“The Great Unveiling: Life – Just A Bowl Full Of _________?”
Revelation 15:1-16:21
There’s an old saying: “Life is just a bowl full of cherries.” But we know it’s really much more than that, and much more serious than that. We have been promised the “abundant life,” but that’s not the same as a cherry-filled life. Last week we tried to make a connection between life and death – the one influences the other. With that in mind, the best we can say is that “Life is just a bowl of ____________”, and let each individual fill in the blank. What John sees here in chapters 15-16 that life is just a bowl full of wrath.
We have come to the third woe that “those who dwell upon the earth” are supposed to fear. This woe concerns the ultimate delivery of God’s wrath. So this morning we will become more familiar with the wrath of God.
God’s wrath is, first of all, EQUITABLE. The accounts of the 7 bowls show us that WHAT A PERSON SOWS, HE ULTIMATELY REAPS. In verse 2 we see BOWL 1 – BOILS AND SORES over the body, ugly and offensive sores. It will be humiliating for those who “dwell upon the earth,” because they believe that sores are REFLECTIONS OF AN INNER CONDITION OF CORRUPTION. Leprosy, for example, was terrible not only because of its nature, but because in people’s minds it represented great sin. So how fitting for those who have the mark of the beast! They wanted a mark, and now they have it! Their evil sores represent their evil corruption!
Then, in verse 3, we see BOWL 2 – THE SEA TURNING TO BLOOD. We need to remember Leviticus 17:11 – “…for the life of any creature is in its blood. I have given you the blood so you can make atonement for your sins. It is the blood, representing life, that brings you atonement.” THE LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD! Blood represented life! Therefore, if a person was ill, it meant something was wrong in the blood so the blood was let. That’s why blood sacrifice was so appropriate – the blood – the life – was sacred. That’s why Christ shedding his blood was so symbolic – He gave the totality of life by shedding His blood and life.
Here in Revelation, blood, THE SYMBOL OF SALVATION IN THE MIDST OF LIFE, BECOMES THE SYMBOL OF DAMNATION IN THE MIDST OF DEATH. Those who would not accept the blood of the Lamb must receive the blood of death. The blood causes death, not life. To get a handle on the magnitude of this, imagine millions of dead sea creatures more than covering the tops of the oceans – with all the pollution, stench, and disease! God says, in effect, “You don’t want my blood? Then reap the blood of evil and death!” They reap what they sow.
Verses 4-7 show us another bowl of wrath. In BOWL NUMBER 3 WATER TURNS TO BLOOD. And the angel and the saints cry out that it is just and right and fitting! After all, those “who dwell upon the earth” shed the blood of saints and prophets, and now they RECEIVE BLOOD TO DRINK. God said (Gen. 9:6) – “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.” A person will receive what he deserves, will reap what he sows! It is God who ultimately gives an eye for eye and a tooth for a tooth; He alone truly gives blood for blood and life for life! Vengeance is His. Such extremes of punishment are not ours to decide – they belong to the almighty God of life and death! People reap what they sow.
Consider one more example. Look at verse 10 – The people opposing God blasphemed God; now in BOWL NUMBER 5 they are GNAWING THEIR TONGUES RAW. What they thought was a life of freedom was really slavery – and they can’t stand it! We know there can be meaning in suffering and we search, with God’s help, to find it and accept it. But imagine suffering, knowing there’s no good in it and you have only yourself to blame! Such people have to carry it by themselves! The very TONGUE OF BLASPHEMY BECOMES A TONGUE OF PAIN AND TORMENT! What they sowed, they reaped!
The application of these accounts is clear. Paul said it in Galatians 6:7-8 – “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” How we live has a great deal to say about how we die; HOW WE SPEND THIS LIFE HAS MUCH TO SAY ABOUT HOW WE SEND THE NEXT. There will be suffering for those opposed to God. They will reap what they have sown. God’s people even pray for it, as in Ps. 79:12 – “Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts (reproach) with which they have taunted (reproached) Thee, O Lord!” And God will answer the prayers! People will get what they deserve!
The question is, “WHY DON’T WE GET WHAT WE DESERVE?” What’s the difference? We don’t carry it alone. The answer is grace; JESUS CHRIST HAS DONE OUR SUFFERING. Isaiah 53:4-6 painted the picture: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” We can flee his wrath by seeking refuge in his mercy. JESUS PAID IT ALL, FOR US! The price has been paid. God’s wrath is equitable and fair!
The second characteristic of wrath is that it’s EFFICIENT. It’s obvious that even the outpouring of wrath is totally UNDER THE CONTROL OF A SOVEREIGN GOD! Just a quick check shows this to us. 15:6 – the angels are commissioned and equipped. 15:7 they receive the bowls of God’s wrath from God. 16:1 – God tells them when to pour them out. 16:8 – the sun is “allowed” to scorch the earth. Even in wrath God’s actions are calm and measured!
As I pointed out a few weeks ago, throughout Revelation there are TWO WORDS FOR WRATH – one means A LONG, SLOW BUILD UP of controlled anger and the other means the ANGER WHICH IS UNLEASHED IN A MOMENT, a quick spurt of anger. What’s significant is that both words are used throughout this section on wrath! In other words, both types of wrath come together. God’s hatred for, and anger at sin, has been slowly building – but the day will come when He’s had enough and His wrath will pour forth. It’s not, therefore, a fit of temper; it’s CAREFULLY PLANNED BUT SWIFTLY CARRIED OUT.
It reminds of a place like Great Wolf Lodge water park. Way up high there is a large bucket. It slowly fills up with water until it finally hits the tipping point – then it dumps out all the water on all those anxiously waiting underneath. Similarly, God has a large bowl. At one point in time it was empty, but over the years it has been slowly filling up with wrath. The day will come when it hits the tipping point and dumps God’s wrath upon the earth. When God says, “Dump!” the world is doomed! He is in control.
What’s interesting is to place THE CHARACTER OF PEOPLE along side of this control of God. Verses 9, 10, and 21 remind us that instead of turning to God, people turn more firmly against Him. PEOPLE WILL NOT REPENT. Instead of being awed, they curse and blaspheme God. They blame God for their troubles! Rome even blamed and therefore tortured the Christians. They brought upon themselves the very wrath they were trying to eliminate.
Yet are we any different? What do we do when trouble comes? Whom do we blame for our troubles – even for our failures and our sins? God? Others? Anyone and anything but ourselves! And we know better! It’s no wonder those who oppose God refuse to follow Him!
The truth is GOD MUST PUNISH SIN. He does it from a cloud of smoke because that denotes His holiness. And when we recognize His holiness we recognize that God has no choice but to punish sin; it’s part of His nature! Like oil and water, SIN AND HOLINESS DO NOT MIX! Pentecost was the outpouring of God’s blessing, and judgment is the outpouring of His wrath. God wants to pour out love upon His people – but the same sun that softens wax hardens mud; and those who are mud will rebel. And God therefore has no choice but to punish sin.
Romans 1 teaches us that people know God; few really doubt His existence; but they still go their own way. Just like us. We know God; we believe His existence; we know His love; we know His wrath. Yet we so often go our own way! THE TRAGEDY IS NOT THAT PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW GOD; IT’S THAT KNOWING GOD, THEY STILL INSIST ON THEIR OWN WAY! And only the wrath of God and the purging of sin can ever change any of that! God’s wrath is efficient enough that it will show and expose the hearts of people.
We also learn here that God’s wrath is EFFECTIVE. There is a CONFRONTATION IN A GREAT WAR. It takes place at what is called Armageddon. There will be one great, final war. Evil will go all out and will gather all the might available to fight God. But God will have His victory. Whether or not this will be a military battle, or only a spiritual battle, or a combination of both, the major emphasis here is that ARMAGEDDON WILL BE, AT HEART, SPIRITUAL.
I say that because there is no literal place such as Armageddon. The closest is the area called MEGGIDO. The area around Meggido was crucial because whoever controlled it controlled the majority of the trade routes and traffic of that day. So whenever a decisive battle was fought, it was fought there. John’s readers would have thought of it and recognized then that this final battle would be a decisive one, a great and terrible one. It would be SATAN’S LAST MIGHTY EFFORT AGAINST GOD, darkness against light, evil against good, the world against the church. It will be, above all, a mighty spiritual war fought to the finish, once and for all. Why else would Paul say the way to be prepared is to put on the spiritual armor (Eph. 6)? I like how Eugene Peterson translates these verse in The Message: “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” (1)
Here in Revelation the encouraging element comes in verse 14 as it refers to “the great day of God the Almighty.” GOD WILL WIN! Psalm 2 and so many other Scriptures will be fulfilled.
And we are assured that this confrontation will bring A COMPLETION. The great voice in verse 17 says, “IT IS DONE!” The plagues are now complete. Even as Christ said, “It is finished,” so God claims the same. What Jesus came to do was accomplished, and He died. For God, what His wrath intends will be accomplished.
So the system of opposition to God will fall. It will not fall because the church is so glorious and does such a good job that people will eventually all turn to God – no! IT WILL FALL BECAUSE GOD WILL SEND HIS WRATH AND CHRIST WILL RETURN! And the job of wrath will be complete! It will be, and is, effective.
The fourth characteristic of wrath we see here is that it is EVER PRESENT. We see God’s wrath repeatedly through the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls. This is GOD’S METHOD. While everything will be magnified near the end of these times, we see a repeated pattern even during this life. GOD CONTINUALLY REVEALS HIMSELF. He sends His seals. He is forever announcing the consequences of choosing life or death – He blows His trumpets. He often sends forth wrath – pours out the bowls. What happens, for example, when He reveals His love, and is rejected? He then, in various ways, announces His punishment. And if that’s rejected? A person lives a life of separation! As God punished Egypt and Pharaoh, so He will punish all who oppose Him!
Perhaps you know people, for example, who have slipped in their life of Christian service. Their attendance at worship has slacked off, their giving has lessened, or their dedication of time in the life of the church and service to Christ is almost nothing. And then they get ill or some other crisis happens; life goes against them. They promise to do better when they get better – I hear it all the time! Then they get better and soon slack off again. Having vowed to be more grateful to God through service and giving, they forget. And they get hit again. And they wonder why life has taken such a turn for the worse! We want to tell them why – God is pouring out little bowls of His wrath to warn them before the bigger bowls pour forth and it’s too late! Yet we back off because, in our compassion, we don’t want to upset them! Revelation calls us to be more lovingly honest!
And what’s true of individuals is also true of nations. What of Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon, Israel, Rome, Nazi Germany? God revealed, announced, and judged! Let’s pray, by the way, America is never added to that list!
And this method of constant reminders of wrath brings home GOD’S MESSAGE. God repeatedly reveals Himself and HIS LOVE. Recall the rich man who had such a great year farming that his barns were too small to hold the produce? And what did he do? Offer some to the poor? Share some with his neighbors? Bring it to his local temple for their food program? Sell it and share the money with the church? No! He built bigger and better barns, probably automated them and made them more productive and efficient! Then he heard, “This very night your soul will be required of you.” He failed to recognize the source of blessing. He missed the revelation of God’s love!
And there is a similar passage in James, where we really hear a trumpet of warning – James 4:13-17: “Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” I wonder – do we need some bowls before we listen? Whatever our situation, wherever we are, whatever we possess, remember: “THE BEGINNING OF SIN IS TO FORSAKE GOD; THE END OF SIN IS TO BE GOD-FORSAKEN.” His wrath is ever present. Don’t wait assuming it’s only for the rebellious people at the end of time!
For those who oppose God, it will be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Yet once again there is good news. Chapter 15 reminds us that there is an escape from wrath; but THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY – THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. He paid it all. All to Him I owe.
So how do you fill in the blank – Your life is just a bowlful of…?
You’ve seen the typical cartoon where the main character runs from the varmint who’s chasing him? He finally runs into a cottage and bangs boards over the doors and windows, flips all the locks and throws away the key – only to turn around and find the varmint locked in with him! That’s what it will be like to try and run and hide from God’s wrath! The challenge today is to stop running from God and start running towards Him. Each of us needs to look at our holy God seriously. I think this poem, which has an unknown author, says it well:
IN THAT DAY
When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ,
And He shows His plan for me—
The plan of my life as it might have been
Had He had His way, and I see
How I blocked Him there, and I checked Him here,
And I would not yield my will—
Will there be grief in my Savior’s eyes,
Grief, though He loves me still?
He would have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the path I cannot retrace!
Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break
With the tears I cannot shed;
I will cover my face with my empty hands,
I will bow my uncrowned head.
O Lord of the years that are left to me,
I give them to Thy hand.
Take me, and break me, and mold me to
The pattern that Thou hast planned.
(1) The Message (MSG), Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
