Sermon Study Guides

Oct. 19 / 20, 2024
It Is Done
Dr. Henry Schorr

Revelation 6 to 16 describes the events leading up to Christ’s second coming, when God’s patience ends, and a sinful, unrepentant world faces increasing tribulation. These judgments unfold in three sets of seven: seals, trumpets, and bowls. Revelation 15 prepares for the final bowl judgments in chapter 16. John sees a vision of God’s throne with those who were martyred for their faith. Despite God's repeated offers of grace, those facing judgment refused to repent. As the angels prepare to release the final plagues, the temple is filled with God's glory, and closed, signifying that the time for atonement has ended and judgment is imminent.

Chapter 16 depicts the bowl judgments. Two things to pay attention to.

  1. The seven bowl judgments resemble some of the 10 plagues God unleashed on Egypt as He destroyed the false Egyptian gods. The bowl judgments impact the entire world.
  2. God’s judgments intensify. The bowl judgments resemble some of the trumpet judgments but are far more severe. God, out of love for lost people, is trying to give people time to wakeup spiritually and turn to Him through this time of judgment.

The seven bowl judgments

  1. The first bowl judgment brings sores on those who have the mark of the beast.
  2. The second bowl judgment turns the sea into blood.
  3. The third bowl judgment turns the rivers and springs into blood.
  4. The fourth bowl judgment brings intense heat which causes physical suffering and economic hardship resulting from starvation and thirst.
  5. The fifth bowl judgment plunges the world into spiritual darkness, confusion and chaos.
  6. In the sixth bowl judgment, the dried up Euphrates becomes a pathway for invading armies and the kings of the whole world, to oppose God. John saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs speaking through the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. They communicate lies and they perform miracles to deceive and thereby influence humans to follow the antichrist.
  7. The seventh bowl judgment brings world altering geological disruption which displays God’s power over His creation and confirms His justice. The earthquake will split ‘the great city’ into three.

How could a loving God pour out severe judgments like this on His creation? (Reference to Why Would a Loving God Send People to Hell? https://cschurch.ca/sermon/why-would-a-loving-god-send-people-to-hell)

  1. God has a right to judge because He is the sovereign Creator.
  2. God has the right to judge because He is Holy and Just. God’s love and justice is a burning zeal for what is right and a perfect hatred for all that’s wrong.
  3. God has the right to judge because He is loving.

Two things to remember from chapter 16

  1. Jesus warns us to be ready for His return (v.15) by living in right relationship with Him and leading others to know and trust Him. Blessed are those who live expecting His return. Are you pursuing God and reaching out to those who reject Him? Are you praying, caring, and sharing Jesus with them?

When God’s wrath is completed, “It is done!” (v.17)! Jesus has done everything needed for sinners to be reconciled with God. His atonement on the cross dealt with the wrath we deserved and made a way for us to be friends with God.

IN - PURSUE RELATIONSHIP
  1. Do you watch court trials, real life or fiction? What attracts people to witness a court trial?
  2. How would you differentiate between justice and fairness?
UP - PURSUE GOD
  1. Read Revelation 15. What characters of God are revealed in verses 3-4? How are God's wrath and judgment consistent with his love, grace and holiness? What is being conveyed in verses 5-8?
  2. Read Revelation 16. What are the seven bowl judgments? What is the reaction in heaven when judgment starts to fall? (vv. 5-7). What is God’s purpose in revealing these judgments?
OUT - PURSUE MISSION
  1. How did people react to the judgments (vv. 9,11, 21b)? How should these judgments and reactions affect us in having compassion and sharing the gospel with others?
  2. What comfort and exhortation are given in Revelation 16:15? How can we live these out in our daily life and relationships, individually and as a group?
Personal Reflection

Does the thought of Jesus’ soon return frighten you or excite you? It will instill fear only if you are not ready. You can be ready by repenting of your sins and inviting Jesus into your life.

If you know Jesus, are you active in His Kingdom while waiting for His return? Work for the night is coming when no one can work.


The Word (NIV)

Revelation 15:1-8

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. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, 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.”

After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. 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. 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. 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.

Revelation 16:1-21

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.”

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

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

4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,
you who are and who were;
6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”

7 And I heard the altar respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,
true and just are your judgments.”

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed 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.

10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

This Week's Writers: Jorel Quemuel, Elsa Henderson and Deb Matiko