HOW TO DO A CHAPTER SUMMARY BIBLE STUDY

Three Easy Questions

Chapter Summary

Three Questions when you read the chapter you wish to study:

1. What does the chapter say?2. What does that mean – specifically – to me?3. What am I going to do about it?

Some add an optional memory verse as a part of the process to help them retain what God has said to them.

Revelation 16

KV 7: The Righteous Judgements of Almighty God

1 - 12: ...and they did not repent...13 - 16: ...blessed are they who stay awake...17 - 21: ...men blasphemed God...

Things to remember!

Things to remember!

Remember – at least four six(!) levels to understand!1. To the believers at that time in that place (Historical context)2. To all the churches (Ecclesiastic context):

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

3. To all believers (Homiletic context): “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

4. To world historical events (Prophetic context)5. The Symbolism and interpretation thereof (Symbolic context)6. Geopolitical context (won’t say much here)

Revelation Overview

Some principles of Bible study: Take the text in context Be sure of literal or symbolic interpretations Don’t be afraid to ask the Author ;) Cooper’s first rule of Interpretation:

If the plain sense of Scripture makes good sense, then seek no other sense!

A timeline (where are we now)

1 2 76543

10-15

Revelation 16

The Gathering

for Armaggedo

n

Revelation 16The First Bowl Judgement:“Loathesome and malignant sores”

This is a specific retribution on the people that would take the mark of the beast (from Revelation 14) and those who worhip his image.

Is this literal or figurative? Possibly both! – literal for beast-worshippers, but figurative for those that will worship something else before God – and that could be ANYTHING.• Sports and other athletics• Money or pleasure of self (hedonism)• False religious practices (works-based

salvation)• Anything you can put ahead of God

Revelation 16The Second Bowl Judgement:“The seas became as blood of a dead man…”

The Third Bowl Judgement:“Rivers and Springs of Water became blood…”

We can kind of take these two together because they are similar. One is salt water – a source of food and means of transportation of goods – and the other is fresh water – the thing that sustains life.

These are again specific retributions to the society that will not listen to God’s servants, His messengers the prophets. Because the prophets had their blood spilt, the spillers now have blood to drink.

Revelation 16The Fourth Bowl Judgement:The bowl poured on the sun…

This is the first of the corrective judgements to make men turn. (The previous three are more punitive.)

People can choose how they respond to God. Here it says that men would NOT repent of their deeds and give God glory.

Remember this, we’ll see it again shortly, but slightly differently.

Revelation 16The Fifth Bowl Judgement:The kingdom of the beast is darkened…

Another corrective judgement, meant to turn humankind from their sins. Again, men choose NOT to respond positively, choosing pain and darkness over light and peace.

Verse 11 – “and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.”

Notice here that God was not looking for them to give Him glory this time. I think we can take this to mean that even in His wrath, God is merciful. It’s like He says, okay, they won’t give Me glory here, I’ll just expect repentance for this, so he can instruct later…and humans still WILL not repent.

Revelation 16The Sixth Bowl Judgement:The Euphrates River dries up…

This allows the “Kings of the East” to cross in strength. (Lit. “Kings of the Rising Sun,” perhaps China, Land of the Rising Sun? I am less sure than I would like, but it makes some sense given what is going on internationally these days.)

And this brings us to a VERY brief set of parenthetical events…)

Revelation 16

The Sixth Bowl Judgement:“…three unclean spirits like frogs…”

Verse 13 tells us that these three spirits came out of the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet, and verse 14 clarifies that these are demonic spirits on a mission. What mission you ask?• They perform signs (v. 14)• They persuade the world’s Kings to go to war with

God• They gather them together in the Valley of Megiddo

(v.16)

And then we have in parentheses verse 15: ("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.") (Many think this is a reference to the pre-wrath harpazo event).

And it goes right back to the main show…

Revelation 16The Seventh Bowl Judgement:The bowl poured out on the air…

This completes the wrath of God on humankind. (v.17 – “It is done.”)

This causes lightning storms, and the greatest earthquake ever.• Jerusalem split in three parts• The cities of the nations fall• Every island “flees away”• Every mountain is leveled• 100-pound hailstones fall

And humans still blaspheme God and curse His name, failing to repent in the face of His great power and wrath, choosing their own darkness instead.

Things to consider

1. God’s discipline in the lives of men can be punitive as well as corrective in nature. (There are consequences to our choices.)

(e.g., David’s first child from Bathsheba died – temporal consequence)

2. We can choose how we respond to God’s discipline in our lives. There is a principle here – we reap what we sow. That is another way of saying that when you choose the action, you are choosing the consequence. God in His mercy lets us know ahead of time the right action.

3. The right action is to place your trust in Jesus for your salvation as opposed to your own works or resources.

Things to consider

4. There is a limitation to the offer of God to redeem you. God is patient and longsuffering, but that will ultimately end, and that’s what this chapter is about.

Common objections:But I’m a good person! And see how dictatorial God is being here!

Really? You think you can dictate your morals to God, who you accuse here of being dictatorial? The clay cannot tell the potter how to make itself. And are you REALLY that good of a person?

The MAIN point

Let’s test how good of a person you really are according to God using the 10 commandments. Have you ever told a lie? (9th commandment) Have you ever stolen something? (8th) Have you ever taken the Lord’s name in vain? (3rd) Have you ever murdered anyone? (6th) Have you ever committed adultery? (7th)

So according to your own words, you are a lying, thieving, blaspheming, murderous adulterer, and we only looked at 5 of 10 commandments.

The Good News

We know that we have violated God’s holy standards, each of which carries the sentence of death. We are condemned to eternal separation from God.

BUT WAIT!!!

The Good News

Jesus Christ, God the Son, became human with one specific purpose – to pay that penalty on our behalf and redeem humankind to God!

Ever hear THIS Bible verse? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB)

He came to redeem, or RECONCILE (an accounting term) our lives with God. He did that by dying on the cross in our place.

The Good News

We can learn four very straightforward truths from John 3:16:1. God loves us and has a plan for your life! Otherwise

why bother to send Jesus?2. There is an issue – our SIN separates us from God, and

we just looked at that.3. Jesus paid the price for OUR sin – and in believing that,

we receive God’s pardon personally.4. It is a gift that is yours for the taking.

But how do we take that gift?

The Good News

Two things are required:1. Repent2. Believe

“…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

The Good News

And you don’t need to go anywhere to get it! Jesus comes to you, and brings everything needed for your own situation.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 NASB)

Through Christ’s work on the cross, we are offered companionship instead of condemnation. We would be fools not to take that offer.

And finally…

This is where it all begins – and the even better news is that from this point, God will always be with you. This DOES NOT mean you will not have troubles and trials – you may have more! But God will use them to make you the person that He made you to be.

So:1. Do not flee God’s discipline in your life.2. Turn to Him and give Him glory during discipline.3. Choose now for Jesus – it is a limited-time offer.

And that’s all Folks!

Questions?