REVELATION
Listen to this study TH2246
Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Revelation chapter 16 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Last week we began to look at this chapter and we saw the last of the three judgments of God. There were the seven seal judgments, the seven trumpet judgments and now here in Revelation chapter 16 we come to the seven bowl judgments.
In regards to these last judgments, remember what John said back in Revelation 15:5-8, “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.”
This is it, as that seventh bowl is poured out the righteous judgment of God, His wrath being poured out upon a Christ rejecting world will be complete! Last time we saw in the first bowl judgment a loathsome sore upon those who received the mark of the beast. The second bowl judgment, as it was poured out, affected the oceans as all life in them died! Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the fresh water supply, which was now contaminated, no one will be able to drink from it.
Now, as unfair as this seems, it is not. Man, apart from Christ is only getting what he deserves, nothing more. Thus, we saw two angels proclaiming that God’s judgment is righteous, it is fair and like I have said, out of the mouth of two witnesses the matter is established!
From there we moved to the fourth angel pouring out his bowl upon the sun. In this judgment we see the intensity of the sun increase to the point where men were scorched by its heat. And the way this is stated it seems to imply that only those who received the mark of the beast are affected and afflicted by this judgment. The end result of that is not repentance from sinful, rebellious man, but blaspheme against God. And to me is an indication that this judgment is upon them.
Lastly, we saw last time the fifth angel pour out his bowl upon the throne of the kingdom of the beast and it becomes black, there is no light. In fact, it will be so dark that it will cause people to be in pain and they will gnaw at their tongues! The end result of this judgment is not repentance, but blaspheme once again. That is the heart of unrepentant man – it is cold, it is hard, it is lifeless, it is dead!
This evening we will be looking at the sixth and seventh bowl judgments here in Revelation chapter 16 as we finish up this chapter tonight. With that said, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 16, starting in verse 12 and see what the Lord has for us as we study His Word.
Here in the sixth bowl judgment God causes the waters of the Euphrates River to dry up, but why? What is the purpose of these waters being dried up? John tells us that these waters are dried up so the kings from the east might pass through. As we are going to see, God is preparing things for this last great battle, as the nations of the world gather together to fight against God. There are a couple of points I would like to make regarding this verse before we move on.
First of all the Euphrates River is not only the longest river in the Middle East, but it is also the most significant. You see, this river was the boundary between the holy land and Asia to the east. Remember what the Lord told Joshua, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.” Joshua 1:3-4.
Also, this River runs for some 1,800 miles beginning on the slopes of Mount Ararat (located in modern day Turkey) and it flows all the way to the Persian Gulf, were it empties into. It has a width that ranges from 300 to 1200 feet and its average depth is 30 feet. Thus, for an army to pass through these waters would have to be dried up, you couldn’t put 4 million soldiers on boats and float them across!
How is God going to do this? It is possible He will use very natural means, like a dam. Today there is the Ataturk dam, which is located at the headwaters of the Euphrates River that could stop the flow of this river for some 8 months! Or, God can supernaturally dry up this River to allow the kings from the east to pass through.
Secondly, who are these kings? That phrase, “kings from the east” is better-translated the “kings of the rising sun.” And historically speaking, they refer to China and Japan. We will deal more with this army as we move on but keep this in mind. Back in 1965 China boasted of having a 200 million-man army and that does not even include Japan!
What draws them into this battle? Let’s read on because John is going to tell us.
Demonic spirits are sent forth from Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet calling them to, “Go to Megiddo! Go to Megiddo!” These demons are nothing more than mouthpieces for this unholy trinity and the ultimate purpose is to gather the nations together to war against God, against His people. They will try to stop the Lord from coming, from setting up His kingdom. Foolish, yes, but they will still try!
In his commentary on the book of Revelation, J. Vernon McGee quotes J. A. Seiss regarding these frogs or unclean spirits that come forth from this false trinity. He said: “They are spirits; they are ‘unclean spirits,’ that are ‘demon spirits,’ they are sent forth into activity by the Dragon Trinity; they are the elect agents to awaken the world to the attempt to abolish God from the earth; and they are frog-like in that they come forth out of the pestiferous quagmires of the universe, do their work amid the world’s evening shadows, and creep, and croak, and fill the ears of the nations with their noisy demonstrations, till they set all the kings and their armies of the whole earth in enthusiastic commotion for the final crushing out of the Lamb and all His powers. As in chapter 9, the seven Spirits of God and of Christ went forth into all the earth to make up and gather together into one holy fellowship the great congregation of the sanctified: so these spirits of Hell go forth upon the kings and potentates of the world, to make up and gather together the grand army of the Devil’s worshipers.”
I think he makes his point very clear. Is he a little dramatic? I don’t think so, for these demonic spirits are exactly what J. A. Seiss says. These ugly, diabolical creatures will go forth and pollute the world with their evil!
In Daniel chapter 11 we are told that the Antichrist is in North Africa and while he is down there he receives news that the kings from the east are entering the land. China and Japan are coming down, maybe challenging the power of the Antichrist. As this massive army moves westward, it seems to split in two, some coming down from the northern route and the rest coming from the eastern route to enter this Valley, possible because their numbers are so massive. And these kings of the east will meet the forces of the Antichrist in this area. And at one point they stop fighting each other, and they join forces to fight against the Lord and His people.
In Joel we are told of this period of time. Beginning in verse 2 of Joel chapter 3 we are told, “I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. . . Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am strong.”’ Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow — For their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.” Joel 3:2, 9-17.
Also, in Psalm 2 we are told, “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.’” Psalm 2:1-3.
Now please understand, this is not really a battle. It is a slaughter. In Revelation 19:11-21 we are told, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.’ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
Jesus likens His coming to that of a thief. That is to say that those living in this world will be totally unaware of what time it is, prophetically speaking. And in the judgment they will refuse to come to Him and acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. They will be found naked, not clothed in the righteousness that has been imputed to us by faith in Christ! For those who are waiting and watching, they will not be surprised, they will not be seen as naked, but clothed in the righteousness of Christ!
We are told that these armies of the world are gathered together to meet in the Valley of Megiddo, which is about 20 miles long and some 14 miles wide. And this area forms what Napoleon called, “The most natural battle field of the whole earth.” Also, Napoleon, in his disastrous excursion into Egypt, passed through this Valley and said, “If there is a place on earth where the last war must be fought, it is here.” He is right, and it will take place in this area, just as we are told here in Revelation.
This battle will overflow those 20 miles or so that the Valley of Megiddo covers, and it will stretch from Bozrah, in Edom, northward to Megiddo at the foot of Mount Carmel, some 184 miles. It is this area that we will see the blood flow some 4 to 5 feet or splash upon the horses bridle some 4 to 5 feet!
The Valley of Megiddo is located in the Plain of Esdraelon, which has been the site of many great battles. It was the place where Gideon and his 300 men defeated the Midianites. It is the place where Samson took on the Philistines. It is the place where Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera. Also, this is the place where Josiah was killed by Pharaoh-Necho, king of Egypt. And there is one more great battle still to come, the final battle!
This place, Armageddon in the Hebrew and Harmageddon in the Greek, can be broken down like this. HAR means mount, and MEGIDDO means rendezvous, so it is the mount of rendezvous where the armies of the world will gather together. It will be a massive army!
This sixth bowl judgment is setting the stage for this final battle, but before it starts, the seventh bowl judgment will be poured out!
I find it interesting where this last judgment of God is poured out – in the air. Now as strange as that might seem, the Scriptures help us to understand the reason for this. Paul, in Ephesians 2:1-2 tells us, “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.” God pours out His last judgment upon a Christ rejecting world that is focused upon the kingdom of Satan who is called “the prince of the power of the air.” His kingdom, his rule, his power over the nations of this world is over and it will come crashing down, it will not stand before God!
When Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary, before He gave up His spirit, He cried out, “It is finished!” or “Paid in full!” It is Tetelestai in the Greek. In other words, He was saying that the door to God was now open for man to enter into that eternal life with Him. Jesus is that door! But now, here in Revelation 16:17 we hear the Lord saying, “It is done!” These words carry a far different meaning. You see, the door of opportunity for man to enter into that relationship with God is now closed and now, what is left is sentencing for sinful man. Thus, the question we must ask ourselves is this, “Will you endure the final wrath of God at Megiddo or will you embrace the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary?” The choice is yours!
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! God’s judgment of Christ on Calvary paid for the salvation of repentant sinners; but the judgment of the seventh bowl brings doom to the unrepentant sinner.
The words, “It is done!” is what we have been waiting for and John has spoken of this before in Revelation, but now it is coming to pass. Back in Revelation 10:7 we are told, “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” And in Revelation 15:1 we are told, “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.” The wrath of God is over; He will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep will enter into the kingdom age with Jesus and the goats will go to Hell, awaiting the final judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment, which we read about in Revelation chapter 20.
The earth has seen many devastating earthquakes but nothing will compare to the one that is coming. It is as Paul said in Hebrews 12:25-29, “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” You see, all that is of God will remain, and all that is not will be destroyed, it will be shaken!
Regarding this period of time, Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 24:19-23, “The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again. It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.”
Isaiah is telling us that the earth is going to stagger to and fro like a drunkard. I believe this is related to a shift in the axis of the earth so that the earth is no longer tilted 23½ degrees. If that happened, and the Lord replaced the vapor canopy around the earth, we would see tropical conditions all over the earth, there would be no storms. It would be like when the earth was created and there was no rain, and a mist that came up at night watered the earth. That was until the flood came, then things changed and probably the axis tilt of the earth changing the climate as well as the vapor canopy being removed. But, as the axis does shift there will be repercussions upon the landmasses where every island will be removed and every mountain except Jerusalem will be elevated, as we will see. What is interesting to me is that when we had that Tsunami a few years back, caused by an earthquake, the earth’s axis shifted ever so slightly. Folks, when God shakes this earth people will feel it!
Also, “the great city” or Jerusalem will be divided into 3 parts, its topography will also be changed. We are told in Zechariah 14:4, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.” So the Mount of Olives will split in two and create a new valley running east and west.
Also, in Zechariah 14:10 we are told that Jerusalem will be elevated and the surrounding region flattened into a plain, but why? To prepare Jerusalem for the king and His millennial reign as Isaiah 24:23 tells us, “Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.” The focus of the world will be upon Jerusalem where the King of kings and Lord of lords will reign!
Not only do we see earthquakes but also hail that weighs around 100 pounds! Folks, the largest hailstone every recorded weighed about 2 pounds – this is 50 times larger! Now here in Manitowoc we have seen hail the size of marbles, maybe even golf ball size and we have seen what damage that can cause. Imagine 100 pound hailstones that are crashing down upon this earth and there will be no place you can escape!
Now, why did God use hail to judge man? Good question. Let me ask you this, what is the punishment for blaspheme against God? Being stoned to death! In Leviticus 24:15-16 we are told, “Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, he shall be put to death.’”
Now, in seeing that, listen to what John tells us in Revelation 16:21, “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” The word “blasphemed” is the Greek word BLASPHEMEO and it means, “to speak with impious irreverence concerning God Himself. . . . to revile God and Divine things.” Thus, these men who are blaspheming God will be stoned to death by these 100-pound hailstones just as Leviticus 24 tells us would happen to those who blaspheme God!
In seeing all this pain, all this suffering, rebellious man still refuses to repent of his sin and he continues to blaspheme God. Despite all their suffering, they refuse to repent. Spurgeon summed it up like this:
“I have known people say, ‘Well, if I were afflicted I might be converted. If I lay sick I might be saved.’ Oh, do not think so. Sickness and sorrow of themselves are no helps to salvation. Pain and poverty are not evangelists; disease and despair are not apostles. Look at the lost in hell. Suffering has effected no good in them. He that was filthy here is filthy there. He that was unjust in this life is unjust in the life to come. There is nothing in pain and suffering that, by their own natural operation, will tend to purification.”
- Charles Spurgeon
But God’s desire for sinful man is to turn to Him and live as this story illustrates for us. We are told:
David Marks was one of the most powerful evangelists in early American history. He was born to godly Connecticut parents in 1805, and his awareness of God began early in life. The incident that started him thinking about the Savior was a day when he was watching some flax burn. He had heard of the fires of Hell, and as he watched the flames, he thought how exceedingly dreadful even one moment in Hell would be.
“What would I do if the wrath of God fell on the earth?” he asked himself. After serious thought, he decided that should the day of judgment come, he would descend into the well and hide there. Running to his mother, he shared his plan; but she replied, “Ah, my son, the water will boil and the earth will burn.”
He then told her that he would run to a spot he knew in the rocks where he could hide. She said, “But the rocks will melt.” He was so overwhelmed with dread that he told her he would just die and escape the wrath of God in the grave. But she replied, “My child, your hope is in vain for the dead will awake and come out of their graves.”
Young David went outside and walked through the fields, pondering at length the reality of that coming day and his being unprepared for it. Putting his hand over his heart, he looked toward heaven and said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
Pat Thomas, David Marks, p. 3
That truly is what God desires but again, he will never force anyone to enter into eternal life with Him. If you reject Jesus, the light of the world, then you will spend eternity in darkness apart from Him! It is as John MacArthur wrote:
God’s eschatological and eternal wrath is inevitable; no one can prevent or hinder it from coming (Isa 43:13). But there is a way to escape it, because “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). Those who by faith trust in Christ alone for salvation will escape both God’s eschatological wrath (3:10) and His eternal wrath (1 Thess 1:10). They will not face judgment, because their sins were judged when Jesus died in their place on the cross (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). In light of the inevitable judgment to come, the warning to all unrepentant sinners is “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb 4:7).
- John MacArthur
As I begin to close this evening, I want you to see what the kingdom age will be like, what we are waiting for. In Isaiah chapter 35, beginning in verse 1 we are told, “The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, The excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:1-10.
And in Isaiah 11:6-9 we are told, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.”
But before the kingdom age is birthed, we must go through the labor pains of the Tribulation Period and out of that Jesus will return to set up His kingdom. And folks, for those who have a relationship with Him, with Jesus now, that Tribulation Period is not for us but it is for unbelievers. You see, we will be taken to be with the Lord prior to the start of the 7-year Tribulation Period. Jesus put it this way in Revelation 3:10, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Yes, during the Tribulation Period many will get saved but many of them will be martyred for their faith in Jesus. Thus, as the Lord has said, TURN AND LIVE!