Revelation 16 - Tongue Twister
If it seems like evil people go unchecked in this world, read Revelation 16 to see what they have coming.
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Revelation 16 (ESV)
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth,
and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who
bore the mark of the beast
and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea,
and it became like the blood of a corpse,
and every living thing died that was in the sea.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water,
and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,
“Just are you,
O Holy One,
who is and who was,
for you brought these judgments.
6 For
they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”
7 And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
true and just are your judgments!”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun,
and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.
9 They were scorched by the fierce heat,
and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues.
They did not repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,
and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.
People
gnawed their tongues in anguish
11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores.
They did not repent of their deeds.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates,
and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 And I saw,
coming out
of the mouth of the dragon
and out of the mouth of the beast
and out of the mouth of the false prophet,
three unclean spirits like frogs.
14 For they are demonic spirits,
performing signs,
who go abroad to the kings of the whole world,
to assemble them for battle
on the great day of God the Almighty.
15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief!
Blessed is the one
who stays awake,
keeping his garments on,
that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”)
16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,
and a loud voice came
out of the temple,
from the throne,
saying, “It is done!”
18 And there were
flashes of lightning,
rumblings,
peals of thunder,
and a great earthquake
such as there had never been since man was on the earth,
so great was that earthquake.
19 The great city was split into three parts,
and the cities of the nations fell,
and God remembered Babylon the great,
to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away,
and no mountains were to be found.
21 And great hailstones,
about one hundred pounds each,
fell from heaven on people;
and they cursed God for the plague of the hail,
because the plague was so severe.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Revelation
Revelation 16 Summary
Chapters 15-16 contain the shortest of the seven perspectives of Christ's return, and I think that is by design. These bowls of wrath are God's final judgment. There is nothing more for Him to say or do. In all of the previous perspectives there have been some awful things for sure, but all of them either were warnings or came with warning, because it is always God's desire for people to repent.
It's hard not to feel sorry for those people who will experience the seven bowls of wrath. After all, we read that it was so terrible that people gnawed their tongues in agony (v10).
But before we paint God as being vindictive and petty, we must remember that God is being just. After you've read of God's wrath being poured out without mercy, re-read the pronouncements of God's justice in v5-7. Notice also that Jesus Himself seems to break into the narrative in v15, both reminding and warning you to stay vigilant.
Dig Deeper
As these seven bowls of wrath are poured out, John pauses three times to note that even in the midst of the awfulness, the sinners experiencing the agony were still too stubborn to repent and glorify God:
v9 - They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
v11 - People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
v21 - And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Before you find yourself looking down upon these unrepentant people, remember that had not God given you His grace, you would be unrepentant and subject to His wrath as well.
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: O Holy One, who is and who was (v5)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will stay awake, so that you are prepared when Jesus comes like a thief (v15)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
