One day all the nations of the world will gather for an epic battle, the one which has been depicted in so many apocalyptic books and movies. Until that battle we should understand that…
There is bad news, the conditions on earth will get worse.
However there is good news, Jesus will return, as Lord and King. He will establish a new heaven.
God has fulfilled so many prophecies found in the Bible already, He will one day fulfill the rest, including the prophecies about this cataclysmic battle.
What will really happen? What does the Word of God say about the future? In brief, here’s what we know.
God’s wrath is coming and God will enforce His justice.
That justice described in Revelation 16 is called God’s wrath. God’s wrath is not angry retribution against those who have offended God otherwise He would have never sent Jesus into the world to rescue us, because we all have sinned. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
His wrath is righteous judgment. God’s justice demands a response to all sin. God’s love provided the solution. On the cross Jesus met the demands for God’s justice and demonstrated His love. But to those who reject God, His wrath rests upon them.
Revelation 16:1 “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
These are seven events of God’s wrath. They will come in quick succession, one right after the other, and they illustrate the nature of God’s judgment on sin. They show us what God’s wrath entails.
Revelation 16:2 “So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.”
These are the people who worship the antichrist by accepting his mark. They bow down before his image. And as a result, they break out with painful, open and oozing sores.
It is the same kind of event that happened to the ancient Egyptians, God judged them with plagues for disobedience. Exodus 9 describes the 6th plague, where it says Moses and Aaron “took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians” -Exodus 9:10-11.
That’s what will happen to those who rebel against God in the last days. The sores will be unbearable. So we know that…
GOD’S WRATH IS SEVERE.
We know God’s wrath will be very painful. It will also be very devastating. Look at verse 3.
Revelation 16:3 “The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.”
The rest of these bowl judgments are like the 7 trumpet judgments in Revelation 8, only much more severe. The trumpet judgments, the sea became blood and only a 3rd of the sea-creatures died. In Revelation 16, for the 2nd bowl judgment all of the sea-creatures die! Don’t be fooled. God’s wrath is severe!
Like in Noah’s day no one believed God would severely judge the people for their sin, thinking that “God’s judgment wouldn’t happen.” Neither should we disregard what God says about His wrath. More than that…
GOD’S WRATH IS JUST.
God’s wrath fits the sin. It is exactly right.
Revelation 16:4 “The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.”
All the drinking water on earth is tainted. In the previous judgment in chapter 8, all the sea water turned to blood. Now, all the fresh water turns to blood, as well.
Revelation 16:5-6 “And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
Or more literally, “It is what they are worthy of.” In other words, the punishment fits the crime. Since they shed blood, they are left to drink blood. And the martyred believers themselves agree!
Revelation 16:7 “And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”
“The altar” is very likely is a reference to those “under the altar” in Revelation 6:9-10. “These are those who were slain “for the Word of God and for the witness they had borne…crying how long oh Lord until you avenge our blood.” They were people who were killed because they believe in Jesus: God’s wrath is severe and it is just.
Let’s think about this, in Exodus, Pharaoh ordered that all Jewish male babies be drowned. In the end, he and his army drown in the Red Sea. In Esther, Haman builds gallows to hang Mordecai. In the end, they hang Haman himself on that same gallows. Here, in Revelation, sinful rebellious people shed the blood of innocent believers. In the end, those who shed blood are made to drink blood.
The man who pioneered radar Sir Robert Watson-Watt was arrested for speeding. He had been caught in a radar trap. After that incident, he wrote a poem:
Pity Sir Robert Watson-Watt,
strange target of his radar plot,
and this, with others I could mention,
a victim of his own invention.
(“To Illustrate,” Leadership journal, April 1, 1986; www.PreachingTody.com)
The Bible says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). No one gets away with sin. Oh, it may take time for the crop to ripen, but everyone reaps exactly what they sow. God’s wrath is severe. God’s wrath is just. And…
GOD’S WRATH WILL REVEAL A PERSON’S HEART.
Revelation 16:8-9 “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give Him glory.”
God’s wrath is the result of their sin against Him, Instead of turning to God for mercy, they curse Him.
Revelation 16:10-11 “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.”
A famous statement says that “There are no atheists in foxholes.” Meaning when people are afraid, they turn to God. But that is not always true. Some people have rejected Christ for so long that they come to the point where nothing will move them to repent. Nothing will melt their hard hearts, not even the fierceness of God’s wrath, or the generous and merciful heart of God and His love for them- which is always available even as judgement comes.
Now Revelation is a letter written so Christian are not deceived about the end. God’s wrath is severe. God’s wrath is just. God’s wrath reveals people’s hearts. And finally…
GOD’S WRATH IS CERTAIN.
It is sure, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. Revelation 16:12-16 refers to an intriguing description about this battle as we know it.
1st, What will happen? In Revelation 16:12, angels pour out a bowl of wrath on the Euphrates river and it dries up making every route from the east unimpeded.
Revelation 16:12 “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.”
2nd How does Satan motivate kings or deceive nations? Some details are given Revelation 16:13-14 “Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.“
Don’t forget that at this time the governments of the world will be controlled by the antichrist. He is not omnipresent and has to send these spirits out to inform his subjects.
3rd Who is involved? It’s not just about the east invading. Every nation will get a formal invitation to attend the great battle, eastern and western nations. The kings of the whole world will assemble for the battle of Armageddon. The kings of the earth are ordered to send their troops from these evil spirits.
4th Where will the armies of the world gather? A place identified in verse 16. The Hebrew word is Armageddon.” Armageddon is a compound word. “Ar” means mountain, “mageddon” rendered Megiddo.
5th Why is this going to happen? Because Jesus is coming again! In Revelation16:15 we hear the promise from Christ.“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!” Satan doesn’t want Jesus to win. He is a destroyer of God’s people. He will fight God at all costs until he is cast into hell.
Revelation 16:16 “And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
Who is this army at Armageddon? John writes in Revelation 16 about kings of the whole earth who bring their armies and gather at a place called “Har” “Megiddo”,
I have been there, I stood looking over the plains of Jezreel, this location is also called Megiddo, this valley serves as the crossroad of the world, I believe it is the site being described as the place of the final battle in Joel 3:9-14.
The valley is over shadowed by Mount Carmel, where Elijah had that epic mountain top battle between the prophets of God and the prophets of Baal. I Kings 18-19.
The valley of Jezreel (Megiddo) is about 14 miles wide and 20 miles long. And is the point where three continents come together – Africa, Asia, and Europe.
It is a strategic place. It is the crossroads of the world, and world rulers have fought over this piece of real estate for thousands of years, including Alexander the Great.
Other battles were at this location. King Josiah died here in a conflict with Pharaoh Neco of Egypt (2 Kings 23:29).
Sir Edmund Allenby of Britain led a cavalry charge of the First World War in this plain, where he defeated Ottoman Turks in 1918.
Megiddo as a military battlefield was summed up by Napoleon, one of the foremost military leaders of all time. He visited Megiddo in the early 1800’s and said:
“All the armies of the world could maneuver their forces on this vast plain … There is no place in the whole world more suited for war than this … It is the most natural battleground on the whole earth.” (The Battles of Armageddon, pg. 142).
The rulers of the world will come together for war, yet they will be incited by the forces of evil, not for the land. Satan will bring them together to fight Christ as He returns. However, Jesus will use this moment to judge the nations.
Satan thought he had defeated Christ at the cross, but the cross was the very thing God used to defeat Satan. Colossians 2:15 says, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [the cross].” (See also Hebrews 2:14.) Satan couldn’t stop Jesus at Calvary, and he won’t be able to stop Jesus at Armageddon.
Revelation 16:17 “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
Literally, it has come to be. No matter what men and demons will do to try and stop it, God’s wrath will indeed “come to be.” It is as certain as tomorrow’s sunrise.
Revelation 16:18-21 “And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nation’s fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.”
That’s what it’s going to be like when Jesus comes. In Zechariah, God says, “I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle… Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations… when He fights on a day of battle.” -Zechariah 14:2b-3.
For those who oppose Christ, it will be a terrible day.
But everyone who trusts Christ as Savior, it will be a great day because that is when Christ “will be king over the whole earth” – Zechariah 14:9, and we will begin to rule and reign with Him.
Don’t let anybody deceive you that God will not judge sin. God’s wrath will be severe. God’s wrath will be just. God’s wrath will reveal people’s hearts. God’s wrath will be certain.
Sadly, this passage tells us that there will many people who reject that God will judge the world and His wrath rests on those who reject that truth. Look at verse 15 again with me. It’s the point of the whole chapter. In verse 15, Jesus says…
Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”
God wants more than anything else to have a relationship with each one of us, including you and those around you. He knows how sin affects our lives in ways that we could never even understand. And He wants us to be freed from those sins, and their consequences.
That’s why He sent Jesus to earth, to die for our sin, so that all who put their faith in Him will be forgiven of their sin and spend eternity with Him in heaven and avoid His wrath.
I encourage you to trust Christ today. Don’t wait, for no one knows the day or hour when He will return. And if you’ve already put your faith in Christ, share that faith with someone for a day is coming like no one has ever seen.
– Revelation 16:18
What should we do? Know in your heart that Jesus died for your sin!
If you are a believer, rejoice and be humble in the fact that Jesus paid it all and understanding God’s wrath should motivate us to obedience.
If you don’t know for sure about what Jesus did for your sin, then today could be your salvation from His pending wrath.
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Jesus. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” Romans 5:9-10