23: Pouring Out of the Seven Bowls (Rev 15:1-16:21)

The Basics

Setting

After the interlude of chapters 12-14, the book now picks up the temple scene of 11:19. The dragon’s futile endeavor on earth and the Lamb’s triumph on MountZion have prepared the way for the fulfillment of the final judgment already declared in 11:14-18. The cries of the angels and the vision of the harvests in chapter 14 lead us to the seven bowls that contain the seven last plagues. The time has now come for God to  pour out His full wrath on the earth. It is in the bowl judgments that God will complete His vengeful wrath.

Key Verse

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete” (15:1).

“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” (16:15).

Did You Know…?

1.         Song of Moses (15:3): “See Ex 15; Dt 32. Ex 15:1-18 was sung on Sabbath evenings in the synagogue to celebrate Israel’s great deliverance from Egypt.” 13/1941

2.         Tabernacle of the testimony (15:5): “The dwelling place of God during the desert wandering of the Israelites (see Ex 40:34-35). It was so named because the ancient tent contained the two tablets of the Testimony brought down from Mount Sinai (Ex 32:15; 38:21; Dt 10:5).” 13/1941

3.         Armageddon (16:16): “Probably stands for the Har Mageddon, ‘the mountain of Megiddo.’” 13/1942 “Megiddo and Taanach dominated the main pass that runs northeast through the hill country from the plain of Sharon to the Valley of Jezreel. Because of its strategic location, the ‘plain of Megiddo’ (2Ch 35:22) has been a frequent battleground from the earliest times.” 13/334

4.         Weight of a talent (16:21): about 100 pounds.

Observation

Outline

(15:1-8)

(16:1)

(16:2-4)

(16:5-8)

(16:1-21)

Key Words/Phrases

Segment Analysis

15:1-8

1.         How does John describe the sign?

2.         What feelings does the scene in verse 2 give you?

3a.       Compare the song in verse 3 with Exodus 15:1-8. What is the theme of the song of Moses and the Lamb? What does the song teach about God and His deeds?

3b.       Why is this song also called the song of the Lamb?

3c.       Who are the singers? Why?

3d.       Describe a time in your life when you also praised and thank God for His greatness and deliverance.

4.         Why do you think God showed this vision to John before showing him the angels with the last plagues?

5.         Read 11:1,19; 14:15,17 for previous references to the temple. Then read 15:5-16:1. Explain the role of the temple in God’s acts of judgment, especially in the context of the last plagues.

16:1-21

6.         Record your observations of the seven bowls on chart I.

7a.       Compare the bowl judgments with the trumpet judgments in 8:1-9:21. What are the similarities?

7b.       How are the bowl judgments more severe than the trumpet judgments?

8.         What type of people have to suffer these judgments?

9a.       What is the theme of the declarations in 5-7?

9b.       Why are these declarations necessary?

10.       What do men’s blasphemy and unrepentance tell us about God’s justice in His judgments?

11.       Considering that Euphrates marked the north-eastern boundary of Israel (Gen 15:18) and served as a natural barrier against enemies of the east such as Assyria and Babylon, what does the drying up of Euphrates represent in the sixth bowl?

12a.     What are the sources of the unclean spirits?

12b.     What are their works?

12c.     What does this tell us about the nature of the battle in 14?

13.       Explain the parenthetical statements in 15. Why are they inserted here?

14.       List the three parts to the seventh bowl. How is this judgment the most severe of all?

15.       What is the meaning of “It is done!” (17)?