Final Vision of the End


Revelation 16:1-11
1Then 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.” 2So 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. 3The 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. 4The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 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. 6For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” 7And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” 8The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9They 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. 10The 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 11and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

The Lord Himself now speaks from the Temple and commands the seven angels bearing the seven censers (or bowls) filled with His wrath to come forth and pour out the contents of their bowls. This is a terrifying final description of The End. We know that it is God who speaks because of the authority with which the command is given and because of other references to His voice.

Isaiah 66:5–6
5Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy’; but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6“The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies!

The results of the pouring out of God’s wrath are indeed grim.

“The severity of God’s judgments will increase as the end of this world at Christ’s return draws nearer. In fact, this is the overall emphasis in this third vision of earthly events. While some of the events presented in this third vision repeat those in the second, in the third vision they are all intensified in order to portray God’s final warning of the seriousness of his judgment at the End. While parallels exist between the first four trumpets and the first four bowls [censers], it should be noticed that the latter series is not a recapitulation of the former but an intensification of divine recompense which shares its imagery. The first four bowls are, therefore, a great allegory of the disastrous effects of original sin, exactly as were the first four seals and the first four trumpets.” The first four censer plagues reveal a “crescendo, not so much in the succession of the punishments as in the growing blindness and hardness of heart among men.”
Brighton, L. A. ©1999. Revelation (p. 409). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House.

The severity of these final events has one purpose: to bring about repentance and a turning to the Lord for salvation. These are not punishments. The punishment was meted out upon Jesus Christ on the cross. But they are drastic events designed to melt the hearts of a belligerent people. Sadly, for the most part, it doesn’t work. For those who are students of the Old Testament you might immediately make association with the plagues that God brought upon the nation of Egypt when they refused to allow the Hebrew slaves their freedom; water turning into blood, and painful sores being the most obvious.

An interesting side note: In verse 5, we see God described as “You who are and who were”. This is a departure in that the phrase “who is to come” is not present. This is because The End has arrived and Jesus is no longer coming but He is here.

It is difficult to find the Gospel in this passage. But over and over we find repeated the fact that God’s goal in allowing this disaster to fall upon the earth is so that man will repent. His ultimate desire is for our salvation not our destruction. The choice of those who reject God is on them. God’s grace always stands ready to receive the sinner into His Kingdom. Jesus grace and mercy is for all who would believe.

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