Famous Last Words On Judgment Series

3. Pouring out his wrath is God’s proven way of gathering his enemies

Now the scene shifts from the earth to the final battle. God will not be caught by surprise in this battle. All of his enemies think they are gathering together to destroy the saints, but, in fact, they are being gathered by God for their own destruction. Read Revelation 16:12. Water drying up. Reminds us of the Red Sea drying up and the Israelites walking across. The Egyptians were drowned when they tried. Also this points to ancient Babylon where King Cyrus of the Persians diverted the waters of the Euphrates, which allowed his army to defeat the Babylonians. God sets the stage for the battle. His enemies assemble on the stage God has set: Read Revelation 16:13-14. The unholy trinity has things coming out of their mouths. Evidently what they have to say is as unclean and disgusting as the croaking of frogs. Have to think about all those piles of dead, stinking frogs in the second plague on Egypt. Read Revelation 16:16: Armageddon in Hebrew is literally “Mount of Megiddo.” So much happened biblically there do not have time to recount it. One commentator says, “Megiddo became proverbial in Judaism as the place where righteous Israelites were attacked by evil nations.” Here John seems to be saying, “All who have set themselves against Christ and his people are going to be utterly defeated, just as many other enemies of God have been defeated in the past.” Oh, many want this to be like a modern battle with tanks and planes and bombs. More than likely this is a spiritual battle, not a military one. John is giving us an apocalyptic vision of Satan’s final assault on the church, an assault that is crushed by Jesus Christ when he returns to the earth.

4. Pouring out his wrath is God’s final way of putting an end to evil

We come to the 7th bowl, which is poured into the air. Remember that Paul called Satan “The prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). This will be the end of Satan and suffering. Read Revelation 16:17. There is something familiar in “It is done.” Sounds close to “It is finished” (John 19:30). The HS wants us to see that everything accomplished on the cross will come to its full fruition on the day of Christ’s return. The wrath of God will be finished (at least for Christians). Read Revelation 16:18. This is mentioned several times, chapters 6,8,11, 16,19. Read Revelation 16:19-21: John says that Babylon will drink of the cup of God’s wrath. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 75:8 that when God pours this cup, “all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.” This cup is not exclusive to the OT. We read about it in the Gospels. On night before he was crucified, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”. (Matthew 26:39). Jesus drank this cup.

Invitation:

Read Revelation 16:15- Jesus coming will be unexpected like a thief in the night. Earlier in Revelation Jesus told the Laodiceans that they didn’t realize that they were naked and counsels them to buy white clothes from Him so they could clothe themselves. We need to be clothed with Christ. Galatians 3:26-27: So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.