God's Good Judgment

Summary of Revelation 16

A voice is heard from the temple (an inaccessible place where God dwells) and bowls of judgment are directed against natural phenomenon of the world. The first bowl incurs sores. The second bowl turns the sea to blood. The third bowl pollutes fresh water everywhere. The fourth bowl scorches men with the sun. The fifth bowl is a plague of darkness. The sixth bowl gathers armies for a great battle. The seventh bowl expresses God’s final judgments. The culmination of God’s wrath and judgment is complete – “It is done!”

Takeaways

• God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. Those of us that have put our faith in Jesus have nothing to fear.
• God’s wrath is the settled, right, determined response of a good God against evil.
• The failure of men to respond with repentance shows that knowledge or experience of judgment will not change man’s sinful condition. Those who are not won by grace will never be won. Love the sinner, hate the sin.
• Despite all their suffering, many still will not repent. “I have known people say, ‘Well, if I were afflicted I might be converted. If I lay sick I might be saved.’ Oh, do not think so. Sickness and sorrow of themselves are no helps to salvation. Pain and poverty are not evangelists; disease and despair are not apostles. Look at the lost in hell. Suffering has effected no good in them. He that was filthy here is filthy there. He that was unjust in this life is unjust in the life to come. There is nothing in pain and suffering that, by their own natural operation, will tend to purification.” (Spurgeon)
• Sin is not an abstract phenomena about which we have philosophical discussions. It is about living in ways apart from God’s way. He will judge us by His standard, not ours.
• We cannot escape God’s judgement. Sin begins in our heart and mind and does not require physical action to warrant that judgement. We can’t separate the desire of the heart from the action of the hand and claim exoneration.
• We have a tendency to view others as the sinners and ourselves as, “maybe able to do better but, certainly not like them”. In God’s eyes, all sin is the same and worthy of judgement.
• The culling of the lost from the saved is done by God alone based on who has repented, accepted the gift of salvation and now walks with Jesus.
• The only reason judgement day has not come yet is, our God is merciful and he is waiting for the lost to repent. It is not because we deserve better treatment.

One Couldn’t Help But Ask…

1. How did this service and chapter move you in a way that you have not thought of before? In other words, what did you hear or learn about God’s wrath that was new to you?
2. Mickey mentioned that “Sin is not abstract. God judges sinners”. Does the world abstract sin? Can you give an example of that?
3. The first three bowls deliver festering sores, the sea turns to blood, drinking water does the same. Many people claim this is not fair but the angel in charge of the waters says, “You are just in these judgement oh Holy one…” What do vs 5-7 offer as justification?
4. The fourth bowl delivers such solar intensity that people are scorched by the fire. This is far more than the discomforts above. What is the reaction from the world? Why would they react this way?
5. . The fifth bowl plunges the kingdom of the beast into darkness and the sixth dries up the mighty Euphrates river to make a roadway for kings from the east. Frogs come from the mouth of the dragon, beast and false prophet. They call the kings of the world to a battle. Against who & why?
6. The seventh bowl is poured into the air and we read that all of the earth reacts with thunder & lightning, earthquakes, and hundred pound hale stones fall to earth. A loud voice from the throne announces, “It is done.” What is done? Are we done too?