Rev. #51~15:+16:1-7-pt 1 THE BOWLS OF GODS WRATH POURED OUT
Today we’ll read verses 5-8 in chapter 15 in order to get our thought line back on track and then we’ll move on to chapter 16: where we left off at last time.
The Bible, contains the story of man losing his lordship over the earth to Satan, the usurper,**{ to take possession of without legal claim} it tells of the recovery through the God-man Savior, the Lion who is also the Lamb.
He alone is able to accomplish what no one else in the universe can, and He does so through the judgments of the sealed book.
Keep in mind; the Tribulation is first of all God’s discipline on the Jews for their willful rejection of Christ as their Messiah and for their stubbornness. It will purge out the rebellious Jews and cause the rest to turn to Christ.
Ø These 7 last plagues will show:
(a) The total rebellion and independence of the earth dwellers to their Creator.
Because of the callousness and hardening built up in the hearts of these earth dwellers, these judgments will result in anger and blasphemy from the heart and mouths of men rather than fear and reverence and trust.
They are hardening plagues, which God uses to His own glory.
(b) But these plagues (bowl judgments) will crush man’s rebellion and remove the rebellious from the earth.
Ø God is dealing with His chosen people Israel in this tribulation.
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.—1/3 will be saved.
Ezekiel 20: 33-34 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: 34And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
Ø 2/3 rds of the Jews will be killed in the tribulation.
Zechariah 13:8-9 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
These last seven plagues will complete Gods purposes as well as bring an end to the judgments.
Ø Remember chapter 15 was telling us about the 7 last plagues of the tribulation and here in
Chapter 16: their poured out on the earth dwellers, at this time the restraint of the Holy Spirit who is at work today through the church, the body of Christ, will have been completely removed. The Tribulation, without the Holy restrainer will be a time of unprecedented lawlessness and unrighteousness; the Holy Spirit will remove the True Church when He leaves, and this takes place back in chapter 4 so we that are saved will not be here.
The number seven is the number of perfection and completion. Seven plagues again remind us that these 7 judgments will accomplish a perfect and complete work on earth to prepare its inhabitants for the return of Jesus Christ.
These last seven plagues will complete these purposes as well as bring an end to the judgments.
Ø These 7 last plagues will show:
(a) The total rebellion and independence of the earth dwellers to their Creator.
And because of the callousness and hardening built up in the hearts of these earth dwellers, these judgments will result in anger and blasphemy from the heart and mouths of men rather than fear and reverence and trust.
These are hardening plagues, which God uses to His own glory.
(b) But these plagues (bowl judgments) will crush man’s rebellion and remove the rebellious from the earth.
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Ø Listen as I read from chapter 15:5-8 in order to understand what’s about to take place.
Revelation 15:5-8
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
-- the tabernacle of the testimony –means the one of witness.” These ministers and agents of God’s holy justice, proceed from the presence of God acting on behalf of God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice, and what ever God does is right He is a Just God. He cannot and will not permit sin in His presents.
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6And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Their “clothed in pure white linen” refers to the nature of their commission as representatives of God’s holiness. Pure white portrays righteousness.
“Gold” stands for the glory of God and girding was an act of preparation.
Their actions will bring maximum glory to God and will cause all creatures to fall on their knees and acknowledge the sovereignty and perfect holiness of God when its all said and done, and make no mistake; these angels will do exactly as their told, they’ll not ask why, they’ll obey God.
Lets realize that these 7 particular angels had been there in the presents of God and had received their instructions and then their told to carry out their mission.
God is perfectly just and righteous in rejecting the sinner who rejects His love and grace.
People cannot trample on the Precious Blood of Christ and expect to go to heaven.
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7And one of the four beasts (4:& 5} gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
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Ø And now lets began chapter 16: and learn of the plagues being emptied on the earth dwellers.
Revelation 16:1
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
This great voice is most likely God; as He is the director of all that goes on in every dispensation.
This word “great”
Emphasizes the intensity of what will begin to take place on earth at this point in the Tribulation.
The word “great” is used nine times in this chapter in connection with its events: a great voice (vss. 1 and 17), a great heat (vs. 9), the great river Euphrates (vs. 12), --
--the great day of God Almighty (vs. 14), “a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake …” (vs. 18), the great city, Babylon (vs. 19), and great hailstones (vs. 21).
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And we see that the command was to Go your ways, we notice the word “ways” has an {s} on it, this means that each of the 7 angels had a particular mission, and it would carried out at the ordered and particular time. pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
“pour out” means all of it.
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2And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
We see here that immediately, in obedience to the voice from the temple, the first angel “poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and painful sore on the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.”
“Loathsome” means “evil, injurious, and malignant, and refers to what brings about a crippling effect, and is very painful and destructive. This is an abscessed or ulcerous sore, often caused by infection. This stresses the effect, degree, and intensity.
They’ll be unable to walk, sit, or lie down without pain. Such will be the case during the tribulation for those who experience these sores. The world’s population will have to suffer from sores that nothing can cure.
This plague and those that follow are not the expression of God’s wrath against sin in general, nor are they punishments for individual wrongdoing. The judgment comes from God because of the world’s allegiance to the antichrist. It says, on the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.”
Since these people received the Antichrist’s mark, its time to pay the penalty for their allegiance.
The faithful will be in a safe refuge, the 1/3 saved Jews will be in a place prepared for them, and we believe it to be PETRA just inside Jordan.
Many that are saved in the tribulation will be martyred, and then there will be other tribulation saints the world over that God may protect in other ways, some live through the tribulation according to chapter 7:13-17
Lets notice that the beast, the antichrist, is unable to help or heal the sore. “Sore” in the Greek is %elkos and refers to an ulcer-like sore. This is the word used in the Greek Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word for boils inflicted on the Egyptians in Exo.9:9-11
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> I remember when I was in boot camp at Parris Island away back in 1960, I had a boil to come up on the back of my neck, it was very painful, I was sent to the dispensary and they lanced it, then they put a piece of small gaze down in it to let it drain, that piece of gaze was about 6 inches long, I still have a scare on the back of my neck now. << Can you imagine having many many boils all over your body?
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The Second Bowl: the Seas Smitten
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
“And it (sea) became blood as of a dead man,” Every living thing (sea creature) in the sea will die. This is not talking about the Mediterranean Sea only.
Here the judgment is universal. This is global catastrophe.
Under the second trumpet, (remember there are 3 set of judgments, seals, trumpets, and bowls) one-third was affected, but now, in keeping with the nature of this judgment, the rest of the sea and marine life is struck.
Ø In God’s government, the punishment fits the crime.
Pharaoh tried to drown the Jewish boy babies, but it was his own army that eventually drowned in the Red Sea.
--Haman planned to hang Mordecai on the gallows and to exterminate the Jews-, but he himself was hanged on the gallows, and his family was exterminated (Es. 7:10; 9:10).
King Saul refused to obey God and slay the Amalekites, so he was slain by an Amalekite 2nd sam.1: 1-16
Let me remind us once again, all that come against Gods chosen people will pay the price, there has been many attempts to destroy Gods people and many Jews have died, but they will never be eliminated, GOD has big plans for His people according to His Word, to take a stand against His people is a sure way to be destroyed, read Ezk.38: & 39: and you will see what’s to happen to Russia and her coalition, Abinadab will get his then if not sooner, that’s at the mid way point of the 7 year tribulation.
Obama and his apostate administration has saddened the hearts of we that are saved for the way their treating Israel, and we can see God removing His Hand of blessing off our nation. They don’t realize that Israel will get by because God will see to it, but the United States will not get by, they don’t need us, we need them.
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4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. –Not as blood but became blood, this is telling us that there’ll be no water to drink. Not only are the world’s oceans and seas affected, so are the fresh bodies of water.
This resembles the first Egyptian plague where the Nile River and its tributaries were turned into blood and all the fish died (Exo.7:14-21).
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5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
which art, means He is--and wast, this means He always has been--and shalt be, this means He always will be.
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Isaiah 43:10-11 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
The angel here in verse 5 is saying that these earth dwellers brought this on them selves, God is long-suffering but eventually God’s holiness must act and His judgment against sin will be delayed no longer.
The Tribulation will show God is a God of holiness who is acting justly in His judgment against sin.
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Ø The angel continues to speak—
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. -Their now reaping what they’ve sown, they have slain saints for thousands of years, they have also killed Gods prophets.
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7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
“And I heard another out of the altar say ”
This evidently refers back to the saints under the altar who had been praying for justice to be done:
(Rev. 6:9–11).
“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, (Christians and Jews)that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” -a reference to the tribulation martyrs yet to be killed as they were.
Here their prayer is answered, the time is come for answering their prayer.
