Revelation Chapters 15 and 16 - John Karmelich

1. This lesson is called "The Point of No Return".

a) Hopefully, that won't inspire you to not return to these studies. ☺

b) We are now at a point in Revelation where it is too late for people to be saved.

c) For those who rebelled against God, this is the point of no return.

d) This lesson is the "heaviest" of the Revelation lessons. The good news is it goes downhill from here, although Chapters 17 and 18 still deal with some specific judgments.

2. Let me summarize where we are in Revelation and come back to this title:

a) Chapter 15 is a short 8-verse chapter. It is the "preparation" of the heavy judgment described in Chapter 16. It is God's final judgment of the world.

b) The "end-time judgment" of the world started back in Chapter 6. It began with a series of judgments called the "seven seals". A judgment is a specific punishment on the world. The punishment is on nonbelievers for failing to trust in Jesus as payment for their sins.

i) The judgment process started in Chapter 6. There were seven seals removed from a scroll. After each seal was removed, some sort of judgment happened on earth.

ii) The seventh and final seal judgment separated into seven "subparts". This was called the seven "trumpet" judgments. Each of these judgments started with an angel blowing a trumpet. This was described back in Chapters 8 and 9.

iii) The seventh angel with the seventh trumpet didn't happen until Chapter 11.

iv) We've had a break from the judgment aspect to describe the major characters in Revelation. From Chapters 11-14 have been descriptions of angelic and demonic beings as well as key figures who are saved and unsaved.

v) In Chapter 15, the break is over. ☺ We're now back to judgment.

vi) The seventh "trumpet" judgment from Chapter 11 is now breaking into "seven subparts" just like the seventh seal-judgment broke into seven "trumpet" subparts.

vii) The good news is there are no more subparts. ☺ God is ending the great destruction process here in Chapter 16.

viii) In case you haven't noticed, Revelation has 22 chapters. After Chapter 16, we get two chapters that fill in some of the details of this final judgment. More on that in the next lesson. Beginning in Chapter 19, is the details of Jesus' return.

c) Which leads us here to Chapter 15: We have seven final judgments called "bowl" judgments. The Greek work refers to a narrow flat bowl, with just a small rim. The idea is whatever "bad stuff" is in these bowls can be poured out quickly and completely.

i) Think of it this way: The first set of judgments were called the "seven seals". This is when God "unraveled" or "revealed" his plans on mankind.

ii) The second set of judgments were called the "seven trumpets". A trumpet is used to make an announcement. It is to get everyone's attention. If you recall in those chapters, the damage was in "thirds", where a "third of this or that" was harmed or killed. The idea was to get people's attention and see who would repent.

iii) The third and final set of judgments is called the "bowl judgments". The idea is judgment is being poured out of a narrow saucer-bowl and is complete.

a) The idea of this final set of bowls is that it is complete. There are no more warnings. It is a "point of no return".

3. OK John, I get the idea that God is wiping out the unsaved. I get the idea that some are saved and there is a point where it is too late. Why should I care? ☺

a) First, read these chapters and think, "This could be you (or me)". This would have been our fate. One has to never stop praising God for our salvation. Remember what it is we are being saved from as one reads this chapter.

b) Next, notice this verse near the end of Chapter 16: "Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done." (Revelation 16:10b-11, NIV)

i) This verse says in effect that despite all of the bad things happening to the earth, people still refuse to turn to God.

ii) I've learned that "pain" does not get people to turn to God over the long run. Some may cry out for relief, but eventually those people go back to their old ways. What "pain" does do is amplify how one fells about God. In other words, if one trusts in God, that person will turn and trust in God even more so in such times. The opposite is true with those who don't want to turn to God.

iii) What does get people to turn to God? His grace and His grace alone. I used to pray for God to "get people" (i.e., some negative pain) in order for them to turn to God. I've changed. Now I pray that God's grace comes in their lives. I pray for their hearts to be open to the truth. It has to start with God's grace.

c) There is a concept in Christianity that "vengeance" belongs to God and not to us.

i) This is not about self-defense or even putting bad people in jail. Those are separate issues. I'm talking about the actual punishment of people for their non-belief in God. Those who mock God or turn from Him in their lifestyle are to be punished by God and not by anyone else.

ii) Paul wrote, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. (Romans 12:19 NIV; including Paul's quote of Deuteronomy 32:35).

iii) What about Christian martyr's who have been killed through the last 2,000 years? They don't get judgment of the Great Tribulation. Why do those murderers suffer any less than those in this time frame? The truth is those murderers are in hell. For all we know, they do suffer an equal fate. The point of these two chapters is to show those that rebel against God in the Great Tribulation do lose the war. The other point is that it is God Himself who does the "judging". In other words, there is no Christian army overcoming the antichrist in this time era.

d) On this happy, note, let's start on with Chapter 15. ☺

4. Chapter 15, Verse 1: I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues--last, because with them God's wrath is completed.

a) If you recall from the introduction, we had lots of "subparts" to God's judgment on the earth. The seven "seal-judgments" broke in to seven "subparts" which is the seven "trumpet" judgments, which then become the seven "subparts" which are the seven bowl judgments of Chapter 16.

i) Getting tired of judgments? ☺ So is God. Verse 1 says, "God's wrath is complete".

b) Back when I was describing the earlier judgments, I made the comparison to a bartender yelling out "last call". It's a sales gimmick to get people to buy a drink before the bartender closes up shop for the night. The earlier judgments were God's "last call". God "drags out" the judgment process as long as possible to see who would repent. At the same time there has to be a point of no return, or else no one would take the warnings seriously. If one is making a threat, one has to back it up. That is Chapters 15 and 16.

c) Let's read this verse in context of the last chapter:

i) Chapter 14 ended with two "harvestings". In Chapter 14, Verses 14-16, one group was "reaped" and in Verses 18-20, another group was reaped.

ii) The text is not blunt about this, but one gets the impression that the first "harvesting" is the saved people being taken to heaven and the second group is a judgment on some sort of great battle that takes place on earth.

iii) My point here is Chapter 51, Verse 1, is not a direct continuation of Chapter 14.

d) The last part of Chapter 14 gave an overview of the "harvest and judgment" of the earth.

i) Beginning here in Chapter 15, we get more details.

e) Here in Verse 1, John looked to heaven and saw seven angels coming out of heaven with seven last plagues.

i) I wonder how John understood all of this. Did the plagues in the bowls have big "do not touch" warning labels? ☺ The truth is God "revealed" the key information to John and we have to trust in what is written.

ii) The point of this verse is the final vengeance sequence is God-orchestrated.

5. Verse 2: And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God.

a) In Verse 2, John takes his focus off of the judgments and onto other things in heaven.

b) The first is a "sea of glass mixed with fire".

i) Notice right before that phrase, it says, "looked like". This is a word-picture. In a world as we know it, one cannot stand on a glass platform which is on fire.

ii) To understand this, we have to back to Chapter 4. In Chapter 4, Verse 6, God's throne was described as a sea of glass. As I've stated throughout Revelation, God's throne room is similar in design to the tabernacle as described in Exodus (See Hebrews 8:5). One of the pieces of furniture in that tabernacle is a large "bathtub" for washing. The idea of God's throne room is we no longer need washing as we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. In God's throne room, instead of washing, we are now "standing on the tub" as that water is now a sea of glass.

iii) If all of this sounds weird, remember one has to "think Jewish" to understand much of Revelation. In Jewish thought, one must cleanse him or herself to approach God. The Christian equivalent is the confession of sin. Once we get to heaven, there is no more sin to deal with. We can now stand on a sea of glass, as opposed to having to wash anymore.

c) Next, this sea of glass is mixed with fire. "Fire" in the bible is associated with purification from judgment. For example, silver is heated to get rid of impurities. The idea here is those who are saved have been "purified" by God and can now stand on this glass.

i) Here is a case where I disagree with the NIV translation. The King James says these people are standing "on" the sea. The NIV says "besides" the sea. The Greek word can be translated either way, but "on" fits the word picture better.

ii) My point is these saved people are standing "on" this sea of glass.

d) Now let's talk about who are these people: The text says, "Those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name ".

i) In other words, this "group" is those who are saved out of the Great Tribulation.

ii) If you recall from the last lesson, there was two "harvestings". I argued that the first of the two "harvestings" were those who were saved. It is a debated topic as it is not bluntly stated in the text. My support for this argument is here in Verse 2. The saved people from the Great Tribulation are now in heaven.

iii) In other words, "The waiting game is over". Those who are saved are now in heaven. It is now judgment time. There are no more warnings to those on earth.

e) The final sentence of Verse 2 says, "They held harps given them by God".

i) I sort of vision this greeting line with God saying, "Hello, welcome to heaven. Here's your harp. Now go down the hall for your harp lessons. Next!" ☺

ii) I trust in the fact that God knows what is best for us. If He feels we need to have "harps" to praise Him, I'll trust in that fact. ☺

iii) The true point is that we spend a lot of time in heaven praising God. Harps are associated in the Old Testament as a key musical instrument in praise.

6. Verse 3: and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. ⁴ Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

a) The good news is that prior to all the "heavy" judgments of Chapter 16, we get the "good news" of those who are saved out of the Tribulation.

b) The first thing we read about this group is they are all assigned a harp and then sing praise songs.

c) Verse 3 says two songs are sung: "The song of Moses… and the song of the Lamb".

i) The lyrics to the "Song of Moses" are not stated.

ii) Here in Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4 are the lyrics to the "Song of the Lamb".

d) Let's discuss the first song, which is "The Song of Moses, the servant of God".

i) Back in Exodus 15, there is a chapter-long song. Moses wrote it for the Israelites to sing after they got out of Egypt.

ii) The point of that song is to sing of their redemption. In the Passover, (Exodus 12) God said He would kill all firstborn sons unless they had the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. The point is the Israelites were spared judgment not because they were better people than the Egyptians, but they trusted in God and trusted in that blood of the lamb for their redemption.

iii) Here in the Great Tribulation, some people are saved not because they are better people, but because they trusted in the blood of the Lamb. That is why it is appropriate that the song from Exodus 15 is emphasized here.

e) The second song is the one listed in Verses 3-4.

i) It is a new tune. We don't know the music, just the lyrics.

ii) Notice who is not being praised in this song: The redeemed. For example, you don't read any lyrics of this song, saying, "By our willpower we overcame the temptation to put a 666 on our hands and Lord, look how wonderful we are!" ☺

iii) The lyrics focus on God. The word "You" is used over and over again in this song, referring to God Himself. That is the great lesson about the purpose of salvation: Giving God the glory. Our focus is to be on God and not ourselves.

f) Notice this group of redeemed people focus their prayers on God for their salvation.

i) The prayer also states some of the key facts of Revelation. This includes the line that "all nations will come and worship before You".

ii) As part of worship, it's always a good idea every now and then to pray "future promises" as if it is already a done deal. Revelation is full of future predictions that God says will come true one day. We have to count on those promises. We need to proclaim those promises. This is not to remind God about His promises, but to remind us of what the future will hold. In the end, God' wins. Pray that!

iii) A purpose of praise songs is to remind us of God's attributes. God is not some sort of shallow being that needs praise. It is for our benefit so that we can be reminded who God is and what He has accomplished.

g) Meanwhile, here comes the judgments: ☺

7. Verse 5: After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. ⁶ Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.

a) Here begins the "process" of the seven final plagues on earth. They are called the "bowl judgments" by bible scholars as each judgment is poured out from a bowl.

b) Notice that Revelation is emphasizing the "ritual" prior to the actual judgment. In other words the text does not just say, "Then all of sudden, these final judgments began". Instead, we get a glimpse into the ritual process leading up to this judgment.

c) Let's describe some of the word pictures and then get into the "why" question.

i) The temple in heaven is where God's throne is. Here it is called "The tabernacle of the Testimony". Again, God's throne room is similar in design to the tabernacle structure in Exodus. The most important piece of furniture in that tabernacle was a box called the "ark of the testimony". It represented God's presence. The point of saying "The tabernacle of the Testimony" here in Revelation is to comprehend that this final set of judgment is God-ordained and comes from God Himself. It is a "very Jewish way" of saying God Himself is ordaining this final judgment.

ii) Verse 6 says that seven angels had these seven final plagues. The idea is a separate angel is assigned each of the final seven plagues. I sort of picture each angel yelling, "Stand back, this stuff is lethal". I picture smoke rising out of each bowel and angels carrying it like they were carrying toxic waste. ☺

iii) Verse 6 says the angels were dressed in clean linens with golden sashes around their waste. My first thought was, angels can get dressed? ☺ Focusing on the text, the point is "clean linens" represent "purity". The priests in the Exodus tabernacle were always required to wear only pure linens. The fabric linen allows less sweat and one's body is "cleaner". Thus, the reference to purity.

iv) Golden sashes around the waste are a sign of authority as "priests". The idea is these angels were doing their "duties" that God assigned to them.

d) Let's get back to the "why" question: Why would God give us these ritual details?

i) Part of the reason is for us to understand that God does ordain the "judging". There is this false view of God that He loves people "just as we are" and all people get to go to heaven even if we reject His standards for our lives.

ii) Next, God wants to understand there is a "point of no return". This eight-verse chapter shows the redeemed from the Great Tribulation are in heaven prior to the final set of judgments listed in the next chapter. God is patient with us and waits a long time to see who will turn to Him. There is a point where it is "too late" and we are watching that point here in Revelation.

iii) How does this apply to us today? God "designed" this end time scenario so that no one knows when it is going to happen. That's the idea. The idea is to keep Christians "on our toes" as we don't know the time frame of Jesus return. Reading this should be motivational factor to reach out to others. God knows who is saved and who is not. We don't. Therefore, God calls us to reach us to others and get as many people as possible saved prior to a "point of no return".

8. Verse 8: And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

a) Whenever you see the word "smoke" in the bible, it is usually right before some major judgment is about to occur. When one sees smoke in a forest, it usually means some sort of fire is about to happen. The word picture here is the "smoke of God's fire" is rising up to fill the temple before the actual final set of judgments begins.

b) The text says "no one could enter the temple (paraphrasing) until this judgment is over".

i) Why would God "shut the door" to heaven at this point? Some possibilities:

a) Does this mean no one "new" can get saved at this point? Possibly

b) Does this mean those in heaven couldn't enter God's Temple as they had to watch the earth judgment process? Possibly.

ii) Sometimes one has to just accept the text at face value. It means God has to focus on the final judgment on earth and there is no other "activity" at this time. My personal view is that God regrets doing this. He desires that all people be saved.

iii) At the same time, God cannot compromise His standards. Like I said earlier, God's threats cannot be taken seriously unless God was willing to take "full action" at some point. There has to be a point of no return.

9. Chapter 16, Verse 1: Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth."

a) In other words, God is saying, "OK folks, Show time! I've done all I could to get people to repent, and some have still refused. Let's get the demolition ball rolling." ☺

10. Verse 2: The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

a) One thing to understand about the judgments of this chapter is that it is not a "let's just harm everybody equally all at once type of judgments". Each judgment is designed for a purpose. If you get that concept, the chapter will make more sense.

b) Verse 2 is the first of the seven final judgments. This judgment is on those who had the mark of the beast and those who "worshipped his image".

i) In other words, let's say you didn't have this mark on your right hand or forearm as prescribed back in Chapter 13. On the other hand, you still worshipped the antichrist (i.e., fully trusted in him and not God) for your life. You did this by paying homage to his statue. That is the concept here in Verse 2.

ii) The point is either way, you're going to get it. ☺

c) Now the punishment itself: One gets painful sores. Doctors will tell you that when one gets boils or sores on the skin, it is an outward sign of an inward problem. I can't think of a better "punishment" for those that worship the antichrist. They took a mark as a "sign" of their rebellion against God.

i) The punishment is "appropriate" in that God is saying in effect, "I told you not to take the mark. I sent angels to you warn you against this in Chapter 14! You still took that mark anyway. Now, you are "infected" and you will suffer the signs of an infection!"

ii) Having sores on one's skin gets one to focus on one's skin. It makes people think about the mark of the beast. The idea is gets the guilty to focus on their sins.

d) One of the things to get out of Revelation 16 is God is going to punish people in a way that is "appropriate" for what they did. It is not about getting people to repent. It is too late for that. God wants them to realize they are getting what they deserve.

11. Verse 3: The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

a) In this second "bowl" judgment, it was poured out on the sea, and all sea life died.

b) I have to admit, I wondered, "What did fish do to deserve this punishment? Did sardines and whales have a "666' tattoo on their fins? ☺ Why make them suffer? Understand that the punishment is focusing on people. Innocent animal life has always suffered due to the sins of mankind. Romans 8:22 states that all of creation "groans" in effect, due to sin.

c) Notice the word "sea". In the bible, the word "sea" is associated with the Mediterranean Sea. Remember that John's "world" was the Roman Empire, which stretched around the Mediterranean Sea. For those of us who see all of this as a single future event, the antichrist leads a world-empire whose territory is similar to that of the Roman Empire.

i) By the way, many people argue that all the "judgment" aspects of Revelation are historical to us and describe the history of mankind since Jesus. I've always had a tough time with that view. There has never been a time in history when all sea life has died. That is another reason I take all of this as a future event.

d) Back to the "punish the sea" question: Back in Chapter 8, we had the seven "trumpet" judgments". In Verses 8-9, the second of those judgments were on the sea. In those verses, the "sea" was judged and one third of the creatures died.

i) A purpose of those trumpet judgments back in Chapter 8 were God firing "warning shots" to the world to repent. In other words, God didn't wipe out everybody, but caused enough damage in hopes that everyone else would repent.

ii) Now consider the fact that in Chapter 8, one third of the sea creatures died. If that were a "warning", it wouldn't carry any credibility unless there was a "point of no return". Thus, part of the final judgment is a complete sea destruction.

e) As to why the sea was punished, the answer is to connect Verse 3 with Verse 6:

i) Verse 3 says the sea "turned to blood".

ii) Verse 6 says, "For they (unbelievers) have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you (God) have given them blood to drink as they deserve."

iii) The point is God is saying in effect, "You shed the blood of those who followed Me. You want blood? I'll give you blood. Look at all the waters around You!" The punishment is what these people "deserved". God wanted those who rebelled against Him to see "blood" everywhere and realize what they have done.

12. Verse 4: The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

a) In Verse 3, the focus was on seawater. Now in Verse 4, it's the "fresh water's" turn.

b) A point is those on earth couldn't look for any source of water for protection.

c) You can't read these two punishments and not think about the plagues on Egypt.

i) In Exodus Chapter 7, part of the 10 plagues that God threw on Egypt included turning the Nile River into blood. In that plague, the fish also died. The Egyptians worshipped the Nile River as a "god". They also refused to touch blood as it was sacred. God showed his superiority over their gods by those plagues.

ii) Again, the purpose of this "blood judgment" is for people to connect the fact that this is "payback time" for the blood of the martyrs. God wants the unrepentant to see the connection and He puts blood everywhere.

d) Like the last plague on the sea, this is a "warning fulfillment":

i) In chapter 8, one of the plagues harmed a third of the sea. (Rev. 8:8-9).

ii) Here in chapter 16, everything in the sea died. (Rev. 16:3).

iii) In chapter 8, a plague harmed one third of the fresh water sources. (Rev. 8:10).

iv) Here in chapter 16, everything in the springs and rivers died. (Rev. 16:4).

v) Again, the idea is if chapter 8 was a "warning", that warning does not have any validity unless God was willing to "go all the way with punishment".

13. Verse 5: Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; ⁶ for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."

a) In Verses 5 and 6, we get a short break from the final plagues so an angel can praise God for this judgment.

b) First, notice who is speaking: "The angel in charge of the waters".

i) Some have taken this to mean that there is a special angel in charge of the waters. As if this angel has had this assignment all of his existence.

ii) A better way of looking at this is simply the fact that the angel God told to go harm the fresh water sources is the same angel who stops to praise God. It is John saying in effect, "Hey, you know that angel who damaged the fresh water sources? That angel took time out of his assignment to sing a praise tune!"

iii) These verses are another indication that angels are not some "mindless-robots" that just do exactly what is told. I think this one took time to give God praise.

c) So, what is the purpose of this verse? Why should we care that this angel took the time to praise God, for wiping out the water sources?

i) First, I get the impression that this water source is still "drinkable". In other words, it looks like blood and may even taste like blood. It was still "drinkable".

ii) People still water to survive. In other words, we don't read of everyone on earth dying of thirst.

iii) Again, the point is this "water to blood" is designed to be "appropriate judgment". The idea is earlier in Revelation, Christians will killed (I suspect in the millions). It is God saying in effect, "You want blood? I'll give you blood!" In other words, God wanted the guilty to focus on their evil deeds. God won't let people get away with sin in the long run. God only makes people focus on what they did.

iv) The application to us is when we see evil is to understand what is in store for those who commit such acts. We may not see them punished, but God does.

a) "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me, till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny." (Psalm 73: 16-17 NIV)

b) Does this mean when someone is attacking us we should not defend our selves? No. The point of these verses is to understand that people don't get away with sin, not now, not ever.

c) Does this mean we shouldn't put bad people in jail? No. Sins against society need to be paid. Sometimes there are corrupt governments in charge and the "law" can't help us. I get the impression the Great Tribulation is one of those periods. During such times, one has to trust in God not only for salvation, but also for vengeance.

v) The idea is not that God wants to hurt people. The idea is that God loves us too much too let our enemies get away with this.

14. Verse 7: And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments."

a) In Verse 7, we had a "response" to the angel's praise. It is "somebody" in heaven agreeing with the angel's prayer of the last two verses.

b) The more I read Revelation, the more I realize no one can praise God without somebody else joining in! ☺ One gets the impression that when we get to heaven we're going to spend a lot of time praising God as just to join in and agree with others.

15. Verse 8: The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. ⁹ They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

a)