VICTORY AND PLAGUES Revelation 15-16

There is a Victory in Day that is coming! The next great climatic event in human history is the return of the LORD. We are engaged in skirmishes and battles in this life and in this world, but we know who wins and how the story ends! We win! Jesus is exalted in all the earth and celebrated!

The story is told about Johann Sebastian Bach: “Sometimes he would sleep more than he ought to sleep. His children had a way of waking him up. They would go to the piano, and they would begin to play a composition. When they would get to the last note they would stop. They would not play the last note. It would always wake him up. He would get up from his sleep, go to the piano, and play the final chord.” We are all waiting for the LORD to play the last chord on His victory song! There are three principles given for victory given here in Revelation 15.

THE RELIANT WORD OF GOD (15:1-2) “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.” This passage tells us that a group of people in heaven will praise God because they have gained the victory! The saints who have come out of the Tribulation are standing on the Word of God. They are standing on a sea of glass, the Crystal Sea. When Joshua was going into Canaan, God gave him the formula for victory. “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to receive it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in everything you do.” Joshua 1:8

Victory comes by the Word of God, which is to be in our mouths! The Word is to be in our mouth and on our minds! Meditating on the Word of God is key! Meditation is like a song you cannot get out of your mind! When you meditate on God’s Word, His thoughts become your thoughts! In this you will find that you have incredible wisdom!

THE REDEEMING WORKS OF GOD (15:3) “And they sing the song of , the servants of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O LORD God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O king of nations!” When the Children of Israel were in Egypt they were not singing, they were groaning! God brought them up out of Egypt by the blood of the Passover Lamb. When they were freed and crossed over the RED Sea, they sang a new song! In Jesus we sing the Redemption song! The Scottish evangelist, John Linton said, “There are as many commands in the to sing as there are to pray.” We are to praise our GOD with song! Praise should precede every victory and praise should follow every victory! You can sing anywhere anytime the praise of God! In Acts 16:25-26, details the arrest of Paul and Silas for preaching the gospel. They were thrown into jail but at midnight they started singing! Does not matter if I am in jail, I am going to worship and praise my LORD! They started singing and the jail started rocking! You talk about jail house rock! The earth quaked and the LORD showed his mighty power and a jailer got saved!

THE RIGHTEOUS WRATH OF GOD (15:4-8) “Who will not fear, O LORD, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chest. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of GOD and from His power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished,”

Seven angels will come from the temple to give four judgments: (1) a righteous judgment because they are wearing white robes; (2) a sovereign judgment because they are wearing golden sashes around their chest; (3) a solemn judgment because they have bowls of wrath; (4) a sure judgment because the Bible says no man can enter the temple until God is finished. The place will be filled with smoke (God is a consuming fire) and no man can approach. This then takes us to the of wrath!

THE COMING DAY OF WRATH () The Old Testament prophets called it the “day of the Lord” or the day of vengeance of our God. It is described as a day of darkness and of fire, burning hot as a furnace. The day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and great distress, destruction, and desolation. This day of divine judgment against unbelievers will consume the whole world. Ezekiel 30:1-8 speaks of an end time war against Israel. The LORD will interrupt this battle with His saints to deliver Israel and complete the unity of GOD’S people. The final “Battle of ” is called… The wrath of the LORD …..Is 26:20 Fury of the LORD…..Ezekiel 38:18 Terror of the LORD….Is 2:10 Vengeance of God….Is 35:4 Harvest of Judgment…..Mic 4:11; Rev 14:14-20 Grapes of Wrath…….Is 63:1-6; Rev 19:15 Great Supper of GOD……Ezekiel 39:17-20; Rev 19:17-18 This will be a war that destroys most of the earth. The carnage will be so great that most of the earth’s population will be annihilated.

THE SEVEN BOWLS OF WRATH 1. First bowl: a malignant sore (Rev. 16:2) Those who have the mark of the beast will inflicted with sores or wound. Could they have been caused by radiation poisoning? The great tragedy here is that the people blasphemed the LORD even more!

2. Second bowl: oceans polluted (16:3) This means all the fish and life in the ocean will die. He stench will be horrible.

3. Third bowl: rivers polluted (16:4-7) With this pollution all mankind in threatened. The rivers turning to blood speaks of unprecedented divine judgment. No one could survive!

4. Fourth bowl: sun scorches men (16:8-9) The destruction of the ozone layer would permit such an intense heat. The wars and plagues have taken a toll on the atmosphere.

5. Fifth bowl: humiliation of the beast (16:10-11) This judgment results in darkness and intense pain.

6. Sixth bowl: Armageddon (16:12-16) The kings of the east could be China, Japan, Korea. It could refer to Muslim nations of the east (under the sword of Islam). It could be the last Jihad! There are three unholy spirits that motivate the unholy trinity. The dragon, beast and the prophet. They gather the nations to the great day of GOD.

7. Seventh bowl: It is done! (16:17-21) A great earthquake, the greatest in history, rocks the entire planet! Cities collapse, cities fall, islands sink, and mountains disappear. The worse hailstorm known to man pelts those blaspheming God. When its all over, GOD announces, “ITS DONE!” This chapter ends talking about people drinking from the cup of GOD’S WRATH!

Jesus drank the cup of GOD’s wrath in the garden of Gethsemane and was obedient to give himself up s a ransom for the sins of the world! He took the LORD GOD’s wrath so we would not have too.