Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Revelation chapter 16 as we continue our study through the Word of God. In this chapter we see the seven bowl judgments being poured out upon a Christ rejecting world. Remember what we read last time back in Revelation 15:1, “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”
Tonight, with these bowl judgments, we will see them poured out in a rapid-fire succession and when they are completed the wrath of God is finished, it is complete and He will establish His kingdom on this earth! We see the return of Jesus in Revelation chapter 19, but make no mistake about it, He returns as the judgment is completed. Revelation chapters 17 and 18 go back and fill in some of the details of the destruction of religious and economic Babylon.
Yes, God’s Word, the bible is and has been a source of comfort, peace, joy, hope and-so-on, for people throughout the ages. It truly is a beacon of light in a world that is filled with darkness. But the Bible is also a book of judgment. Malachi 4:1 tells us, “‘For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch.’” You see, God is righteous and thus, sinful man must be dealt with – either by the shed blood of Christ who cleanses man of all their sins or in their own righteousness, which are like filthy rags before God and they will be judged!
Now, to get the flow, let’s begin reading back in Revelation chapter 15, starting in verse 5 and that will lead us to our study this evening. We are told, “After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” Revelation 15:5-8. With that as our background we will pick up our study this evening in Revelation chapter 16, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as He is about to pour out His wrath!
VERSE 1
Who is this speaking from the temple? It has to be the Lord because we are told in Revelation 15:8, “The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” You see, no one was before God in the temple, only God the Father and God the Son, and thus, this must be the voice of the Lord here calling upon these angels to go forth and pour out His wrath upon the earth, to execute His judgment!
And, as I have said, these judgments don’t last for years, but come at the end of the Tribulation Period and they will be fired off like a machine gun firing off in rapid succession – BANG! BANG! BANG! And by the time this is over, as the dust settles, these last seven judgments of God’s wrath upon a Christ rejecting world will be complete!
One more point before we start looking at these judgments and that is they are very similar to the trumpet judgments found in Revelation chapters 8 and 9. But make no mistake about it, what was limited in those judgments will now be completed in these bowl judgments. This is on a much larger scale, as we will see. And in these judgments, everything man has placed his trust in outside of God will come crashing down, they will not stand! And man will find himself in sin before a holy and righteous God. Folks, outside of Christ you are dead in your trespasses and sins, that is the reality. Erwin Lutzer put it like this, “One minute after you slip behind the parted curtain, you will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchanged.” At this point in the Tribulation Period, their hearts are hard, they are cold and they will refuse to repent. Thus, the door of salvation is closed for them! That truly is a sad day for these earth dwellers!
VERSE 2
In the first bowl judgment we see this “foul and loathsome sore” that came upon some of the inhabitants of the earth. And please understand, this is not a little rash where you go to the drug store and buy some Gold Bond cream or something to take it away. The Greek implies that this is a festering sore that is painful and it is incurable! Now, what causes this sore? There is much speculation to what causes this sore from radiation exposure from nuclear fallout to the depletion of the ozone layer that can increase the incidence of skin cancer as people are exposed to more ultra-violet radiation, and-so-on.
I don’t know what God is going to use to bring about these loathsome sores upon people but the Scriptures seem to indicate what it may be. You see, the only ones affected by this loathsome sore are those who have received the mark of the beast. God is distinguishing between those who are His and those who are not! Thus, it could be that these loathsome sores are some kind of allergic reaction to this mark of the beast, which could be some kind of computer chip. That is a possibility, but keep in mind that God can do it any way that He wants because He is God!
This is just a temporal judgment of God; it is not an eternal one that has come upon them. But make no mistake about it; it will be horrible to say the least. But it is not over for them, for there is the eternal judgment that is coming and Revelation 14:9-11 is one portion of the Scriptures that tell us what it will be like. We are told, “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall 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 ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’”
VERSE 3
Remember back in Revelation 8:8-9 where we saw 1/3 of the sea’s contaminated by this object that resembled a great mountain and as it crashed into the sea 1/3 of the living creatures were destroyed and 1/3 of the ships in the sea were destroyed. But here in Revelation chapter 16, in this second bowl judgment, we see that EVERY living creature in the sea died! That is not good. About 70% of the earth is covered by water and if the sea’s died, it would bring about a worldwide catastrophe, as the sea is a major source of food. And can you imagine the stench from this!
Now how does this happen? We are not told but it could be that the oceans of the world will be destroyed by a phenomenon known as the red tide. Of this red tide, John Phillips writes:
From time to time, off the coast of California and elsewhere, a phenomenon known as “the red tide” occurs. These red tides kill millions of fish and poison those who eat contaminated shellfish. In 1949, one of these red tides hit the coast of Florida. First the water turned yellow, but by midsummer it was thick and viscous with countless billons of dinoflagellates, tiny one-celled organisms. Sixty-mile windrows of stinking fish fouled the beaches. Much marine life was wiped out, even bait used by fishermen died upon the hooks. Eventually the red tide subsided, only to appear again the following year. Eating fish contaminated by the tide produced severe symptoms caused by a potent nerve poison, a few grams of which, distributed aright, could easily kill everyone in the world. An unchecked population explosion of toxic dinoflagellates would kill all the fish in the sea.
- John Phillips, Exploring Revelation, 190-191
Again, it is a possibility; God can use natural things in a supernatural way to accomplish His purposes. However He does it, it will be devastating! And, this has to occur towards the very end of the Tribulation Period because man could not live with all the oceans of the world dead, turning to blood!
VERSE 4
Back in Revelation 8:10-11 we see 1/3 of the fresh water supply contaminated by this star called Wormwood that comes crashing into it. Now, as bad as that will be, it pales in comparison to this third bowl judgment. Here we see all the fresh water supply being destroyed, it is turned to blood! Obviously man cannot live very long without fresh water and thus, this is happening at the very end of the Tribulation Period. Of this judgment Clarke made these interesting comments. He wrote, “They thirsted after blood and massacred the saints of God; and now they have got blood to drink!”
Let me also make this point here. They have rejected Jesus Christ; the fountain of living water and thus, God has given to them what is left – contaminated water that does not bring forth life, only death!
Now some may argue that God is not being fair, that this judgment is not right, it is too severe! Is that true? Well, we don’t have to guess or make assumptions because in the next few verses two angels are going to make a proclamation in the midst of this judgment about how fair, how righteous God is in what He is doing.
VERSES 5-7
First of all, why do we see two angels make this proclamation about God, that His judgments are right, they are fair? Because the Scriptures tell us that by the mouth of two witnesses the matter is established, (Deuteronomy 19:15). Thus, the matter is settled, God’s judgment is righteous and sinful man, rebellious man is only going to get what he deserves!
Let’s look at a few verses that speak of God’s righteousness in all that He does, even in His judgments. In Psalm 145:17, and this is from the KJV of the Bible, we are told, “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” David is saying that EVERYTHING that God does is righteous, it is fair. Now, I do understand that there are times when we are going through things and it seems unfair, but God knows what He is doing. Never lose sight that God is righteous and fair in all that He does. Thus, when you are going through tough times, in the midst of tough times and you just don’t understand what is going on, fall back on the things you know about God and rest in Him. It is as Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
In Psalm 19:9 David wrote, “ . . . The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” And in Genesis 18:25 Abraham asked this rhetorical question, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” In other words, of course He will be just in all He does, He is God! In Psalm 119:75 David wrote, “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right . . .” And Paul, in Romans 2:1-11 tells us, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
Lastly, in Isaiah 26:9 we are told, “With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” In other words, when the unrighteous witness the judgments of God upon them they will then understand what true righteousness is all about. You see, people respond unrighteously today in their activities, but not our God, He is righteous; He is fair in all that He does, even in His judgments!
VERSES 8-9
Again, back in Revelation 8:12-13 we saw 1/3 of the sun, moon and the stars darkened, the earth will lose 1/3 of its daylight as the skies are darkened. But, as we look at this fourth angel pour out this fourth bowl judgment we see the sun’s intensity increase so much that it will scorch people! This is not something that an air-conditioner will solve! And folks, talk about global warming, it is not here yet, but it is coming! But this is not of man’s doing; it is a judgment of God!
When I graduated high school a few years back, well, okay, when the earth was cooling, I moved to Arizona. And I loved the heat but I also quickly found out you don’t run around barefooted on the blacktop. I did it once and jumped all over the place until I reached a grassy area. But that heat pales in comparison to what is coming. In this judgment the heat will scorch people. It is as Isaiah 24:4-6 tells us, “The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.”
How is God going to do this? Well, some say that this could be speaking of the sun going into a supernova, a stage that a star goes into before it burns out. As it goes into this supernova, also called a red giant, it increases in intensity the amount of heat that is given out. This is a possibility.
Also, some say that there is a change in the magnetosphere, which protects us from the radioactive particles that emanate from the sun and travel at some 3,000 miles per second. 45% of these particles are filtered out through the Van Allen Belts or the magnetic fields. If these were disturbed, men could be scorched by the radioactive particles. This too is a possibility.
Personally, I don=t think either will happen. Now the reason I say that is this is once again a supernatural event. You see, in the Greek the implication here is God will “ . . . scorch the men with fire.” Also we read, “And the men were scorched with great heat . . . ” In other words, these men are the same men spoken of in verse 2, the first bowl judgment.
Thus, it seems that those who will be scorched by the sun are those who receive this mark of the beast and who worship the beast. It is as Malachi 4:1 tells us, “‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch.’” Thus, I believe this judgment will only affect the wicked!
How can I be so certain that God is only going to scorch the unsaved in this judgment? Look at Revelation 16:9 once again. We are told, “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” You see, these are not believers but unbelievers who, even in the midst of God’s judgment, still refuse to repent and get right with God!
Now, how do we know that they believed that God was behind this judgment that was coming down upon them? Couldn’t they just relate these things to natural disasters? Not at all because of what the Scriptures teach us. You see, who did they blaspheme? The name of God! They knew where this judgment was coming from and they knew why it was coming upon them. You see, back in Revelation 14:6-7 we are told, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’” So they rejected the everlasting Gospel, they rejected Jesus Christ and thus, they blasphemed God, that is all they can do!
What is the problem with these men? Why do they refuse to repent? What is wrong with them? The world likes to tell us that we are a product of our environment we grew up in and thus it is not our fault. For all who lean in that direction, you are wrong. I am not saying you can=t be influenced by these things, but you do have a choice to make, that path you will chose to go down. You see, the problem is not the environment but it is our heart! Adam and Eve had a perfect Father, God. They lived in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden. And yet they still blew it and they too tried to blame God for their problems. Adam blamed this woman that God had given him, thus he was blaming God that she was no good from the start! Eve blamed the Devil; she said that the Devil made her do it!
And God did not agree with their conclusion, but held them responsible for their actions. Sin was at the door of their lives, and they chose to open the door and let it in. That means all the excuses you may have for why you acted in a certain way are invalid before God. You are just responding to what is in your heart and you chose to do those things. That means you can’t blame your parents, your friends, your boss or whatever for the way you are acting. God is bigger than all of that, it is your heart that is stopping you as it stopped these men here in Revelation. Remember what Paul said in
II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Believe it and apply that to your life!
Remember back in Revelation 6:12-17, in the sixth seal judgment, we are told, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” You see, make no mistake about it, they will know where this judgment is coming from and why it is coming upon them. And their hearts are so hard that they still refuse to repent!
John Walvoord puts this into perspective for us as he writes, “The wishful thinking of some men would repent if they only knew the power and righteous judgment of God is shattered by frequent mention in this chapter of the hardness of the human heart in the face of the most stringent and evident divine discipline.”
You see, as hard as it is to believe, this is the cold, hard reality. As you see the failure of man to respond with repentance it just shows that even with the knowledge of judgment, it will not change man’s sinful condition. If people are not won by His grace, it would seem they will never be won!
Paul puts it like this in Ephesians 2:1-10, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” You see, if the love of God, His grace does not lead you to repentance, it would seem that you will never be won!
VERSES 10-11
In Revelation chapter 9, the fifth trumpet judgment we saw these demon locusts come out of the bottomless pit and as they did they skies were darkened. Folks, here the darkness is complete and I truly don’t believe this is figurative or a local darkness. Yes, John tells us that this darkness is upon the kingdom of the Antichrist, but keep in mind that his kingdom covers the earth, it is worldwide!
In Exodus 10:21, the ninth plague in Egypt, we are old, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’” This was a supernatural judgment of God that causes such darkness that it can be felt!
Now I don=t know how many of you have been to Merrimac Caverns in Missouri, but I have an idea of what that kind of blackness is all about when we were there several years ago. At these caves they have a huge chamber that is well lit with artificial light. During the tour they turn off the lights for a few minutes and before they do they warn you to grab a hold of a loved one, for in a minute, you will not see them. And I have to admit that I was a little skeptical until they turned off the lights and I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. It was an eerie feeling, a darkness that could be felt!
This darkness here in Revelation chapter 16, I believe is just a prelude to what the Lake of Fire will be like, or outer darkness. Jesus said in Matthew 25:30, “And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” You see, man has rejected the light of this world, Jesus Christ and thus, God has given to them what they want – darkness! But now it is too late and the pain of the darkness causes them to gnash at their tongue, not repent of their sin!
Spurgeon made these interesting points regarding man’s sinful condition. He wrote:
“Judgment may produce a carnal repentance – a repentance that is of the flesh, and after the manner of the sinful nature of men. In this repentance the depravity of the heart remains the same in essence, though it takes another form of showing itself. Though the man changes, he is not savingly changed: he becomes another man, but not a new man. The same sin rules in him, but it is called by another name, and wears another dress. The stone is carved into a more sightly shape, but it is not turned into flesh. The iron is cast into another image, but it is not transformed into gold. This carnal repentance is caused by fear. Does not every thief repent of robbery when he is convicted and sent to jail? Does not every murderer repent of his crime when he stands under the fatal tree?”
“This is real penitence, when the man gives glory to the justice of God, even though it condemns him. O my hearer, do you thus repent? Is sin really sinful to you? Do you see its desert of hell? If not, your repentance needs to be repented of.”
- C. H. Spurgeon
This is the last mention in the book of Revelation of man’s failure to repent before God. Their fate has been sealed when they rejected the everlasting Gospel! It is amazing the hardness of man’s heart, even when they recognize that God is bringing this judgment upon them for their refusal to turn to Him so their sins can be forgiven. And I guess that does lie to rest the argument that says that if men could see God=s work clearly, they would surly turn to Him and repent! Obviously that is not what we see here. They still refuse to repent, and their rebellion is going to climax in a war that they are going to be involved in, a war against God! And we will see that next time as we look at the sixth and seventh bowl judgments!
As I close this evening let me leave you with this to think about. Paul, in I Timothy chapter 2, tells us “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” I Timothy 2:3-6. God’s desire for your life is that you would turn to Him and live, but not all roads lead to God. You have to come to the knowledge of the truth. It is not just believing in something, but coming to Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and men, and receiving Him into your life. Asking Him to be your Lord and Savior, to forgive you of your sins, and He will.
For those that do know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, understand the days we are living in and be wise, share your faith, point people to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. For the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world, is coming back as the Lion from the tribe of Judah to pour out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world. Thus, man has a choice to make, to turn to the Lord and live, or reject the Lord and receive His judgment, which will be complete!