Revelation 15:5-16:21 - Encourage One Another With These Words

Have you ever heard someone speaking about a disaster or a tragedy in their life or the life of someone else, and then they say something to this effect: “That’s why I don’t believe in God anymore.” Or maybe they say something like, “So I’m angry at God and I’m not following Christ or the Bible anymore.”

They could have said, “That was severe. It made me realize that I need to humble myself before God. Now I see that I should rid myself of the wickedness in my life.” But instead of turning to God, they turn away from Him.  

Scripture tells us that people naturally turn away from God when bad things happen, either to them or around them. The Bible is clear that without God’s grace, our hearts grow hard toward Him. Rather than seeking Him, we blame Him.

If we suffer or watch others suffer, we naturally conclude that God must not be good, or loving, or powerful. We conclude that His way can’t be the best way and He couldn’t possibly have our best in mind. And our hearts grow increasingly cold toward Him.

But there is an alternate response. Psalm 95 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Jesus enables us to turn toward God with soft and humble hearts, even as we see or endure suffering. Hebrews 3 in the NT says we should beware that none of us develops
an evil, unbelieving heart, which could lead us to fall away from God.

That passage then says, therefore, we should encourage one another every day – so that we might not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. You see, it’s not these events and experiences that harden people.

It’s not suffering or watching others suffer that hardens people. Sin hardens them. Sin deceives. Events and experiences cannot harden you. But sin can.

So how do we keep from being hardened by sin as we see and endure suffering?

Well, we must “encourage one another,” and this vision in Revelation 15 & 16 can show us how. Notice the outline printed there for you. We should encourage one another with these words: When you see or endure physical harm, you can turn to Jesus. (vv.2-9) When you see or endure spiritual harm, you can turn to Jesus. (vv.10-16) And when the seeing and enduring is done, we will fly to Jesus. (vv.17-21)

Now, after John sees a vision of God’s people singing the song of Christ in heaven, he sees something else in heaven: “the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened.” This is the inner sanctuary where the ark of the covenant was held containing the tablets of the Ten commandments. Those items were a witness to God’s holiness and the people’s sin.

This is not the actual tabernacle that John sees. He sees a vision of it. But this communicates that the plagues to follow are coming from the true and righteous God. His moral law condemns those on whom judgment falls – those who bear the mark of the beast and who stand in opposition to Christ.

Therefore, the plagues are just. God is righteous in what He’s about to do.

Seven angels emerge with bowls given to them by the four living creatures. John has mentioned these four creatures multiple times in Revelation. The OT prophet Ezekiel has a similar vision of winged creatures in God’s heavenly presence. They seem to represent God and His careful and complete watch over all His creatures.

The bowls are “full of the wrath of God.” And notice, no one could enter the sanctuary until they were finished. This will be very intense. In fact, Simon Kistemaker points out that in these plagues, “God’s mercy is forgotten, his compassion withheld, and his patience suspended.” His wrath is being delivered.

Back in chapters 8 through 11, John saw seven trumpets sounded. These seven bowls and the seven trumpets parallel each other. The content is basically the same. The main difference is that while the trumpets were warnings and thus partial judgments, the plagues are more intense and complete in the judgment they deliver. Their completeness is symbolized partly by their number (seven), but also by their function. A trumpets warns; a bowl is poured out until empty.

When we compare these plagues with the plagues of Exodus and various passages of Scripture, they seem to symbolize various kinds of human suffering. Each one represents some kind of harm that befalls people on earth; but rather than simply being warned and possibly humbled by the events and experiences and therefore being able to turn from sin, instead, these people are hardened in their hearts.

Verse [2] says that first comes harmful and painful sores on those who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. This is God’s wrath in the form of diseases, injuries, and sickness.

It’s important to recognize here that the redeemed do suffer as well in the world, and this is of course the result of sin in the world, but the suffering of the redeemed is not meant for the hardening of our hearts. A Christian’s “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Is your suffering producing hope in God or is it producing hardness toward God?

Verse [3] “The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.” This seems to symbolize a stoppage of food supply.

Verse [4] The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.” This seems to represent a stoppage of clean water supply.

Then in verse 5, the events are confirmed once again to be the result of God’s wrath. The angel says, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. [6] For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” [7] And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”

It’s essential to recognize that each of these plagues are God’s wrath unto death. Yes, God’s final wrath awaits the day of Jesus’ return, but as William Hendriksen notes, “Throughout the history of the world God’s final wrath again and again reveals itself: now it strikes this one, and then another.”

In other words, when someone dies as a result of these kinds of things, that’s it. If they die without Christ, God’s final wrath is delivered for them.

Also, as I said earlier, these bowls closely parallel the trumpets of Revelation 8 through 11. Both vision cycles end with the Last Day, so they also parallel each other in world history. Think of it this way: one person’s trumpet is another person’s bowl. One person’s warning is another person’s final judgment.

When you have seen or endured suffering, consider yourself warned. Because one day these things will come with no time to repent.

Verse [8] “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.” God created the sun to help us – to give us warmth and light and to make things grow. But here, instead the sun causes harm, ultimately unto death. This could be in the form of drought, or dead crops, or heat strokes, or perhaps even cancer. The sun can harm us in many ways.

Some people will suffer and think, “I should turn to God.” But not these people. Verse [9], “They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.”

One person’s judgment is another person’s warning. We’ve seen this many times. Imagine two non-believers who get into a terrible car accident. One dies and one lives. For the one who dies, that’s it. No time to repent. Final judgment has arrived. But the one who lives still has time. He may think, “I need to change my life. I need God.”Perhaps that’s the first glimpse of God’s saving work in his life.

But maybe, the one who lives doesn’t change. Now, his friend already met God’s final wrath. But this one who lived doesn’t recognize that. So maybe he doesn’t heed the warning and turn to God. If he never heeds God’s warnings, one day he’ll meet God’s final wrath like his friend did.

For those who endure physical harm and die without Christ, the bowl is emptied. Many who see others endure physical harm only grow hard in heart toward God. That is what the Egyptian pharaoh did as God sent plague after plague on Egypt, demonstrating that only Yahweh possesses power over creation.

Pharaoh saw what the God of Moses was capable of. He should’ve humbled himself. Should have, but didn’t – even with the power of God on display right before his eyes. But it wasn’t the events and experiences that hardened him. Sin hardened him. Sin deceived him. And so God gave him over to his sin.

God hardened him who wanted to be hard toward God.

Listen to me this morning – when you see or endure physical harm, you don’t have to be hard hearted toward God. You can turn to Jesus.

What does that mean to “turn to Jesus?” Well, first all, it means to believe in Him. The offer of Christ and His salvation is free. It is simply by faith. And for those who believe, when we turn to Jesus, we see many things in Him.

We see that God is gracious and that He loves us. We see our need for someone to keep God’s moral law in our place, and we see the person whom God provided to do it. We see that obedience to God is our greatest good. His moral law is what is best for us.

We see Him who died for us so we could have life and live for God and enjoy knowing Him. We see that we’re forgiven, we’re chosen, adopted, made holy, and given peace with God. We see that we are no longer slaves to sin. Rather, we have been set free from sin’s power over us.

We see that our lives have value to God and He has a plan for us. God is always at work in our lives. And in Christ we see that God is in control of all things and that He can and does work even in the bad things to accomplish His good purposes. You find these truths throughout the Bible but that’s because all of the Bible is pointing to Jesus. And you can turn to Him – right now, and every day.

Now, this next series of bowls are different. Verse [10] “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast.” The first beast in Revelation 13 represents anti-Christian government. Here, John sees a vision symbolic of these governments or empires “plunged into darkness.”  

And all those who trusted in them and bought into their lies and manipulation are confused. They don’t know the way. The leaders they trusted have failed them. The ideologies they believed in betrayed them. People are lost and furious about it. Sin has brought on their troubles, and they could turn to God, but they curse Him instead.

Then verse [12], “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates.” The sixth trumpet also referenced Euphrates. That river had great OT significance. The OT books of Deuteronomy and Joshua tell us that Euphrates was a boundary. It was a boundary line of the Promised Land, separating God’s people from their enemies. Essentially, it separated good from evil.

In John’s vision, the Euphrates River is symbolic of God’s restraint of evil. God’s protection. See the rest of verse 12, “its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.” When the river is dried up, there is no more boundary, and when that happens, there’s a flood of trouble.

This is referring to spiritual troubles. Look at verse [13]. “And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon (that is, Satan) and out of the mouth of the beast (that is, anti-Christian government) and out of the mouth of the false prophet, (that is, anti-Christian religion and systems of belief) three unclean spirits like frogs.” Satan is the spiritual force behind the evil that we observe in our world today. What John sees here is reminiscent of the plague of frogs that God sent on Egypt.

Frogs were an interesting choice by God. The Egyptians couldn’t squash them all or catch them all. They were everywhere. They couldn’t escape these frogs, and they were driving the people crazy. That may be the connection here. Verse 14, “For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world.”

In Matthew 24, Jesus says that in the last days, many people will be led astray. In other words, led away from God, away from truth and into lies. The wicked cannot escape these demons. They perform deception. They mislead people. But notice the next part of John’s vision: “to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” What John sees is leading to a war. What is this war?

Well, for sure spiritual war is ongoing in this time between Christ’s ascension and His return. It’s worsening, and according to this vision (and previous content in Rev.), it will get even worse.

But notice this statement in parentheses, as an aside, verse [15], (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) This is Jesus speaking. This language of garments is figurative. God’s people are to put on Christ. We are to believe in Him and live according to God’s Word. Ephesians 6 says that those who have put on the righteousness of Christ must now put on “the whole armor of God.”

But so many we see have not and will not put on either one. Verse [16] John sees these armies are gathering for a battle. He says, “And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” This is the only instance of the word “Armageddon” in all of Scripture. However, it’s become a famous term to describe the end of time and whatever might happen.

But we should use Scripture to understand the meaning. And in light of the words of Judges 4-5 in the OT, this battle seems to refer to a conflict where the need of God’s people is so great that we cannot win without His help. William Hendriksen says this about Armageddon: “When a need is greatest and believers are oppressed, the Lord suddenly reveals His power in the interest of distressed people and strikingly defeats His enemies.”

Based on the OT origins of the term “Armageddon,” that seems to be the best interpretation of it. What John is describing here seems to be not a big literal battle on earth at the end of time –  because remember, what he sees are symbols. Rather this is describing a great spiritual battle in the heavenly places. Of course, this has happened many times throughout Scripture and throughout redemptive history. Spiritual battles are ongoing. But it will be at its worst just before Christ’s return.

Revelation 9 described a bottomless pit opening up and demons emerging to torment humans. This is going on throughout these last days.G.K. Beale notes that “the ‘torment’ is primarily spiritual and psychological.” That’s the connotation of the language here as well. This is emotional pain, mental anguish, and destructive physical desires and urges – with no help from God.

So much of this is going on in our world. Some people cover this up well; some can’t cover it up at all. Some people act out; others suffering quietly. Many who see and endure such things will curse God and turn away from Him. The spiritual battles people face can lead to the hardening of their hearts toward God.

But when you see or endure spiritual harm – again – you can turn to Jesus. He soothes the troubled mind. He calms the tortured spirit with His great power and the knowledge of who He is and all He has done. When you humble yourself before Him, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Now this last section is the time of the second coming of Christ. There are signs of God’s magnificent glory – earthly phenomena that God controls. Verse [19] The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” In Scripture, Babylon as a city and an empire is associated with all kinds of immorality and godlessness.

Babylon represents any place that promotes and champions sin. For example, Rome is compared to Babylon and is sometimes referred to as Babylon. This means that it is finally ruined. The world’s evil empire is falling forever. Verse [20] And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. [21] And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.” This is something unsurvivable. Throughout history, even when one evil power falls, another pops up in its place. But that will cease on the Last Day.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, the apostle Paul also describes the Last Day. He writes, “the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” This is related to all the destruction we just saw. Christ will gather His people from earth,and behind us will be destruction.

And do you know what Paul says next, after He described the return of Christ.  He says, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” When the seeing and enduring is done, we will fly to Jesus.

We will fly to Jesus on that day, but you can fly to Him now. In just a moment we’ll sing “Rock of Ages.” Listen to these words:

“Nothing in my hand I bring / Simply to the cross I cling!
Naked come to Thee for dress / Helpless look to Thee for grace
Foul I to the fountain fly / Wash me Savior or I die!”

We have to encourage each other daily with the true and living and whole Jesus Christ. He is the gospel; He is our living hope. Believe in Him today.

Let’s bow in prayer.