Chapter 16
-The plagues (or bowls) of the final wrath of God upon the
earth for all its sin and corruption is described in this chapter. The Lord’s
command is finally, “Go and pour (Revelation 16:1)!”
-The first angel brings: harmful and painful sores on the
people who bore the mark of the beast and worshipped his image (Revelation
16:2).
-The second angel brings: upon the sea blood like a corpse
killing every living thing in the sea (Revelation 16:3).
-The third angel brings: into the rivers and springs of
water blood and words of truth and justice concerning the judgments (Revelation
16:4-7).
-The fourth angel brings: on the sun a scorching fire that
burns people with heat causing them to curse the Name of God who had power over
theses plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory (Revelation 16:8-9).
-The fifth angel brings: darkness on the throne of the beast
and its kingdom causing people to gnaw their tongues in anguish and again curse
the God of Heaven for their pain and sores all while they still would not
repent and turn from their deeds (Revelation 16:10-11).
-The sixth angel brings: dryness on the great river
Euphrates to prepare the way for the kings from the east, and three unclean
spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan), the mouth of
the beast, and the mouth of the false prophet. These are demonic spirits,
performing signs, who go out into the whole earth to lure the earthly kings
into the war of the great day of God, the Almighty at the place that in Hebrew
is called Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16).
-The seventh angels brings: the beginning of God’s final
judgment in which He proclaims, “It is done!” There were flashes of lightening,
rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never
been since mankind was on the earth. It split the great city (Jerusalem) into
three parts and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the
great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. Every
island fled away (probably a sinking into the ocean), and no mountains were to
be found. Beyond all this, great hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds
each, fell from heaven on people and they cursed God once more for the plague
and its severity (Revelation 16:17-21).
-*Application* The application here for us is the issue of
repentance. God wanted these people to turn to Him so that His justice could be
turned into mercy, but they just wouldn’t get it. In the end, if we continue to
refuse God’s grace and forgiveness, He has no other alternative but to judge us
for our iniquity. That is the bad news, but the good news is that if we do
repent (change our mind) and come to Him in faith, we can experience His
forgiveness, restoration, and redemption. The choice is always on us. Don’t
ever underestimate the wrath and fury of God on disobedience that is obstinate.
Verse to Memorize:
Revelation 16:14
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