Sermon Tone Analysis

Revelation #22

*7 Angels and 7 Plaques*

*The 7 Final Bowls of God's Wrath*

*Revelation 15 and 16*

 

Having seen the vision of the Harvest of Grain and the Vintage of Grapes poured in God's wrath and the result being a bloody battle, hinted to by the volume of blood as well as the picture of the Horse's covered in blood either splattered or rising to the height of their bridle, we recognize that it was speaking of the end of the Tribulation, the Great and Final Day of the Lord, the Battle that we know as Armageddon.

Now we move to Chapters 15 and 16.

These two chapters fit together and give us a different perspective on the events surrounding the Harvest of Wheat and Grapes.

Just like the story of Christ was told to us in 4 Gospels, each covering the same basic time period, the same message, the same Life, the same Savior, yet 4 tellings each with their own slant, their own focus, their own perspective, their own stylings.

So it is with this Revelation painting the same picture and story in different ways so we can get a full picture and understanding of Jesus Christ, his majesty, his glory, his purpose, his justice, his grace, his wonder, power and might.

Chapters 15 and 16 seem to amplify for us Chapter 11:18,19

The nations rage

The Temple is Open

Amazing events on earth and in heaven

 

*Read  Chapter 15*

 

Viewpoints on the 7 Last Plaques:

*Historicist* - in general the 7 bowls of wrath find fulfillment in the judgment upon the papacy (Babylon), beginning with the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars and concluding yet in the future

 

*Preterist - * The judgments of these bowls are largely against Jerusalem, culminating in its fall in a.d.

70, though the fifth bowl touches the Roman Empire as well-probably referring to the chaotic state of affairs that prevailed after Nero's suicide.

·     Alternatively, this section says nothing about the fall of Jerusalem and refers strictly to the judgment of God upon pagan Rome.

Futurists - The bowls represent future, global judgments that, in their devastating effect, are unparalleled in history.

·     These occur at the very end of the Tribulation period, culminating in World War III, or the Battle of Armageddon.

·     This war is the last battle to be fought by mankind, and it will be ended by the personal appearing of Christ as He comes to establish His millennial kingdom.

Spiritual ~/ Idealist - There is a relationship between the bowl judgments and the trumpet judgments.

The former may be a recapitulation of the latter.

·     The principal distinction between the trumpets and the bowls is that the former are partial in their effects and serve to warn the wicked of their spiritual danger, whereas the latter are complete and represent final judgment upon the unrepentant.

·     The same event in history may serve as a trumpet judgment for one person (a mere warning) and as a bowl judgment for another (a final judgment, resulting in death).

·     The disasters described recur in history repeatedly.

So they are saying that for you and I in life there are judgments that God brings to draw us to himself and then if rejected long enough, final judgment could occur.

But then these are not to be taken literally in their view

 

 

So, … Let's look more closely then at this Text of what I believe to be a perspective on the end of the Great Day of the Lord, the final years of the literal 7 year period known as the Tribulation and more specifically the final latter ½, the Great Tribulation.

Let's look at what we've already read and then move to chapter 16 as well.

John is IN HEAVEN -

"I saw a great and marvelous sign: 7 Angels with the 7 Last Plaques"

 

The Good News: LAST … because with them God's wrath is completed

John moves to a glorious view in Heaven after mentioning the 7 plaques.

Either he has summarized FIRST including ALL of the Tribulation Saints being seen here and singing praises to God at the COMPLETION of the Tribulation, OR, he pauses before explaining the 7 plaques to tell us of the seen he is seeing in Heaven.

I would tend to lean to the first that he tells us the WHOLE Vision spending MORE time on the glorious finish before detailing for us the vision of the 7 bowls of judgment poured out on the wickedness of the earth.

*Song of the Tribulation Saints - *

They *are* - Victorious over the Beast, his Image, his Number

They *have* - Harps given by God (have you always wanted to play the guitar?

Well we will in Heaven, the 24 Elders the church plays harps in Chapter 5, The 144,000 have them in chapter 14, as do these here)

They *Sang* - The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb

    1.

The *Song* of *Moses* - Exodus 15:1-21 - Song of Victory over the Foes of Life --- the First Recorded Song in the Bible and THIS song is the Last Recorded song in the Bible - how wonderfully they will enjoy the Song of Moses after having LIVED it.

- Slaves in the early years of our country related well to Israel, to deliverance, to the Exodus and sang spirituals longing for that kind of deliverance.

These will Sing it from the OTHER side of the Red Sea, from the other side of the Jordon

     2.

The *Song *of *The Lamb* - Rev 5:8-14 - Song of Victory over Sin and Death

 

* Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony* - that is the Temple within the Temple or the Holy of Holies that houses the Ark of the Covenant … we saw it in 11:19 this is most likely just expanding on it

  Opened

  Out of It

    1.

7 Angels with 7 Plaques

    2.

Dressed

      a.

Clean shining linen - these are not ugly, dirty mercenaries, but are CLEAN and GLEAMING, JUST in the duty they carry out for God

      b.

golden sashes around their chest

      c.

these are priestly angels, they wore priestly garments and came from the Holy of Holies

  One of the 4 Living Creatures Gave them 7 Golden Bowls Filled with God's Wrath

  Temple Filled with Smoke

  No One Could enter until the 7 plaques were complete

    1.

When God's glory was in the Temple or Tabernacle, no one could stand it, as with Moses as with Solomon's Temple

    2.

If God's goodness is that Great, how much more his Wrath, no one in Heaven will enter it while his Holy Wrath comes from the Holy of Holies.

His wrath and his grace come from the same place, the Holiness of God

 

*Chapter 16 - Read *Verse~/Section at a Time

 

*V1 *- Then I heard a Loud Voice from the Temple

    1.

Go

*    *2.

Pour Out

    3.

On The Earth

 

You should take NOTICE of the Rapidity and Severity of these Bowls in comparison to the Seals and the Trumpets which have come before.

Notice the similarity between the plaques of Egypt as well as the previous judgments in the Tribulation which were "lighter" versions of these, i.e. 1~/3 of life if the seas being destroyed and now ALL, etc.

 

*1st Bowl* - v2

    1.

On the LAND

    2.

Ugly, Painful (this word can be translated malignant - which literally means troubles pressed together) , loathsome Sores (a wound producing a discharge of pus) - same Greek word is used here as is used in the Greek Septuagint Translation of the Old Testament in referring to the Egyptian Plaque of Boils, And the Boils of Job, as well as the Greek word used in the New Testament for Lazarus and his Boils.

These are LITERAL not figurative and they affect ALL people who have chosen NOT to worship Christ and have worshipped the Beast and received his Mark.

All the glitters is NOT gold, all that appears beautiful and beneficial is NOT and they are seeing their wicked hearts of sin now manifesting on the outside and feeling the pain that it brings and a forbearance of what eternity will bring

 

*2nd Bowl* - v3

    1.

On the SEA

    2.

Turned into blood LIKE a dead man's - that is not red, life-giving, active blood, but this means like blackened, clotting, thick, stinking, lifeless blood, such that EVERY living thing in the sea died --- How can we apply this to ANY event in history so far?

It MUST be literal or the word EVERY would not be there.

It is the Greek word /PAS/ which means /individually, each, every, all, the whole./

EVERY fish, every lobster, crab, dolphin, whale, coral, starfish, seahorse, ALL will die, imagine, thousands and thousands of Whales beached, millions of fish floating, dead and rotting.

Imagine the sea gulls plucking at the waters

 

*3rd Bowl* - vv8-9

    1.

On the RIVERS and SPRINGS

    2.

Became Blood

    3.

The Angel pouring, as if amazed by the immensity yet proclaims God's Justice /"You are Just in these judgments"/

      a.

because they shed the blood of saints and prophets

      b.

they now have blood to drink

    4.

The Altar Responds - "/Yes, Lord God Almighty, True and Just are your judgments"/  -

      a.

Why the Altar?

Because at that Heavenly Altar the sacrifice was made for the Salvation of All men and they who have rejected it have taken on this judgment on themselves

      b.

Hebrews says that Jesus Christ ascended and presented himself on the altar of God, his OWN blood for our Sins.

What cries out from the Altar of Heaven is the Very Blood of Christ that calls out having not been tried and found wanting but LEFT UNTRIED and it cries out You spurned me and now God is JUST in Judging You

 

He is True and Just~/Righteous … True is the word /alethinos ~/al-ay-thee-*nos*~// - means /that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the REAL nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, GENUINE/ - God IS who he says he is FIRST TO LAST through and through and those who follow the counterfeit will NOT get what's promised but what is deserved.

Romans 6:23 - the wages of sin is DEATH …

 

*4th Bowl* - vv8-9