Revelations 16:1-21

The Seven Bowls Of God’s Wrath
The Seven Bowl Judgments (2)

Revelation 16:1-21 Lesson 16
Key Verse 16:15 Shep Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 11-7-10

“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Through our study of the book of Revelation there has been one prevailing theme, throughout…that God longs for the salvation of all people. But they must repent, place all of their hope and trust in Jesus and give glory to God if they are to be saved. But to do so is not so easy. There are so many forces preventing them from doing so, forces from without and within. But despite of their circumstances and condition of heart God keeps on trying all the way to the end. And as a last ditched effort to save some, God sends his wrath. But when the people didn't repent—and continue to curse God, they eventually become too hard-hearted and had to face the complete wrath of God. Indeed, if there is something that we need to open our eyes and see is God’s amazing love. We need to realize that we are all engaged in a spiritual battle against evil. As God’s people, we must fight a good fight, knowing that we are on the winning side. All worldly systems and godless political powers will eventually be destroyed. Jesus will come unexpectedly, like a thief. We must be ready when Jesus comes again.
In our last study in chapter 15, we caught a glimpse of a marvelous sight, heaven was open and John saw a great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues, symbolized by bowls. They were sent forth by God himself to bring about the complete wrath of God on an unrepentant population. In heaven John also saw an image of the throne of God. There was a huge and vast sea of glass that was on fire and around the sea of glass were multitudes of God’s people whose robes were washed white by the blood of Jesus. They were victorious over Satan and they worshipped and praised God who delivered them from the power of sin and death. We thanked God for his grace on each of our lives and we prayed to be able to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb from our own personal experience with the saving grace of our Lord Jesus. Our hearts were also filled with hope that because of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins, we can be filled with a heavenly hope to be gathered around the fiery glassy sea with the rest of the saints of God one glorious day. Is that your hope? It can be when we accept the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and follow him. That is where he is ultimately leading you if you let him.

And so brings us to today’s passage. It is part two of last week’s passage, for we will take a closer look and what the seven plagues, contained in the seven bowls actually were. Let’s see.
Part 1: But They Refused To Repent (1-11)
And so the complete wrath of God began to be poured out. God’s loud command sounded forth from the temple. Look at verse 1. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth.’" No one could alter this command for it was from God himself. Here is the climax of the great tribulation. These wraths of God will be unequal to any other wraths given to humanity in the past. For thousands of years God has been offering grace, mercy, and salvation, but not in this passage. God has been patient with sinful humanity for so long. But enough was enough. The time has come to judge the world. It seems ominous and very scary and it is for those who are on the wrong side of God’s grace. It is great news for the saved ones of God for they would receive justice and they will look forward to the fully established Kingdom of God where every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let’s look at the seven bowl judgments separately.

Bowl #1: Incurable Sores On Those Who Worship The Beast (1-2)
The first plague was a world wide health crisis, a pandemic. Look at verse 2. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” It was like the plague. They experienced unrelenting pain from painful and ugly sores with no relief in sight. Who received these sores? They were the ones who took the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. As you remember, those who didn’t have the mark of the beast could not buy or sell anything. These people gave into the incredible pressure to preserve their own lives and their own well being. They compromised to save themselves. But at what cost? If we did not study the Bible and know God, we too might go after the mark of the beast because it gives instant gratification and security in this world. Those who remain true to Jesus will face many hardships, but they will be saved unto eternal life. Jesus once said, in Mark 8:35, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” This is God’s warning that we should be faithful to our Bible study and prayer life and not be obsessed with saving our lives in this world at the detriment of our relationship with Jesus.
Bowl #2: Death To All Sea Life (3)

The vast storehouse of life and sustenance, the sea, will be destroyed. Look at verse 3. “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” “Like that of a dead man”, means that it was dark red, almost black. When this happened, almost every living thing in the sea died. The whole ocean was a vast red tide, or dead zone. We saw recent pictures of the shoreline of Louisiana after the BP oil spill. Can you picture that the world’s shorelines lined and cluttered with decaying bodies of sea life? In the places where people enjoyed sun tanning, swimming and surfing, there will be an unbearable stench. Since waters are contaminated, people will loose their livelihood. They will go hungry. We think that nothing can ever destroy the seas and oceans. They are too vast. But at God’s command they will changed to blood.

Bowl #3: The Transforming Of All Fresh Water Into Blood (4-7)

The plague of blood will not just be restricted to the salt water. The world’s fresh water will be affected too. Look at verse 4. “The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” Those who lived inland, may have heard the news of the seas being turned to blood and thought to themselves, “Whoa!, I am sad for those coastal people, but I am glad that it is not happening here!” But such people will not escape either. God’s wrath will be on their doorsteps too. The overwhelming red tide will spread to their lakes and rivers. Their drinking water will be contaminated.

We can understand how these people cursed God, because of these plagues. We would do the same thing if it were not for the grace of God on our lives. How did the people of God respond the devastation? Look at verses 5-7. “Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: ‘You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.’ And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments." Christians suffered so much under the reign of beast. The antichrist and his followers shed much blood of those who refused the mark. Many times it seemed that their persecutors got away with it, without having to pay for their crimes. Some were even praised for what they did to Christians. But now the believers knew that God’s complete judgment is in response to these injustices. They were saying, “Good job, Lord. You have brought us justice!” Now they were reaping what they have sown. Those who persecute Jesus and his followers will not get away with anything. Our God is a God of justice. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” We don’t have to seek revenge or become vigilantes. We can wait on God. God’s justice will prevail in the end. We also learn that God’s judgments are fair and just because there is no partiality in God. God was not unreasonable and wrong for what happened. He is the Holy One. Unbelieving people invited the wrath of God upon themselves because they suppressed the truth of God and rebelled against God’s invitation through his Son Jesus. In so many ways we are our worst enemy. It is not God’s doing. The Holy One is always true and just.

Bowl #4: Scorching Through The Sun’s Intensity Radiation (8-9)

This next judgment utilized the intense heat of the sun. Look at verses 8-9. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” In the end times the earth will be like a furnace. 2 Peter 3:10 sheds some light on this. Peter wrote concerning the end times, “…the elements will be destroyed by fire, and everything in it will be laid bare.” This judgment is the greatest heat wave in history. This is the ultimate global warming. The heat is so intense that bodies will be scorched. Mal. 4:1 says, “’Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.’” Some may ask, “How is this possible?” I was told that the earth is in exactly the right place. If it was a little closer to the sun, we would burn up. If it was a little farther away we would freeze. Scientists say that if the sun tilted on its axis, even a few degrees, so that it is leaning closer to the earth, then the earth would be scorched. Because of this amazing catastrophe, we might think that some might come to their senses and repent. But they refused to do so. Instead they cursed the name of God and refused to repent and glorify him. How sad God must have been to see their response.

People need to repent when faced with disasters and hardships of life of any kind. That is the correct, healthy, spiritual response. How should we respond to these catastrophes? One way to respond is to see them as a warning to repent and believe in Jesus and his precious Gospel. God loves us. He does not want to judge anyone and he is patiently waiting for all people to come back to him. But we can never forget that he is holy, righteous, just and eventually will judge people if they refuse to accept the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus. It is our mission to help people to respond properly to the trials and tribulations that come upon them and point them towards a restored relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ died for you and he is standing at the door of your hearts. Please welcome him right now! Raise your hands if you accept Jesus as your Lamb of God who died to take away your sins. Amen!

Bowl #5: The Darkening Of The Beast’s Kingdom (10-11)

The worldly political systems were plunged into deep darkness. Look at verses 10-11. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” It is not clear if this meant spiritual darkness or literal darkness. The beast’s kingdom used to appear powerful and unstoppable. People stood in awe of it. It was a false light. But God reduced it to nothing but a failed state, worse than any failed state today. They were in darkness. This plague is God’s way of saying to the world, “You could have followed the light, the bright morning star, Jesus, but you have chosen darkness and the ruler of darkness, the devil. Now dwell in that darkness.” (John 3:19-20)

BOWL #6: Deception Of The Worldly Kingdoms (12-16)

The lost people of the world will try to fight against Jesus and God’s people. Look at verses 12-14. “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. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” There are two keys points to consider in verse 12. First, the forces of evil will gather to fight against the Lamb. The great river Euphrates was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. This region is in modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria…this is ancient Babylon! The great Euphrates is the water boundary between the Holy Land and Asia to the east. Now the waters of the Euphrates, which stretched for 1,800 miles and was over ½ mile wide and 30 feet deep was dried up for specific reason. It was for the kings from the East to invade. There are so many interpretations of the identity of the kings from the East. The simplest answer is that this refers to kings or rulers from the East who will participate in the final world war. It is a full-scale invasion of the west. 200 million soldiers will be mobilized in this war. (Rev 9:16) This is more than just a human war. Satan, knowing that the second coming of Christ is near, will gather all the military might of the world into the Holy Land to resist the coming of the Son of Man. (Zech 14:4).

Second, there will be widespread deception. In verse 14 we find three evil spirits which appear as frogs. They are demons performing miraculous signs. These three, unholy frogs will feed people’s appetite for miracles. By performing miraculous signs they will deceive nations going throughout the world influencing kings to assemble for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. They will tell them, “You don’t need Jesus. Let’s get rid of this Jesus and his followers once and for all. Our human power and intellect is much more powerful than that of Christ.” But their “human will power” will not work. In the end, the armies from heaven, led by Jesus, will win the final war with these kings of the world. This reminds me of Psalm 2: 1-6, “1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,3 ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’” Today, people are hungry for the miracles. They are easily deceived by humanistic sounding solutions to their life problems. But the only solution is to come to Jesus with humble, repentant and obedient hearts, full of faith. He is the one who is our King and Lord. Jesus is the only way.

How should we respond to such ominous news? Let’s read 15 together, “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.’" In his revelation, John heard the warning message coming from Christ himself. Christ’s return is often compared to the coming of a thief. Do you know when a thief is coming to break into your house? No. If you did you would be waiting there with the police. Likewise we don’t know when Jesus is coming again. He is coming and it will be very abrupt. You also don’t know when trials will come upon you. Nor do you know when your end of life will be. If you think you can be ready when all these things happen, you deceive yourself. Can you be ready when you have a car accident? Can you be ready when a heart attack strikes? Jesus states that we need to be spiritually alert and clothed with Jesus’ righteousness, through faith in his blood. We must not become sleepy or complacent but be alert with prayer and diligent Bible study and sincere faith and so be prepared for the second coming of Jesus. Blessing is promised to the one who stays awake and keeps their robes with them.

Bowl #7: The Destruction Of Babylon (16:17-21)

Look at verses 17-21. “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘It is done! Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.” The last judgment is poured into the atmosphere which is the air. Air is the preferred method of war today. No military force can stop an air strike. The plumes of a volcano shut down the airways of Europe for several weeks this year. Airborne radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor left a huge swath of land uninhabitable in Ukraine. No one can escape. A huge earthquake, the shifting of the earth, will level every major city of the earth. The climax includes the raining down of hailstones weighing over 100 lbs. each!

Verse 17b reads “It is done!” This reminds us of what Jesus said on the cross: “it is finished.” (John 19:30) When Jesus said this he meant that God’s way of salvation is finished. On the cross, God’s perfect mercy and justice meet. When he said, “It is finished.” Jesus was saying that the price for our sins was paid. The shedding of his puree and holy and sinless blood was enough for God to declare to all who come to him, “I totally forgive you. Go now and leave you life of sin.” If it were not for Jesus we would have to pay for our sins. But that would not be enough. Even if we were covered with painful sores, robbed of all sustenance, scorched by the sun, placed in a war zone and had 100 pound pieces of ice thrown on us, we still could not atone for our sins. That is how grievous our sins are to the holy God. Justice could not be paid by us. But by sending Jesus and having him suffer and die in our stead, God’s justice can be met and the Holy God can forgive our sins. It is finished. We can go forward to live a new life as a child of God. Let’s thank God for what he has done for us on the cross. Let’s us come newly to Jesus. Let us pray for those whom God has brought into our lives, by name, so that they may accept Christ as their Savior

In conclusion, we can see that the degree of sin is getting worse and worse. People are rejecting Jesus on a vast scale. This message is God’s message that the end is coming. It is time for us to accept the grace of God upon us and repent of our sins and worship God who is worthy of our honor and respect. Let us be prepared to meet all trials of life with faith. Let us be awake spiritually and be clothed in Jesus’ righteousness and be ready for the great and glorious day of the Lord. .

. Part 1: But They Refused To Repent (1-11)
1. Explained what happened in chapter 15. Who were the people around the glassy sea?
What did the fire represent? Who were the angels? What were they carrying? What did
the bowls represent?


2. How does God pour out the first 3 bowls of his wrath upon the unbelieving world?
(2-4) Who suffered? How do the unbelieving people suffer? Where have we seen this
kind of judgments before? (Ex 7:17-21) Why are God’s judgments just and true?
(6,7,6:10) Why is it wrong to fault God for the things that happen in our lives?


3. When God pours out his 4th bowl, how do the people suffer by the intense heat? (9, 2Pet3:10) How do they respond to God’s judgment?


4. With the 5th bowl, how does God zero in upon the throne of the beast? (10) How is their
agony intensified? (11,9:5)

Part ll: Armageddon (12-21)
5. As the 6th bowl is poured out, how does the devil gather the kings together in preparation for the final battle at Armageddon? (13,14,16, 9:14) Who are the forces of evil fighting against? (20:8)


6. Read vs. 17-21. What does it signify that a voice from the throne says, ‘It is done!’ (17,21:4-6) What happens to the great city Babylon as God pours out his final wrath upon it? (18-21,18:1-24)


7. In light of all that is about to happen what must be our attitude towards Jesus? What
does it mean that Jesus will come like a thief? (15) What does it mean to stay awake
and keep our clothes with us? How can we not go naked and shamefully exposed?