Well, good evening. We are going to be in Revelation chapter 16, verses 1 through 16. And the title of the message this evening is Full Bowls. Just to let you in on a little secret, it was going to be seven full bowls, but it's pretty full. There's just no way that we could get all seven of the full bowls in. And it's probably a good thing because we need to do justice to the material. So before we get into Revelation 16, I'm going to read a couple of passages, one from Genesis 15 and one from Hebrews. and then we'll read our text from Revelation. So from Genesis 15, I'm gonna read verses 13 through 18, and the Lord is making a covenant with Abraham It says, God said to Abram, know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation, they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete. It came about when the sun had set, but it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, to your descendants I have given this land from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. And then from Hebrews chapter 11, I'm gonna read verses eight through 16. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith, even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore, there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. As it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Now let's look at our text from Revelation chapter 16. John said, Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and it became a loathsome and malignant store, on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the water saying, righteous are you who are and who were, O holy one, because you judge these things. For they poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it. And I heard the altar saying, yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent. so as to give him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened. And they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for showing us your purpose and your work and history through your word, for encouraging your people, and for giving us promises of what you're going to do and how you're going to accomplish your redemption. Lord, we ask that you open these things up to us this evening, that you help us to see, help us to understand, help us to learn and grow, and help us to draw near to you and worship. Lord, we thank you for these things, in Jesus' name, amen. So, the reason I read those passages from Genesis and Hebrews, and connect this to Abraham is because God's children walk through this life by faith. We call Abraham the father of faith. The Apostle Paul said that Abraham is the father, spiritually speaking, of all of those who are of faith, who trust in God's provision, his Christ. And like our father Abraham, we live between two points. We live between the already and the not yet. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived as aliens in a foreign land, strangers and exiles on the earth, and so do we. See, God promised Abraham all of the area of Palestine. He promised that area to him, but he said, but you're not gonna get it. I'm promising this to you, But all of this is gonna happen and your descendants are gonna be enslaved for 400 years. They're gonna be in bondage in Egypt. And the iniquity of the Amorites is going to be completed. And then after all of that happens, the Lord was gonna judge Egypt and he was going to judge the nations that inhabited the promised land. and then the descendants of Abraham would inherit the land that was promised to Abraham. This, of course, is a type. The people of God live under the bondage and oppression of sin in Egypt, the Egypt of this world, prior to being baptized into Christ, which is God's deliverance. That was typified in Genesis by Noah and his family passing through the flood. Peter talks about that, being a type. And then also in Exodus, by the children of Israel passing through the Red Sea. They were receiving God's deliverance out of the bondage of Egypt, out of the bondage of this world. Well, after being baptized into Christ, I'm not talking about being dunked in water or sprinkled. I'm talking about being immersed in Christ, being crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, risen with Christ, to walk in newness of life, regeneration, being born again and converted to Christ. That's what it means to be baptized into Christ. It's to be immersed in Christ. And after being baptized into Christ, we walk by faith through the wilderness of this world while we wait for the iniquity of the Amorites to be complete. See, there's a tie-up there with Abraham and the promised land and all of the heathen nations that were in the promised land. When God promised that to Abraham, he said, but it's not time yet. We're gonna wait until they fill up all the iniquity of the Amorite and the Jebusite and all of the sites, all of these, Canaanite nations that worship idols and they do all kinds of terrible things. They practice human sacrifices. They sacrifice their children. That's interesting enough. We do that in America. But they've got all of this stuff going on. They're heathen, abominable nations, but the Lord is extending them mercy. He gives them time. And he waits until the time, the iniquity of the Amorite is complete and then they are removed from the land, they're removed from the promised land, and the children of God inherit the promised land. So that's a type of what's coming with us. So we're doing the same thing. We're walking by faith, we're living in this world, we're in the wilderness, we've been baptized into Christ, we've been delivered through the Red Sea, Now we're walking in the wilderness by faith while we wait on the iniquity of the Amorite to be complete. And at that time, those in rebellion against God will be removed. Sin will be removed from this good creation. And the children of God will inherit the promised land. That's biblical eschatology in a nutshell. The apostle Peter calls what we're going to inherit, we call it heaven. Peter calls it the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness dwells. The sin is gone. We're living in the glory of Christ for eternity. So, here in, back in chapter 15 in verse one, John tells us that these seven bowls, This fourth cycle of visions is the last because in these plagues, the wrath of God is finished. It's finished, it's filled up, it's completed. It's satisfied because at the end of this cycle of visions, the condition of sin and rebellion that produces the wrath of God no longer exists. Sin is eradicated. Sin, unrighteousness, and iniquity have been purged from God's good creation, purged from the promised land. And what remains in the new heavens and the new earth is only righteousness, the righteousness of God in Christ. Now this is coming. This future is coming. It's not complete yet, but it's coming. And that's why in all the preceding cycles of judgments that we've looked at, the seals, the trumpets, and the histories, all the judgments have been partial judgments, measured in percentages. A third of the sun and the moon and the stars, there is a third dimmer. A third of the population was wiped out. A third of the city is destroyed. It's all in percentages because those are all disciplinary measures and they're intended to bring God's people to repentance and faith. But when these seven bowls are all poured out, the judgment will be finished. It will be complete and final. And the ultimate result of the seven bowls is the destruction of those who destroy the earth. In Revelation 11, 18, Revelation 11, 18, talking about the last trumpet, the seventh trumpet. The day of the Lord, Christ returns, and says, and the nations were enraged, and your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward your bondservants, the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. At the end of these seven bowls, that's what's completed. So one final note on this before we get into chapter 16 is that the judgments and the plagues that are described in these bold visions, they're an echo of the physical plagues poured out on Egypt whenever Moses went to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt. These are a mirror of those plagues. Although the imagery in these visions comes from those Exodus plagues, the pouring out of the bowls and the resulting plagues that we see John describe shouldn't be viewed in physical terms. Most interpreters agree that the outpouring of each bowl is not a physical action, but is a symbol of God's devastating judgment against sin in this world. The visions that John has in Revelation are symbolic expressions, they're not photographic reproductions. So now let's look at verses one and two of chapter 16. John said, then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image." So, John hears a loud, commanding voice from the temple. The temple is the dwelling place of God, and this is where the voice comes from. And this voice compels the seven, the complete group of angelic messengers that begin pouring out the contents of the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the source of the command is the temple. By the way, if you remember from chapter 15, the temple is filled with the smoke of the glory of God at this time, meaning no one else can enter it. No one else can enter it. So whose voice is it that John hears coming out of the temple? It's the voice of God. It's the voice of the Lord commanding the angelic messengers to begin pouring out the bowls. There's no doubt that this command comes directly from God himself. Second, the number seven is repeated twice in this sentence. We're really supposed to get the point that these seven bowls represent the full wrath of God. When they're poured out, there will be no wrath left. It will all be consumed, and it will fully accomplish its purpose. So the first bowl is reminiscent of the sixth Egyptian plague. It's in Exodus 9, verses 8 through 12. And I'm probably not going to go read it, but It's just the curse on the water turning to blood. No, that's the second one, hang on a second. But the sores, the sixth plague was boils in the Egyptian plague, except for in the Egyptian plague, the boils were on all mankind, all the Egyptians and all the animals. It was on man and beast in the land of Egypt. But in this instance, in John's vision, this plague is targeted. So it's not on man and beast. It's poured out on the earth, but it doesn't harm the vegetation or the animals, and it doesn't harm all humans. It's specifically aimed at one group of people, which is the people who have the mark of the beast and who worship his image. Now, we've talked about it before, but everybody is either bearing the mark of the beast or the seal of Christ, one or the other. There is no other category. You're born in the flesh. You're born a human being, a child of Adam, wearing the mark of the beast. Whenever you are converted, if God redeems you, He seals you by His Spirit, and you're sealed for God. It's the Spirit of Christ who has marked you at that point. But every human being is wearing one seal or the other. So the group that this targets, that this bull, this sower, this loathsome, malignant sower targets, is all of those who are wearing the mark of the beast. And this sword is very similar to the sting of the scorpion in Revelation chapter nine. I'm gonna go back and read that. In Revelation chapter nine, verses four and five, there were scorpions, or there were locusts that came out upon the earth and power was given to them as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. So only those who had the mark of the beast. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. It's very, very similar to that judgment. That tells us immediately that this is a spiritual plague. It's not a physical one. If you remember, that's a spiritual plague. That torment is a torment from sin. Those locusts are sin. It's the sin that our fleshly desires produce. And we're tormented by that as unbelieving people who haven't been delivered from that power are in constant torment by it. And this is the same thing, they're tormented. So verse three of chapter 16 says, the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea and it became blood like that of a dead man and every living thing in the sea died. So the second bowl corresponds to the second trumpet, Revelation 8, 8 and 9, except in that vision, And you remember there was a mountain that was cast into the sea, a volcano. It was very likely meant to produce the image of Pompeii to the readers of Revelation and everything that resulted from that. And that vision in Revelation 8, 8 and 9 that trumpet vision was only a limited blooding of the sea and a partial destruction of the animals and the ships. But in this vision, every living thing in the sea dies. There isn't any mention of the destruction of ships in this vision as there was in the trumpet vision. That's probably due to the fact that the trumpet vision was looking to God's providential discipline through natural disasters like Pompeii and man-made disasters like the naval battles that Rome would be engaged in with different ones. And all of these brought death and disruption to commerce in the Mediterranean, which is what the prosperity and well-being of the whole region depended on under Roman rule. And that was a judgment that was meant to bring people to repentance. But in this bold vision, the sea is not a vision of the Mediterranean. It's a vision of the mass of wicked humanity in rebellion against God, out of which the beast emerged. You remember where the beast came from? The dragon was standing on the seashore. And the beast emerged out of the sea. I'm gonna read you some scriptures. to show you this vision of the sea as the masses of wicked humanity. Isaiah 57 is where we're gonna start. In Isaiah 57 verses 20 and 21, Isaiah says, but the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. And then Revelation 13, one. And the dragon. stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having 10 horns and seven heads, and on his horns were 10 diadems, and on his head were blasphemous names. And also in Revelation 17, one and 15, the harlot Babylon is pictured as sitting enthroned on many waters. So let's read those two verses. 17, one, then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me saying, come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. And then in verse 15, and he said to me, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. That's the interpretation of it. The great chaotic sea of humanity. So this judgment, this bold judgment that is poured out by the second angel is poured out upon the sea of humanity. And every living thing in this sea is turned to blood. Every living human being apart from God is gonna be killed. in this judgment. They're separated. And then, now let's look at verses four through seven, the third bowl. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the water saying, righteous are you who are and who were, O holy one, because you judge these things. For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it. And I heard the altar saying, yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. When the third angel pours out his bowl on the rivers and the springs, they also turn to blood, like the Nile in Exodus 7-21. The trumpet judgment in Revelation 8-11 In that judgment, the fresh water is made bitter and even toxic, a percentage of it. And many people die from it. However, this vision, the emphasis is more on sowing and reaping and justice being served. The water is turned to blood. And that is a just and fitting consequence of the blood that is on the hands of the enemies of God and his people. You remember in the vision in chapter six, verse 10, and the souls of the martyrs are underneath the altar. That's that voice that we just read that came from the altar. I heard the altar saying, yes, oh Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments because This bowl of wrath that's being poured out is the fulfillment of justice for the martyrs whose souls are under the altar. And this is the answer to that. This is a spiritual thing. And it may not have anything to do with drinking water at all. It is the completion of the answers to the prayers of those martyrs that we saw in chapter six, verse 10. This is also the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 49, 26. So I'm gonna read that to you, Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49 is a prophecy of the kingdom of God, the coming kingdom of God that is going to be established by the suffering servant And it's where, back up in verse six, the father's talking to the son and he says, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also make you a light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. So that gives you the context for Isaiah 49. But, down in, In verse 26, he's talking about a renewed and restored Zion, true kingdom of God, true Israel. And the Lord tells them, I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh. And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. And all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your savior and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. So this prophecy is fulfilled in this bowl. Wine and blood are metaphorically interposed for each other in many places in Scripture. Whenever we celebrate the Lord's Supper, like we did last Sunday, whenever we have the wine and the bread, it is used as a metaphor for the body and the blood of Christ, our Lord. Wine and blood are metaphorically used for each other in Scripture. In 17.6, the next chapter, the harlot Babylon, who is also Egypt, Sodom, Rome, and earthly Jerusalem, all of them are described as being that great city, that great harlot, Babylon, where the Lord was crucified. See, it's all of these cities, these earthly, physical cities of this world, All fit under that name of the great harlot Babylon. But anyway, she is pictured as drunk with the blood of the saints in 1706. John said, and I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. And then, In chapter 18, verses six through eight, let's read that. Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds in the cup which she has mixed. Mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, and I will never see mourning. For this reason, in one day, her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire. For the Lord God who judges her is strong. So the cup of wrath that she is given to drink is the cup that she's earned through her actions. So this third bowl, is all about sowing and reaping. God is just, and justice is going to come. Justice is gonna come on the earth. And so then, now let's go to verse eight. We'll look at eight and nine. The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues. And they did not repent, so as to give Him glory." So in the fourth trumpet, there was a dimming of the light from the sun. Actually, the sun, moon, and the stars were all diminished by a third in the fourth trumpet. But in this bowl, this fourth bowl, it's the opposite. The sun is actually increased, and there's an intensification of the light. But light is something that is normally good. Sunlight is something that's normally good. It's a blessing from God. Your plants won't grow without it. You need it. You and I need sunlight. That's how we produce vitamin D. It's very important to us physically. Sunlight is a blessing that feeds us and it feeds the plants and the animals and this world exists and lives and functions because of sunlight. It's a blessing to us. But it's going to become a curse for humanity and rebellion against God. I don't think this is talking about global warming. And I don't think it's talking about UV rays or the depletion of the ozone layer. I can just hear people coming up with that and trying to read that stuff into it. That's not what it's talking about. These are spiritual plagues. And they're coming against those people who are marked as belonging to the beast. God has already promised that he will protect his people from this plague. Listen to what he says in Psalm 121, five and six. Psalm 121, five and six, the Lord says, the Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. And then also in Isaiah chapter 49, in verse 10, In that same where we were just at in Isaiah about the Lord's redemption of his people and the kingdom of God, it says, they will not hunger or thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down. For he who has compassion on them will lead them and will guide them to springs of water. So see, the Lord's already promised to protect his people from this plague. So how can this be fulfilled spiritually? Well, I believe the answer is in verse nine. I believe the answer is in chapter 16, verse nine, and it says, even though the men were scorched with fierce heat, they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent, so as to give him glory. When the bright light of truth shines into the life of one of Christ's sheep, it converts him, and it draws him into the sheepfold. However, when that same light shines into the life of an unbeliever, it scorches him and it torments him. I believe it was Spurgeon that said, the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. Listen to John chapter three, verses 19 and 20. You probably know the passage. John chapter three verses 19 and 20 says, this is the judgment that the light has come into the world and men love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. So verse nine says that when men were scorched by the heat of the sun, rather than repenting and glorifying the sovereign God, they blasphemed. They blasphemed and they remained in unrepentant rebellion against him. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as being given over in Romans 1, 18 through 24. We'll go look at it in a minute. But when the light exposed their sin, they suppressed the truth and unrighteousness, and they worshiped the beast, and God gave them over to follow the beast and store up wrath for themselves for the day of wrath. That's Romans 2.5. This is the real display of the final wrath of God. Not that they were scorched by the sun. A sunburn is not the wrath of God. It might be the mercy of God. Sunburn is not the wrath of God. The wrath of God is made manifest in the fact that when they were scorched by the sun, it didn't bring them to acknowledge God, to repent, to turn to God. They're given over and they're left in their rebellion. That's what Paul's talking about there in Romans 1. In Romans 1, starting in verse 18, it says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, its invisible attributes, its eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood, through what has been made so that they're without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of a corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God gave them over. in the lust of their hearts, to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. And in the next verse, for this reason, God gave them over. I heard about a sermon one time. It was called, The Light's Going Out on the Road to Hell. And it's basically the farther down that road you go, God gives you over. And then you go a little farther, and God gives you over. And that is what we see with this scorching. And incidentally enough, let's just go ahead and Let's move on to verses 10 and 11. Incidentally enough, then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened, and they gnawed their tongues because of pain. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. You know, one of the most profound truths that I have realized is that ultimately God gives everyone what their heart desires. The blessing for his people is that he first changes their hearts. It gives us new hearts that desire him. If you desire light and life and the presence of God, which all of those are the same thing, by the way, You can't have any of them without the other. If that's what you desire, God says he'll give it to you. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. On the other hand, those who belong to the beast desire darkness. The light has come into the world and men love the darkness because their deeds are evil. And so they refused to be converted by the light. They were tormented by it. And they cursed and blasphemed the light. So God gave them darkness. But even though they think they desire darkness, there is no comfort for the wicked in the darkness either. Listen to what Isaiah says in chapter 59. Isaiah again. In Isaiah 59, I'm going to read verses 1 through 14. Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save, nor is his ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken falsehood. Your tongue mutters wickedness. No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies. They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. They hatch adder's eggs and weave the spider's web. He who eats of their eggs dies. and from that which is crushed, a snake breaks forth. Their webs will not become clothing, nor will they cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and an act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Devastation and destruction are in their highways. They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their paths crooked. Whoever treads on them does not know peace. You want to see where Paul got most of his material, go read Romans 3 after reading this, and you'll see that he was quoting right from here. But then in verse 9 he says, Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us. We hope for light, but behold darkness. For brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope along the wall like blind men. We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight. Among those who are vigorous, we are like dead men. All of us growl like bears and moan sadly like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none. For salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities. Transgressing and denying the Lord and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away, for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. See that is the darkness. That's what the darkness brings even for the wicked. And in our text it says that this darkness comes on the throne of the beast. It's poured out on the throne of the beast. The throne or the seat of power for the beast kingdom is darkness. It's been darkness from the beginning. That's the source of his power, his deception. The dragon, Satan, is the father of lies who convinced Adam and Eve through darkness that they could be like God. And the followers of the beast are those who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature, the beast, rather than the creator. who is God. And this is the wrath of God made manifest, just like we saw in the last bowl. They're given over to the darkness, and it's impossible for them to repent and turn to the light. You know, that is the most, that's the most sad and appalling thought in scripture. There's two that just ought to make us stop. and maybe even shiver, and that is, depart from me, I never knew you, and that you would be given over, that you would be given over, that repentance would be no longer an option for you. You can't repent and turn to the light. Verses 12 through 16. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates, and its water was dried up so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs. For there are spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world He gathered them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. So the sixth bowl poured out is the preparation for the last battle between God and his enemies. And we'll look more at that next week when we see the seventh bowl poured out. But this is the preparation for that. And the way is cleared by drying up the Euphrates. So I've got a map here, and I'm going to show you where the Euphrates is. Maybe I'm wrong. It's up there. OK. So this river right here. On the left is the Euphrates, and the one right here on the right is the Tigris. And they join together down here and run into the gulf there. So this is the Euphrates River. Babylon sits right there between the Tigris and Euphrates. Persia is over here. Up here is Nineveh and Assyria in this area. And then over here, in the time that Revelation was written, is the Parthian Empire. And the reason why I'm going ahead and showing you that right now is because these are the threats. These are the kings of the east that John is referring to. The Assyrians who wiped out the northern kingdom of Israel, of course, was from Nineveh, and they came across the Euphrates, The Euphrates was a barrier between the Assyrians and Israel. And the Babylonians, who carried the southern kingdom of Judah into captivity, also came from beyond the Euphrates. The Parthian Empire, which was a threat to Roman dominance in the Middle East during the time that Revelation was written, it was located east of the Euphrates. And the prophets spoke of drying up of the rivers for the deliverance of God's people in several places. The Lord raised up Cyrus of Persia to conquer Babylon and to send refugees back to Judah to inhabit Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. The Lord sent Cyrus and he cleared the way before him, Cyrus came from the east, the Lord cleared the way. Isaiah 44, 27, and 28, it says he will drive the rivers and he will clear the way, basically is what it says. I'm not gonna go read it. Of course, we know that whenever Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, the Lord parted the Red Sea and he caused his people to cross on dry land. And then when Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land, the Lord caused the Jordan to be dried up for them to cross on dry land as they entered into the promised land. So the drying up of the Euphrates that John sees signals the liberation of the church and its deliverance in the promised land and also the defeat of its enemies once and for all, because what happened when Joshua led the people in the promised land? Well, the Lord drove the Canaanites out ahead of him. And the rulers of the earth are all gathered together against the Lord and his Christ. And the reason why they're gathered is because they've been deceived by evil spirits, by demons, and they're pictured here as frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Incidentally, an invasion of frogs was the second plague on Egypt in Exodus 8, verses 2 through 11. So that's where we're at right now, but in verse 15, right in the middle of this pouring out of this bowl of wrath, there's an exhortation for the people of God from Christ to his church. He says, behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. This should remove all doubt, all doubt that the people of God, the church, are still here on earth during all of these things. I mean, I don't know how you'd get around that at all. right in the middle of these final judgments being poured out, here's the church and here's Christ exhorting his people, stay awake and dressed and ready because I'm coming like a thief. And what that means does not mean I'm gonna come in the middle of the night and rapture everybody out of here. What it means is I'm coming unexpectedly like a thief when nobody expects it. The rulers of the earth are not going to be expecting Christ. They're going to think that they have become like God, deciding good and evil for themselves. We determine what a man and a woman are. God doesn't determine that. We do. We determine reality by what we say. See, we're at the ultimate expression of that, which is kind of a scary thought when you think about what's being said here. Anyway, or maybe it's a comforting thought for a child of God. But God's people are exhorted right in the middle of this to remain alert and dressed in the righteousness of Christ. And this is not just random. It's not just something that's thrown in here. We're gonna go back to Revelation chapter three. Remember this was originally written in the immediate context to seven churches. in Asia Minor. And so, where it says, blessed is the one who stays awake. He's referring back to chapter three, verses one through three. To the angel of the church in Sardis write, he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this, I know your deeds, that you have a name, that you're alive, that you're dead. Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die. For I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God. So remember what you have received and heard and keep it and repent. Therefore, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief. and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. He's referring back to that and it's an immediate reminder to the church at Sardis, yes, I'm talking to you. And then also in chapter three, verses 17 and 18. To the church at Laodicea, because you say I'm rich and have become wealthy and have need of nothing and you do not know that you're wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich and white garments so that you may clothe yourselves and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. And I said to anoint your eyes so that you may see. So the Lord just gives a reminder here. Be awake. And be dressed. in the righteousness of Christ, because I'm gonna come unexpectedly. I'm gonna come like a thief when the world doesn't expect me to come. So let's see, where am I at? All right, now let's look at Armageddon. Armageddon. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Harmageddon. So Harmageddon, rendered Armageddon in English, well this place name is problematic. And you know, I've seen some pretty crazy outlandish sermons on eschatology and revelation and Armageddon and this battle and all these things are going to happen and not one of the preachers that I ever heard talking about this actually pointed out the problems with this or actually pointed out that Armageddon actually means Mount of Megiddo That's what it means. It means Mount of Megiddo. But they'll tell you that it's the Valley of Megiddo. Well, that's a problem. Megiddo is actually not a mountain. Megiddo in Palestine is actually a broad plain. And there were several significant battles fought there. One is listed in Judges 519, and another one in 2 Kings 23.9. In case you're interested, I'm not going to go read about it now, but it seems to fit as a place to imagine a great battle, but it's not a mountain. Armageddon means Mount of Megiddo. So what's the deal with this? Well, first, we do need to remember that John's visions are prophetic symbols. They're not photographic reproductions. The Old Testament prophets, though, they didn't picture the last battle occurring at Megiddo. That's not where the prophets had the last battle on the last day. The prophets had the last battle at Jerusalem. Listen to Zechariah chapter 12. And that would also be a different mountain. Even if Megiddo were a mountain, it would still be a different one. But let's look at Zechariah in chapter 12, verse three. It will come about in that day. Well, I'm gonna go back to verse two. Behold, I'm going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around. And when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples, all who lift it will be severely injured, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. And then in verse 14, or in chapter 14, verses two and three, for I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured. The houses plundered and the women ravished, and half the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle." And it goes on to give a description of the battle. But that's how the prophets described that great battle on the last day. So, some language experts that have examined this have theorized that Harmageddon is actually a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew expression, mountain of assembly, or mount of assembly, which would be translated into English as Har Moed, instead of Harmageddon. But there are transliterations of words in revelation, like Abaddon and Apollyon. And I don't remember which is which, but one of them is a Greek transliteration. They both mean destroyer, but the other one is the word. And so, anyway, so these language experts have theorized that Armageddon is actually a Greek translation of the Hebrew expression Mount of Assembly, Now listen to what Isaiah 14, 13 says about the Mount of Assembly. Actually, I'm gonna read from three different places, beginning in Isaiah 14, about the Mount of Assembly. And we'll look at what that would indicate, if that's what John actually intended. Isaiah 14, 13 says, but you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. And then Psalm 48, verses 1 and 2. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, his holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole world is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great king. And then Hebrews chapter 12, that'll be our last one. Hebrews chapter 12. I'm gonna start reading verse 18. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, into a blazing fire, into darkness and gloom and whirlwind, into the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, if even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in hell, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. So if that is the Mount of Assembly, what is the earthly expression of the Mount of Assembly that would be under assault? So what this indicates, this would indicate that John's meaning is that the rulers of the earth gather together to assault the earthly expression of Mount Zion, which is the church. And when this battle plays out and the Lord goes forth to battle for his people, everything will be finished. The full bowls will be poured out and victory will be complete. And next week we'll open up the seventh bowl and we will see what that looks like. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your mercy and grace. We thank you for your word. And we thank you for Giving us comfort and assurance. And helping us to see your sovereign hand ruling over your creation. Thank you for victory. Lord, we thank you for all of these things in Jesus name. Amen.