Sermon Tone Analysis

Textual Idea - God revealed to John a sobering preview of the 7 last plagues that would be poured out in judgment on the earth.

Sermon Idea - Why is God going to pour out these 7 last plagues of horrific judgment on the earth?

How could a loving God subject men to this kind of disaster?

Transition with key word – The text reveals 3 reasons why these 7 last plagues of judgment will be poured out on the earth.

These plagues reveal God’s holiness & glory – 15:5-8 These plagues reveal God’s righteous justice – 16:1-7 These plagues reveal the true heart of man – 16:8-21

Introduction – As a dad, I tend to be "large and in charge" with my family.

I was raised that way and my dad always commanded great respect from me and my sister even though we're both grown with children and in my case grandchildren of our own.

There was no doubt in my home as a child growing up "who wore the pants" in the family.

If dad said to do something you had better do it or face the swift consequences of disobedience.

Rules in our house were just that, rules.

But I also learned there were principles behind those rules designed to protect me from harm and to help me live in a way that honors the Lord.

I learned I could trust my parents that even if I didn't understand what was going on or why they were doing what they were doing, they had my best interest at heart and I could take them at their word.

I was taught early on the importance of obedience and that the Bible teaches that "to obey is better than sacrifice...that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft."

We were expected to obey the first time mom and dad said to do something with a good attitude.

We were taught to honor our father & mother and to fear God and love Him with everything we have, heart, soul, mind and strength.

I was taught that the world doesn't revolve around me and what I want; it revolves around God and His plans for me.

I learned that by submitting to the authority of my parents over me, my life was full of joy living within the boundaries they had given and the trust I earned from faithful obedience allowed me greater freedom as I grew older.

Through them, I learned these same principles apply to my Heavenly Father.

That I can trust Him that even though I don't understand what is going on or why He is doing certain things, He has my best interest at heart because He sees the big picture.

I learned through my relationship with my parents that God can be taken at His word.

I learned there is great joy in my life when I surrender to His authority living within the boundaries He has set for me.

I have learned with my Heavenly Father through faithful obedience there is great trust and more freedom as I grow in maturity.

My relationship with my parents and with my Heavenly Father is based on a sacrificial love that always the other persons best interests at heart.

I learned how to serve others by serving those in my family.

As a father, I learned to appreciate the disciplines my father instilled in me.

He was actively involved in my life and I talked to him every day.

I have tried to pass on those disciplines to my children as well but I would never say I've done as good a job as my parents did with me & Rhonda.

There were times I saw a side of my dad and mom that flat scared me.

When I was rebellious to their express commands and undermined their authority over me, it was then I would see this side of them that scared me.

It wasn't that they lost their cool though that did happen sometimes, I think what scared me most was their firm resolve I was not going to get away with whatever I did wrong.

They scared me in that they could "out will" me.

I remember one time in particular, I did something wrong - back talked mom or something.

Don't even remember the offense, but that particular day as an 9 or 10 year old, I decided I was too big for my mom to spank me and so I determined I was not going to cry and teach mom a lesson.

Boy was that ever a mistake.

This short little and not very strong German woman demonstrated a resolve and fortitude and kept paddling me and after a while the pain was fierce and I figured out she was never going to quit.

I broke down bawling and told mom I was so sorry.

I remember she broke down also and hugged me and we both sat on my bed crying over my rebellion and the hard discipline I received.

She shared with me later when I was a father myself & having been through something similar with one of my kids about the day I did that it almost killed her.

She didn't have much left and while she was spanking me, she was praying that God would break me.

Transition – I want us to keep this in mind as we come to our text today in Revelation.

You see most people have a lopsided view of Almighty God and in our sinful, rebellion; we only want to enjoy the attributes of God we like.

God is love, God provides for me, He comforts me - basically we want to focus on all the things God does for us that we like.

If we're honest, we tend to ignore and minimize the attributes of God we don't like - His wrath, judgment and our accountability before Him.

Background – We are nearing the end of our study through Revelation and John has been writing about how God will bring the world to an end, how God will finally deal with Satan and the evil world system that counterfeits and opposes everything about God.

Honestly, it is quite scary to see the side of God we're about to see today.

But it’s a side of God we need to see because this is reality, it is truth, it is fact and we do ourselves no favors by ignoring the reality of God, His nature, His character and attributes to embrace the idol of our understanding.

Last week we looked at “A Heavenly Memorial”, a living monument to the promise of God to save and secure those who belong to Him.

If you are a child of God, a true disciple of Jesus Christ, what you’re about to see poured out from God upon mankind, you will not face.

However, what you’re about to see affects you because your acceptance or rejection of these truths determines how you will live.

We’re going to go about this differently this morning.

We’ll survey these plagues and then answer the begging question the text literally screams at us: Why/How in the world would or could a loving God subject mankind to this kind of wrath?

Let me also say beforehand that God does not owe mankind any sort of explanation nor does He need to justify His actions to us by any means.

As the Creator who spoke the worlds into existence and who created the heavens, the earth, all the creatures that fill it and the mankind created in His image, He can do with His creation as He pleases.

God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2nd Pet.3:9).

Read Text - 15:5-16:2

Explain Johns vision, as though he’s standing on the launch deck of heaven as these 7 angels carrying these bowl judgments make their way to pour out God’s wrath on the earth (Slides).

The Seven Plagues poured out of seven bowls of judgment poured out in rapid succession:

1st Bowl – Foul & loathsome sores – vs. 2

“Foul” – term is Kakos – general term for bad

“Loathsome” – term is poneros – our word pornography comes from this – something inherently evil – together with “foul”/kakos – means malignant/cancerous

“Sore” – term is helkos – an ulcer, open wound on the skin.

Picture is of an open, festering, oozing puss, cancerous wound that will be incurable.

Because it is cancerous, it will spread over the bodies of the people afflicted.

These are the same kinds of sores that afflicted the Egyptians in the 6th plague in Ex.9:9-11, Job in 2:7, and the beggar Lazarus in Luke 16:21.

2nd Bowl – Seas turned to blood – vs. 3

Earlier in our study, you may recall 1/3 of the seas were struck in Rev.8:8 as the second of the trumpet judgments sounded destroying 1/3 of ocean life & 1/3 of the ships.

The text describes the blood to be as of a dead man, a wretched putrid stench will abound from the death of ocean life; beaches will no longer be places to flock to, but to flee from.

This plague will wipe out any remaining life in the oceans of the world.

Similar to 1st plague in Egypt from Ex. 7:20-24

3rd Bowl – Fresh waters turned to blood – vs. 4

As if the previous plague wasn’t bad enough, all the fresh water will turn to blood also.

Drinking water will be the most valuable commodity and the law of supply and demand will cause mayhem and price gouging as people scramble to secure water to drink.

4th Bowl – The scorching sun – vs. 8

When you’re wicked hot, a refreshing glass of ice water is a huge blessing and we think we know what hot is especially in Texas.

The ozone protective covering will disappear and the world will become a boiling hot place to live.

Combined with the power of the two witnesses from Rev.11:6 to stop the rain, there will be no relief or refreshment on earth as a worldwide drought takes place.

Dr. John MacArthur notes a by-product of this plague will be the melting of the polar ice caps, the oceans will flood but it will be a flood of blood from dead oceans.

5th Bowl – Darkness & pain – vs. 10

Mirroring the 9th plague on Egypt (Ex.10:21-23),

Satan’s realm, the anti-Christ and false prophet’s sphere of rule, the world will be in pitch black darkness.

The plague described in Exodus describes darkness so dark you can feel it and that is true here!

It’s appropriate b/c his kingdom is known as the kingdom of darkness & he is the prince of darkness.

Turn & read Jesus statement in John 3:16-21!

There will be no relief and men will gnaw on their own tongues because of the pain of utter darkness.

The prophet Joel proclaimed in 2:1-2 regarding the Day of the Lord: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the Day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand.

A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…”

6th Bowl – River Euphrates dried up in preparation for battle – vs. 12-14

This is the only plague that doesn’t involve a direct assault on humanity but is in preparation for what is to come.

This river is the longest in the Middle East, some 1800 miles long.

It appeared in Rev.9:14-16 where 200 million demons were released from their bonds to kill 1/3 of humanity.

It is the eastern border of the land God gave to Israel and it being dry will open up the opportunity for Satan, the anti-christ and the false prophet to attack Israel in the battle of Armageddon, the final assault against God Satan and his minions will attempt.

The kings of the east will walk into a trap just like Pharaoh and his armies did trying to pursue the Israelites through the parted waters of the Red Sea.

Rev.17:14 tells us the Lamb will overcome them for He is Lord of lords and King of kings.

7th Bowl – Greatest earthquake ever, mountains & islands destroyed, a great hailstorm – vs. 17-21

This bowl judgment is the final outpouring of the wrath of God upon the universe.

It begins with a violent thunderstorm of lightening & thunder.

John describes this as a great & mighty earthquake like the world has never seen previously.

It will not be localized, it will be a global earthquake.

It’s intensity will be such every mountain will be leveled including 29,029 foot tall Mount Everest.