Revelation Chapter 15 & 16 Lesson 22 Christ Independent Methodist Church 4078 Silver Lake Drive, Palatka, FL 32177 June 29, 2011 Michael K. Hudson Sr. Senior Pastor Revelation 15:1 8 KJV And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou Aerial view of the Mount of Olives (foreground), the Kidron valley, and the Temple Mount (background). King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. There is no doubt that the wheels of justice turns slow. Criminals often times have spent many years free while they wait for their trial on crimes that they have committed. Dictators who have committed atrocities have sometimes gone for decades before justice is finally served. In some cases, the victims never see the justice being handed out. Often times, one wonders if justice will ever come to some who have committed such horrific crimes against others. But, when one looks into the Scriptures, he can understand that even though it seems as if they escape justice in this life, they will not escape justice in eternity.
Revelation chapter fifteen is an important chapter because it reveals that justice, even though it is slow, will eventually come on all those who reject the Lord and His way. Chapter fifteen shows the Lord pouring out His full wrath on the sinful and wicked men and women who have given their allegiance to the Antichrist. God is a loving and longsuffering. He is patient, waiting for man to repent of his sins and turn to the Lord. But, chapter fifteen is the time when He is no longer patient or longsuffering. His final wrath is coming on the earth. This chapter shows the final series of judgments placed on the earth. These judgments began with the seven seals, which the seventh seal was broken into the seven trumpets, with the seventh trumpet broken into the seven vials or bowls. These seven vials are the final judgment. Even though the seven seals covered several years and the seven trumpets covered several years, the seven vials come in rapid succession at the end of the Tribulation Period. Chapter fifteen is the pronouncement of the final judgment and chapter sixteen is the execution of the final judgment. I. The pronouncement of God s final judgment during the Tribulation Period A. Another sign from heaven Revelation 15:1 2 KJV And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. John sees another sign in heaven that is amazing and awesome. There were seven angels, probably high-ranking angels, that had the final judgment to be poured out on the earth. These angels hold vials that are filled with the full wrath of God. John sees a place that looked like a sea of glass. It is hard to describe what John sees here. But, at this place, there were a great group of individuals that had gotten the victory over the beast. The world would not describe what happened to these individuals as victory but defeat. They were martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ by the Antichrist. They lost their life because of their faith in Christ and refusal to bow down to the Antichrist. The world thought they were defeated, but in Christ they are victorious because they will live with Him throughout eternity and those that killed them will be punished throughout eternity. They were standing which shows their victory. They sealed their faith in Christ with their blood. Now, they stand before the Lord with harps in their hands which they will play and sing a wonderful song of victory before the Lord. B. The song of Moses Revelation 15:3 4 KJV And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. The song of Moses was a song about deliverance, victory, and salvation. Moses sang about God leading the nation of Israel out of captivity to the Promise Land. These tribulation saints are singing about God delivering them and bringing them into His presences. The song gives four things about the Lord. It sings about the works that the Lord has accomplished through their lives. It sings about the Lord s ways are always just and true. It sings about the Lord is only one who is worthy to be worshipped. He is the King of the nations. The phrase King of saints should be translated as either King of the nations or King of the ages. In either case, the Lord is the only one who deserves worship. 2
The song also reminds men why the Lord must be feared, worshipped, and obeyed. Unfortunately, today many look at the Lord as some old grandfather figure sitting on a couch just watching what happens. They have forgotten the holiness of God. They have forgotten that God is a holy God. And the holiness of God demands justice and judgment on those who deny and reject Him. Yes, God is a God of love; but He is also a holy God. 1 Peter 1:15 16 KJV But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. The holiness of God should cause men and women to fear Him. There is coming a day when all the nations will bow before the Lord and acknowledge that He is the Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings. Even though, nations today and during the tribulation period will reject the Lord, there will be a day when they will fall on their knees before Him. Finally, the Lord will pour out His judgments on the wicked world and it will be a just judgment. His judgments will come. C. The temple in heaven Revelation 15:5 7 KJV And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. The final judgments that come on the earth is from the temple in heaven. The seven seals and seven trumpets come from the throne of God. The temple is opened and the seven angels bear the final judgments that contain the full wrath of God to be poured out on the earth. When one thinks about the temple, they think about a place of mercy and forgiveness. Today, it is such a place when a person can go to the Lord and gain forgiveness, restoration, and redemption. But, when the temple is opened here, the time of patience and longsuffering has ended. There is no more mercy. It is time for the execution of judgment. These seven angels are trained or prepared for this assignment from the Lord. They have the direction and instructions that they need to pour out God s full fury on the wicked system of that day. Yes God is loving but also holy. Yes, God is a God of love but also of justice. Yes, God is a patient God, but also His patience runs out. Yes, God seeks to save the lost, but He judges the wicked. Psalms 7:11 KJV God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Hebrews 12:29 KJV For our God is a consuming fire. Deuteronomy 32:39 43 KJV See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. God is a God of justice and judgment. Revelation 15:8 KJV And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. 3
God is pouring out His fury on the wicked system of the Antichrist. II. The seven vials A. First vial Revelation 16:1 2 KJV And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. The seven angels could not execute this final series of judgments until God gave them the authority to. Once the authority was given, the angels poured out the seven vials in order. As mentioned earlier, these seven vials of judgment come in rapid succession. Things are happening faster and faster as the end of the tribulation period draws to a close. When the last vial is poured out, the Lord returns and executes judgment on the remaining wicked ones. There is no reason to take these vials other than literally. I know that many want to spiritualize away the meaning of these judgments. However, there is no reason not to see these plaques as being literal. The first vial judgment attacked all those that took the mark of the beast in their forehand or forehead. They were plagued with grievous sore. This is very similar to the disease that God sent upon the Egyptians when they refused to let Israel go to the Promise Land. Moses gave a prophecy to those who refused to follow the Lord and followed after false gods and idols. Deuteronomy 28:27 35 KJV The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in dark- ness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand. The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. This sore will be a painful, non-healing, foul-smelling sore that will not go away even if treated with medicine. It will be a painful reminder to those who rejected the Lord. The sore is a result of an inward condition that manifests itself on the outside. The inward problem is a heart problem. They rejected Christ and followed the Antichrist. B. The second vial Revelation 16:3 KJV And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. Revelation 8:8 KJV And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into 4
the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; Exodus 7:20 21 KJV And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. In the early part of the Tribulation Period, only one third of the waters were affected by the judgments of the Lord. But, in the end of the Tribulation period, the entire seas and oceans will be affected. The sea will be turned into blood and every living creature will die. It will produce a vile smelling mixture of dead and rotten carcasses. The inhabitants of the world have rejected the blood of Christ that would have saved them; therefore, they received the foul blood plague. C. The third vial Revelation 16:4 7 KJV And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. The third vial places judgment on the fresh waters. As earlier, one third of the fresh water was affected by the judgment of God but now the entire world s fresh water supply is affected. It is turned into blood. There is no fresh water to drink. The suffering of man is severe. But, notice that the reason for their judgment is because they, the unrepentant man, have killed the saints and prophets. They have rejected the Lord and rejected those that He sent. They have rejected the Lord; therefore, the judgment against them is just. God is just and right in His judgments on the earth. D. The fourth vial Revelation 16:8 9 KJV And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. In the early part of the Tribulation period, the one third of the heavenly bodies are affected, now, all of them are. The sun will either increase in strength or the atmosphere will lose its ability to filter out the harmful rays. The men of the earth will be scorched with the great heat of the sun. Isaiah 24:1 6 KJV Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. 5
The world will be burning underneath the relentless scorching of the sun s rays. The whole world will be affected. Many will die underneath this devastating heat and light. But, notice the heart s condition of world s inhabitants. They blaspheme God. They refuse to repent of their sins. Their hearts are given over to evil. They are judged because they refuse to turn to the Lord. God s judgment is righteous. John 3:19 KJV And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. E. The fifth vial Revelation 16:10 11 KJV And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. After the fourth vial, the fifth vial affects the kingdom of the Antichrist. It will be put in total darkness. The darkness will be so intense that the men will gnaw on their tongues because of their pain and suffering. Isaiah 60:2 KJV For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Joel 2:1 2 KJV Blow ye 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 cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. Joel 2:31 KJV The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. Nahum 1:6 8 KJV Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. A plague of darkness over Satan s kingdom will be executed. What man desired, darkness, and what man rejected, light; they will receive. When they finally get what they have sought for, darkness to cover their sinful deeds, they receive. The darkness will be so overwhelming that they will be in pain so much that they will chew on their tongues. One would think that the men would repent of their sins and turn to the Lord. But, they refuse to repent. They refuse to quit sinning. They refuse to turn to the Lord. F. The sixth vial Revelation 16:12 KJV And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. The sixth vial is preparing the earth for the final battle of Armageddon. The angel pours the vial on the Euphrates River. The river will dry up allowing the King of the East to bring the huge army into the Middle East for the final battle. The Euphrates River has been a dividing line for ages, dividing the countries of the east from those of the west in that part of the world. This river is 1780 miles long, from 300 to 1200 yards wide, and its depth ranges from ten to thirty feet. Most of the year it is even larger, depending upon the rainfall. It was the boundary of Solomon s
kingdom. It is spoke of as the northeast limit of the land promised to Israel. History testifies to the great hindrance this river has afforded to armies down through the ages. - The Revelation, Oliver B. Greene, The Gospel Hour, Greenville S. C., 1963, p 393. This was necessary to bring the final conflict together before the return of the Lord. Revelation 16:13 16 KJV And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. These demonic beings go forth from Satan to bring the armies of the world together to fight against the Lord. These demonic spirits will use their powers to convince the armies to gather together to the battle. This is not a single battle but a series of battles and wars that will finally culminate in the battle at Armageddon when the Lord returns and destroys them. G. The seventh vial Revelation 16:17 21 KJV And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. Once before the words came from the Lord that it was done. When Christ hung on the cross, He uttered the words, It is finished. Which means the redemption of man is complete. Now, a voice from the temple in heaven, from the throne utters the words, It is done. The judgment on man is complete. The seventh vial is the end of the Tribulation period when the Lord comes back and destroys the armies of this world and sets up His earthly kingdom in the Millennium. Notice that when this happens, it will be like nothing that has ever happened before. There will be an earthquake so great that it will divide the city of Jerusalem into three parts. The other great cities of the world will be destroyed. This earthquake will shake the earth at its very core. Islands will be moved out of their places. Mountains will be brought down. Isaiah 2:19 21 KJV And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Jeremiah 4:23 26 KJV I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruit-
ful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. The Mount of Olives will be divided into two halves, one moving toward the east and the other toward the west. Zechariah 14:4 KJV And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. The earthquake will be accompanied with hailstones falling on man. The hailstones will weigh a talent, which is approximately 115 pounds. But, notice the hearts of the men; they continued to blaspheme God. God s judgment on the sinful and wicked world is complete. The kingdom of Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet has been destroyed. God is righteous in all His judgments. Habakkuk 2:20 KJV But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. Who is man to question the judgment of God on sin? Who is man to say that God is unjust in His dealings with man? Truly God has been merciful and longsuffering. Truly God has given man an opportunity to repent. Truly God has provided a beautiful plan of redemption for man. But, man has rejected God; therefore, man reaps a just judgment. God is holy and just.