Chapter 15 introduced the last in the series of judgements described in the book of Revelation which are called the Bowl Judgements. The previous two were the Seal and Trumpet Judgements. Each series has grown more intense than the previous. The carnage and the loss of life has intensified each time. The passage we will look at today, chapter 16, will now describe in detail each of the seven Bowl Judgements. Interestingly, the verb "great" appears in some form or another in chapter 16 at least eleven times. This emphasis alerts us to the magnitude of the battle between God and the forces of evil.

(Revelation 16:1-21)

Then I heard a loud voice from the sanctuary saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” 2 The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. 3 The second  poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like a dead man’s, and all life in the sea died. 4 The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 I heard the angel of the waters say: You are righteous, who is and who was, the Holy One, for You have decided these things. 6 Because they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, You also gave them blood to drink; they deserve it! 7 Then I heard someone from the altar say: Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments. 8 The fourth  poured out his bowl on the sun. He was given the power to burn people with fire, 9 and people were burned by the intense heat. So they blasphemed the name of God, who had the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory. 10 The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues because of their pain 11 and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, yet they did not repent of their actions. 12 The sixth 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 unclean spirits like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the beast’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 “Look, I am coming like a thief. The one who is alert and remains clothed so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame is blessed.” 16 So they assembled them at the place called in Hebrew, Armagedon. 17 Then the seventh  poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the sanctuary from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 There were flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since man has been on the earth—so great was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; He gave her the cup filled with the wine of His fierce anger. 20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. 21 Enormous hailstones, each weighing about 100 pounds, fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe. 

How often have you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock in the morning and just barely opened you eye realized that you must have already hit snooze a number of times? Now you jump out of the bed and right into the shower because you realize you are late. I just wonder how often we have hit that snooze button one more time when it comes to how ready we are to do the work of the Kingdom that Jesus so often talked about?

Right in the middle of explaining the worst of God's wrath being poured out, Jesus gives a warning to the Christian (Revelation 16:5). This is actually the third of seven beatitudes in the book of Revelation. He basically says blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed. You and I might think that His statement is oddly out of place, but at a closer look we will understand that it touches the center of the heart strings for John's readers, and it should for us as well. Political and economic security has a way of lulling us to sleep. Ironically, this year 2020 has shocked some of us out of our slumber. Jesus meant for this to shock John's readers and warn them that His return will be sudden and it will be unexpected. 

In Matthew 24-25 Jesus gives a sermon concerning end times in which He warns His followers to stay alert and remain watchful for His return (Matthew 24:4, 42, 44; 25:13). In (Matthew 24:43-25:30) He uses parables (or earthly stories with heavenly meanings) to explain what watchfulness and faithfulness mean. He gave the parable of the 10 virgins. Five of them were not ready when the groom arrived and were left out of the wedding banquet. He gave the parable of the talents. One slave horded his talent and another doubled his. In the end his master ordered the one who horded his to give what he had to the one who doubled his. He was then cast into the outer darkness. .