REVELATION 16:15 JESUS IS COMING AGAIN2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Revelation 16:15 Jesus Is Coming Again

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010. Well, as we head into chapter 16 this morning, I want to once again take us back to the beginning and remember the outline that Jesus gave to us for the book of Revelation. It's important to understand so that we keep the context of the things that we're studying this morning.

So back in chapter 1, verse 19 of the book of Revelation, Jesus divides the book into three parts by telling John to write down, first of all, the things which he had already seen. We find that recorded for us in chapter 1 as John writes down the vision that he had of Jesus there on the island of Patmos.

Then Jesus tells John to write down the things which are, that's dealing with the present time. Even up to this day, Revelation chapters 2 and 3 deal with the present, the things of the church and the church age, as Jesus wrote seven letters to the seven churches there in chapters 2 and 3.

Well, then the last part of the book of Revelation, really the majority of the book, chapters 4 through 22, we find recorded there, Jesus tells John to write down the things which will take place after these things. And so these are the future things, the things that are yet to come. Even as we study them today, these things have not yet happened. They've not yet begun to take place.

You and I are still living in chapters 2 and 3, that church age, and we will continue to do so until the rapture of the church. And then that will really start the chain of events of all of the things that will happen.

Now, what are those things that will happen? What are those future things that will take place? Well, we started out back in chapter 4 talking about the rapture of the church and that for you and I as believers, that's what we're looking forward to. That time when Jesus will return, not to set foot on earth, that will happen at His second coming, but we will instead go to meet Him in the clouds.

And as believers in Jesus Christ, it says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, that we will always be with the Lord from that time on. Well, once that has taken place and the church is taken out of this world, then the earth is then going to go through seven years of tribulation. We find this recorded in chapters 6 through 19 of the book of Revelation.

And that seven years of tribulation will be worse than the world has ever seen before. There's going to be great devastation. We've seen much of it already. And we're going to see a good portion of it today as we look at chapter 16 and the final days of that tribulation period.

Well, that seven-year tribulation comes to an end with the return of Jesus Christ. He comes back at the end, at the battle of Armageddon, and he establishes his kingdom upon the earth for 1,000 years. He rules and he reigns here on the earth. There's peace, there's righteousness, the earth is renewed, and during that time, Satan is bound in the bottomless pit.

At the end of the thousand years, however, Satan is released for a short time in order to lead one final rebellion against God. And he leads this last rebellion, which of course will fail. He will not succeed in rebelling against God. It will fail and it will bring upon him and his followers the final judgment. It's called the Great White Throne Judgment. There in Revelation chapter 20. And there Satan and his angels will be cast into the lake of fire.

And Revelation 20.15 also tells us that whoever is not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire as well. It's the final judgment for those who have rejected God and His Savior Jesus Christ.

Well, then the final chapters, chapters 21 and 22, deal with the new heavens and the new earth. We get a glimpse of what God is going to do, the new Jerusalem that descends out of heaven, and then, again, a glimpse of the rest of eternity that God has in store for us.

So these are the things which must shortly take place that are recorded here in the book of Revelation so that we would know what is going to take place, that we would be prepared then for these things to occur.

Well, currently, as we're in chapter 16, we're coming to the end of our study of the tribulation period. Now, the tribulation period began back in chapter 6 with the opening of a scroll that had seven seals. And as Jesus opened each seal of the scroll, there were judgments that were taking place upon the earth.

And so Jesus opened the first seal and there came forth the Antichrist coming forth to conquer and conquering upon the earth. And then Jesus opened the second seal and there was war that broke out upon the earth. And then the third seal was opened and there was a worldwide, a widespread famine upon the earth. And then the fourth seal was opened and

And a quarter of the earth was killed at that time. There was a great and massive death across the world. Then the fifth seal was opened and John sees martyrs up in heaven being comforted by God. And then the sixth seal was opened and we see catastrophic events taking place. Earthquake and stars falling from the sky. All kinds of really...

Really crazy things happening. Then the seventh seal was opened. There was silence for 30 minutes. And then seven angels come forth, each of them having a trumpet. And as each of them sounds their trumpet, there's more judgments that are coming and taking place upon the earth. The first trumpet sounded and a third of the trees of the earth were burned.

And then the second trumpet sounded and a third of the sea or the oceans were turned to blood. And then the third trumpet sounded and a third of the fresh water was made bitter.

The fourth trumpet sounded and a third of the stars were darkened. The fifth trumpet sounded and there was five months of torment upon mankind by these demonic creatures. Then the sixth trumpet sounded and there was four angels released to kill one third of mankind. And then the seventh trumpet sounded.

The temple in heaven was opened and it was seen, it was visible, there was loud thunderings, and then seven more angels came forth, each of them having a bowl of the wrath of God. And what we're looking at here in chapter 16 then is these final seven judgments as these bowls of wrath are poured out upon the earth.

And so that brings us up to current. Now, just having gone through those things quickly, I think we could all agree these are not days that we would want to live through or to be on the earth during this time. There's a lot of devastation that has already taken place and yet these final seven things will be even worse than what has taken place previously.

Well, let's pick it up in verse 1. It says, Here in chapter 16, we find the final instruction being given. The final word is given. A loud voice comes from the temple. It seems to be that this is the voice of the Heavenly Father. And He gives the final instruction, the last word. He says...

Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth. These are the final seven judgments. With these bowls, the judgments of God upon the earth will be finished and will be completed. Everything will have taken place that's necessary to take place for Jesus to return.

Now we saw back in chapter 15 that these judgments were talked about and we're told that they're the last seven plagues. And it's interesting that he uses the word plagues because many of these things that we'll see in chapter 16 today relate to and are very similar to what took place back in Egypt when God was bringing his people out of Egypt.

through the man named Moses. And there was the ten plagues that God brought upon Egypt through Moses, and many of those we will see here in chapter 16. There's similarities. Now, of course, what took place in Egypt was localized to that region, but what we're seeing here in chapter 16 is really worldwide plagues.

These are judgments that are happening across the entire globe, not just to particular regions, except where it specifies that there's a particular region that's affected. Now, as we look at this here in verse 1, it says that God says to go and to pour forth the bowls, notice, of the wrath of God.

There is no uncertainty here. These things that we're studying, these things we're about to go through, they're not just natural disasters. These really are acts of God. The wrath of God being poured out upon the earth.

Now, in talking about the wrath of God and these judgments that we'll look at today, I think we all understand this is really not a favorite subject for most of us. You know, today is January 2nd. It's the first Sunday of the year. And perhaps you came here this morning hoping that, you know, there'd be a nice, really encouraging, you know, really, you know,

I can't think of the word, but, you know, something that really kind of gets you up and going, you know, like a pep rally to prepare you for 2011 and help you to, you know, really go in high gear to the rest of the year, you know. But here is where in chapter 16, you know, we really don't have the freedom to just talk about and study whatever we want. We need to be obedient to the Lord and what He has spoken to us. And so here we're talking about the wrath of God.

And it's important to talk about, it's important to study because it is a reality. Yes, God is love and there's some wonderfully encouraging things that we can study and talk about with God. But the reality is that He is also just and He is holy. And so His wrath is right. It is correct. It is necessary. Now, whether you agree with His wrath or not, whether you agree with that or not,

That's beside the point. Because every one of us will agree that the wrath of God is right and that He is just and holy and pouring out His wrath upon the earth in this time. Every one of us, one day, will agree. Whether you agree or not right now, doesn't really matter. One day you will agree. You will look back and you will recognize that

That it was exactly what was necessary. It was perfect. It was right. His wrath is right. His wrath is fair. Each one will receive the judgment that they deserve.

And so as we talk about these seven bowls of wrath, understand that this is not God just, you know, kind of going off the deep end or kind of just exaggerating or losing his temper, but these are exact and measured and exactly what is necessary and it's right and just and true.

So let's dig in, let's dive in. The first of these seven bowls is poured out upon the earth and the result is there's a foul and loathsome sore that breaks out upon mankind. Verse 2 says this, So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.

Now we dealt with the mark of the beast back in chapter 13 as well as chapter 14 of Revelation. So I won't deal with it extensively here. We talked about the possibilities of what that might be and what it might look like. We talked about the possibility that it could be a microchip implant. We also talked about the possibility it could be some kind of tattoo. Also we talked about the reality that it could be something that we've not yet thought of or know about.

Whatever the case may be, whatever form it takes, what we do know is that the mark of the beast will be received deliberately. It will be a deliberate choice to worship the Antichrist. And so those who have made this deliberate choice to worship the Antichrist, as this first bowl is poured out, they're going to experience these painful sores.

He calls it a foul and loathsome sword.

There's something about the combination of those words together. It just, it gives me the chills a little bit. I mean, it gives you very clear, quick understanding. This is not something that you want to have. It's not just a foul sore and it's not just a loathsome sore. It's not just a painful sore, but this is something that is excruciating, agonizing, and it's going to bring a great deal of pain to those who receive it.

Now there's some speculation that goes along with what this may look like because, well, for those who have suggested that the mark of the beast is a microchip implant, which is a possibility, it could be that if that's the case, that there's a malfunction of those implants and that this sore is...

the result of that malfunction because those implants are powered by lithium batteries and those lithium batteries are recharged by the body's heat. The energy that's generated by your body recharges the lithium battery but there's that little lithium battery within the microchip, even the ones that they're using today. Well, the problem is if that microchip

battery bursts or if there's some type of leak and that lithium gets exposed to your body, then the result would be

what has been described a foul and loathsome sore. And so it's a possibility that there's some type of event that occurs that causes these things to burst or to malfunction and it produces these sores. Other speculations is that these sores could be a result of some type of radiation poisoning. If there's nuclear activity that's going on on the earth,

then that could be a possibility as well. Now, of course, I always like to point out, it doesn't have to be either of those things. It could be something else. God could just do it supernaturally or he could use some other natural means if he desires. Whatever the case may be, the result is those who have worshipped the Antichrist and received the mark of the beast, they're going to experience these foul and loathsome sores upon their body.

Well, then the second bowl is poured out. And what we see here is that the sea becomes blood. Look at verse 3. It says,

Here we find that the sea became blood. Now the word sea, it's the idea of the ocean, it's salt water as opposed to fresh water which we'll deal with in the next judgment. So the oceans is really what are in view here. The oceans are the salt water that is on the earth. It's going to become blood and then as a result every living creature in the sea will die.

Now this is similar to what we looked at in the trumpet judgments. The second trumpet judgment, we find that a third of the sea will become blood. We find that in Revelation chapter 8 verses 8 and 9.

And there we talked about the possibility because it talks about this giant mountain or this asteroid that hits the sea and then turning to blood is the result. And the possibility that it could be perhaps the Atlantic Ocean that struck at that time because the Atlantic Ocean makes up about one third of all of the Earth's oceans.

And so that's a definite possibility at the second trumpet. But this time, as this bowl is poured out, this wrath of God is poured out, it's not just one third or it's not just a piece here or a piece there, but it's the entire world is affected. The oceans are turned to blood.

Remember the scope of these things going back to verse 1 is these are the wrath, these things are the wrath of God being poured out upon the earth. And so this is going to be very devastating and every living creature in the sea will die. Today there's a great premium, you know, it's highly coveted to have beachfront property. But in those days that will not be the case. It really goes beyond our ability to...

to imagine or to compute, to figure out what would be the effects of this type of judgment. What would be the effects of the ocean turning to blood and every living creature in the sea dying? Think about it.

Every dolphin, every whale, every shark, every fish, the plankton, the other, you know, microscopic living organisms, the jellyfish, the lobster, the shrimp, the seahorses, just all living creatures die. Consider the stench. Consider, well, we can't even really begin to fathom the ecosystem effects, right? What kind of impact would that have upon the world?

It would be very devastating. And so this judgment is terrible for sure. Well, then the third bowl is poured out. And the third bowl is poured out and fresh water now also is turned to blood. Look at verse 4. It says, Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water and they became blood.

And so the second bowl is focused on the salt water, but here we see the fresh water now being affected. The rivers, the springs, the fountains, these are now going to be struck and they are turned to blood. Now once again, this relates to the third trumpet,

that we saw back in Revelation 8, verses 10 and 11. And at that time, a third of the earth's fresh waters was struck and made bitter. And it tells us there that many men died because they drank this water that had become poisoned.

Well, this time, it's not just a portion or a piece or a specific region that is affected, but the whole earth, the freshwater sources are impacted by this judgment and they turn to blood.

It's going to be a very thirsty time. Verse 5, And I heard the angel of the waters saying, You are righteous, O Lord, the one who is and who was and who is to be, because you have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, for it is their just due. Here, in looking at this third bowl that's poured out, in trying to picture this,

these judgments being unleashed upon the earth, the devastation of these sores and then the salt water being affected and now the fresh water and the impacts that that would have, it's difficult to comprehend. And in looking at these judgments, it's very easy for us. In fact, I would suggest that probably all of us internally wrestle with these things. How could this be? It just seems like it's overkill. It seems like it's...

It's just too much. How could anybody endure this? How could this be warranted? But here we have the proclamation of an angel to give us perspective and to remind us God's judgments are just and true. And so there's an angel. He's an objective witness. He's watching mankind. He's seeing the condition of mankind. He's watching God work. And his response as this third angel

bowl is poured out is, you are righteous, O Lord. He's declaring for us, reminding us, this is righteous, this is right, this is good, this is true. This is what is necessary. He says, it is their just due. Why? Well, he also explains that they have shed the blood of saints and prophets. And so God has now given them blood to drink.

They've been actively engaged in and involved in shedding innocent blood of the followers of God. They've been violently persecuting and putting to death those who follow Jesus. And so their just due now is to have blood to drink since they shed the blood of God's people.

During the tribulation period, there's going to be much persecution. And remember, back in chapter 13, those who refuse to worship the Antichrist and receive the mark of the beast will be put to death. There will be some who escape and some who survive. They'll be in hiding. They'll be in exile. But multitudes will be put to death.

for refusing to worship the Antichrist. And so this angel declares, it's right and it's just and it's fitting. Then in verse 7, And I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. And so here we have a second witness, another angel looking on. He agrees. He says, Yes, right on. Even so, true and righteous are your judgments, O Lord God Almighty.

And so we have two witnesses here declaring to us, reminding us that these judgments that we're studying, they're not just, you know, crazy overkill, but they're right and they're just and they're true. They're exactly what is deserved. And that may be hard for us to compute sometimes. But always remember this. When we do not understand God's judgment, it is because we do not understand the sin.

When we do not understand God's judgment, it's because we do not understand the gravity and the severity of the sin that is going on. You see, you and I, we like to water down sin. We like to water it down so much so that it's not, you know, that sinful, that it's not worthy of such judgment. We like to water it down in our own minds and hearts so that it's not worthy of such severity.

Why? Well, mainly because we sin and we don't want to give that up. We don't want to be judged in that way. We don't want to change. And so we water it down. We think less of it because that's our preference. But the reality is that sin is worthy of judgment. And that is why Jesus had to die upon the cross. Because the judgment of sin is just. It's right. It's necessary.

Jesus had to receive the judgment that was due for sin in order to give people an opportunity to be saved. You remember there in the garden, he wrestled with this. He said, Father, if there's any other way, let this cup pass from me. What cup was he talking about? He was talking about the cup of indignation or the cup of the wrath of God. If there's another way for people to be saved, he says, I'd rather not drink this cup.

I don't want to experience the fullness of judgment, the penalty of sin. But there was no other way and that's why Jesus endured the cross. That's why He was crucified. In order to receive the full penalty, to pay the full price that you and I might have the opportunity of forgiveness. When we do not understand God's judgment, it's because we do not understand the sin. We need to remember, sin is severe.

It deserves the fullness of wrath and judgment of God. Just one sin is enough for eternal damnation. It's enough for us to be condemned. We like to water down and say, well, I'm not so bad. I'm not that bad. I'm not like this person or that. I don't do those things. But the reality is,

Sin deserves this judgment. And so these angels testify to the world, to us, to remind us these things are right and just and true.

Well, then the fourth bowl is poured out now in verses 8 and 9. And now the sun will scorch the earth with great heat, verse 8 says. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory."

So here we have now this fourth judgment being poured out upon the earth and it's specific in regard to the sun. And this angel has given power to scorch men with fire. The sun is going to increase in intensity. Sunblock will not protect you. And the heat will be scorching men, burning men with great heat.

And then the results will be that they will blaspheme the name of God.

Now there's of course some different speculations and ideas about how this could happen. One such idea is that this could happen if there was a massive reduction in the ozone layer. Again, perhaps if there's nuclear activity going on or as a result of these asteroids that we read about and looked at previously in the tribulation period that it reduces the ozone layer to the point that the sun is able to penetrate and pierce through much better and

therefore, you know, bring a great more heat and intensity upon the people of the earth. Another idea, another speculation is that the sun may go into a supernova type of state, type of state, where it begins to grow and increase in intensity as it gets larger and the result might be that, you know, it would bring this extra heat and intensity upon the earth.

Another idea, another speculation is that there could be a change in the Earth's orbit, perhaps as a result of this asteroid activity or something else that we don't yet understand, but the Earth would be then moving closer to the sun and being closer to the sun it could experience this great intensity change.

And of course, once again, God could use any of these methods or He may choose to do something else entirely. And that's up to Him and He's going to make it happen. The bottom line though is that the sun is going to burn hotter and men are going to be scorched.

This is the real global warming that we ought to be concerned with and be worried about. Because this one is going to take place and it's going to be intense. Now notice the results though of this judgment that's being poured out. It says that they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues and they did not repent and give him glory.

The result of this judgment will not be repentance. At least not in general, not on a large scale. Perhaps there will be those individuals who repent, and it's an opportunity for them to repent in this time. But in general, mankind will not repent. Instead, they will blaspheme the name of God. To blaspheme, it means to speak against or to speak evil of.

I'd like to call to your attention here to notice they know who it is that's bringing this judgment. They know. They blaspheme the name of God who has power over these plagues. They know His name. They know who He is. They know that He has power over these plagues. They know the source of these judgments. These are not people who are tripped up by some type of intellectual argument.

They're not just tripped up on the subject of evolution and they just can't figure out how that could happen or how there could be creation. It's not that they're just falling a little bit short and they just can't quite make that leap of believing in a creator. It's not people who are just kind of skeptical if God exists. These are people who know that God exists.

These are people who know who God is. And these are people who know that God is the one who has the power over these judgments. They recognize, they know full well who God is and what He is capable of. It's not an intellectual stumbling block or some philosophical argument that's just kind of holding them back. They have clear understanding of who this is. But the problem is they just refuse to surrender to Him.

They refuse to surrender to Him even though they know who He is and that He exists. That will be the condition of those who inhabit the earth during that last portion of the tribulation. But understand this. This is important for us today because their condition, the fact that they know that God exists but they refuse to surrender to Him, that is the truth that is behind all unbelief even today.

All unbelief is hidden behind these intellectual arguments, these philosophy arguments, these science arguments, these jokes and dismissal that people just rather not deal with it. But the reality behind the scenes, what's really going on within, is that God is revealing Himself to them. They know who He is, but they will not surrender. They will not submit.

Would you put your bulletin or hold your finger here in chapter 16 for a moment and let's jump to Romans chapter 1 to get a good clear understanding of what is going on in the hearts of the people. In Romans chapter 1, the Apostle Paul is talking about the wrath of God, the subject that we're dealing with in chapter 16.

And in Romans chapter 1 verse 18, Paul says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Here's what Paul says. The wrath of God is revealed. It's manifested. It's demonstrated. It's from heaven and it's against ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who, notice what they do, they suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

They push it down. They suppress truth by living unrighteously. Verse 19. Because... Why do they suppress the truth? Well, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. You see what Paul is saying here? He's saying, look, the things that you can know of God are revealed in those that are experiencing the wrath of God,

They're suppressing the truth about God by unrighteousness. He says, what may be known of God is manifest or it's revealed in them because God has shown it to them. You see, God is revealing Himself to mankind, to humanity. Of course He is, because He loves mankind. He loves humanity. You and I, as we are sharing with others about the Lord...

It's really not to convince people that God exists. The reality is God is already revealing that to them.

But the problem is they're suppressing the truth and unrighteousness. They don't want to acknowledge who He is. They don't want to acknowledge the truth that God is revealing or showing to them. Verse 20, For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. They are without excuse. Now, everyone gives excuses, right?

but none of them are valid. There's lots of reasons that people say that they don't believe in God, that they won't follow God, that they won't surrender to God, but there's no real valid excuse. The reality is, God has demonstrated, He's made it clear in all of creation. On top of that, He's revealed it to people individually, personally, who He is, that He exists. The problem is not intellectual knowledge.

It's not in the head. The problem is in the heart. Finishing it up here in verse 21 of Romans 1, it says, Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. They knew God, but they refused to glorify Him as God. See, it's not an issue of understanding or intellect. It's an issue of surrender and submission. They will not submit to God. That's the real problem.

And so for you and I as believers, this is important to understand because our witnessing then takes a little bit of a different shape. It's not really about convincing. It's not about winning an argument or a debate. It really should be more like, well, you know, like the old iceberg illustration, right? The part that you see of the iceberg is just a tiny fraction. It's 10%. Underneath the water, there's a mountain, right?

That's much greater than that little piece that you see above the water of an iceberg. In the same way, our witnessing should be that little peak that you see that's peeking out of the water. But underneath it should be a mountain of prayer. Because it's not an intellectual battle. It's not a mental battle. It's not some type of debate. It's not some type of philosophical ideas that are exchanged.

It's a spiritual battle. The real issue is they know God, but they will not glorify Him as God. They hide it in all kinds. They try to mask it. Nobody wants to admit that, of course. But that's the reality. The Bible cuts through and tells us the truth about what's happening within. That's what will be happening in those last days of the tribulation period, and that's what's happening right now. So going back to Revelation chapter 16, they know who it is that's bringing this judgment,

But they will not glorify Him as God. They will not surrender to Him. And so they blaspheme Him and refuse to repent of their deeds.

Well, then the fifth bowl is poured out upon the earth and that's in verses 10 and 11. And what we see here is darkness that comes upon the kingdom of the Antichrist. Verse 10 says, Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores and they did not repent of their deeds."

Once again, we see that blasphemy and refusal to repent. This time, though, there's darkness. It's not intense sunlight that is coming upon them, but there's darkness and it seems to be, it's indicated here, that's localized on the kingdom of the Antichrist. Now, there is a similar plague in Egypt. In Exodus chapter 10, you can read about it. God describes it as a darkness that could be felt.

And so what we're talking about here is not just, you know, like the sun sets and, you know, then humanity was afraid of the dark. What we're talking about is something way beyond that. There's an unusual darkness. It's supernatural. It's painful. It's agonizing. And so much so that it says that they gnaw their tongues because of the pain. Have you ever gnawed on your own tongue because of the pain?

I don't think that many of us have experienced that level, but that will be the result of this judgment that God pours out here in the fifth bowl. Now, how the people respond? Once again, they blaspheme God. They speak against, they speak evil, they revile God, and they refuse to repent of their deeds. This is emphasized in this chapter. We see in these final judgments the hardness of hearts of humanity.

As they refuse to surrender to God. As we consider this, I think it's a good opportunity for us to abolish the myth that we like to hold on to in our heads and in our hearts. We always think it will be easier to repent tomorrow.

We always think that tomorrow or the next day or maybe next month or next year or after this, just not today, anything but today. Tomorrow, later on, it's going to be easier to walk with God. It's going to be easier to turn ourselves over to God later on at some other point.

But what we see here demonstrated in the book of Revelation chapter 16 is that is not the case. In fact, the opposite is true. The longer you wait to turn and to get right with God, the more difficult it becomes to do so. Not because of God, but because of the hardness of our hearts. You see, it's not more information that is needed for people to turn to get to God. It's not...

Some debate that needs to take place in order for someone to turn and get right with God. It's not further proof that is needed. We saw that back in Romans chapter 1. It's clearly seen. The problem and the issue is the heart. And so some incredible judgment later on isn't enough to change the heart. That's what we see here. They know who God is. They know He's the one bringing this. But they will not turn to Him. They refuse to repent. They refuse to repent.

There's an interesting account in Luke chapter 16. Jesus gives the account of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. They both lived life. They knew each other throughout life. The rich man was not righteous, but Lazarus was. They both died. And there, in their temporary holding places...

Lazarus was in what's called Abraham's bosom. It was a place that was there before the ascension of Jesus Christ. Now those who believe in Jesus, when they die, they go into the presence of the Lord. But Jesus hadn't died yet, and so he's there in Abraham's bosom. The rich man, because he's unrighteous, he's in a place of torment, awaiting the final judgment that we'll get to in a couple chapters here in the book of Revelation. The great white throne judgment.

And he's there in this place of torment. And he looks over and he sees Lazarus with Abraham. And he calls out and he asks Abraham to send Lazarus back to his family so that they don't come to this place of torment. And Abraham gives him some very important instruction that we need to take heed to as well.

In Luke 16, verse 31, Abraham tells that rich man, he says, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded the one rise from the dead. Abraham tells this rich man,

They have the Word of God. They have the Bible. That is enough for them to know better and for them to turn and to get right with God. The rich man said, no, no, that's not enough. They're just like me. I mean, I have the Bible too, but if Lazarus would go back...

I'm convinced, the rich man is saying, if Lazarus would rise from the dead and they would recognize, oh wow, look at this great work. And then Lazarus is there telling them, hey, I was with your brother, the rich man, and he's in a place of torment. He doesn't want you to come here. You need to turn and get right with God. The rich man was convinced that would be enough to persuade them. They would be convinced and they would turn and get right with God. And I think if we looked in our hearts honestly, that...

That's something that we would think as well. We'd think, yeah, that'd be pretty convincing. Yeah, if only God would do that. Why doesn't He do that? Well, the problem with that is it's not sufficient. Because the problem is not the head, it's the heart. And so some great miracle isn't enough to change the heart.

Some great act of judgment is not enough to change the heart. No argument can change the heart. No miracle can change the heart. Only God can change the heart and He changes the hearts of those who surrender to Him. So Abraham tells the rich man, hey, they have the Word of God, that's enough. And if that's not enough for them to repent today, then no miracle tomorrow will cause them to repent. So let's abolish the myth in our head and in our hearts once and for all.

It is not easy to repent tomorrow. The best time, the ideal time, the easiest time is right now to turn and to get right with God. We'll come back to that in a few minutes. But let's go on to the sixth bowl.

Looking at verses 12 through 16, we find here that the kings are gathered to Armageddon. Verse 12 says, So this judgment has to deal with the Euphrates River primarily and then some other things that we'll look at in just a moment.

But the Euphrates River is an important, it's a significant river there in Asia and it's a pretty massive river. It's about 1,700 miles long. I think at its widest point currently it's about a quarter of a mile wide. It begins in Turkey but then it runs all the way down into the Persian Gulf.

So it's this massive river and this river is going to be dried up. There's going to be some type of supernatural work where the kings of the east are able to cross it. The drying up of the river Euphrates is preparation. It's part of the battle of Armageddon. That these kings from the east will be able to cross over where the Euphrates river once was and then to head into the nation of Israel to...

The valley of Megiddo or the place called Armageddon. And so this is part of the gathering of those armies for that final battle. Verse 13, And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."

So in addition to the Euphrates River drying up, now there's three demonic spirits that go out from the dragon, that's going back to chapter 12, that's Satan, from the beast, that's the Antichrist, going back to chapter 13, and then from the false prophet who comes alongside the Antichrist who we also dealt with in chapter 13. And so these three who are working together, who are running this one world kingdom, they

There's demonic spirits that come forth from them and they go forth to the whole world and they bring the kings of all the world. They're gathering them together to this one place for this final battle. In Revelation chapter 19 verse 19 when it's describing the return of Jesus it says that these armies are gathered together to make war against him. That is against Jesus.

For whatever reason they gathered together, it could be that they're going to fight together against one another to try to get control of the government of the world or to be free from the tyranny of the Antichrist. But there's indications here. It's also possible that there's this deception by these demonic spirits to bring them and their intention is to come here and to fight against God and try to defeat Jesus upon His return.

Because of course, the timing, once the rapture happens, once the tribulation begins, the timing of these things is very clear, it's very set. We know exactly the days of the tribulation period. And so it could be that they are deceived and they are coming together to fight against God, not to fight against one another. Verse 15. Verse 15.

Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.

Now, we looked at this verse last week, so I won't really get into it, but here Jesus makes a quick announcement, a reminder. I think this is for us today as we read this. It's a reminder to us. He says, look, I'm coming quickly and you need to be ready. You need to be prepared. But I think it's also a reminder and an encouragement for those who are living in those days saying, hey, I'm about to come.

to come back. Hang in there for just a little bit longer. Those who are faithful to the Lord, he's saying, get ready, be watching, keep your garments because I am about to return. We're in the last stages here of this tribulation period. Verse 16, And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. Armageddon is a valley that's located just below a city called Megiddo located in the northern part of Israel.

And there, Megiddo overlooks this great valley, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is also known as Armageddon. This has been the place of many battles throughout the years. We've seen some of those biblically. Deborah, when she defeated Sisera, Judges chapter 5 was at this place. Gideon defeated the Midianites here in the Valley of Megiddo. Pharaoh

defeated King Josiah in 2 Kings 23 in the same location. Historians have kind of worked together to figure out that about 200 battles have been fought in this area from 1500 BC to 1900 AD. It's been a place in the past of very prominent and important battles and there's one more still to come. As these armies gather together either to fight against each other or

Or to fight against the Lord. Either way, they do turn and fight against the Lord when he returns. But they gather together for this final battle to try to defeat God. And of course, they will lose when Jesus returns victorious. Well, then the seventh bowl is poured out. Verse 17. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne saying, It is done.

Here what we find in the seventh bowl as it's poured out, there's a great earthquake and hail that rains down upon the earth. This is the final judgment before the return of Jesus. The armies are gathered together at Armageddon. Jesus is about to ascend from heaven, to descend from heaven rather, and this judgment is the final thing that takes place before he comes back.

Verse 18, it says, Verse 20, Verse 20,

Here we find this incredibly massive earthquake that goes on. We are of course familiar with earthquakes. We experience them a lot in Southern California. But they're localized. You know, they have an epicenter and then it kind of goes out from there. Lessons and lessons. This earthquake though will not be like that. It will impact the whole world. The whole world is going to shake and quake. It's going to be devastating. It's going to be such a mighty and great earthquake. It says...

As has not occurred since men were on the earth. So never in history has there been an earthquake like there will be there at the seventh bowl as it's poured out. It describes the great city, which would be Jerusalem, being divided into three parts. It talks about the cities of the nations, that is all the major cities around the world. They will be demolished. They'll be leveled, completely laid flat. And then it also mentions Babylon, that Babylon was remembered before God.

And he gave her the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Now Babylon is an important subject and we're not going to get into it today. But chapters 17 and 18 deal with the judgment that is mentioned briefly here. It elaborates on it and talks about the judgment that is poured out upon Babylon. And so we'll be talking about that subject over the next couple of weeks.

Well, then we see that the islands flee away, the mountains are not found, there's going to be a huge impact upon the earth and the landscape is going to change. Then in verse 21, "...and great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since the plague was exceedingly great."

How much is a talent? Well, it's been different amounts throughout the years, different nations kind of calculated it differently, but the common weight for a talent in the New Testament times when this was written was what we would call today 100 pounds.

And so this hail that is falling upon the earth will be probably around 100 pounds, each one about 100 pounds. Now just picture if you've ever carried a 20-pound bag of ice and, you know, that's kind of hefty and you make sure not to drop it on your foot, right? Well, this hail that will fall, 100 pounds, will not be falling, you know, from the three feet from your hands to your toe. It will be falling from heaven. It will come with great force and you can imagine how devastating that might be.

And so what do men do? They repent and turn to God because they realize that they've been wrong all this time? No, it says that they blasphemed God because of the plague of the hell because it was exceedingly great. Here as we consider these judgments, as we consider these bowls being poured out upon the earth, yeah, it's a tough subject. We don't like to envision or imagine these things. It's even hard for us. I mean, it really goes beyond what we're able to imagine or to really consider.

It's not a favorite subject of ours, but it's necessary. Because it teaches us the truth about ourselves and about the world around us. It reminds us of the severity of sin. That we don't water it down, that we don't play with it, that we don't compromise in sin. It reminds us not to delay and not to put off the decision to walk with God and get right with God. It calls us to repentance today.

That's what this chapter does. It reminds us that he's coming back. And Jesus said, blessed is he who watches. We need to be ready. We need to be waiting. We need to be prepared. And so it's a great opportunity for us this morning to partake of communion together. The worship team is going to come up and the ushers are going to make ready. As we partake of communion together, you know, Jesus gave us communion as a reminder of what he did for us.

He gave us the bread as the reminder of His body which was broken for us. And He gave us His blood as a reminder of His... I'm sorry, He gave us the cup as a reminder of His blood that was shed. That we would remember, He says, as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you remember the Lord's death. He says, do this in remembrance of Me. He wants us to remember.

First of all, we remember the need, the necessity. Why did Jesus have to die? Well, it's because of our sinful condition. And sin is not something that's light or not that important or not that big of a deal. Sin deserves eternal judgment and damnation. That's the penalty. The wages of sin is death, Romans 6.23 says. That's what sin deserves. And because sin deserves that, and you and I,

Well, we are sinful. We deserve the penalty of death, of eternal judgment. But God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever would receive Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And so because this was the penalty that was due, and God loved us so much He didn't want to see us perish, He sent His Son. Jesus came willingly.

And offered Himself. He received the penalty that was due to you and to me by dying upon the cross for our sin. And He gave us communion as a reminder to remember why we needed a Savior and that He willingly gave Himself to be our Savior. That's something to rejoice in. That's something to celebrate. That's something to thank God for. It's a joyful time. But it's also a somber time. A sober time. A time to repent.

As we partake of communion together, I want to encourage you, I want to challenge you. It's time to repent. As you remember how serious sin is, what it cost Jesus to take care of sin and to give us the opportunity of life, it's time now to turn from that sin, to stop living in rebellion, to turn and to get right with God. Listen, it will not be easier to repent tomorrow.

And today won't be easier to repent than it was yesterday or last year. 2012 won't be easier to repent. You know the easiest time to repent? Right now. We always think, later on it's going to be so much better, so much easier. Oh, it'll be better. It'll be awesome. Can't wait, you know, next month, once I finally get that last paycheck. Then I'll be able to really commit to the Lord. Once I finally get through this divorce, then I'll really be able to serve the Lord.

Once I finally accomplish that, it's always easier around the corner, we think. But the reality is, today is the ideal time to repent. Listen, we don't know the day that Jesus will return. But we do know that today can be the day that you return to Him. We don't know when He's coming back, but we can turn to Him right now.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6, now is the accepted time. Behold, today, now is the day of salvation. Right now is the moment that we have. It's the best time.

to turn to Him because of our sin, because of our need of a Savior, because He's coming again, because these are the judgments that are coming upon the earth and there's far worse things eternally for those who have rejected God and rebelled against Him. Now is the time. It doesn't get easier. It doesn't get better. Right now is the time to turn and to get right with God. And so we rejoice in the work that Jesus did for us, but we also need to remember He died because of sin.

Sin is serious, it's severe, and the wages of it is death. And so as we partake of communion together, let's allow the Lord to work in our hearts. As we worship the Lord together, let's allow Him to change us. Let's surrender to Him, fully surrender, turning away from those things which have bound us for so long.

The ushers are going to come and they're going to pass out the bread and the cup. Hold both portions. We'll partake together at the end. And as we worship the Lord, let's let God deal with our hearts. Let's turn to Him. Let's repent and rejoice in the forgiveness that He offers to us. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.