REVELATION CHAPTER 16

The 7 BOWLS OF…

GOD’S WRATH!

ARMAGEDDON!

Chapter 15 - is the INTRODUCTION to Chapters 16-19

Chapter 16 – THE 7 BOWLS of WRATH – “The Great Day of The Lord”

Chapters 17 – 18 – Back up and more focused on the (The Great Prostitute or The Great City or “Babylon”) and her SPECIFIC punishment under the Wrath of God!

Chapter 19 – Even MORE FOCUSED look at - God’s people protected, raptured and worshipping during the WRATH DAYS, More information about Bowl number 6 – Armageddon

READ CHAPTER 16

Exodus 7-11 Revelation 15-16

The 10 Plagues on Egypt The 7 Bowls of Wrath

1. Water to blood 1. Boils

2. Frogs 2. Sea - blood

3. Gnats 3. Rivers - blood

4. Flies 4. Sun - scorching

5. Livestock 5. Darkness

6. Boils 6. Armageddon - Frogs

7. Hail 7. Hail - Earthquake

8. Locusts

9. Darkness

10. Death – 1st Born

10 is the number of “accountability or responsibility” like the 10 Commandments. 7 is the number of “completion”

THE FOCAL TEXT LAST WEEK

Rev 16:14-17 (NIV)

14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15 "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."

16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

Example of interpretation confusion over this verse…

Revelation 16:12-16 (from Seiss' Apocalypse – Commentaries on Revelation)

This passage is like that so often given to the Church with reference to His coming again; but how does it apply here, after so many classes, including the great body of the saved, are already in heaven, with all their anxious watching past?

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Revelation 16:12-16 (from Matthew Henry's Commentary)

The warning which God gives of this great and decisive trial, to engage his people to prepare for it, v. 15. It would be sudden and unexpected, and therefore Christians should be clothed, and armed, and ready for it, that they might not be surprised and ashamed.

THE WORD “thief” is used only 12 times in the New Testament.

Luke 12:33 – Where the thief doesn’t steal

John 10:1 –He who enters the sheep pen any other way is a thief

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

John 12:6 - but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag

1 Pet 4:15 - If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief

THIS LEAVES (SEVEN!) TIMES the word THIEF is used to describe something concerning Jesus and either the rapture or the wrath.

1. Matt 24:41-46 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been prepared, so you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

2. Luke 12:39 – The same as the previous one in Matthew 24

3. 1Thessalonians 5:1-9 -for you know very well that the DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief in the night.

4. (same text as above) But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that THIS DAY should surprise you like a thief.

5. 2 Pet 3:9-13 -But the DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief.

6. Rev. 3:1-3 -Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

7. Rev 16:15 – Our text! - THE DAY OF THE LORD

Isaiah 13:3-13 (NIV) THE DAY OF THE LORD = THE DAY OF WRATH!

3 I have commanded my holy ones; (angels?) I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath-- those who rejoice in my triumph.

4 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.

5 They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens-- the LORD and the weapons of his wrath-- to destroy the whole country. (Armageddon?)

6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt.

8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.

9 See, the day of the LORD is coming a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger-- to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.

10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

12 I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.

13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.

Rev 16:14-16 (NIV) TODAY’S FOCUS - ARMEGEDDON

14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. (They gather the “nations against GOD!? – Remember Isaiah 13:3-13?)

15 "Behold, I come like a thief! (unwanted and unexpected!) Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."

16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Armageddon

From two words – “Har” (mountains) “Megiddo” (The plains of Megiddo) The mountains of or near the plains of Megiddo.

Revelation 16:16

It is not easy to identify the place, but recent searches have made it probable that the vale or plain of Megiddo was made up of the plains toward Mount Carmel; that the ancient city of Megiddo was situated there

(Robinson's Biblical Researches, vol. 3, pp. 177-180 and The Biblical Repository, vol. 1, pp. 602,603 ) (from Barnes' Notes)

THE VALLEY OF MEGIDDO

I Kings 18:16-21 (NIV) ELIJAH AND THE PROPHETS OF BAAL

16 So Obadiah (Governor of Ahab’s Palace) went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

18 "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.

19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.

37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD-- he is God! The LORD-- he is God!"

READ REVELATION 19:11-21The 6th Trumpet – The battle of “Har”- “Megiddo” - (The Mountains near the Plain of Megiddo) - At LEAST brings forward the symbolism associated with Elijah and the Prophets of Baal - All serving the wicked King Ahab and the wicked Queen Jezebel.

It was a time when all the “POWERS that BE” of a GODLESS leader and his GODLESS “prophets” went to “battle” against the God of Heaven! They were mad at God’s Man, God’s People and God’s Wrath (the drought) - Fire came down from Heaven and the WRATH of God consumed the altar and the Prophets of Baal were slaughtered.

So it will be in the end time! – The wicked Anti-Christ and his False Prophet who have led the people astray are now MAD! – God’s people are gone, the plagues of Wrath are coming down upon them… they neither repent or relent! Instead they shake their fist one final time in the Face of Heaven itself…only to be consumed by the FIERY WRATH OF GOD and the armies of Heaven returning with Jesus Christ!