I encourage each of us in the weeks we have left to do a few things to
prepare for each sermon: (1) Read the
passage to be covered ahead of time. (2) Look over the outline of the passage I
will put in each blog post. (3) Ask God to give you understanding and insight
to each passage so you can grasp its content and apply it.
In our next passage (15:5-16:21) we will cover the entire fourth cycle of
visions John is given of this current age. In this passage we find seven bowls
of God’s wrath poured out on the idolatrous world from the temple in heaven.
In this passage that displays strong parallels to the seals in
6:1-8:1-5 and also the trumpets of 8:6-11:19—thus reminding us that it also
covers this current age between the first and second comings of Christ—God
provides a powerful picture of the judgment he pours out currently on the
idolatrous world and will pour out in the final judgment. It appears to be
designed to get the attention of all readers and hearers, so they can be
stunned into grasping the importance of fleeing idolatry and turning to the one
and only true God.
Here is the outline of this passage:
1. The Introduction To The Section And The Conclusion To
The Previous Section (see above). 15:1-4 (We covered this passage last week)
2. The Resumption Of The Introduction To The Seven Bowl
Judgments. 15:5-8
a. Seven angels Emerge From The Temple Of The Dwelling of
Witness In Heaven—Thus Displaying The Judgments Come From God And In Response
To Christ-Rejection. 5-6
b. One Of The Four Living Creatures Gave Golden Bowls Full
Of God’s Wrath To The Angels—Thus Displaying That God Judges The Wicked Flowing
From His Redemption, His Glory, And In Response To the Prayers Of the Saints.
7-8
3. The Pouring Out Of The Seven Bowls. 16:1-21
a. The Command To Pour Out The Bowls. 16:1
b. The First Five Bowls: God Punishes The Ungodly During
The Inter-Advent Age By Depriving Them Of Earthly Security Because of Their
Persecution And Idolatry. 16:2-11
01. Bowl One: Suffering For Idolatrous Followers Of The
Babylonian-like World System. 2
02. Bowl Two: God Punishes The Economic Facet of The
Babylonian-like World System. 3
03. Bowl Three: God Economically Punishes The Persecutors
Of His People In Holiness, Justice, Righteousness, And Truth. 4-7
04. Bowl Four: God Punishes The Spiritually Dead, The
Ungodly, With More Death And Suffering Because Of Their Rebellious Blasphemy
and Idolatry—They Refuse To Repent And Give Him Glory. 8-9
05. Bowl Five: God Punishes Hardened Idolaters—Especially
Leaders Of the World System—By Causing Them To Suffer Through Their Separation
From Him (seen in their life pain). 10-11
c. The Sixth And Seventh Bowls: The Final Judgment Of The
Evil World System. 16:12-21
01. Bowl Six: God Gathers Together Ungodly Forces In Order
To Punish Them Decisively At The End Of The Age. 12-15
aa. The Pouring Out Of The Bowl: The Universalized,
Figurative Drying Up Of The Euphrates That Paves The Way For Ultimate Judgment
Of the Wicked And Deliverance of Saints. 12
bb. Elaborative Effects of the sixth bowl: Evil Spirits Who
Assemble Leaders. 13-14
cc. Parenthetical Statement On The Coming Of Christ And A
Call To Faithfulness. 15
dd. Leaders Are Assembled At Figurative And Global
Armageddon—In The Minds Of The Demons To Destroy The Church, And In The Mind Of
Christ To Defeat And Destroy The Saints’ Enemies. 16
02. Bowl Seven: God
Punishes The Ungodly World System With Final Judgment. 17-21
aa. The Pouring Out Of The Seventh Bowl. 17
bb. The Effects Of The Seventh Bowl. 18-21
bb. The Effects Of The Seventh Bowl. 18-21
*Plague-And-Sinai-like Phenomena—Showing God’s Glorious And
Holy Presence To Bring Final Judgment. 18
* The Babylon-like World System Is The Object Of Judgment,
Of God’s Wrath. 19
* The Judgment Of God’s Wrath Against The Babylon-like
World System Is Universal And Complete. 20
* The Judgment From God Exceeds Any Previous Judgment And
Yet Its Objects Still Do Not Repent. 21
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