HoHum:
I remember studying Jonathan Edwards sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, in literature class. “The wrath of God is like great waters that are shut up for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. ..You are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty… If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power.” Yes, Edwards goes off the rails in places but this sermon was used to start the Great Awakening here in America. We seldom here such things today. I remember at my Bible college the seniors were to preach a sermon during the chapel time. The theme was Jehovah and then had a description of God. There was Jehovah Jirah- the Lord who provides. There was Jehovah Rapha- the Lord who heals. There is Jehovah Shalom- the Lord is peace. I was not there for the meeting where these topics were assigned. I was told that I had Jehovah Nakah- the Lord who strikes. This comes from Ezekiel 7:9: “I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that it is I the LORD who strikes you.” Oh, thanks! What did I talk about, well I talked about God’s wrath, I talked about God’s judgment, and yes, I talked about hell. Was it well received? Definitely the most memorable because so out of character! Beating Gumby probably the most remembered part. We avoid these themes like a plague, Why? Last week talked about God being our Father. So many come from abusive homes so they need a whole new concept for the word “Father.” Not a bad reason. But in avoiding the truth of God’s wrath, have we lost something?
WBTU:
If the book of Revelation has taught us anything thus far, it is this: God’s wrath is holy and terrible, full of fury, just, fair and completely unstoppable. And that’s a good thing: we need a God of wrath. This may sound strange until we watch the nightly news. We hear of atrocities perpetrated around this globe, and we shake our heads in shock and disgust. In Revelation 6:10 we find those who are slain for the name of Jesus praying, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” There is coming a judgment day my friends when God will make everything right. Malachi says it will be a great and dreadful day; great for those who are written in the Lamb’s book of Life- enter into my joy. Dreadful for those who have not responded to the gospel- suffering God’s wrath eternally.
We come to Revelation 15 and 16- final series of 7. 3rd series of 7 told in Revelation. The 1st series of 7- seals being opened tells of purifying the saints. 2nd series of 7 is of the trumpets and this is calling sinners to repentance. 3rd series of 7- bowls that unleash the full and final punishment on a rebellious world. Read Revelation 15:1. In the seals, God set the dial on his wrath at 25%, affecting a fourth of the world, and in the trumpets, he turned the dial up to 33%. But with the seven bowls, his wrath is at 100%- all the world experiences his judgement.
Nancy Guthrie in her book on Revelation gives this:
Thesis: 4 things revealed in wrath of God from Rev. 15 & 16
For instances:
1. Pouring out his wrath is God’s glorious way of preparing a place for his people
Much of Revelation 15 and 16 goes back to the Exodus from Egypt. In Revelation 15:3-4 (Read it) we have the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Need to remember that the tabernacle or temple was the place where the presence of God dwelt. Significant that John sees these 7 bowls coming from that place. Read Revelation 15:5-16:1. Vs. 8 we have 7 angels carrying 7 golden bowls. Earlier we have “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people” (Revelation 5:8). What are these saints praying for? Justice. This is God’s response to the prayers of the saints.
2. Pouring out his wrath is God’s fair way of giving those who have rejected his mercy and persecuted his people what they rightly deserve
In chapter 16, the seven angels begin to pour out their seven bowls . The 1st 4 are poured out on different spheres of nature but their impact is on people. So much of Revelation has required us to use our imaginations. In these bowls of wrath, it seems that John is asking us to use our senses to grasp the reality of the wrath of God. In the first bowl, we can close our eyes and almost feel the physical pain of judgment: Read Revelation 16:2. This is reminiscent of the boils that broke out in sores on all the people and animals of Egypt during the plagues. Let’s look at the second bowl- Read Revelation 16:3. Ever smelled rotten fish- I have being a fisherman. Grandpa would always clean the fish and throw the guts in the field (great fertilizer). After a few days the smell would be horrendous. Imagine every living thing in the sea is dead and the smell. This would also be an economic disaster. The sea was the center of commerce in John’s day. This is a judgment on everything we place our confidence in to sustain us apart from God alone. On our money is “In God We Trust.” Next, God makes the source of life a source of death. Read Revelation 16:4. No fresh water to be found, only blood to drink. Imagine the desperate thirst of the people. Even so, this is cause for celebration in heaven. Read Revelation 16:5-6. When the people of the first century read this, it must have been a great comfort to hear that those who had spilled the blood of the saints would be forced to drink blood. The punishment fits the crime. Read Revelation 16:7- Perhaps John anticipated that those who heard this account might have some of the same questions we would have about the wrath of God. John says yes these are just judgements. Earlier in the fourth trumpet judgment, the light of the sun, moon, and stars was diminished by 1/3rd. This bowl does the opposite: Read Revelation 16:8-9. Is the planet getting hotter? Unsure but here our senses are awakened for those who reject Christ. In this case, the scorching pain of a sunburn for which there is no relief, and the hunger and thirst for food sources being burned up and waters sources being dried up. Instead of praying for rain, these people refuse to repent of anything. This judgement falls on hardened people who vigorously refuse God to the very end. Jesus asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Come to the fifth bowl- Read Revelation 16:10-11. “Darkness that can be felt” is described in the plagues on Egypt. Ever been in utter darkness? Darkness signifies uncertainty, fearfulness, and a desperate aloneness. Those who experience this do not suffer in silence, they are too busy cursing God. Amazing that John himself wrote in John 3:19-20: “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” Here, the judgment of darkness falls on people who love the darkness, which seems like the ultimate “be careful what you wish for.”
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.
