[Originally preached 4 January, 2004]
Revelation 16
We come to the last of the plagues of God. What we have before us is a look at the end of history, as we know it. This series of plagues provides a context for the return of Jesus. While the trumpets were a warning that the end would come, the bowls of our text are the end. The time for judgment has come. What this text highlights is God’s rage when it does come.
We see the word ‘wrath’, but that has become a ‘church word’, language that we use almost only in church contexts so that it has lost its full meaning. So, instead of ‘wrath’ I’m going to use the word ‘rage’. That communicates much better. We understand what it means when someone is enraged. Our text is telling us that God will be enraged at the end. And that rage will be unleashed in a powerful way. At the end of history, when Jesus is about to return, the rage of God will be excruciatingly felt by unrepentant sinners. This truth has often led to a question. ‘Isn’t God being a bit harsh? Doesn’t He go a bit over the top with His rage?’ I’m sure that this is a question that you’ve heard somewhere along the way. It’s probably a question that you have even asked yourself. So, this morning we’ll deal with that question. This morning we take a look at the coming rage of God.
There is a history to this rage. You’ve read a lot about it in the Old Testament. There was Sodom and Gomorrah. Imagine being engulfed by a firestorm. Then there was Israel conquering the Promised Land under Joshua. This was total warfare at the command of God. It wasn’t just the soldiers who were killed. All the men, young and old, warriors and non-combatants, were killed. And it wasn’t just the men. The women were killed as well. And even the children were to be executed. All of this was at God’s command and another example of God’s rage against sinners. Looking into the future we are told that hell will be unimaginably horrible. It is pictured to us as eternal flame, the outer darkness, a place of torment to body and soul. Then there is our text where we see the symbols of physical pain in the plague of sores, what is probably a symbol for emotional and intellectual confusion in the plague of darkness, and the certainty of death in the plague of blood. Our text pictures people in agony because of the pain. God’s rage against sinners.
What a picture of God! But it is a picture that is not at all popular. We hear about the love and mercy and grace of God these days. And we should! But what about the rage of God against sin? Some within the Church try to redefine this in order to tone it down. Some just ignore it all. It just doesn’t fit with how they think of God. But what do we have then? We have only part of the truth. We have only a partial picture of what our God is like. There is one who relishes half-truths. Satan. He is quite satisfied to give some of the truth because he knows that half of the truth, set by itself, sooner or later becomes a lie. Remember the Garden of Eden. He is quite content to let us believe in the love and mercy and grace of God if we would but forget about His rage. But what will we have then? We will not have the true God, but rather some idol. We need all of the truth. What is needed here is a complete picture of God. A partial one will not do. We need a picture of God that includes His rage against sin. Let’s see what we can do to move toward that goal.
Rage is the expression of a tyrant throwing a fit, or that is what we are told. Again, there is some truth in that. But there are times when rage is not just some uncontrollable fit. Sometimes it is a measured and justified response to evil. Our text speaks to that. Listen.
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." And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" Rev. 16:5-7
What is this? Our text is reminding us that God’s rage is not some hysterical fit. It is ‘true and just’. It is ‘deserved’. What we see in our text, and in many other places, is simply the expression of God’s justice. God is not like us. He will not let evil slide. There will come a time for justice, a time for God to defend the justness of His creation. Our text is reminding us of this.
Now, what is it that would justify God’s rage? John points to two areas in the passage. First, God’s rage is His just response to the evil that so many have poured out on the saints. The angel declares, ‘For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets…’ The saints have suffered much at the hands of the wicked. Some have endured martyrdom for the faith. God remembers. He promises that there will be justice one day, proper retribution for evil. And this makes sense. How would you respond if someone were messing with your children? God is a Father also. He responds with justice.
The text also shows us that God’s rage is His justified response to flagrant rebellion against Himself. First, there is the failure to give Him the glory that He deserves. ‘They did not repent and give him glory.’ [16.9] Recall the angel flying midheaven proclaiming the eternal Gospel.
And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Rev. 14:7
We were made for God. That is the point of this creation. Even in redeeming us, God doesn’t change that goal. Honoring Him is still the goal set before us. It is the reason why we are here. But these neglect to do that. They neglect to give Him the glory due His name. Instead, they worship the beast. God’s rage against them is justified because of this failure to fulfill their calling. But we’re not done.
These also curse or blaspheme God. John points to this twice in our text. In this their loyalties are clear. They follow the beast who also blasphemes God. The underlying hatred of God is made manifest here. The hostility that the Scriptures talk about is proven by the curses of men against the God who created them and who continues to give them breath. Here we are beyond merely neglecting to fulfill one’s calling. Now, it is more conscious. God makes certain allowances for what He calls unintentional sins. But there are no allowances when sin is conscious and chosen. Here is more justification for God’s rage, not that He needs it. But even here, we’re still not done.
Along with the neglect of their calling and the conscious choosing to sin these who will inherit God’s rage refuse to repent. Twice in our text John writes, ‘And they did not repent’. Now, understand what is going on. God is sending His plagues. The jig is up. Justice has dawned. The time for God’s judgment has arrived. Now, it is now obvious to these people that they have followed a lie. They have been worshipping someone other than the true God. They are tasting something of His rage against their sin. But the end has not yet come! There is still opportunity to cry out and repent. But they will not! In the face of all of the facts they still refuse to repent. We are way beyond unintentional sins. This isn’t even a matter of making a poor choice. We are clearly in the arena of willful and obstinate rebellion against God. Does God need more justification than this? In the Old Testament era a son who was persistently rebelling against his parents was to be taken before the elders of the town and painfully executed by stoning. If that is what should happen when sons stubbornly rebel against their parents what should happen when creatures stubbornly rebel against their God?
We see expressions of God’s rage throughout the pages of the Scriptures. It is no surprise, then, that we should see it expressed in the book that summarizes the Scriptures. Hopefully, you see that such rage is not something that should make us feel embarrassed when the topic comes up for discussion. I hope that you can see that it is more than fully justified.
But we are not done. As John wrote to those seven churches, and even now as we are reading his letter to them, the end has not come. God’s just and final judgment has not yet arrived. There has been a delay. God could bring that judgment right this moment. He could have brought it about years ago. But He didn’t. Why the delay? Why hasn’t God expressed His justified rage against sin? Peter offers an answer.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Peter points us to the patience of God toward sinners, sinners whom God should destroy in His rage. Peter points to God’s desire that, even now, they should repent and seek forgiveness in Jesus. This fits with other Scriptures. Listen to what God says in Ezekiel, listen to His pleading tones.
Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. Ezekiel 18:30-32
In the midst of the just rage of God we also see the mercy of God. Along with justice there is compassion. Now, we are getting closer to the whole truth about our God. Again, we encounter the need for balance. Not some arbitrary balance that we dream up, but a balance defined by the Scriptures. Here, it is the balance of the just rage of God against rebellious sinners with His tender mercy toward those same pitiable sinners. Getting the balance right, and applying it just right, takes wisdom, a gift of the Spirit. But do you see how the Scriptures presents this better picture of God?
Now, one last question. How shall we respond to what we have seen? If we just walk away, content to have received a bit more information to store away in our brains, we have committed a great sin. The most important response to these things is the response of worship. Something of the character of God has been displayed before our eyes. The Spirit’s intention in this is not mere instruction. He has shown us something of God so that we might worship Him. We need to worship Him for His justice. Sin is not forgotten. It is not simply overlooked. There will be justice! God’s rage will most certainly be vented against evil. Right will be maintained. The God of justice guarantees this! Worship Him for that.
But at the same time we worship Him for His mercy and grace. Remember that this mercy and grace have been showered on you. Without it you also would have to face the rage of God. After all, apart from grace, you are no better than any who will face that rage. Worship Him for this grace.
And of course, this brings us to the cross. Here, the just rage of God against sinners and His tender mercy toward sinners come together. Because of His justice, God will not forget your sin. He will rage against it. But He raged against it at the cross. Jesus suffered the rage of God for you. Ponder that for a bit. Consider that the next time you become aware of some sin in your life. That sin alone merits you God’s awful rage. And it is that awful rage that Jesus took upon Himself for you. And He did that because of the tender mercy of God. If pondering such things does not move you to a growing desire for worship and love toward God in Christ, then I fear that nothing will.
Revelation 16
We come to the last of the plagues of God. What we have before us is a look at the end of history, as we know it. This series of plagues provides a context for the return of Jesus. While the trumpets were a warning that the end would come, the bowls of our text are the end. The time for judgment has come. What this text highlights is God’s rage when it does come.
We see the word ‘wrath’, but that has become a ‘church word’, language that we use almost only in church contexts so that it has lost its full meaning. So, instead of ‘wrath’ I’m going to use the word ‘rage’. That communicates much better. We understand what it means when someone is enraged. Our text is telling us that God will be enraged at the end. And that rage will be unleashed in a powerful way. At the end of history, when Jesus is about to return, the rage of God will be excruciatingly felt by unrepentant sinners. This truth has often led to a question. ‘Isn’t God being a bit harsh? Doesn’t He go a bit over the top with His rage?’ I’m sure that this is a question that you’ve heard somewhere along the way. It’s probably a question that you have even asked yourself. So, this morning we’ll deal with that question. This morning we take a look at the coming rage of God.
There is a history to this rage. You’ve read a lot about it in the Old Testament. There was Sodom and Gomorrah. Imagine being engulfed by a firestorm. Then there was Israel conquering the Promised Land under Joshua. This was total warfare at the command of God. It wasn’t just the soldiers who were killed. All the men, young and old, warriors and non-combatants, were killed. And it wasn’t just the men. The women were killed as well. And even the children were to be executed. All of this was at God’s command and another example of God’s rage against sinners. Looking into the future we are told that hell will be unimaginably horrible. It is pictured to us as eternal flame, the outer darkness, a place of torment to body and soul. Then there is our text where we see the symbols of physical pain in the plague of sores, what is probably a symbol for emotional and intellectual confusion in the plague of darkness, and the certainty of death in the plague of blood. Our text pictures people in agony because of the pain. God’s rage against sinners.
What a picture of God! But it is a picture that is not at all popular. We hear about the love and mercy and grace of God these days. And we should! But what about the rage of God against sin? Some within the Church try to redefine this in order to tone it down. Some just ignore it all. It just doesn’t fit with how they think of God. But what do we have then? We have only part of the truth. We have only a partial picture of what our God is like. There is one who relishes half-truths. Satan. He is quite satisfied to give some of the truth because he knows that half of the truth, set by itself, sooner or later becomes a lie. Remember the Garden of Eden. He is quite content to let us believe in the love and mercy and grace of God if we would but forget about His rage. But what will we have then? We will not have the true God, but rather some idol. We need all of the truth. What is needed here is a complete picture of God. A partial one will not do. We need a picture of God that includes His rage against sin. Let’s see what we can do to move toward that goal.
Rage is the expression of a tyrant throwing a fit, or that is what we are told. Again, there is some truth in that. But there are times when rage is not just some uncontrollable fit. Sometimes it is a measured and justified response to evil. Our text speaks to that. Listen.
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." And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" Rev. 16:5-7
What is this? Our text is reminding us that God’s rage is not some hysterical fit. It is ‘true and just’. It is ‘deserved’. What we see in our text, and in many other places, is simply the expression of God’s justice. God is not like us. He will not let evil slide. There will come a time for justice, a time for God to defend the justness of His creation. Our text is reminding us of this.
Now, what is it that would justify God’s rage? John points to two areas in the passage. First, God’s rage is His just response to the evil that so many have poured out on the saints. The angel declares, ‘For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets…’ The saints have suffered much at the hands of the wicked. Some have endured martyrdom for the faith. God remembers. He promises that there will be justice one day, proper retribution for evil. And this makes sense. How would you respond if someone were messing with your children? God is a Father also. He responds with justice.
The text also shows us that God’s rage is His justified response to flagrant rebellion against Himself. First, there is the failure to give Him the glory that He deserves. ‘They did not repent and give him glory.’ [16.9] Recall the angel flying midheaven proclaiming the eternal Gospel.
And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Rev. 14:7
We were made for God. That is the point of this creation. Even in redeeming us, God doesn’t change that goal. Honoring Him is still the goal set before us. It is the reason why we are here. But these neglect to do that. They neglect to give Him the glory due His name. Instead, they worship the beast. God’s rage against them is justified because of this failure to fulfill their calling. But we’re not done.
These also curse or blaspheme God. John points to this twice in our text. In this their loyalties are clear. They follow the beast who also blasphemes God. The underlying hatred of God is made manifest here. The hostility that the Scriptures talk about is proven by the curses of men against the God who created them and who continues to give them breath. Here we are beyond merely neglecting to fulfill one’s calling. Now, it is more conscious. God makes certain allowances for what He calls unintentional sins. But there are no allowances when sin is conscious and chosen. Here is more justification for God’s rage, not that He needs it. But even here, we’re still not done.
Along with the neglect of their calling and the conscious choosing to sin these who will inherit God’s rage refuse to repent. Twice in our text John writes, ‘And they did not repent’. Now, understand what is going on. God is sending His plagues. The jig is up. Justice has dawned. The time for God’s judgment has arrived. Now, it is now obvious to these people that they have followed a lie. They have been worshipping someone other than the true God. They are tasting something of His rage against their sin. But the end has not yet come! There is still opportunity to cry out and repent. But they will not! In the face of all of the facts they still refuse to repent. We are way beyond unintentional sins. This isn’t even a matter of making a poor choice. We are clearly in the arena of willful and obstinate rebellion against God. Does God need more justification than this? In the Old Testament era a son who was persistently rebelling against his parents was to be taken before the elders of the town and painfully executed by stoning. If that is what should happen when sons stubbornly rebel against their parents what should happen when creatures stubbornly rebel against their God?
We see expressions of God’s rage throughout the pages of the Scriptures. It is no surprise, then, that we should see it expressed in the book that summarizes the Scriptures. Hopefully, you see that such rage is not something that should make us feel embarrassed when the topic comes up for discussion. I hope that you can see that it is more than fully justified.
But we are not done. As John wrote to those seven churches, and even now as we are reading his letter to them, the end has not come. God’s just and final judgment has not yet arrived. There has been a delay. God could bring that judgment right this moment. He could have brought it about years ago. But He didn’t. Why the delay? Why hasn’t God expressed His justified rage against sin? Peter offers an answer.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Peter points us to the patience of God toward sinners, sinners whom God should destroy in His rage. Peter points to God’s desire that, even now, they should repent and seek forgiveness in Jesus. This fits with other Scriptures. Listen to what God says in Ezekiel, listen to His pleading tones.
Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. Ezekiel 18:30-32
In the midst of the just rage of God we also see the mercy of God. Along with justice there is compassion. Now, we are getting closer to the whole truth about our God. Again, we encounter the need for balance. Not some arbitrary balance that we dream up, but a balance defined by the Scriptures. Here, it is the balance of the just rage of God against rebellious sinners with His tender mercy toward those same pitiable sinners. Getting the balance right, and applying it just right, takes wisdom, a gift of the Spirit. But do you see how the Scriptures presents this better picture of God?
Now, one last question. How shall we respond to what we have seen? If we just walk away, content to have received a bit more information to store away in our brains, we have committed a great sin. The most important response to these things is the response of worship. Something of the character of God has been displayed before our eyes. The Spirit’s intention in this is not mere instruction. He has shown us something of God so that we might worship Him. We need to worship Him for His justice. Sin is not forgotten. It is not simply overlooked. There will be justice! God’s rage will most certainly be vented against evil. Right will be maintained. The God of justice guarantees this! Worship Him for that.
But at the same time we worship Him for His mercy and grace. Remember that this mercy and grace have been showered on you. Without it you also would have to face the rage of God. After all, apart from grace, you are no better than any who will face that rage. Worship Him for this grace.
And of course, this brings us to the cross. Here, the just rage of God against sinners and His tender mercy toward sinners come together. Because of His justice, God will not forget your sin. He will rage against it. But He raged against it at the cross. Jesus suffered the rage of God for you. Ponder that for a bit. Consider that the next time you become aware of some sin in your life. That sin alone merits you God’s awful rage. And it is that awful rage that Jesus took upon Himself for you. And He did that because of the tender mercy of God. If pondering such things does not move you to a growing desire for worship and love toward God in Christ, then I fear that nothing will.
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