Revelation chapter sixteen details the pouring out of God's wrath through seven vials of judgment upon the earth. The sermon emphasizes that while God's love is preached, His wrath is a necessary consequence for those who reject His grace, a truth often omitted in modern preaching. The judgments described, including grievous sores, blood-filled waters, scorching heat, darkness, and catastrophic natural disasters, mirror the plagues of Egypt but on a global scale, highlighting the moral and spiritual death resulting from sin. The passage also contrasts the fate of unbelievers with the deliverance of believers, who are saved from God's wrath through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, urging listeners to heed these warnings and remain faithful.
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After sixteen in the book of Revelation will be our portion today. We come to another section that brings before us the coming judgments of God that are to be poured out upon the earth. Very literally in this sixteenth chapter and you'll find your page number in your lesson book is number twenty-six. We have the pouring out of the vials of God's wrath which will take place in a coming day. May I pass a little thought to you that has been in my heart and in my mind the last few days relative to this subject. How important it is to realize and one must confess the neglect that when the gospel is preached we do not hear too much about judgment, do we?
We hear much about the love of God and properly so. But you know when men spurn his love, there can be nothing but judgment, ultimately. And when the gospel is preached, may I state, you'll find very carefully in the examples of all the preachers in the New Testament, in the book of the Acts, and even further, whenever the early apostles preached, they not only preached faithfully the gospel, but included in that gospel, they preached judgment, and warned men to beware. of resisting the spirit of God and not receiving the gospel of God's grace.
And beloved, if there's such a need today, I think there is the greater need today in the preaching of God's servant to bring before lost sinners the fearful coming judgment when men will be feeling over the whole earth the wrath of God. Shall we go then to chapter sixteen? Please let me read particularly if I may. Just go down to verse twelve, in our verse eleven rather, in our reading for a brief time. 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 upon the earth.
And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth. There fell anointing and grievous sore upon men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. The second angel poured out his vile upon the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea, and the third angel poured out his vile upon the rivers, and the fountains of waters, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art and washed and shalt be, because thou hast judged us.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets. Thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous of thy judgments. And the fourth angel poured out his vile upon the sun. Power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with great heat, blasphemed the name of God, which had power over these plagues. And they repented not to give him glory. And a fifth angel poured out his vial upon the sea. Properly is the word throne of the beast.
And his kingdom was full of darkness. And they gnawed their tongues for pain. and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores and repented none of their deeds. May God bless the reading of this portion, which we shall try to cover briefly but thoroughly regarding the pouring out of God's wrath. The chapter is very simple to follow, for we have the pouring out of the final wrath of God. And may I state very humbly, but very earnestly, what a terrible day that is going to be for the whole world when God's final fear no particularly in verse one in the opening of the chapter I heard a great voice out of what the temple not from the throne now there's a distinction as you may find in the reading and studying of this book between the throne that is often mentioned but here is the temple as we saw in the closing part of our fifteen chapter That temple no man could enter into it.
The smoke of God's glory covered it and none could enter with pleading to thus resist the coming wrath of God and plead for mercy. And it's from, may I put the expression this way, the temple suggests this is wrath that comes from a holy God. This is wrath that expresses the holiness of God. Now let me give you a contemporary thought about that. May I think with you very briefly of the death of the Lord Jesus upon the cross of Calvary. For there upon the cross of Calvary, when our Lord Jesus became the sacrifice for sin, and was the sin offering, that great death also manifested the holiness of God, what he thought of sin.
And God's holiness was revealed. Regarding the sin question, it demanded complete penalty, complete atonement. None but the Lord Jesus could bear the judgment. And he did bear that judgment. But may I say this again, look, That cross not only reveals the love of God, which men often preach and rightly so, but it reveals the holiness of God, what he thinks of sin. Then what will it mean when the day of his grace comes to an end? And when there's no one that can plead at the throne of God, and the temple is thus filled with smoke that none may enter, to petition the throne or to petition even the presence of God.
and thus we find they go out with the fury of the wrath of God now let me link a verse for your comfort as well as for mine and for our thankful spirit we should have first Thessalonians chapter one verse nine and ten tells when Paul writes to the Thessalonians how they turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven Even Jesus, our deliverer, from the coming wrath. Can I emphasize? I've got to emphasize it. Please, may I say, I have no sympathy with some of my dear brethren who will put the church and the great tribulation.
Under the wrath of God, I think of a dear fellow servant of God and never forget when we were talking together about this. He said, John... He said, do you think the Lord's going to give his bride a thrashing just before the wedding? Never. And you and I, thank God, will never know anything of the wrath of God. Well, beloved, did not the Lord Jesus bear that wrath for us? There is no condemnation, as the poet wrote. There is no hell for me. The fire and the torment mine I shall never see. What a deliverance.
But, oh, as we have realized it here, the angels are given. Those wrath, and they are commanded, go your ways. Pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. Now, in these judgments, there are certain specific parts of the earth mentioned. and certain elements of the earth. But this in the beginning and the introduction encloses the whole earth as being the object of the wrath of God. And may I say again, the earth has never yet seen the fullness of God's wrath as it will in that coming day. Now you note the first judgment very quickly.
The vial is thus poured out upon the sea. It becomes as the blood of a dead man. in the vision that John is given and every living soul dies in the sea. Now may I mention first of all you find it repeated in the chapter I notice as we read the repetition of the word blood remember we saw in chapter fifteen relative to Armageddon and we'll see it again in chapter sixteen blood to the horse's bridle when you look at the judgments of God in the book of the Revelation blood blood blood blood And though it may undoubtedly be literal, the suggestion of the awful greatness of it should be emphasized to our souls.
And if I may note very carefully in your notes that you have the first vial that is poured out, and we read it, it is poured out upon the sea, and upon the supporters and the worshippers of the beast. And as we read it, let me read verse two. The first went, poured out his vile upon the earth. There fell anoints him, and grievous soar upon men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. The sea is the next judgment we know. But please let me remind you, and think of this all the way through the chapter, there are similarities to the plagues that were visited upon the land of Egypt.
in the book of Exodus when God poured out his wrath upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians there are similarities but may I point out there may be similarities but there's a great contrast that was only the land of Egypt that was only one king and his people long ago this will be upon all the earth and thus we can recognize directly the judgment falls upon the worshippers of the beast and thus they are given these sores now it may be figuratively it may speak of a moral saw but may I give you the suggestion one of the judgments in Egypt they had they had sores upon them and those and God sent here's the strange thing remember that judgment in the book of Exodus remember what Moses did he took the dust of the earth.
And God told him, throw it up into the air. And as he threw it up into the air, it fell down and became as boils upon the Egyptians. And it represented not only literally that they were covered with boils, but you know what a boil is? And it's really, it's the coming out of the system of the human body of the poison that's within it. And if you want my humble opinion, going back beyond the literal interpretation of this judgment, there is no question of doubt. The moral putrefaction of sin is going to be oozing out of the human family when this judgment is poured out.
And they will be worthy of the judgment. Whether literal or whether moral, I think you can take it both ways. It will be God's judgment upon the sin. When you think of the infection of a boil, I often think of it very much like sin in the human heart, in the human life. Coming up. And beloved, that stench of it even today is bad enough. What will it be in that day? Because next, the second, as we read on in verse three, the second angel pours out his vile upon the seed. And it became as the blood of a dead man.
And every living soul died in the sea. Note your reference quickly on your page twenty-six. The sea, so suggestive in its typical teaching of the restless people of the earth. And yet another similar plague comes as in the days of Egypt. And what we can say, the whole scene becomes the scene of moral death. Moral death. without question of doubt. It's so typical of death. Let me give you this thought. Remember in Moses, going back to Exodus again, you know, one of the best explanations of the Bible is from the Bible.
And way back in the days of Moses, in chapter four, rather, of the book of Exodus, Moses was given three signs. to carry to his people and to prove by these miracles God had sent him for their deliverance. There was a sign of the rod which he cast at the ground, you recall, and he became a serpent and he took the serpent by the tail and became a rod again in his own hand. That was one sign. The second he put his hand in his bosom, pulled it out, covered with leprosy, put it back, came again as he said, roll my flesh clean. But God gave him a third sign.
If they refuse those first two signs, take water out of the river, pour it upon the ground, and it will become blood. Now that was the sign of judgment if they rejected God's servant whom he was sending. But thank God as you read the chapter, the people of God believed the first two signs, and they worshipped God. But when you start to realize the judgment upon all the earth here, the moral condition a condition of moral death death blood blood and thus to recognize amongst the nations this manifestation and God thus pouring it out upon the restless sea verse four the third angel poured out his vile upon the rivers the fountains of waters they became blood now will you note something I noted it particularly God touches even nature so to speak.
You have the earth, we've had the sea, now we have the rivers and thousands of waters. I think the ecologists are going to have quite a time, aren't they? Trying to find out what's wrong. And one begins to wonder even now. I go back, oh, maybe about twenty-five or thirty years. when the word ecology was not very often heard. And I recall a fellow believer who was telling me he was studying ecology. And I said, well, I said, Tom, when the world is that? And then he explained to me, it was not much of a study in the days of school in the past.
We hear it every day. And every day you find men that are concerned about the ecology of the whole land the whole situation I'm beginning to wonder isn't God trying to tell people get ready it's going to be worse and I'll tell you very frankly they'll never clean up the mess at the present rate but also recognize how God will manifest even upon the literal waters and the literal sea and the literal earth his judgment as he pours them out and thus recognize again And I think spiritually, this is the most important interpretation, spiritually, morally, the scene is the scene of moral death.
Please may I go back to the book of Genesis with you at the very beginning? When God told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and warned them of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that day thou eatest thereof thou shalt what? Surely die. And I think of the words that Paul wrote in Romans chapter five. Death has passed upon all men. Sin that all has sinned. And my beloved, please let me say, the result of sin is moral and spiritual death. And very frankly, take it literally as you wish. But I believe greater in its application and more deeper in its meaning is spiritual death.
And spiritual death. It's far worse than physical death. And you and I who are saved acknowledge we were once dead in trespasses and in sin. But he saved us by his mercy. But what a scene it will be that the whole world will be manifesting blood, blood, blood, a scene of moral and spiritual death. And one can recognize from the beginning of Adam going on to the time we're studying On the threshold of the coming of the Lord Jesus back to the earth. Just preceding his manifestation. The whole world will be a scene of moral death.
But go further. Note the angels saying in verse five. I heard the angel of the waters say. Thou art righteous, O Lord. Righteous judgment indeed. O Lord, which art and wasp and shall be. Because thou hast judged us. For they have shed the blood of blood. saints and prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy and I heard another out of the altar say even so Lord God Almighty true and righteous of thy judgments please can I point out some note the titles they're very important to note the angel addressing him as the righteous Lord which are what and shall be the eternal God and then you go to verse seven Lord God Almighty my beloved may I say these are titles these are names that present to us the greatness the omnipotence of God and oh when you stop to think that God in his might and in his power is going to judge the earth and visit it one can recognize how terrible
will be the visitation of judgment But here's two angelic voices, one from the altar and the other, not mentioned, called the angel of the waters. Examinating God's action. Do you know there are men today that will tell you that God would never put anybody in hell? Oh yeah. They don't read the book very carefully. I noticed, I don't know whether some of you may listen to the radio Bible. broadcast I once in a great while I'm able to but I noticed one of our dear brethren there ministering on the attributes of God you know he made one subject you know he used the attribute of anger the attribute of anger do you ever notice the psalmist right God is angry with the wicked every day please We hear much today about God's love, but whoever preaches about God's wrath and God's anger.
You see, you may see it on the, all the views that go by. God is loved, or God loves you. But I wish somebody put another one on there, a sticker called God hates sin. God hates sin. And men deny, the liberalists will deny that a loving God will hate. They don't read their Bibles. And we're seeing here the anger of God in all of its fury yet to be poured out upon the world. Why? Because of man's sin and the moral iniquity and the cup of iniquity coming to the fore. Now let's go on further and please note the fourth angel.
He pours this violin verse eight upon the sun. power was given unto him to scorch men with fire men were scorched with great heat and blasphemed the name of God which had power over these plagues they repented not to give him glory again we have another reference to one part of nature even the sun that highest solar body which controls the solar system in which you and I live Note your lesson sheet, please, if I may mention that. As we look at that fourth one, we have two suggestions, not only literal.
I do not demean the literal interpretation. It can certainly be so. We have this reference. This denotes supreme government upon the earth, which is the cause, because it becomes the cause of intense frightful anguish to men and the hardness of the human heart. produces no repentance, nothing but blasphemy. Now we may take this as literal as we wish, but I still wish to also emphasize the symbolical, the moral and the spiritual implication which could be and is even more important and greater. And as God visits what we see here, as God does visit with the power of fire of the sun, these plagues.
Note what we read at the end of verse nine. They repented not to give him glory. No repentance. I wonder if you remember chapter nine and verses twenty and twenty one at the end of one of the great trumpet judgments. They repented not of their murders, the multiplicity of murders, of their sorceries. the increasing addiction of drugs, nor of their fornication, promiscuous sensuality, nor of their thefts, for prevailing moral sins that are increasing today and have in the past decade or more, in an increasing manner.
And yet, though God visits in judgment, they repent not. Will you give you the example? Let me ask you the question. Please note the similarity again to the plagues in Egypt. Pharaoh. You read in Romans, remember that I study in Romans, particularly chapters nine, ten and eleven. And we read of the sovereignty of God. Are we hardened the heart of Pharaoh? Why did he harden Pharaoh's heart? Well, first of all, because Pharaoh hardened his heart first. Pharaoh hardened his heart first. Then God commissioned Moses to go to Pharaoh. He said, now, listen, Moses.
He's not going to pay any attention to you, but I want you to tell him what I'm going to do. Give him the opportunity of knowing it. But he's going to harden his heart. And sometimes we find in those plagues occasionally he suggested repenting. But he never went that far. He never did. Then please, may I say, can I put it this way? Look, we preach the gospel today, and we preach a gospel commanding. God says, God commanded man everywhere to what? Repent, repent, repent, as Paul preached to the Athenians in chapter seventeen of Acts. My beloved, think of the hardness of the human race when at this occasion that we read of No matter how difficult the judgment of God may be for them to bear, they harden their hearts.
And, beloved, can I say frankly, please, can I ask the question, looking at the conditions today, are there not more hardened criminals? Are there not more hardened hearts? How is it? that so many ordinary people are very willing and quick to commit murder. How is it so many go on purposely, deliberately into drug addiction and also into fornication? They take the attitude that the psalmist wrote of the wicked, Oh, God can't see.
God doesn't pay any attention. Wait a minute. Someday they'll find out different. And for all their sin there'll be a day of reckoning. And what a day it will be. But go further. Notice you will in verse ten, the fifth angel. He pours out his vile upon the seat of the throne of the beast. Now here's a specific judgment that was directly upon the throne of that last day dictator. And it's which we read in chapter thirteen. And its kingdom was what? Full darkness. And they gnawed their tongues for pain. God gave them in advance.
He gave them a taste of hell. Do you ever notice it? Those that are in hell, they will indeed suffer in their pain and gnawed their tongues for pain. And here is the judgment. God directs particularly upon the kingdom and the throne of the beast. in which men know themselves for pain, their tongues for pain. But what does he send? Darkness. One of the last plagues, not the last, but one of the last plagues that was sent on Egypt and to Pharaoh was a plague of darkness. And they could neither see their hand in front of them.
But may I remind you that the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. that, oh, it was a plague of darkness. And may I say, can I say it reverently, earnestly, this world is getting so dark? And you know the meaning, morally and spiritually, great is the darkness. Great is the darkness. Great is the darkness. And may I also be reminded, and I say it In sympathy with a few, not many, but with a few fellow servants of God. There's a lot of preachers that are in darkness too.
Not giving the message of light. And the gospel. The old brother McGee made the comment. He's a plain spoken old fellow at times. And where would I go that... far as he does but sometimes but in so doing often sends the truth he says you can call creatures and you can have a great big program and you can put on all kinds of things in the evangelical world but he says you've got to hunt pretty high and low to find one who's preaching the word who's preaching the word my beloved may I say this And I take it to my heart more than I give it to you, but I want to say it frankly.
The responsibility of every servant of God. Paul told Timothy, preach the word. The word. That's what people mean. The word. That's what people mean. I've got friends looking for preachers in their churches that need a preacher. They're having a hard time. They get their pulpit committee to go out searching for a preacher.
Probably be better to ask God to send one. But may I point out, the difficulty is to find one who really preaches the word. organize, systematize, do all things that may be according to business procedures. That's not the way. Meet the light of the world, word of God, light of the word of God. And Jesus said, holding forth the word of truth as a light in this dark world. But oh, what will it be when?
the world becomes dark at the end. Morally and spiritually dark. And the remnant of Israel as well as the Gentile believers who hear the word in that day and refuse to worship the beast in his image. What a price they will have to pay. But how great will be the darkness of the rest. Note verse eleven, please. Note what it says. They blaspheme the God of heaven. because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. Harden to the full. Now let's read on. We come to the sixth angel. He falls out his vile upon the great river Euphrates.
The water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And may I give you the solemn thought? that in a coming day that great barrier, Euphrates, was really the natural boundary that divided the Eastern world from the Western world. And yet here is spoken of here as being dried up. Whether it be literal doesn't matter at all. But there will unquestionably be no recognition of the boundary of the Western and the Oriental nations. And God is going to bring us nations to make their judgment, as we saw last week at Armageddon, as we shall see right now.
And he opens the way of the kings of the east. And we find in verse thirteen how he does it. I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, out of the mouth of the false prophet. And no, what takes place? They are the spirits of demons, working miracles, which go forth under the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day of God. Almighty. Do you know what we have just read? Do you think me back to my childhood days? And we had a book that was often, it was greatly used in literature for children in my young days.
Esop's fables. Now every fable that Esop wrote had a moral to it. And I never forget one. When he wrote of the story of a woman who had two children, two girls, one was a stepchild and the other was her own child. She was not very pleasant in her dealings with the stepchild. But one day the girls had to go and get water from the spring to bring it to the house. She sent her stepchild to the spring to get the pitcher full of water. The child came, and according to the story, always a fable, there sitting upon at the edge of the spring was an old lady, seemingly, supposedly according to the story, a fairy in disguise.
Who, when the little girls came, said to her, give me to drink? Being a kind-hearted youngster, she said, Certainly. And she dipped her pitcher in the spring and gave it to the old lady to drink, who said to her, Because you are so kind. When you speak, out of your mouth will proceed precious jewels. Then the fairy was gone. And the little girl hurriedly filled her pitcher, knowing she would undoubtedly feel the anger of her stepmother. She didn't get back quick enough. And sure enough, she was delayed. And when she arrived, her mother began to scold her. And she began to talk. And all the jewels came out.
And when she heard this story, she's got her own child. Send her down there. She want her to have this. Sure enough, the old fairy was there. And asked the same question, give me a drink. Get it yourself, said the girl. That was her character. Because you're so unkind and rude when you talk out of your mouth will proceed. Frogs, snakes, crawling creatures. And she was gone. And when she hastened back to the house, her mother was waiting. What did she get, frogs? You get the moral. You get the moral. We needed to realize from our mouth.
Precious jewels can be spoken for the glory of God. Or even the opposite. But did you notice here? God uses the metaphor. Out of the mouth of the dragon. The beast. The false prophet. Evil spirit. Evil. Look on your lesson sheet please. I want you to know something. I've got a reference. I want you to turn to. First Kings chapter twenty two. First Kings chapter twenty two verses nineteen through twenty two one of the most amazing incidents in the Old Testament first Kings chapter nineteen and chapter twenty two rather verse nineteen and I want you to know amazing incident in the life of Ahab as well as Jehoshaphat when Jehoshaphat was where he ought another to have been allied up with King Ahab and in chapter nineteen let me chapter twenty two rather let me begin reading Let's get the right chapter now.
Chapter twenty-two and verse nineteen. Here are the words that we find in the presence of Jehoshaphat, King as well as King Yehab. Here comes Micah, Micaiah, and he's the prophet of God. And Let me begin reading, if I may, at verse fifteen. Get it together. So Micaiah came to the king, and the king said unto him, Mekiah, shall we go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? He answered him, Go, prosper for the Lord shall deliver him, into the hand of the king. And the king, who hated the prophet, said, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?
Now the prophet answers. He said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd. The Lord said, These have no master. Let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, Did I not tell thee he would prophesy no good concerning me but evil? Now the prophet said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord. Now note, an amazing revelation. Thy divine inspiration. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. All the hosts of heaven standing by him on his right hand and upon his left.
Now just get the picture please. This is true. This is an actual scene in heaven. And all the hosts of heaven, the heavenly beings. And if I may suggest, will you please know, let me emphasize it. all the hosts of heaven. And I suggest to you evil hosts as well as holy angels. But now read on. The Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? This was God's specific judgment he wanted to put upon Ahab to end it, terminate his life when he went in battle against Ramoth Gilead. And one said, and one said in this manner, Another said, On that manner, Get the thought.
There the host of heavens are before the Jehovah God. Who go and bring Ahab to his doom? How shall we do it? Two suggestions are made. But now note verse twenty-one. There came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Where will? please let me pause again I got to it this is not fiction this actually happened this is not a dream that the prophet had there was a vision that God gave him of what was taking place I don't know how much you believe but please may I suggest to you let me give you one key verse from Ephesians one thirteen he performeth all things after the counsel of his own will Whatever the scenes may that be moving upon the earth, God moves behind the scenes.
And right here you and I are reading an account where behind the scenes of Ahab, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah and King of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, a good king, had no business being together with Ahab. And now the prophet is telling what God has declared he would do. Bring Ahab to his doom. Now read and let me go on and finish what the Spirit says. As the Lord says, Wherewith? How? And he said, I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.
And he said, Thou shalt persuade him and prevail also. Go forth and do as do so. And now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. Oh, beloved, go back to Revelation. Oh, see, this is, that was only a local scene. That was only a local battle in the days of Ahab and Jeoshaphat. And you know the story well if you've read it? Jeoshaphat nearly lost his life. Ahab went into the battle in disguise. He did not put on his kingly armor. But Jeoshaphat was told to do that.
And they tried to get Jeoshaphat. Thought he was the king of Israel. But they wanted to pick on the king of Israel when the Assyrians came. And Jeoshaphat just got out of there by the skin of his teeth. And then his prophet at home scolded him. Why did you line up making alliance with that ungodly king? Do you remember Ahab? though he was disguised and no one knew he was in that he didn't have the royal chariot he was not arrayed in his royal guard but some man drew a bow at a venture just let it go by chance and it pierced right in between his armor God kept his word now that was a local battle Read on here.
Please, let's go to Revelation. Let's see. Please note very carefully, verse fourteen. They are the spirits of demons working miracles which go forth unto the caves of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. That place, let's read on. Let me go to verse sixteen. Get the connection. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue. Armageddon. We saw that in our preceding chapter. Oh, beloved, let me please state this. God's going to bring all the nations to the land of Israel.
And there in Judah and is confined. He's going to bring the nations in representations. to meet their national disaster with his hand. How's he going to do it? The beef. The dragon. The beef. The false prophet. Lying. Lying. Lying. Talk about a Hitler. Be far worse. It will be far worse. I know the enormity. As we saw. Go back in the chapter we had preceding. I want you to know. verse last verse of chapter fifteen let's let's go into verse nineteen then the verse before it the last two verses the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth gathered the vine of the earth casting into the great wine press of the wrath of God and the wine press was trodden without the city that would be Jerusalem and its environment and blood came out of the wine press even unto the horse rivals by the
space of a thousand six hundred furlongs approximately two hundred miles the length of Palestine running north and south a scene of blood and carnage that will never have been equal before and God uses even evil spirits You know, God sometimes uses the devil himself. Satan is mighty, but he's not almighty. And even in the case of dear Job, God said, Don't you touch his life?
You touch his possession? No, you may touch his body, but don't you take his life. God keeps the chain on Satan, thank God. Now, you and I wouldn't have a chance at all. But in that day, he won't keep a chain on him. The dragon himself, together with his co-partners, the beast and false prophet, with their perpetrating lies, they've caused the nations. China, the Orient, Western nations, all of them, in representation, to be gathered together. Remember last week when we studied that particular portion?
We saw the principle of it in chapter thirty-five of Numbers and verse thirty-three. Then when God says, when blood defiles the land, because it's been shed by someone who has murdered another, only by the death of that one who has committed the crime can the land be cleansed. And may I point out again, I want to repeat it, one of the most solemn thoughts. the greatest perpetrating crime that has ever been committed upon the earth was committed at Calvary. When the nations together represented, this pilot rolled over the cross, Jesus, the Nazareth king of the Jews, he wrote it in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, the religious world, Latin, the political world, and Greek, the cultured world.
And may I say again, God hasn't forgotten that men have shed not only the blood of his servants but they shed the blood of his dear son and he gathers them together in Jerusalem and the environment of Judea and Armageddon the most bloody carnage that would ever be known what is it for please let me say lovingly as well as sorrowfully he's angry He's angry. It's his wrath. It's his wrath. But let's finish on. And go, if I may, to verse seventeen.
The seventh angel poured out his vial into the air. And there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying, It's done. And there were voices and thunders and lightnings and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. Now note the result. The great city was divided into three parts. The cities of the nation fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found, and there fell upon men a great hail.
Out of heaven, every one, every stone about the weight of a talent, men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail. For the plague thereof was exceeding great. Now this is the final outpouring. And if you please note, it comes, the great voice comes out of the temple of heaven. And we hear all the symbolic representation of God's divine judgment coming upon the earth, the greatness of an earthquake, the greatness of hail, if I may point out. And may I say very frankly, it's just common knowledge. Even the increasing number of earthquakes that have happened in the late years have been terrific, constantly increasing.
I don't know why some of my relatives say California is the best place to live. You can go down one town, and you can go down the town. If I saw a newscast showing the picture of a home where there's a crack in the floor from the earthquake, and they keep on living there. Boy, you can't figure it. But earthquakes are coming greater in intensity. Note something. Note verse nineteen. The great city, and this may be Rome, this may be the city of the beast, was divining into three parts, and the cities, note this, the cities of the nations fell.
And what a lot of concrete's gone down? Down in Charlotte. Why not? Earthquakes. Universally, the symbol of but the actual occurring of God's judgment. If you ever read Romans, rather Hebrews chapter twelve, when God says, One day I shall, I'll shake the earth and I'll shake the heavens too. Oh, how great it will be. But note the last part of this judgment before we close. Hail. We'll note the last verse, please. There it fell upon men a great hail out of heaven. Every stone about the weight of a talent.
Now what is the weight of a talent? In the old Hebrew scriptures, in the Old Testament, a talon was anywhere from one hundred and fifteen to one hundred and twenty-five pounds. The Greek meaning of the word talon was only eighty-four pounds. I think I once read that the largest hailstone that was ever reported was about twelve inches and it happened in Turkey. But I was very much interested one time after the World War II. the scientists when they were experimenting in the Pacific Islands and experimenting with the atomic bombs. And through their long-range telescopes, as they were experimenting in the explosion of the atomic nuclear bombs, they noted huge blocks of ice falling approximately two hundred to three hundred pounds in weight from that terrific heat explosion.
Now if a man can produce a big hailstone like that, what do you think God can do? Beloved, look, it happened in Egypt, just a local place, but what it will be in the world? Oh, beloved, what we've got here all the way through in the whole chapter, judgment, judgment, judgment, blood, blood, blood, destruction, destruction, God's wrath. Oh, I'm glad I'm saved. No wonder Jesus said, flee from the wrath to come. And may I say, I do it lovingly.
God help you and me to tell everybody to stop running away from judgment. Point it out. They laugh. They may sneer. But oh, let you and I be faithful. Judgment is coming. And God's word will be fulfilled. Shall we pray? Oh, Father, there's so much in this chapter, relative to that coming awful day that is upon the whole world to fall. Blessed Father, here we are, thy dear children, shouted by the blood. We thank thee for it. Judgment is coming, but not for thy people.
Oh, how we thank thee, we can say with the hymn writer, My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest rain, but wholly lean on Jesus' name on Christ the solid rock. I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. Lord, we pray for this world. We pray that the gospel of thy grace and the power of it by the Spirit may convict men and women today before it's too late. And Lord, please help us to realize, Lord, we confess with shame, we thy children, we think too much of this world.
And here it's going to be destroyed. Lord, lift our hearts toward thee in heaven, that we may enjoy our salvation. though we walk through a scene that is desolate and the clouds of judgment hovering over it. How precious we think of thy dear servant Enoch. Just before the flood, he walked with God three hundred years. He had no Bible like we. He had no compass such as we have. And if he could walk with thee in such antediluvian conditions, please, Lord, help us to walk with thee too.
for thine honor and glory in thy precious name, amen. Amen. Well, the Lord bless you for coming. My, you know what?