I wonder what is the worst weather condition you've ever had
to experience?
For some of you as fishermen, you have survived some of the worst
storms at sea.
For those of us firmly rooted on the soil, the we may have had
to embrace some of the hurricanes that have hit this island
in our lifetime.
I remember as a child of around six or seven, Hurricane Gilbert,
if anybody remembers, Hurricane Gilbert, caused severe
damage down the whole east coast of Ireland and flooding.
And it's still one that my father decided to drive through to
Dublin, of all places.
And so we remember that one frequently.
Now, if I told you that in Ireland we get earthquakes, you might
be a little bit surprised because Ireland isn't known for its
earthquakes.
But if you go on to the Irish National Seismic Network, then you
will discover that Ireland is prone to small earthquakes.
Now, most of these happen in the sea off the coast, but nonetheless,
there are some that are felt on land, particularly in Donegal.
Now, there may have been a slight against Donegal people this
morning and not being able to understand them, but now they're
redeemed because we have sympathy, because out of all the
places in Ireland, they get earthquakes.
So much so that roads have been damaged in County Donegal because
of earthquakes, only measuring anywhere between 0.5 and 1.2 in magnitude,
if that means anything to you.
Well, I've never experienced an earthquake.
I don't think I have.
But I was flying into Belfast City Airport one May evening in 2007
from Doncaster, and I experienced the worst turbulence
ever.
It wasn't until the next morning that I discovered in the
staff room of the school that I was teaching at at the time, that
there had been a tornado crossing Belfast Lock, the exact
time that we were making our descent to to land into the airport,
and it moved across Belfast Lock, through our airplane and up
to Carrickfergus, where it took the roof off three houses.
Now, you've never had perhaps an earthquake, maybe you've never
even had a tornado.
But I think particularly in the last couple of years, we all
know what it's like to experience adverse weather.
It's not pleasant.
I think we all like to enjoy calm weather, pleasant temperature,
not too hot, not too cold, with calmness in the air.
We're generally not people who go after the extremes of weather,
because in the extremes of weather you find fear.
I dare anyone to be in the midst of an earthquake and not feel
fear.
I even dare you.
Being on an airplane with a tornado going through it and not
feeling fear.
My knuckles were quite literally white, gripping the seat.
I don't even know what anyone else was doing around me, because
I was just focusing on breathing.
I dare you not to be fearful in extreme weather, even in the storms
that we have had.
And the reason why I talk about this is because as we come
to the seventh bowl of wrath that is poured out by the seventh
angel of the this wrath of God, it's poured out on humanity.
We see weather and different things of creation being used as
the means of punishment.
We see John in his vision, seeing these extreme weather conditions
as well as seismic activity of the earth to reveal what we're to
understand by God's punishment on rebellious humanity.
And actually we see this right from verse 17, the first verse we
read this evening, as the seventh bowl is introduced to us.
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.
Now the seven bowls of wrath tell us what the times just at the
end of human history will be like.
Each of the angels given the bowls have been instructed in verse
one of this chapter to go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls
of the wrath of God.
This has been their instruction.
This voice comes from the temple, and it is the voice of the
Lord God instructing his angels.
And each angel has been faithful, as this chapter has told
us, to the task.
None of them has faltered in the pouring out of these judgments.
And as the wrath of God is poured out, the cry we hear from
rebellious humanity is that the punishment is unfair and it doesn't
fit the crime.
They believe they've simply lived like humanity has always lived,
and therefore shouldn't receive any punishment.
And so, rather than turning to God in repentance, they become more
entrenched in their rebellion and in their opposition to Him.
So they simply continue as they've been doing all their lives,
rejecting Him.
But the seventh bowl is different.
The seventh bowl is poured out into the air, meaning that its impact
is known universally.
Other bowls were poured out on specific natural parts of the earth,
the sea, the rivers, the kingdoms of the beast, and the river
Euphrates.
But no one bowl of earth other than the fourth, which was poured
out on the sun, has universal impact.
That the air does it is what we breathe wherever we are, be it
in the middle of the sea or the ocean, or be it in the driest
of deserts, be it in the cities or in the field, out on the
farm, or we all breathe the air that's all around us, and it's
the same air here as it is everywhere else in the World, it's
what we breathe.
And so the punishment that is poured out in this seventh bowl of
wrath cannot be ignored by humanity.
And so when the seventh angel pours his bowl into the air, a voice
from the temple, God's throne, declares that everything is accomplished.
The end has arrived.
And verse one tells us that the voice says, it is done.
Now, I wonder, does that sound familiar to you?
You see, for John's readers, much like ourselves, there has already
been one person who has made this cry, because when Jesus died
on the cross, he exclaimed, it is finished in John chapter 19 and
verse 30.
So there's a great sense of the finality of all things.
In fact, the voice from the throne may even be that of the risen
Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that what has been achieved on Calvary's
cross was complete, it is finished.
And so now it is done in both the salvation of the redeemed and
the judgment of the rebellious.
See, whenever you look at what the original languages say, it is
done and it is finished aren't too far apart.
And so we have this sense of completeness as we reach the end
of human history.
Verse 18 moves on to tell us what John witnesses at this moment
in history.
And he sees that there are 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.
And what we're reading here has been manifested in Revelation
already, in what John sees and what he hears.
But as we hear that the end has come, this massive thunderstorm
breaks out.
At the same time, an earthquake, unparalleled in its magnitude
takes place, something foretold by the prophets Daniel and
Joel and spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24.
And we've seen in Revelation that thunder, lightning, and earthquake
tell us of the arrival of the end.
These extreme weather conditions that we just spoke about,
that what do they do for us?
They cause us fear.
And so that's what John's readers are expected to understand,
that whenever these extreme weather events happen, well, there
is fear because it is the end.
But these extreme weather events tell us also of God's awesome
holiness and what is the terror of entering his presence,
especially for those not forgiven of their sins.
But what humanity is witnessing has never been experienced
before, setting the scene for the final judgment that God will
bring.
And we see the beginning of this in verse 19.
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the Great to make
her drain the cup of the wine.
Of the fury of his wrath.
Now the great city here stands for the city of man, identified as
Babylon, the great enemy of God's people.
Now, Babylon itself was a city state.
In other words, it started off life as a city, but as it grew, the
city couldn't contain it.
And so some planning was done, and eventually small little places
around it grew up.
And so it became a city state, a city that ruled other towns that
became cities themselves.
But by the time of Jesus and by the time of John's writing, it
had become a small settlement in Mesopotamia.
It wasn't anything like it had been in Daniel's day.
It had no army and had no power to influence anything in the
world.
It was defeated as a nation.
And throughout the latter part of the Old Testament and into the
New Testament, it is used as a term to describe the sinful world
in which people live, given us as that compare and contrast of any
good GCSE paper.
The people of God versus the people of Babylon, the people of
the covenant versus the people of sin.
See, Babylon was a world that rejected God.
And Babylon still for us today is a term that references the world
that rejects God and Jesus Christ and wants to live by its own
standard.
And don't we see it all around us?
Don't we see it in the cities?
Don't we see it in the times?
Do we even see it in our own village?
Babylon is amongst us because we live in a world that rejects and
continues to reject God, even though it is a world that has been
told of his coming judgment.
So the city of Babylon that John sees is a city that is split
into three.
And what this is telling us is it's signifying its disintegration,
its fragmentation.
And John sees a city and a world that has lost its supremacy.
And the end is at hand.
The great cities or the great structures, the great systems that
have set themselves up against God, are finally reaping what they
deserve, punishment.
No longer will they be on their pedestals of power or their
perceived power.
They will be brought down and they will be punished for their rebellion.
Now, the verse goes on to speak of cities in the plural, but
this plural shouldn't be distinguished from the singular city,
because John's point is that the cities of man are all Babylon.
They've all strayed from the ways of God, and God has now remembered
his promises, because the judgment of Babylon is about to commence.
A theme that will be elaborated as we move into chapter
17 through to 19.
And what we now see in verse 19 is God exhibiting His justice
by making Babylon drink the cup of his wrath.
And at the same time, he saves his people from the city of man,
or from the city of man that is oppressing them.
So, as we've seen with revelation before, with judgment,
and with punishment also comes salvation, because there's only one
or the other.
The judgment of the rebellious will lead to the saving of the redeemed
for all eternity.
And the salvation of the redeemed must mean that there's now
eternal punishment for those who have gone against God.
And so this is what Babylon is now forced to drink, this cup of
wrath for her rebellion.
And as we continue into verse 20, the scene shifts from the city,
and John sees islands and mountains, telling us that all the
islands flee away and no mountains can be found.
And what John sees here is the world as we know it vanishing, much
like we saw in Egypt with the plagues of Egypt.
God uses unnatural ways to punish the Egyptians.
He goes against his own created order.
And we see that here that creation is now vanishing.
Creation was given for our good and our blessing, and now it's
been taken away.
And John Regley signals that the end has come by portraying displacement
in the natural order.
The natural order is God's way, but now it's vanishing.
So we know that God is at work, and soon we will have the new
heaven and the new earth.
And we see this clearly in a number of key moments in Revelation.
We read, for example, in Revelation 6, verse 14, the sixth
seal of judgment, that the sky vanished like a scroll that has been
rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
When God judges on the great white throne.
In Revelation 20, verse 11, we're told, Then I saw a great white
throne, and him who was seated on it fell from his presence.
Earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
When the new creation dawns, the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Revelation 21, verse 1.
And so here is a pattern that is going throughout Revelation, and
we're right in the middle of it, that the end is near whenever
God reverses what is the natural created order of things.
And so as the islands flee away and as no mountains can be found,
we must know that God is bringing in his new heaven and new
earth.
But the sad reality of all of this is seen as we read on in verse
21.
And great hailstones, about 100 pounds each, fell from heaven
on people, and they cursed God for the plague of the heel, because
the plague was so severe the final judgment has already been described
in terms of a thunderstorm and an earthquake.
Now John sees it in the form of a hailstorm, one of the plagues
that devastated Egypt in Exodus chapter 9 and verses 13 to
26.
And as usual, we see language here that is apocalyptic.
It's end times language.
The world is imploding as hailstones of about a hundred pounds
each are wreaking havoc on humanity.
And as strange as it might seem, even in judgment, there is
one more chance for mercy.
But instead of repenting and turning to God, people curse, and
they revile him in their great suffering, continuing to be convinced
that they do not deserve the punishment that they're facing.
Instead of acknowledging their sin, they continue to be infuriated
with God.
And once again, we see a verification of the rightness of
the punishment they receive.
They are deserving everything they get.
They have opportunity to repent, and rather than receiving
it, they ignore it and become more entrenched against God.
Ultimately, what's witnessed here in this seventh bowl of God's
wrath is the end of gospel opportunity.
This is it.
There are no more opportunities after this bowl is
poured out, because these five verses tell us that at the return
of Christ, we will see the end of the world, the end of worldly
society, and the end of sin.
That's what these verses tell us, an end of the world, the end
of worldly society, and the end of sin.
And for believers, this is good news.
This is great news because it means that we're ready to go truly
home.
And there's something wonderful about him that we sometimes
sing called Almost Home.
Don't drop a single anchor.
You're almost home with the course.
Almost home, Almost home.
That sense of knowing there's a place that's beyond this world,
beyond the heartache, beyond the strife, beyond the pain.
And there's a day here, given to us in Revelation, when there will
be the end of the world, the end of worldly society, the end of
sin.
But it's also a day when it will be the end of gospel opportunity.
And for believers, as much as we're looking forward to our heavenly
home, there has to be a tinge of sadness knowing that the time
is finally done.
It is done, comes that voice from the throne of heaven, because
there is no more opportunity to know God's salvation.
This is the hardest reality of all, to accept that the age of responding
to the gospel will end.
But hasn't the writer of Hebrews told us this already in Hebrews
chapter 9 and verses 27 to 28.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once and after that
comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear
the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin,
but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
What the writer of Hebrews is doing here in Hebrews 9, 27 and 28
is stating that Christ's first coming that culminates with his atoning
death for sin on the cross establishes a present opportunity
for salvation through faith in him.
And during this age, sinners who die without believing in Jesus
fear the immediate prospect of divine judgment.
Then, when Christ returns at the end of the age, the opportunity
of salvation is no longer offered.
Instead, Jesus delivers those who have been waiting for him, even
as he brings a destructive end to all those who have rebelled against
him.
Those who have been waiting will be taken to heaven, and those
who have rebelled will face that destructive punishment.
And so John's vision shows that even as the terrible judgment
falls on the last day, Christ enemies cursed God for this severe
plague.
And this reaction to God's just punishment confirms their complete
enmity, which is a word we read right at the beginning of Scripture,
their complete enmity towards God.
And as unrepentant enemies and sinners, they are smitten to the
ground by these great hailstones.
Hailstones of the colossal size described here would easily
have enough force to slay all those beneath them, utterly silencing
the lips that curse their God.
Craig Keener is not someone who I would ordinarily read.
He's described as a Baptist.
Pentecostal.
A Baptist, apparently.
Who knew there was such a thing?
But he did say this.
The world dies in its sin, unwilling to repent.
Isn't that sad?
Isn't that striking?
Isn't that confronting?
Let's add another word in there.
The world is willing to die in its sin because it is unwilling to
repent.
This judgment of the seventh bowl of wrath shows the need for
the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of God's
Word.
Not even the cataclysms of the end of the age can motivate.
Let's describe them as Satan's minions to repent and give God the
glory he deserves, even as the last seconds of gospel opportunity
flee away from history forever.
There's a story told of a man who miraculously survived an air
crash.
It's said of him he always expected people who were dying to
cry out to God for mercy in their final moments, but noted that
he heard many respond with cursing following the habit they
had spent their life developing.
You know that last year, and I've told you of a tornado going
through our airplane, however many years ago, 2007.
Well, you'll know because I told you we were the last flight
to land into Belfast because of one of the storms in October,
the British Airways flight that came in after us had to abort
its landing and be diverted.
And someone that heard me say this in church came to me and said,
I guarantee you there wasn't any.
There was no atheists on that plane in that moment.
And that might have been very true.
There were no atheists.
But much like this man who survived a plane crash, I didn't
hear very many people calling out to God for fear.
Yes, true, there was no atheist.
But Christians were either praying or those who were rebellious
were continuing to curse him as they'd always done all their lives.
And you see, if you're someone who the Bible describes as a sinner,
someone who hasn't come to Jesus for repentance, do you understand
what the habit of the lifetime now is for you?
Your natural instinct is to curse God.
Now, you may not use profanities as the world understands
cursing, but in your heart you are against Him.
That's what cursing is.
You're against the God who offers you salvation.
And just like those words that Craig Keener comes out with, you
are willingly dying in your sin because you're unwilling to repent.
There's no middle ground.
There's no goodness of ourselves.
There's no good works.
You're willingly dying in sin because you're unwilling to repent.
You see, the example given here of this plane crash should help
persuade us that now is the time to repent before your heart
is so hardened in sin and unbelief that you no longer are able
to repent.
Repent while the day is still now, because there will be a day
when the gospel age will end and you will not have the opportunity
to repent.
And how will you be found?
You'll be found continuing to curse God just as you've done all
your life.
You see, the call tonight is urgent.
If you angrily rise against God in response to minor trials and
judgments that you've already experienced.
Matthew Henry writes, to be hardened in sin and enmity against
God by his righteous judgments is a certain token of utter destruction.
We only become more hard of heart as we rebel against God.
But there is the opportunity for joy and peace while there is
still time.
We each must turn to the Savior to trust him and to live for
Him.
These are the two responses to the Gospel.
Often we can say we have turned to him, and maybe we point
back to a moment in our history whenever we'll say I gave
my life to the Lord.
But you've never lived like it.
You're simply relying on a date and a moment, and you can't
do that.
You have to live for Him.
You have to love him every day.
You have to speak of Him.
Because the second part is that we have to demonstrate that
our faith is indeed well placed in Jesus.
Yes, we need that miracle of a moment of salvation, but we must
live it to demonstrate whose we are.
And so, as we conclude the seventh bowl of God's wrath, the
warning is to flee the sin that hardens our hearts.
And we are to turn to Jesus because the writer of Hebrews assures
us again of God's steadfast love towards us in Hebrews 8, verse
12.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities and and I will remember
their sins no more.
This is the good news that we have in this gospel age, that while
there is still time we can repent each of us, but we can each
forgive one another for the wrongs that have been done.
We can truly live as Christ's men and women, so that we will demonstrate
the faith that we have.
You see, the glorious hope that we have is Jesus.
The next number of chapters are going to show how this world
will be dismantled and face its punishment.
But we have glorious hope this night that whoever we are, he is
the One who will hold us fast because he is the One who has given
us his all, that he will never turn us away when we come to Him.
For some of you, your hearts may be hard.
Maybe you wouldn't say that.
Maybe you say you believe in Jesus, but even the devil believes
in Jesus.
There's a difference in believing and knowing him as your
Savior.
But there's also a difference in saying that you are Christ's and
yet not living like it, choosing to be angry, choosing to
hold grudges, choosing to be unforgiving.
You see, we are called this night to be truly his, because this
bowl of wrath that is poured out in the air is one that will be
seen by all.
The weather conditions that are presented here are extreme and
they bring with them fear.
But for God's people, His perfect love and peace drives out
fear.
But yet we must truly know him as Savior so that we will know this
truth deep within our hearts.
See, that's why we sung that song before we came to God's.
Word because of the chorus stead or fixed or resting upon Jehovah.
What happens?
Our hearts are fully blessed because we find, as he promised,
perfect peace and rest.
Will you find that this evening as you look to Jesus and
trust in him?
Let's pray.
Our Father God, we thank you for your word that assures us of
who you are.
You are the God of judgment, and that is absolutely right and
fair and just.
But you're also the God of salvation, and both go hand in hand.
For as you redeem your people unto glory, so you will punish.
But as you punish rebellious people, so that means it is the moment
for when you will bring your home.
There is no middle ground and we cannot sit on the fence.
So Father, make us wake up to the reality of who we truly are and
to the Christ and Savior we truly need.
Lord, may indeed this night be one of true glorious hope for us
that as we study this last book of the Bible, this great book,
so Christ will be revealed to us and we will understand the urgency
of what it means to know him as Savior, to flee from our sin and
to live for him.
For the day is coming when he will return.
So Father, help us to respond well to your word this night.
In Jesus name, amen.