John starts seeing the end of the earth’s evil system. Here the 7 bowls of wrath are poured out by the 7 angels upon an unrepentant population on the earth.
Revelation 16: The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
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.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, "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!"
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire.
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.
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 anguish
11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
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 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
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!")
16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The Seventh Bowl
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake.
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.
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.
Revelation 17: The Great Prostitute and the Beast
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk."
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."
6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marvelled greatly.
7 But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated;
10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.
11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.
12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.
13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."
15 And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.
16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire,
17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."
Things to think about…
1. Revelation 16 and the seven angels and seven bowls is similar in type to the seven angels and seven trumpets we read earlier in Rev 8-11. Seven is the number of completion which began in Creation and concluded when God rested on the seventh day. God is concluding His righteous acts in judgement here in Revelation. Seven means it comes from God and it will be completed. Note here that “they did not repent of their works” is written twice, Rev 16:9&11. This is what it is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Those that dwell on the earth at this point in history are beyond the ability to repent and so must be placed in this category where the grace to repent by the Holy Spirit is denied them. The church has been raptured by this point. When people have seen so much of the goodness and grace of God and have hardened their heart, their conscience is seared to the point where they are unable to seek after the Lord. Pray for tender consciences in the church and in the world as we share the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. The garments that the Lord is speaking of in Rev 16:15 are the garments of salvation. These are given to us as a gift and to all those who are inheritors of heaven. Pray that the Holy Spirit grants assurance of salvation and a tender heart to believe and accept all the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. The earthquake that splits Jerusalem into three parts and the resultant destruction on all the cities of the earth has significance in other passages of scripture including Zech 14:3-5.
4. The judgement of the prostitute in Rev 17 simply refers to the judgement on the world system that has lead people away from considering and engaging with the Spirit of Christ but are led astray with the flesh and the world. Jesus rightly said that the “flesh is weak”, Mt 26:41. Those who seek after this world and this life with no eye or heart on eternity and the life to come will be like those in this chapter that says “marvel to see the beast”, Rev 17:8. People are unfortunately attracted and amazed by this world and not the next. Who is “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit”, Rev 17:8? Surely this is Babylon that once was a kingdom, is not now, but will be again. A world superpower that just like ancient Babylon at the height of its power under Belshazzar, Dan 5 will be destroyed while they are enjoying the world’s wealth.
5. Seven heads represent seven mountains. Rome sits on seven mountains. Certainly, a revised Roman kingdom is envisaged here. Peter most likely refers to Rome when he says “She that is in Babylon…” 1Pet 5:1. Here John is likely making the same reference to a future Roman kingdom, this prostitute which he calls the great city will be the seat of power that has dominion over the kings of the earth, Rev 17:18. Roman has certainly been “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus “, Rev 17:6 throughout the ages, especially during the Reformation and the Inquisition that was set up. This system I believe is based in Rome will hold spiritual control over the earth. The Jews are looking for a Jewish Messiah/Christ. Could a future pope or pope-like figure rule over Rome and Jerusalem and be both a Jewish and a world political leader uniting the spiritual and the secular under a world government? Possibly. The antichrist will be a very persuasive, intelligent, charismatic and politically savvy leader. He will tempt many to accept and embrace his words.
6. John explains who the seven kings are, Rev 17:10ff – five have fallen – likely Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Greece. The one that is - Rome. The one that will come with ten toes Dan 2, here represented by 10 horns, is a final system that John says will remain in power for one hour, Rev 17:12. This will be led by the Antichrist who will bring peace to the earth and to the middle east – for three and a half years, then break his covenant with the Jews to take on a world governing role.
7. These ten final rulers and the beast will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked, Rev 17:16. This seems to be a contradiction, but it is not. To bring peace there must be unity. At the moment with all the different religions and political systems the world is not able to unite under a one world system. Roman Catholicism will have to be vastly changed “desolate and naked”, vs 16 to accommodate the antichrist agenda. Nationalism within countries and freedom of worship and faith will one day be denied with the result being that everyone on the earth will unite under one political authority and one religious system. While we see this beginning to happen, I believe we are a fair way off as yet. Many countries value their independence and their freedom to worship – none more so than the US. Until there is seen to be a better, more attractive option this will remain the case for a while yet. We have seen an attempt to unify the world under one system with the United Nations and the EU, these are suffering dysfunction at the moment but their efforts will one day come to fruition, Rev 17:17.
8. Some have said that the city of Rome is represented by America, which is quite religious and the “the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute (woman)”. The reason being that America is the world superpower and fits the description given in Rev 17:18 “And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.". The final world government will have to deal with religious America. It will need to happen to reveal the final world council from which the 10 heads ‘kings’ will rule. We know from 3 of those heads the antichrist will come as we saw in Rev 13:3, Dan 7:7. But it seems America will still have the authority to rule this council, Rev 17:18.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for pledges for finances for the youth and young adults pastor role. $38, 600 has come in so far. Next week final week of collection.
2. Carols service 18th December – Family fun Day afternoon/evening 3pm-7pm.
3. Christmas Day Service 25th Dec – on a Sunday this year – service will start at 9:00am.
4. Pray for the leadership of our country.
5. Pray for the people of Iran and Ukraine.
6. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
7. More young families and youth into the church.
8. Ministry leaders within the church.
9. Our One for Israel ministry.
10. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Thankyou to those who have supported the church and youth and young adults role - $38, 600 raised thus far.
2. Wouk being done in the house and café. Thankyou especially to Rob Brand and James Smith.
3. New folk becoming members of CBC
4. Worship on Sunday – thankyou worship team. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
5. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
6. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Pledges being taken until 11Dec to assess level of support for Youth Ministry Leader.
2. Family fun day/Carols night 3-7pm 18th Dec – Book it in. Invite people flyers
3. Christmas Day service – 9am Dec 25th.
4. Remember to check your duty rosters.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for December...
Q. 3. Why did God make you and all things? A. For his own glory.
