The Seven Bowls Judgments (1)

Revelation 15-16

Key verse: 15:1

“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues – last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.”

Previously, we studied the seals judgments and the trumpet judgments. Today, we will study the seven bowls judgments. The seven bowls judgments should be called the seven super bowl judgments because of their catastrophic nature. God is love but his loving patience will run out at the end of the age and he will pour out his wrath upon those who have the mark of the beast. But those who are saved by the blood of Jesus will be in heaven. The victorious saints will sing with harps the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Let’s remain faithful to Jesus even as we face many temptations from the devil. I pray that we all may praise God for his salvation through the cross of Jesus. May God open our spiritual eyes to listen to the word of revelation through today’s message!

PART 1 THE SONG OF MOSES AND THE LAMB (1-4)

Look at verse 1.” I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues-- last, because with them God's wrath is completed. As I mentioned, the previous judgments are just a prelude for the seven bowls judgments. Verse 1 clearly tells us that God’s wrath on the earth will be completed by the seven bowls judgments. This is the final judgment.

Look at verse 2. “And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God.”  In his dream John saw the sea waves at the Island Patmos hitting the rocks of the cliffs with the background of setting sun. He saw a sea of glass mixed with fire. In 4:6a, “Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” Unlike the picture of 4:6, the sea of glass here is “mixed with fire.” The fire is related to the coming terrible judgments.

By this time the rapture has happened and all believers are with Jesus. Who were standing beside the sea? Those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name 666 were standing beside the sea holding harps given them by God.  Those who were martyred for the name of Jesus are victorious. Although killed, they are now in heaven. The beast overcame them during the Great tribulation (13:7), but here the roles are reversed. What did they do in heaven? Look at verses 3-4. “… and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. ⁴ Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." The victorious saints sang with harps the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Many Bible scholars refer to the song of Moses in Exodus 15 where Moses and his people triumphed over the Egyptians. The saints on the shore of the sea of glass sing a song celebrating God's victory, just as Moses and the people of Israel did on the shores of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-18).  I believe that as Israel stood on the sands, and saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore, so we one day will lift up a song of thanksgiving to God who has drowned his enemies with his judgment.

PART II THE PREPARATION FOR THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES (5-8)

Look at verses 5-8. “After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the testimony, was opened. Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.”

As John continued to look at the heavenly vision, he saw the temple described as the tabernacle of the Testimony. The temple in heaven seems to be the heavenly counterpart of the earthly temple Moses constructed according to God’s instructions in Exodus 25:40. As it was opened, the seven angels with their plagues exited from it. The clean, shining linen of the angels indicates their purity and the golden sashes around their chests point to the glory of God. When this was done, smoke filled the temple, making it impossible for anyone to enter it until the seven plagues were poured out on the earth. This passage shows us the impending divine judgment on a wicked world. God will judge the unbelieving world and rewards those who have faith in God.

PART III THE SEVEN BOWLS JUDGMENTS (1-21)

Look at verse 1. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." God’s loud command to pour out the seven bowls was given to the seven angels from the temple. No one could alter this command. Here is the climax of the great tribulation…and it’s nothing but good news for the saved ones and motivation to reach others and to know the signs of the times. Here is the pouring out of the 7 super bowls of wrath from the throne of God Himself. For 6,000 years God has been offering grace, mercy, and salvation, but not here. God’s 7 final judgments are on those who rejected Him. God has been patient with sinful humanity for so long. Enough was enough. The time has come to judge the world. The wraths of God will be unequal to any other wraths given to humanity in the past. In a sense the end of the world has come. Let’s look at the  7 super bowl judgments one by one.

BOWL #1: INCURABLE SORES ON THE BEAST WORSHIPERS (1-2)

Look at verse 2. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” In the first bowl judgment people who followed the beast received painful sores. Sores also come with the fifth bowl. (10-11). Since they bear the mark of the beast, they’re easy to locate like lo-jack installed in the car to locate them when they’re stolen. They experienced pain scratching their sores all day long but there was no relief in sight.

If we did not study the Bible and know God, we too might go after the mark of the beast because it gives instant gratification and fun in the pleasures of this world. This is God’s warning that we should be faithful to our Bible study and prayers.

BOWL #2: DEATH TO ALL SEA LIFE (3)

Look at verse 3. “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” In the second trumpet judgment “a third of the sea turned into blood,” killing a third of the living creatures” and destroying “a third of the ships.” (8:8-9) But in the second bowl, every living thing in the sea died. All the salt water is affected, and every single soul in them dies. Can you picture that the world’s shorelines lined and cluttered with decaying corpses of sea life? We see the beautiful sandy Atlantic beaches where people enjoy sun tans and swim and surfing. But those beaches will be gone and there will be an unbearable stench so bad that when you breathe you’d gag. Since waters are contaminated, ocean-going vessels will come to a halt. The world today doesn’t realize how dependant we are upon God. The now-salty waters of the world are God’s cleansing agent for the filth of the world, but then no longer!

BOWL #3: TRANSFORMING OF ALL FRESH WATER INTO BLOOD (4-7)

Look at verse 4-7 “The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged;  for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve." And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments." Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2), but the Father now turns it to blood. The antichrist shed much blood of those who refused the mark, and now they’re reaping what they have sown. Gal. 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Those who squeeze bloody tears from others will also shed bloodier tears in the same way. This judgment is in response to the shedding of the blood of saints and prophets. Who is under the altar?  Martyrs!  We heard their cried in 6:10. Here they say, “Good job, Lord, you have avenged us!” Here we learn that God’s judgments are fair and just because there is no partiality in God. Unbelieving people invited the wrath of God because they suppressed the truth of God and rebelled against God’s invitation through his Son Jesus. Their sin was sown and here reap God’s judgment.

BOWL #4: SCORCHING OF ALL THROUGH SUN’S INTENSITY (8-9)

Look at verses 8-9. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 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.” This judgment focused the intense heat of the sun. 2 Pe 3:10 says, “…the elements will be destroyed by fire, and everything in it will be laid bare.”

This judgment is the greatest heat wave in history. This is real global warming. The heat is so intense that bodies will be scorched. Mal. 4:1 says, “"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.’ The earth will be like a furnace. Who will survive in this hot furnace? Because of this amazing catastrophe, we might think that some might come to their senses and repent. But they refused to do so.

People need to repent. What is happening in America? God was kicked out of school and the value of life is not respected. We see disasters like 9/11 and Katrina and Tsunami in Asia. How should we understand these catastrophes? One way is to see them as a warning to repent and believe in the gospel. God loves American people and he does not want to judge them and he is waiting for them to come back to him with long-suffering patience. But he is holy, righteous, just and eventually will judge people if they refuse to accept the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus. It is our mission to reclaim America from the red dragon and restore America to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We don’t have to die an unnecessary death by rejecting Christ. I pray that you don’t want to be here when God’s Super Bowls of Wrath are poured out. The good news is that you don’t have to be here because Christ died for you and he is standing at the door of your hearts. Please welcome him right now! Raise your hands if you accept Jesus as your Lamb of God who died to take away your sins. Amen!

BOWL #5: DARKENING OF THE BEAST’S KINGDOM (10-11)

Look at verses 10-11. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men 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.”  This judgment is like a plague of the darkness in Moses’ time in Egypt. This plague is God’s way of saying to the world:  you could have followed the light, the bright morning star, but you have chosen price of darkness, the devil.

BOWL #6: PREPARATION FOR THE DOOM OF EARTH’S KINGS (12-16)

Look at verses 12-16.  “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. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. ‘Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.’"

There are two keys in verse 12. The great river Euphrates was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. The prominence of this river in the Bible is extraordinary, mentioned in Genesis…and here in Revelation.  This is the cradle of human life and the grave for the end times. This is modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria…ancient Babylon! The book of Revelation has prophecies against Babylon. Now the waters of the Euphrates which stretch 1,800 miles long and over ½ mile wide and 30 feet deep was dried up for specific reason. It was for the kings from the East. There are so many interpretations of the identity of the kings from the East. The simplest answer is that this refers to kings or rulers from the Orient or East who will participate in the final world war. The great Euphrates is the water boundary between the Holy Land and Asia to the east. This is a full-scale invasion of the west, coming from the east and unprecedented in history. Millions of army soldiers will be mobilized in this war of Armageddon.

In verse 14 the identity of three frogs are the spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. By performing miraculous signs they will deceive nations. Today, people are hungry for the miracles. These three unholy frogs will feed people’s appetite for miracles. The demons go throughout the world influencing kings to assemble for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. Satan, knowing that the second coming of Christ is near, will gather all the military might of the world into the Holy Land to resist the coming of the Son of Man who will return to the mount of Olives (Zech 14:4). This is called the war of Armageddon. The word “Armageddon” comes from the Greek Harmagedon, which transliterates the Hebrew words for Mount of Megiddo or hill of Megiddo. In the end, though, the armies from heaven led by Jesus will win the final war with the kings of the world.

Look at verse 15. “‘Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed” John heard the warning message coming from Christ himself. Christ’s return is often compared to the coming of a thief. Blessing is promised to the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him. We must be ready for the second coming of Christ with prepared hearts at any moment. We should not become sleepy or complacent but be alert with prayer and diligent Bible study to prepare the second coming of Jesus.

BOWL #7: THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON (16:17-18:24)

Look at verses 17-21. “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done! Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.  From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.” The last judgment is related to the atmosphere which is the air. Air is the preferred method of war today. This plague is tied to Armageddon, so it is reasonable to think this is a massive air assault. Maybe the full scale nuclear war may come. All nations of the world may consume their biggest guns. And the result is this huge earthquake. Then every major city of the earth is leveled. The mountains also disappearing, sinking into the heart of the earth:  Rockies, Swiss Alps, Himalayas, Andes, and Mt. Everest! The climax includes the raining down of hailstones in weight over 100 lbs. each! Verse 17C “It is done!” reminds us of what Jesus said on the cross:  “it is finished” Jesus paid for every sin. If we accepted Jesus blood, we don’t have to face this judgment. We wouldn’t wish these things on anyone, especially, our close family members or our sheep. Let’s pray for at least 3 lost sheep we know by name so that they may accept Christ as their Savior. We’ve seen 7 Super Bowls of God’s Wrath…

In conclusion, there are many similarities between the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments like the order of judgments is the same. But there are striking differences also. In the trumpet judgments, a third of the earth or heaven is afflicted but in the bowl judgments the effects of the judgments are on the entire earth and are much more severe and final in character. It becomes more intensive and extensive as the time of the second coming of Jesus approaches. The degree of sin is getting worse and worse today. It is God’s message that the end is coming. It is time for us to accept the grace of God upon us and repent of our sins and worship God who is worthy of our honor and respect.

Let’s read the key verse 1.