QT 8 Jul 2014, The seven bowls finish the wrath of God

Rev 15:1, 5-8 (ESV) Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

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After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

NOTE:  Chapter 15 picks up where Revelation 11:14-19 had left us -- in the middle of the tribulation and the blowing of the seventh trumpet, also described as the third woe, which contains the last seven judgments, the bowl judgments. The bowl judgments finish God's wrath upon the unbelieving world. Jesus, while on the cross, said "it is finished," referring to his mission on earth, and his death to pay for the world's sin. And while Jesus death provided "propitiation" (the satisfying of God's wrath) for our sins, it did not obviate the need for a physical manifestation of God's wrath upon the world. Why does God still need to show his wrath? One reason is that not all believed, and Jesus' death does not cover a refusal to believe. Another reason, is that God's wrath judges an evil worldview. Jesus' death paid our penalty for sin, but it did little about the prevailing worldview. This worldview started in the garden with the rebellion where God's word was questioned, and God's plan was rejected. Instead we chose to be our own gods. God allowed it and allowed us to experience the consequences of our rebellion -- a decaying world, growing evil, and rampant unbelief. In chapters 17 and 18, God will judge Babylon, a worldview of rebellion against God (chapter 17), and a physical city representing the center of man's rebellion against God (chapter 18). And so the bowl judgments pour out the remaining judgments and wrath against a worldview that refuses to acknowledge God as King and Lord.

But are we, as believers, so different? We buy into this worldview that God's wrath is coming against. We believe the lies of sexual immorality and perverseness. And even worse, we give this lost world no alternative. We show unkindness to those we disagree. We passively refuse to lovingly share the gospel to our lost neighbor or coworker. We hide our faith to those who most need it. We don't identify with Jesus or the truth of God's word. Why? Is Babylon's worldview so compelling or have we grown to love the wrong things?

God have mercy on us. If we are living near the last days, our witness may be the very thing that brings someone to Christ during those dark days. May we not shrink back.