Revelation 15-16

At times to this point in Revelation, we may
find ourselves thinking, “When is God going
to finally finish this?!” The answer: Right
now! With a reminder of His righteousness,
the final outpouring of wrath comes.

Worship in Heaven (15)
· Preparation for final judgments (1)
· Victorious martyrs sing songs of praise! (2-4)
· God’s Holiness displayed in His wrath (5-8)

God Pours Out His Anger: Seven Bowl Judgments (16:1-21)
· The command is given: “Go!” (1)
· First Judgment: Malignant sores (2)
· Second Judgment: Seas to blood (3)
· Third Judgment: Fresh waters to blood (4-7)
· Fourth Judgment: Scorching heat (8-9)
· Fifth Judgment: Darkness and gnawing pain (10-11)
· Sixth Judgment: Euphrates dry, armies gather (12-16)
· Seventh Judgment: Earthquake, hail, total destruction (17-21)

Once-beautiful earth and its great cities are reduced to rubble and waste, and all who worship antichrist are in pain and anguish!

Righteousness, Sin, and the Coming Battle
· God’s wrath is righteous because sin is sin! (16:5-7)
· Earth judged because men reject God’s holiness! (16:9,11,21)
· Battle lines drawn…at Armageddon (16:12b-16)

“Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.”
Revelation 16:7

For Further Study

1. Although Revelation is best known for its prophecy of terrible judgments, the book is actually filled with praise and worship (see 4:1-11; 5:6-14; 7:9-17; 11:15-18; 12:10-12a; 14:1-5; 15:2-8; 19:1-16.) In fact, praise and worship of God is intermingled with wrath and judgment! Why is this so? What do we learn about God, and about sin, from the judgments in Revelation?

2. It is important to distinguish between God’s wrath, and His judging. Rev 15:1 states that with the seven bowls, “the wrath of God is finished” – His anger is over. What does this reveal about hell (the lake of fire; see Rev 20:10-15)? Why is hell not God’s wrath? What is hell an expression of (in God)?

3. The heavenly ‘praise service’ leaders in Rev.15 are martyrs – men and women who gave their lives for their faith in Christ in the Tribulation. How are they described (v2)? Does it seem odd to call those who lose their lives “victorious”? Read Mark 8:34-38 (if your translation has “soul” in vv36 and 37, put the word “life” in instead). How do we really “save” our lives? Did you notice…these martyrs never complain about the suffering they had to endure!

4. In Rev 15:5-8, the angels carrying the plagues emerge from the temple dwelling of God, wearing clean white linen. What does this suggest as the basis for these judgments? As they prepare to pour out the judgments, the temple fills with smoke, and no one is any longer able to enter till the seven bowls are poured out. What does this indicate will be impossible for those who are about to be judged on earth?

5. Contrast the refrain of praise to God in 16:5-7 with the willful response of those on earth (16:9,11,21) as the bowls of God’s wrath are poured out on earth. What attribute(s) of God are ‘on display’ in His pouring out these judgments? How does the response of those being judged further display attributes of God?

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