Gold for the heart - Revelation 15-18

Revelation 15

God’s wrath against evil that mankind chose is finished

1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues. In them the wrath of God is completed. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire: and those victorious over the beast, and its image, and its mark, and the number of its name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Another sign in heaven, remember that 1/3 of the day is dark, so the signs made by the stars are clearly seen.
God’s wrath is against sin and all the ruin it has caused.
It is against evil and all the hurt and pain of earth brought on by man’s rebellion against God.
In Genesis 6:5, 11 the whole earth was corrupt before God and full of violence.
God warned them for 120 years and then sent the flood, saving only Noah and his family.

Roman 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because what may be known of God is revealed in them; for God has showed it to them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse

1 Corinthians 15:57 thank God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of saints/ages. 4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name? For only you are holy: all nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed.

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

5 And after that I looked and saw that the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts wrapped with golden bands. 7 And one of the four beasts gave the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Job 12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Revelation 16

1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God onto the earth. 2 And the first went and poured out his vial on the earth; and grievously painful sores came on the men who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshipped his image. 3 And the second angel poured out his vial on the sea; and it became like the blood of a dead man: and every living soul in the sea died.

The blood of a dead man is clotted and foul.
The Lord Himself died to give them eternal life but they chose death.

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The Lord is righteous; all that He does is infinitely right

4 And the third angel poured out his vial on the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, You are righteous, O Lord, who is, and was, and will be, because you judged these things. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; they deserve it. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

He has all power in heaven and earth

8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial on the sun; and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name/person of God, who has power over these plagues: and they did not repent to give him glory.

God has power over all things.
In Job 1 and 2 Satan had to ask God for permission to afflict Job.

1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power in heaven and in earth is given to me.

10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain. 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds. 12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates; and its water dried up to prepare the way of the kings of the east. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are the spirits of devils, working miracles, that 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. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and guards his garments so that he does not walk naked and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together to a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

This is Mount Megiddo, a small mountain near the Mediterranean Sea that overlooks a valley stretching to the east 14 miles wide and twenty miles long.
From this point armies of the world will be deployed for several hundred miles in all directions (From Hal Lindsay, The Promise).
Christ’s eternal kingdom will only come about after mankind has embroiled itself in the greatest war of all time.

Judges 5:8 The chose new gods, then war was in the gates.

17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and a great voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, unlike any since men came to be upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so powerful.

Earth’s greatest earthquake is still future.
Verse 17 tells us that the God’s throne is in His temple.
Today earth’s rulers don’t usually have their thrones in temples.
Worship and ruling are separate.
But under God, they will be one.
He alone is worthy of worship.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Zechariah 6:13 he will build the temple of the LORD; and he will bear the glory, and will sit and rule on his throne; and he will be a priest on his throne: and the counsel of peace will be between them both.

He remembers

19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20 And every island vanished, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail fell on men out of heaven, every stone weighing about a hundred pounds: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague was exceeding great.

Jerusalem is divided into three parts by the earthquake.
The great cities of the nations will all become rubble.
The topography of earth will be changed drastically.

Isaiah 40:4 Every valley will be raised up and every mountain and hill will be made low: and the crooked will be made straight, and the rough places a plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.

Isaiah 2:2 And it will come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house will be established in the top of the mountains, and will be exalted above the hills; and all nations will flow unto it.

Revelation 17

God puts it in their hearts to fulfill His will

1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials came and talked with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet color, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.

This is false worship on earth. Anything that takes the heart of mankind away from his Maker is a part of this.
She is unfaithful to her Maker in many abominable ways.

Psalm 96:5 all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

5 And on her forehead a name was written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Without our Maker man cannot find lasting satisfaction for the heart and life.
Genesis 10:10 and Genesis 11 give us the first history of Babylon the great.
The truth of God Almighty threatens the great whores existence.
Therefore those who speak God’s truth are targeted for destruction.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

7 And the angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, who has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and will ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go to destruction: and those that dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9 And here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.

Few disagree that this is Rome. A form of the revived Roman Empire will rule again for a short time just before Christ returns to claim Earth’s throne.
From Rome, the Roman Catholic church has influenced many nations of the world since the time of Christ.
Part of her work has been for God, but at this latter time in history, it will be evil.
God allows this for a time to show the unfitness of evil to rule.

The Lamb will overcome all evil because He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings

10 And there are seven kings: five have fallen, and one is, and the other is still to come; and when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and will give their power and strength to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and those that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The armies of the world are in no way equipped to war against the force of heaven. Christ speaks one word and destroys them all.

2Thessalonians 2:8 And then that Wicked one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of his coming

Exodus 34:14 For you will worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God

15 And he said to me, The waters that you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw on the beast, these will hate the whore, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.

The leaders of world politics or nations will destroy false religion.
She is stripped of her power. Her wealth and property will be confiscated and her writings, artifacts, idols, and buildings will be burned with fire, a preview of the hell that awaits if she still refuses to return to her Maker.
Remember, just prior to this horrible time in history known as the tribulation, Christ has bodily lifted those who believed in Him from off the face of the earth to be with Him in heaven.

1Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first: 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so will we always be with the Lord.

Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of testing that will come upon all the world, to test those that dwell on the earth.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Revelation 18

1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth shined with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become the dwelling of devils, and the guarding place of every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Things cannot fill up man’s heart. God designed us for Himself. His life fills with fullness of joy.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Ezekiel 28:16 By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

God has rewarded evil double to her double

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, so that you not partake of her sins, and that you not receive of her wounds. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Reward her as she rewarded you, and double to her double according to her works: in the cup that she has filled, fill to her double. 7 As much as she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, give her that much torment and sorrow her: for she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and am not a widow, and will see no sorrow.

She set her own standard.
God is gracious but He is also impeccable fair.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

The Lord who judges her is strong

8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire: for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

He is strong enough to speak creation into being and sustain it forever. His strength is infinite.

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all their host by the breath of his mouth. 9 For He spoke and it was done, commanded and it stood fast.

9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, will wail over her, and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, Oh no! Oh no! That great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come. 11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more. 12 The merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, of pearls and fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet and all citron wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, and all kinds of articles of most precious wood, of brass, iron, marble, 13 and cinnamon and incense/perfumes, ointments, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, animals, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves/bodies and souls of men. 14 And the fruits that your soul lusted after are gone from you, and all things that were sumptuous and radiant are gone from you, and you will never find them again.

Romans 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for fear of her torment, weeping, wailing, 16 and saying, Oh no! Oh no! That great city, that was clothed in fine linen, purple, scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches have come to nothing. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as work at sea, stood far away, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like this great city! 19 And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Oh no! Oh no! That great city, that made rich by her costliness all those that had ships in the sea! For in one hour she is made desolate.

1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, not to be high-minded, or trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy

The Lord avenges the blood of His own

20 Rejoice over her, heavens, and holy apostles, and prophets; for God has avenged you on her. 21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, With violence like this, that great city, Babylon, will be thrown down and will never be found again. 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of flutists, and trumpeters, will be heard never be heard again in you; and no craftsman of any kind will be found any more in you; and the sound of a millstone will not be heard at all in you; 23 And the light of a candle will not shine any more in you; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will not be heard any more in you: for your merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorceries/drugs/spell giving potions were all nations deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were killed on the earth.

Evil is built on lies and seeks to annihilate anything that threatens it.
Sorceries means they were calling on evil spirits instead of God, their Maker.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.
Psalm 9:12 When he makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them: he does not forget the cry of the humble.

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SUMMARY: Revelation 15-18

God’s wrath against evil that mankind chose is finished
The Lord is righteous; all that He does is infinitely right
He has all power in heaven and earth
He remembers
God puts it in their hearts to fulfill His will
The Lamb will overcome all evil because He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings
God has rewarded evil double to her double
The Lord who judges her is strong
The Lord avenges the blood of His own