Revelation 16

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Seven Bowls of the Wrath of God

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. The bowls of God’s wrath cause the righteous to praise God.

  2. The bowls of God’s wrath cause the unrighteous to blaspheme God.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Don’t miss out on the blessing of staying awake.

QUESTIONS

  1. How were the bowl judgments presented in John’s Revelation?

  2. Give a brief description of each bowl judgment.

  3. Do these judgments prompt people to repent of their sins?

  4. Why is the punishment of Hell eternal?

ANSWERS

  1. At the end of Revelation 15, seven angels come out of the Temple of God in heaven carrying seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God.

  2. Bowl #1: People who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image, are incapacitated with loathsome and malignant, ulcerous sores. Bowl #2: The entire sea is turned to blood and every living creature in the sea dies. Bowl #3: All of the rivers and springs of water on earth become blood. Bowl #4: There is an intense heat from the sun so that people are scorched and burned. Bowl #5: Darkness comes upon the kingdom of the beast. Bowl #6: The Euphrates River is dried up so that huge armies from the Far East can gather together with the rest of the world’s armies in Israel. Bowl #7: There are geologic events of catastrophic proportions.

  3. No, they blaspheme God instead.

  4. Because the unrepentant are eternally unrepentant.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Although some people think these judgments are unfair, the holy angel and the righteous martyrs praise God for His wrath upon those who rejected the message of the saints and prophets. How do you respond to God’s righteous judgment?

  2. To the unbeliever the return of the Lord will be like a thief coming in the night, and they will be caught off guard. If you are a believer, the rapture of the Church should not be a surprise. Are you ready? Are you awake? Are you walking in righteousness? Or will you be ashamed when the Lord returns, because you are asleep and involved in sin?


CHALLENGE

  1. Praise God that because of His saving grace, you are not one of the unrepentant who will experience the wrath of God and will still continue to blaspheme Him!

KEY VERSES

  • “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” Revelation 16:5-6

  • “They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.” Revelation 16:11



New Testament, Revelation, TalksDeb HarmsRevelation 16