[00:00:00] Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ my redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then ro Ro pillows row I sing a mighty power of God that made the mountains rise that spread the flowing seas of and build above the skies I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day the moonshine slow there's not a plateau Spot and.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Temper.
And.
[00:01:57] Speaker C: Welcome to the Voice of Hope, a Bible teaching program produced by Heralds of Hope. I'm your host, Anthony High.
In this episode, we continue our study through the Book of Revelation with part two of the message titled the Torments of God.
Not all Bible teaching is pleasant to think about, but I personally need to be reminded of God's justice on the wicked.
So join us now as J. Mark Horse teaches from Revelation chapter 16 and the final bowls of God's wrath.
Let's open God's Word together.
[00:02:38] Speaker B: In our previous episode, we examined the first five of the bowl judgments that we find in Revelation chapter 16.
If you missed that episode, you may find
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Additional teaching episodes from the Book of Revelation are also available there.
And even if you tuned in to that previous episode, I'll Review the first 5 torments to refresh our collective memory.
The bold judgments, painful boils the sea turned into coagulated blood, the fresh waters affected in a similar way, scorching heat from the sun, and then darkness so thick it could be felt.
Despite these combined torments that caused the sufferers to gnaw their tongues in pain, we noted that they refused to repent and they blasphemed the God of heaven.
So let's turn now to our text for this episode. Revelation 16:12 21 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
For they are spirits of demons performing signs which go out to 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 am coming as a thief.
Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
And they gathered them together to the place called, in Hebrew, Armageddon.
Then the Seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, it is done.
And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings and. And there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth now. The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
And great Babylon was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found, and great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.
Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
As we examine each of these two final judgments, we should note a few God's use of created things for his sovereign purposes, the hard heartedness of wicked men, and the finality of the righteous judgment of God.
So let's take a look at the sixth bull.
This angel emptied his bowl on the Euphrates River.
You might recall that the Euphrates was the original boundary of the land that was promised to Abraham way back there in Genesis chapter 15.
The Euphrates river was also the center of major pagan civilizations that bordered the nation of Israel during Old Testament times.
And when John wrote Revelation, this region was the center of the Parthian kingdom. And that kingdom was constantly at war with Rome.
The Euphrates river is the longest river in western Asia. It stretches about 1740 miles, that's about 2800 km.
It forms the defining river system of Mesopotamia alongside the river Tigris.
The Euphrates originates in the mountains of eastern Turkey and then flows through Syria and Iraq, where it joins the Tigris to empty into the Persian Gulf.
It's a vitally important resource to the countries that it passes through, and it has been called the lifeblood of the Fertile Crescent.
Now, however, in response to the pouring out of the sixth bowl, this river dries up.
And the reason for this drying up is stated clearly so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
That statement has led to numerous speculations about who these kings of the east are.
Now, I would remind you that in studying the Scripture, context is critical to proper interpretation, and this portion of the text is no different.
In verse 12, the kings of the east are mentioned specifically.
Now, I know in time past, many commentators felt that Russia would be this invader who would come from the east and the north, according to Ezekiel 38, and that is possible but when you look at a current map of the area, you see a majority of nations that are predominantly Muslim.
Now, I'm not declaring that these end time invaders will be Muslim, but I think it must be considered especially as Europe and Asia fall farther and farther under the sway of Islam.
So think of the Euphrates as the launching point of the attack, whether of angel mediated judgment back in chapter 9 and verse 14, or the kings from the east as they're listed here in verse 12, or the whole inhabited world of verse 14 later in our text.
Verse 16 tells us that this drying up of the river will ultimately lead to the battle of Armageddon.
God's drying up of the Euphrates is not an act of kindness toward the kings from the east. Rather it's an act of judgment because they and their armies will be walking into a deadly trap.
The drying up of the Euphrates will lead them to their doom, much like the parting of the Red Sea led to the destruction of Pharaoh's army.
Why will they make the daunting journey that will take them to their doom through the drought and scorching heat and darkness and their painful sores?
That is stated in verses 13 and 14.
As John watches, he sees three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon. That would be Satan, out of the mouth of the beast, the Antichrist, and and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
These demonic spirits represent the unholy trinity and they exercise miraculous powers.
And here is their assignment to go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty, the Battle of Armageddon.
Now many commentators have agreed that this is the prelude for the great battle that will climax in the second coming of Christ.
But some have been confused about the details.
The battle is probably better translated war.
There are two different Greek words used, James 4. One uses them both.
What is in view here is something more than a military engagement. It is a major war.
And the evidence seems to point to the conclusion that this is a climax of a series of military events that's described in Daniel chapter 11, verses 40 to 45.
There there is a reference to the tidings out of the east, and it may have this invasion in view that raises a How can a war be possible when there is a world government under the control of Satan and the beast?
Well, Daniel, chapter 11 seems to reflect a conflict among the nations themselves. In the latter portion of the great Tribulation, the world empire that was so hastily assembled by the Antichrist begins to disintegrate.
The various armies of that day are contending for honors on the battlefield at the very time of the second coming of Christ.
And they all turn and combine their efforts against Christ and his army from heaven when the glory of the second coming appears in the heavens.
This will be the final challenge to divine sovereignty and power, as the military might of the world of that day will be engaged in fighting on the very day that Christ returns.
According to Zechariah, chapter 14 and verses 1 to 3.
Significantly, the battle itself bears the name of that great day of God Almighty.
In this battle the omnipotence of God will be fully demonstrated.
The phrase unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world is best rendered, as I understand it, according to the Greek text, unto the kings of the whole inhabited earth.
The Satan controlled beast and false prophet will think that it is they who are gathering all the nations together, but actually it's God.
Joel 3, 2 says, I will also gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
All those who worship the Antichrist and the false prophet and receive his mark are desperately hoping to free themselves from God, from his control over them and from his torments, but unwittingly they are being drawn into the great winepress of his undiluted wrath.
We looked at that back in chapter 14 and verse 19.
This is likely the same battle that's pictured in Revelation chapter 17, verse 14, and also in chapter 19, verse 19.
And then in our text, verse 15 is a parenthetical aside, and it records for us the words of Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
Interestingly, this is one of the seven Beatitudes that are recorded in the book of Revelation.
The saints in view here are evidently those still on earth who have been able to escape martyrdom while they remain true to their Lord.
Verse 16 seems to indicate that this area is the central point for the military conflict which follows the gathering.
The armies are deployed over a 200 mile wide area up and down the land of Israel from its central location. According to Revelation chapter 14 and verse 20.
Further, according to Zechariah 14:1,3, at the time of the second coming, some of these armies will be in the city of Jerusalem.
And so, amid all of these horrendous torments, God is orchestrating the events of human history according to his timeline.
And that brings us to the emptying of the final bowl that would be the seventh bowl.
In Haggai 2, 69 we read for thus says the Lord of once more a little while I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, and I will shake all nations and and they shall come to the desire of all nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the LORD of Hosts. The silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the LORD of Hosts. The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts, to me. This is clearly a prophetic scripture that fits the law of double reference.
This law refers to a passage of Scripture that points to two different persons or events that are separated by a long period of time.
These are often blended into one picture.
However, other scriptures point out the existence of the gap in time and circumstance.
In the citation from Haggai, the first verses clearly align with our text, while the latter ones refer to the time, I believe, when Jesus walked this earth in human form and entered the temple of his day.
Now notice that this seventh angel does not pour out his bowl on the earth.
Instead he pours it out into the air.
And as he does that, a great voice from the throne in heaven proclaims, it is done.
His solemn declaration announces the climax of the final day of the Lord.
The perfect tense verb describes for us a completed action that has ongoing results.
It's very much like Jesus final words from the cross. It is finished, recorded in John chapter 19 and verse 30.
God's judgment of Christ on Calvary provided salvation for repentant sinners.
But this judgment of the seventh bowl will bring doom to unrepentant sinners.
Following this proclamation, there were voices, thunder, lightning, and a great earthquake. This follows the pattern of the seventh seal and also the seventh trumpet.
And note that the magnitude of this earthquake is unlike any that has ever struck the earth before.
The convulsions were so severe that the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
Now, as you might imagine, there is some debate as to which city this is.
In the next sentence, Babylon is introduced as being remembered by God.
So is Babylon the great city, or is that a different one?
Here's something to consider. In Revelation, chapter 11, verse 8, Jerusalem is referred to as the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom in Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
And so I favor the understanding of two different cities. Babylon will be addressed specifically in the next two chapters of the Book of Revelation.
So if the great city is Jerusalem. It is divided into three parts.
Zechariah 14 may be describing these changes.
Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
There is some justification for considering Jerusalem as a possible interpretation, because there is not any clear evidence that Jerusalem is destroyed with the judgments that will overtake the earth at the end of the great Tribulation.
However, Babylon is destined to be utterly destroyed.
Now, whether this refers to Rome, which is spiritual Babylon, or to a rebuilt city of Babylon on the Euphrates, it is clear that Babylon is the special object of the judgment of God, because it is expressed graphically in this statement, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
And then along with the earthquake, or maybe even because of it, numerous topographical changes are going to take place.
The text says, then every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.
According to Henry Morris and I quote, the gentle rolling topography of the world as originally created will be restored.
No more will there be great, inaccessible, uninhabitable mountain ranges or deserts or ice caps. The physical environment of the millennium will be in large measure a restoration of the pre flood environment.
And that's the end of the quote.
The islands which are undersea mountains, they will disappear and the mountains on land will be flattened. This will complete the process that began during the sixth seal.
Isaiah 44:5 Tell us, every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low. The crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
There doesn't seem to be any good reason for taking this verse in other than its literal sense.
It comes at the climax of the great Tribulation.
And there are many other scriptures that indicate changes in topography, including an entirely new appearance of the Holy Land itself that may result in Jerusalem being the highest point of the earth, and that makes it a fitting throne for the great king who will rule there during the millennium, according to Jeremiah 3:17.
For those who somehow escape the destruction of the earthquake, a horrifying judgment yet awaits them.
Huge hailstones weighing nearly 100 pounds or 50 kilograms will rain down from heaven that will wreak unimaginable Destruction in Constantinople during the Ottoman Empire In October of 1831, there was an uncommon hailstorm and I'm after an uncommonly sultry night, threatening clouds arose about six in the morning, and a noise between thunder and tempest, and yet, not to be compared to either, increased every moment. And the inhabitants of the capital, roused from their sleep, awaited with anxious expectation the issue of this threatening phenomenon.
They didn't need to wait long.
Lumps of ice as large as a man's foot falling singly and then like a thick shower of stones which destroyed everything with which they came in contact.
That's the end of the quote.
Contemporary reports from that time stated that the hailstones destroyed everything in their path. They ruined the crops and flattened the annual grape harvest that had just begun.
And as you might imagine, many residents suffered injuries from those hailstones.
And what was the result of these enormous hailstones? In our text, men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail. Since that plague was exceedingly great.
It's incredible.
Tormented humanity defiantly remains hardened against God.
That's a truth that should give pause to those who think that signs and wonders will convince people to believe the Gospel.
From our point of view today, all the details of these dramatic judgments aren't immediately understood.
However, there is an unmistakable impression of the Scriptures, and it is that the whole world is being brought to the bar of justice before Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
There is no escape except for those who avail themselves of the grace of God. In that day, by faith in Jesus Christ, we see the utter perversity of human nature, rejecting the sovereignty of God. In the face of such overwhelming evidence that confirms that even hell itself will not produce repentance on the part of those who have hardened their hearts against the grace of God.
God's eternal wrath is inevitable.
No one can prevent it from coming.
But there is a way to escape it. Because, as Paul wrote In Romans chapter 8 and verse 1, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Those who by faith trust in Christ alone for salvation will escape both God's eschatological wrath and his eternal wrath.
They will not face judgment because their sins were judged when Jesus died in their place on the cross.
Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 21.
In light of the inevitable judgment to come, the warning to all unrepentant sinners is today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
If you have never accepted the sacrifice of Christ, I plead with you, make your peace with God today.
[00:23:46] Speaker A: Great is the Lord he is holy and just by his power we trust in his love Great is the Lord he is faithful and true True by his mercy proves his love Great is the Lord and worthy of glory Great is the Lord and worthy of praise Great is the Lord now lift up your voice now lift up your voice Great is the Lord Great is the Lord Great is the Lord he is holy and just by his power we trust in his love Great is the Lord he is faithful and true by his mercy he proves his love
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Great
[00:24:52] Speaker A: are you Lord and worthy of glory Great are you Lord and worthy of praise Great are you Lord I lift up my voice I lift up my voice Great are you Lord Great.
[00:25:35] Speaker C: That concludes the two part teaching from Revelation chapter 16.
I praise God that through faith in Jesus we don't need to fear the coming judgment.
But if you're unsure about salvation or or want to know more about Jesus, please contact us or find someone near you who is a follower of Jesus Christ and place your faith and trust in Jesus.
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Thank you for listening to the Voice of Hope now.
[00:27:30] Speaker A: To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us now. To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
To him be glory.
More than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us now. To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work.
