons of Ammon; and all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon and the kings of the coastlands which are beyond the sea; and Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who cut the corners of their hair; and all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who dwell in the desert; and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam and all the kings of Media; and all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face of the ground, and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ” Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you.”‘ “And it will be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “You shall surely drink! “For behold, I am beginning to work calamity in this city which is called by My name, and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment; for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares the LORD of hosts.’”
Romans 2:4-11 “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: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
Just because God doesn’t instantly judge sinners for their sin,
It does not indicate that He is not angry – He is!
And were are seeing that anger poured out.
God is sending these 7 angels because His righteous indignation,
His THUMOS, must be “paid in full”, it must be “finished”
• He cannot, He will not leave the guilty unpunished.
• He will not, allow those who have persecuted His children to get away with it.
He is about to “uncork”, He is about to “twist off”.
And the purpose is simple – PAIN!
You’re going to see
• The death of everything in the sea,
• Men scorched with fierce heat,
• God initiate pain so great that men will gnaw their tongues for relief,
• 100 lb. hailstones bombing men from heaven…just to name a few.
God is going to make men suffer.
His rage demands it.
But after this day, His rage will be satisfied.
These “are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.”
After God unleashes these judgments His THUMOS will be satisfied.
(Note: not His ORGE, that will still be unleashed for all eternity in hell)
But His holy need to rise up and inflict pain will be satisfied here.
The Necessity of God’s Rage
#2 THE RESPONSE TO GOD’S RAGE
Revelation 15:2-4
Now we call this the response, but it is only half of the response.
• We are looking at the response of the redeemed.
• We are looking at the response of those in heaven.
If you want the response of the wicked:
Isaiah 13:6-9 “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt. They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame. Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.”
Or you can look at the next chapter:
Revelation 16:9 “Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.”
Revelation 16:11 “and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.”
Revelation 16:21 “And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.”
The wicked are not going to like this at all, they are going to cry in pain,
And shake their fist at God, at least initially.
However here we are looking at the response of the righteous.
Those who did not succumb to the pressures of the Antichrist.
(2) “And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.”
This verse provides for us tremendous balance.
When you read about all the horrific pain
God is about to pour out on sinners on the earth,
If you aren’t careful you can actually begin to think God is in the wrong.
But ever before God, as He orders the flogging of the sinners on earth,
Are standing those who have been imprisoned, beheaded, stabbed, sawn in two, deprived, mocked, and ridiculed by them.
• There is the mother now standing next to the child she had to watch beheaded.
• There is the husband now standing next to the wife he watched ravished.
• There is the brothers now standing next to his friend who had been carted off
to prison.
Those standing here have just endured the THUMOS of the devil
And God has them ever before Him
As He pours out His THUMOS on the world who helped him.
And these before God are so ecstatic that they are “holding harps to God”
And are ready to break out in great praise to Him.
(3a) “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Well, let’s look at the “the song of Moses”
TURN TO: EXODUS 14:26
(READ 14:26-31)
You know what that event was, it was God’s final deliverance from Egypt.
• For 400 years these Israelites had suffered cruelty under the hand of the Egyptians and on this day, God’s wrath released vengeance on them for it.
• It wasn’t the only vengeance, as we area also aware of the 10 plagues God sent on Egypt first, but in this event God’s wrath on Egypt was finished.
And in response to God’s wrath being poured out on Egypt,
Moses led the Israelites in song.
(READ 15:1-18)
We don’t have the time to fully exposit the entire song, but I think the gist of it is clear to you.
• Moses is praising God for His deliverance of Israel.
• Moses is praising God for His vengeance on Egypt.
• And Moses knows that God’s power will now surely be known throughout the world.
It is not hard to understand why this heavenly choir is singing that song.
God is about to attack their enemies just as God attacked Egypt.
But it is also said that they sing “the song of the Lamb”
WHAT IS THIS SONG?
TURN TO: REVELATION 5:6-14
It was the song of those who had been redeemed.
• Those standing in heaven knew that they were not there because of their own religious works.
• The only reason they were standing before God was because the Lamb had purchased them and made them worthy.
And here in chapter 15, this heavenly choir is singing both songs.
They praise God for His vengeance and deliverance.
They praise the Lamb for His perfect salvation of them.
(3b-4) “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.”
They praise God for HIS MIGHTY WORKS
“Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty”
Just as Moses stood dumbfounded on the far shore of the Red Sea,
Marveling at what God had done,
Now these standing on the shore of the crystal sea do the same.
They praise God for HIS RIGHTEOUS WAYS
“Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!”
Moses marveled at God’s justice to destroy the wicked and deliver the righteous.
And now these redeemed do the same.
And they praise God for HIS INEVITABLE VICTORY
“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.”
Moses said:
Exodus 15:11, 14-15 “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? …The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.”
Moses knew that when God’s wrath was made known
That the world would fear and tremble at Him.
AND SUBMISSION WOULD NOT BE AN OPTION.
Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The Psalmist said:
Psalms 86:9 “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.”
Isaiah said:
Isaiah 66:23 “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD.”
THE WORSHIP OF THIS HEAVENLY CHOIR IS SO FITTING.
All throughout their suffering they heard passages like these:
Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”
How difficult it has been to be considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
How difficult it has been to continually turn the other cheek.
And yet, on this day, God’s great THUMOS has come forth,
And God is about to flog their enemy.
They rejoice in God for His deliverance.
They rejoice in the Lamb for saving them from it.
The Necessity of God’s Rage The Response to God’s Rage
#3 THE PREPARATION FOR GOD’S RAGE
Revelation 15:5-8
And we’ll get in to this a little more next week as we begin to see this wrath outpoured, but the scene is worth noting here.
As the choir sings the temple is opened
And out come 7 angels with seven plagues.
These are holy angels “clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.”
And then they are each given “bowls full of the wrath of God”
(the THUMOS God)
Incidentally the word “full” here is a word used
To refer to a ship which cannot hold any more.
And the Bible says that “the temple was filled with smoke…and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.”
And I have to tell you, I so get this.
I grew up with a DAD who didn’t have much of that ORGE kind of wrath,
But he most certainly had that THUMOS kind of wrath.
Some of you know what I’m talking about.
• I’ve heard Kermit testify of himself that he has it.
• Lance Harris told me one of his parents has it (I’ll let you guess which one)
Well my dad had it.
He could explode at the drop of a hat
(now it was over quick, but it was horrific while it was happening).
And as such you never messed with him while in the middle of it.
• It didn’t matter if that THUMOS was addressed at me or (more appropriately)
my sister.
You see that here in heaven.
God is unleashing His THUMOS
And no one even in heaven dares approach Him.
God’s wrath is being poured out.
Do you understand then that statement from the writer of Hebrews?
Hebrews 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
God is angry here and everyone is keeping their distance.
Now we’ll begin to see this rage poured out next time,
But from this introductory chapter, WHAT ARE WE TO LEARN?
WELL FIRST, you should never doubt God’s rage toward sin, or God’s rage toward those who afflict His children.
Psalms 7:11 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.”
Beyond that, everyone who truly knows God,
Or in the New Testament who truly knew God,
Was very certain to tell those around them that
“You don’t want to mess with Him!”
I told you my dad had that THUMOS kind of temper.
Because of that, if I had a friend coming over to the house, I would start prepping them for how to act 30 minutes before we ever go there.
• If my dad is watching TV – do not get in front of the TV or be loud.
• If he is asleep in his chair – you’d better tip-toe, do not wake him up.
• If he is working on horses at the house – just go home, he’s already in a
bad mood.
I spent a lot of time assuring my friends that my dad’s THUMOS was real
And that they under no circumstances wanted any part of it.
The writers of Scripture did the same.
Listen to John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:10-12 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Listen to Jesus:
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.”
Listen to Peter:
2 Peter 3:11-12 “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!”
All of them knew that God’s wrath should serve as a deterrent.
And I’m here to tell you the same.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO FACE THIS GOD
WITH A REBELLIOUS OR UNREPENTANT HEART.
Now, the GOOD NEWS is that His mercy is great to those who will repent.
This holy God already made provision for sinners
By pouring out His full wrath upon Christ.
And the Scripture teaches us that the death of Christ
Is absolutely sufficient to save all who will trust in Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-11 “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
But for those who choose instead to remain in sin
They will bear that wrath themselves.
