1 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,360 I wonder what is the worst weather condition you've ever had 2 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:16,880 to experience? 3 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,240 For some of you as fishermen, you have survived some of the worst 4 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:23,520 storms at sea. 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,450 For those of us firmly rooted on the soil, the we may have had 6 00:00:28,450 --> 00:00:31,690 to embrace some of the hurricanes that have hit this island 7 00:00:31,930 --> 00:00:32,970 in our lifetime. 8 00:00:32,970 --> 00:00:37,290 I remember as a child of around six or seven, Hurricane Gilbert, 9 00:00:37,690 --> 00:00:41,290 if anybody remembers, Hurricane Gilbert, caused severe 10 00:00:41,290 --> 00:00:44,890 damage down the whole east coast of Ireland and flooding. 11 00:00:45,130 --> 00:00:48,890 And it's still one that my father decided to drive through to 12 00:00:48,890 --> 00:00:50,490 Dublin, of all places. 13 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:53,370 And so we remember that one frequently. 14 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,680 Now, if I told you that in Ireland we get earthquakes, you might 15 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,160 be a little bit surprised because Ireland isn't known for its 16 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:02,880 earthquakes. 17 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,360 But if you go on to the Irish National Seismic Network, then you 18 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,999 will discover that Ireland is prone to small earthquakes. 19 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:15,520 Now, most of these happen in the sea off the coast, but nonetheless, 20 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:21,050 there are some that are felt on land, particularly in Donegal. 21 00:01:22,250 --> 00:01:26,010 Now, there may have been a slight against Donegal people this 22 00:01:26,010 --> 00:01:28,850 morning and not being able to understand them, but now they're 23 00:01:28,850 --> 00:01:31,250 redeemed because we have sympathy, because out of all the 24 00:01:31,250 --> 00:01:33,570 places in Ireland, they get earthquakes. 25 00:01:33,570 --> 00:01:38,490 So much so that roads have been damaged in County Donegal because 26 00:01:38,570 --> 00:01:43,730 of earthquakes, only measuring anywhere between 0.5 and 1.2 in magnitude, 27 00:01:43,730 --> 00:01:45,370 if that means anything to you. 28 00:01:46,180 --> 00:01:48,380 Well, I've never experienced an earthquake. 29 00:01:48,380 --> 00:01:49,380 I don't think I have. 30 00:01:49,380 --> 00:01:54,020 But I was flying into Belfast City Airport one May evening in 2007 31 00:01:54,020 --> 00:01:57,860 from Doncaster, and I experienced the worst turbulence 32 00:01:57,860 --> 00:01:58,180 ever. 33 00:01:58,180 --> 00:02:01,020 It wasn't until the next morning that I discovered in the 34 00:02:01,020 --> 00:02:03,900 staff room of the school that I was teaching at at the time, that 35 00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:09,060 there had been a tornado crossing Belfast Lock, the exact 36 00:02:09,060 --> 00:02:13,000 time that we were making our descent to to land into the airport, 37 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,680 and it moved across Belfast Lock, through our airplane and up 38 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,240 to Carrickfergus, where it took the roof off three houses. 39 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,239 Now, you've never had perhaps an earthquake, maybe you've never 40 00:02:27,239 --> 00:02:29,000 even had a tornado. 41 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,960 But I think particularly in the last couple of years, we all 42 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,360 know what it's like to experience adverse weather. 43 00:02:37,650 --> 00:02:38,610 It's not pleasant. 44 00:02:39,090 --> 00:02:43,530 I think we all like to enjoy calm weather, pleasant temperature, 45 00:02:43,530 --> 00:02:46,930 not too hot, not too cold, with calmness in the air. 46 00:02:47,490 --> 00:02:51,570 We're generally not people who go after the extremes of weather, 47 00:02:51,570 --> 00:02:56,610 because in the extremes of weather you find fear. 48 00:02:57,730 --> 00:03:02,290 I dare anyone to be in the midst of an earthquake and not feel 49 00:03:02,930 --> 00:03:03,250 fear. 50 00:03:03,890 --> 00:03:04,810 I even dare you. 51 00:03:04,810 --> 00:03:08,210 Being on an airplane with a tornado going through it and not 52 00:03:08,210 --> 00:03:09,330 feeling fear. 53 00:03:09,570 --> 00:03:13,810 My knuckles were quite literally white, gripping the seat. 54 00:03:13,810 --> 00:03:16,090 I don't even know what anyone else was doing around me, because 55 00:03:16,090 --> 00:03:17,650 I was just focusing on breathing. 56 00:03:18,930 --> 00:03:24,370 I dare you not to be fearful in extreme weather, even in the storms 57 00:03:24,450 --> 00:03:25,650 that we have had. 58 00:03:26,530 --> 00:03:29,370 And the reason why I talk about this is because as we come 59 00:03:29,370 --> 00:03:32,490 to the seventh bowl of wrath that is poured out by the seventh 60 00:03:32,490 --> 00:03:36,990 angel of the this wrath of God, it's poured out on humanity. 61 00:03:36,990 --> 00:03:41,230 We see weather and different things of creation being used as 62 00:03:41,230 --> 00:03:42,790 the means of punishment. 63 00:03:43,510 --> 00:03:47,990 We see John in his vision, seeing these extreme weather conditions 64 00:03:47,990 --> 00:03:52,830 as well as seismic activity of the earth to reveal what we're to 65 00:03:52,830 --> 00:03:56,310 understand by God's punishment on rebellious humanity. 66 00:03:56,870 --> 00:04:00,870 And actually we see this right from verse 17, the first verse we 67 00:04:00,870 --> 00:04:03,510 read this evening, as the seventh bowl is introduced to us. 68 00:04:03,980 --> 00:04:07,380 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud 69 00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:12,220 voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, it is done. 70 00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:16,340 Now the seven bowls of wrath tell us what the times just at the 71 00:04:16,340 --> 00:04:18,620 end of human history will be like. 72 00:04:19,100 --> 00:04:22,700 Each of the angels given the bowls have been instructed in verse 73 00:04:22,700 --> 00:04:27,260 one of this chapter to go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls 74 00:04:27,260 --> 00:04:28,220 of the wrath of God. 75 00:04:28,220 --> 00:04:29,580 This has been their instruction. 76 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:33,640 This voice comes from the temple, and it is the voice of the 77 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,520 Lord God instructing his angels. 78 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,120 And each angel has been faithful, as this chapter has told 79 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:40,560 us, to the task. 80 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,000 None of them has faltered in the pouring out of these judgments. 81 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:49,000 And as the wrath of God is poured out, the cry we hear from 82 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:53,400 rebellious humanity is that the punishment is unfair and it doesn't 83 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:54,400 fit the crime. 84 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,000 They believe they've simply lived like humanity has always lived, 85 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,200 and therefore shouldn't receive any punishment. 86 00:05:02,110 --> 00:05:06,230 And so, rather than turning to God in repentance, they become more 87 00:05:06,230 --> 00:05:10,670 entrenched in their rebellion and in their opposition to Him. 88 00:05:10,670 --> 00:05:14,270 So they simply continue as they've been doing all their lives, 89 00:05:14,990 --> 00:05:16,110 rejecting Him. 90 00:05:17,790 --> 00:05:20,190 But the seventh bowl is different. 91 00:05:21,630 --> 00:05:27,870 The seventh bowl is poured out into the air, meaning that its impact 92 00:05:28,190 --> 00:05:29,870 is known universally. 93 00:05:30,780 --> 00:05:34,220 Other bowls were poured out on specific natural parts of the earth, 94 00:05:34,380 --> 00:05:37,620 the sea, the rivers, the kingdoms of the beast, and the river 95 00:05:37,620 --> 00:05:38,460 Euphrates. 96 00:05:39,180 --> 00:05:43,780 But no one bowl of earth other than the fourth, which was poured 97 00:05:43,780 --> 00:05:46,459 out on the sun, has universal impact. 98 00:05:47,180 --> 00:05:53,260 That the air does it is what we breathe wherever we are, be it 99 00:05:53,500 --> 00:05:56,420 in the middle of the sea or the ocean, or be it in the driest 100 00:05:56,420 --> 00:06:00,380 of deserts, be it in the cities or in the field, out on the 101 00:06:00,380 --> 00:06:03,780 farm, or we all breathe the air that's all around us, and it's 102 00:06:03,780 --> 00:06:08,500 the same air here as it is everywhere else in the World, it's 103 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:09,260 what we breathe. 104 00:06:09,260 --> 00:06:12,700 And so the punishment that is poured out in this seventh bowl of 105 00:06:12,700 --> 00:06:15,060 wrath cannot be ignored by humanity. 106 00:06:15,860 --> 00:06:19,460 And so when the seventh angel pours his bowl into the air, a voice 107 00:06:19,460 --> 00:06:23,700 from the temple, God's throne, declares that everything is accomplished. 108 00:06:23,860 --> 00:06:25,860 The end has arrived. 109 00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:30,030 And verse one tells us that the voice says, it is done. 110 00:06:31,310 --> 00:06:34,430 Now, I wonder, does that sound familiar to you? 111 00:06:35,150 --> 00:06:38,910 You see, for John's readers, much like ourselves, there has already 112 00:06:38,910 --> 00:06:44,030 been one person who has made this cry, because when Jesus died 113 00:06:44,030 --> 00:06:51,670 on the cross, he exclaimed, it is finished in John chapter 19 and 114 00:06:51,670 --> 00:06:52,230 verse 30. 115 00:06:52,230 --> 00:06:55,470 So there's a great sense of the finality of all things. 116 00:06:55,470 --> 00:06:58,550 In fact, the voice from the throne may even be that of the risen 117 00:06:58,550 --> 00:07:02,760 Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that what has been achieved on Calvary's 118 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,520 cross was complete, it is finished. 119 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,880 And so now it is done in both the salvation of the redeemed and 120 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,360 the judgment of the rebellious. 121 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,360 See, whenever you look at what the original languages say, it is 122 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:20,800 done and it is finished aren't too far apart. 123 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:27,490 And so we have this sense of completeness as we reach the end 124 00:07:27,490 --> 00:07:28,290 of human history. 125 00:07:29,410 --> 00:07:33,130 Verse 18 moves on to tell us what John witnesses at this moment 126 00:07:33,130 --> 00:07:33,610 in history. 127 00:07:33,610 --> 00:07:37,810 And he sees that there are flashes of lightning, rumblings, 128 00:07:37,810 --> 00:07:41,730 peals of thunder, and a great earthquake, such as there had never 129 00:07:41,730 --> 00:07:47,090 been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 130 00:07:48,610 --> 00:07:52,650 And what we're reading here has been manifested in Revelation 131 00:07:52,650 --> 00:07:55,170 already, in what John sees and what he hears. 132 00:07:56,110 --> 00:08:00,550 But as we hear that the end has come, this massive thunderstorm 133 00:08:00,550 --> 00:08:01,310 breaks out. 134 00:08:01,470 --> 00:08:05,190 At the same time, an earthquake, unparalleled in its magnitude 135 00:08:05,190 --> 00:08:08,590 takes place, something foretold by the prophets Daniel and 136 00:08:08,590 --> 00:08:12,030 Joel and spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24. 137 00:08:12,590 --> 00:08:16,030 And we've seen in Revelation that thunder, lightning, and earthquake 138 00:08:16,030 --> 00:08:17,830 tell us of the arrival of the end. 139 00:08:17,830 --> 00:08:21,830 These extreme weather conditions that we just spoke about, 140 00:08:21,830 --> 00:08:23,230 that what do they do for us? 141 00:08:23,310 --> 00:08:24,750 They cause us fear. 142 00:08:25,820 --> 00:08:29,820 And so that's what John's readers are expected to understand, 143 00:08:30,940 --> 00:08:36,020 that whenever these extreme weather events happen, well, there 144 00:08:36,020 --> 00:08:38,140 is fear because it is the end. 145 00:08:40,140 --> 00:08:45,860 But these extreme weather events tell us also of God's awesome 146 00:08:45,860 --> 00:08:50,100 holiness and what is the terror of entering his presence, 147 00:08:50,100 --> 00:08:52,540 especially for those not forgiven of their sins. 148 00:08:53,770 --> 00:08:57,650 But what humanity is witnessing has never been experienced 149 00:08:57,650 --> 00:09:02,090 before, setting the scene for the final judgment that God will 150 00:09:02,090 --> 00:09:02,410 bring. 151 00:09:03,050 --> 00:09:06,090 And we see the beginning of this in verse 19. 152 00:09:06,810 --> 00:09:09,970 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the 153 00:09:09,970 --> 00:09:14,610 nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the Great to make 154 00:09:14,610 --> 00:09:16,570 her drain the cup of the wine. 155 00:09:16,570 --> 00:09:19,050 Of the fury of his wrath. 156 00:09:20,770 --> 00:09:25,650 Now the great city here stands for the city of man, identified as 157 00:09:25,650 --> 00:09:28,130 Babylon, the great enemy of God's people. 158 00:09:29,250 --> 00:09:32,370 Now, Babylon itself was a city state. 159 00:09:33,170 --> 00:09:37,450 In other words, it started off life as a city, but as it grew, the 160 00:09:37,450 --> 00:09:38,810 city couldn't contain it. 161 00:09:38,810 --> 00:09:42,930 And so some planning was done, and eventually small little places 162 00:09:42,930 --> 00:09:44,370 around it grew up. 163 00:09:45,420 --> 00:09:49,020 And so it became a city state, a city that ruled other towns that 164 00:09:49,020 --> 00:09:50,460 became cities themselves. 165 00:09:51,340 --> 00:09:55,220 But by the time of Jesus and by the time of John's writing, it 166 00:09:55,220 --> 00:09:57,500 had become a small settlement in Mesopotamia. 167 00:09:57,820 --> 00:10:00,700 It wasn't anything like it had been in Daniel's day. 168 00:10:00,860 --> 00:10:04,500 It had no army and had no power to influence anything in the 169 00:10:04,500 --> 00:10:04,740 world. 170 00:10:04,740 --> 00:10:07,020 It was defeated as a nation. 171 00:10:07,980 --> 00:10:10,580 And throughout the latter part of the Old Testament and into the 172 00:10:10,580 --> 00:10:14,940 New Testament, it is used as a term to describe the sinful world 173 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:20,240 in which people live, given us as that compare and contrast of any 174 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:21,560 good GCSE paper. 175 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:26,400 The people of God versus the people of Babylon, the people of 176 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,320 the covenant versus the people of sin. 177 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:34,560 See, Babylon was a world that rejected God. 178 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:38,440 And Babylon still for us today is a term that references the world 179 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:42,280 that rejects God and Jesus Christ and wants to live by its own 180 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:43,160 standard. 181 00:10:44,030 --> 00:10:45,550 And don't we see it all around us? 182 00:10:46,590 --> 00:10:48,270 Don't we see it in the cities? 183 00:10:49,310 --> 00:10:50,550 Don't we see it in the times? 184 00:10:50,550 --> 00:10:52,670 Do we even see it in our own village? 185 00:10:54,990 --> 00:11:00,630 Babylon is amongst us because we live in a world that rejects and 186 00:11:00,630 --> 00:11:05,510 continues to reject God, even though it is a world that has been 187 00:11:05,510 --> 00:11:09,070 told of his coming judgment. 188 00:11:11,090 --> 00:11:14,210 So the city of Babylon that John sees is a city that is split 189 00:11:14,210 --> 00:11:14,850 into three. 190 00:11:15,330 --> 00:11:20,210 And what this is telling us is it's signifying its disintegration, 191 00:11:20,770 --> 00:11:21,970 its fragmentation. 192 00:11:22,770 --> 00:11:26,530 And John sees a city and a world that has lost its supremacy. 193 00:11:27,170 --> 00:11:28,530 And the end is at hand. 194 00:11:29,810 --> 00:11:34,090 The great cities or the great structures, the great systems that 195 00:11:34,090 --> 00:11:38,570 have set themselves up against God, are finally reaping what they 196 00:11:38,570 --> 00:11:40,820 deserve, punishment. 197 00:11:41,540 --> 00:11:45,740 No longer will they be on their pedestals of power or their 198 00:11:45,740 --> 00:11:46,820 perceived power. 199 00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:51,300 They will be brought down and they will be punished for their rebellion. 200 00:11:52,180 --> 00:11:55,699 Now, the verse goes on to speak of cities in the plural, but 201 00:11:55,780 --> 00:11:59,140 this plural shouldn't be distinguished from the singular city, 202 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:03,300 because John's point is that the cities of man are all Babylon. 203 00:12:03,540 --> 00:12:09,060 They've all strayed from the ways of God, and God has now remembered 204 00:12:09,060 --> 00:12:13,100 his promises, because the judgment of Babylon is about to commence. 205 00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:16,260 A theme that will be elaborated as we move into chapter 206 00:12:16,340 --> 00:12:17,620 17 through to 19. 207 00:12:18,180 --> 00:12:22,340 And what we now see in verse 19 is God exhibiting His justice 208 00:12:22,340 --> 00:12:25,380 by making Babylon drink the cup of his wrath. 209 00:12:25,860 --> 00:12:29,420 And at the same time, he saves his people from the city of man, 210 00:12:29,420 --> 00:12:32,260 or from the city of man that is oppressing them. 211 00:12:33,140 --> 00:12:37,140 So, as we've seen with revelation before, with judgment, 212 00:12:37,140 --> 00:12:40,860 and with punishment also comes salvation, because there's only one 213 00:12:40,860 --> 00:12:41,460 or the other. 214 00:12:42,100 --> 00:12:46,660 The judgment of the rebellious will lead to the saving of the redeemed 215 00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:47,540 for all eternity. 216 00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:51,780 And the salvation of the redeemed must mean that there's now 217 00:12:51,780 --> 00:12:54,900 eternal punishment for those who have gone against God. 218 00:12:55,620 --> 00:12:59,260 And so this is what Babylon is now forced to drink, this cup of 219 00:12:59,260 --> 00:13:01,430 wrath for her rebellion. 220 00:13:02,070 --> 00:13:05,430 And as we continue into verse 20, the scene shifts from the city, 221 00:13:05,670 --> 00:13:09,870 and John sees islands and mountains, telling us that all the 222 00:13:09,870 --> 00:13:12,710 islands flee away and no mountains can be found. 223 00:13:13,590 --> 00:13:20,790 And what John sees here is the world as we know it vanishing, much 224 00:13:20,790 --> 00:13:24,950 like we saw in Egypt with the plagues of Egypt. 225 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:30,880 God uses unnatural ways to punish the Egyptians. 226 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:32,960 He goes against his own created order. 227 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:36,720 And we see that here that creation is now vanishing. 228 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,800 Creation was given for our good and our blessing, and now it's 229 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:41,520 been taken away. 230 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:46,480 And John Regley signals that the end has come by portraying displacement 231 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:48,240 in the natural order. 232 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:51,280 The natural order is God's way, but now it's vanishing. 233 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:55,610 So we know that God is at work, and soon we will have the new 234 00:13:55,610 --> 00:13:57,370 heaven and the new earth. 235 00:13:59,050 --> 00:14:04,010 And we see this clearly in a number of key moments in Revelation. 236 00:14:04,650 --> 00:14:08,530 We read, for example, in Revelation 6, verse 14, the sixth 237 00:14:08,530 --> 00:14:11,930 seal of judgment, that the sky vanished like a scroll that has been 238 00:14:11,930 --> 00:14:15,530 rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 239 00:14:16,330 --> 00:14:19,050 When God judges on the great white throne. 240 00:14:19,050 --> 00:14:22,410 In Revelation 20, verse 11, we're told, Then I saw a great white 241 00:14:22,410 --> 00:14:25,740 throne, and him who was seated on it fell from his presence. 242 00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:30,860 Earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 243 00:14:31,580 --> 00:14:34,820 When the new creation dawns, the first heaven and the first earth 244 00:14:34,820 --> 00:14:37,420 had passed away, and the sea was no more. 245 00:14:37,420 --> 00:14:39,100 Revelation 21, verse 1. 246 00:14:39,340 --> 00:14:43,860 And so here is a pattern that is going throughout Revelation, and 247 00:14:43,860 --> 00:14:47,580 we're right in the middle of it, that the end is near whenever 248 00:14:47,580 --> 00:14:51,500 God reverses what is the natural created order of things. 249 00:14:52,550 --> 00:14:56,310 And so as the islands flee away and as no mountains can be found, 250 00:14:57,030 --> 00:15:02,870 we must know that God is bringing in his new heaven and new 251 00:15:02,870 --> 00:15:03,270 earth. 252 00:15:05,990 --> 00:15:11,110 But the sad reality of all of this is seen as we read on in verse 253 00:15:11,270 --> 00:15:11,910 21. 254 00:15:13,110 --> 00:15:17,070 And great hailstones, about 100 pounds each, fell from heaven 255 00:15:17,070 --> 00:15:21,400 on people, and they cursed God for the plague of the heel, because 256 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:27,200 the plague was so severe the final judgment has already been described 257 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,640 in terms of a thunderstorm and an earthquake. 258 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:35,840 Now John sees it in the form of a hailstorm, one of the plagues 259 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,200 that devastated Egypt in Exodus chapter 9 and verses 13 to 260 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:40,760 26. 261 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:45,000 And as usual, we see language here that is apocalyptic. 262 00:15:45,470 --> 00:15:46,830 It's end times language. 263 00:15:47,070 --> 00:15:50,870 The world is imploding as hailstones of about a hundred pounds 264 00:15:50,870 --> 00:15:53,470 each are wreaking havoc on humanity. 265 00:15:53,630 --> 00:15:57,350 And as strange as it might seem, even in judgment, there is 266 00:15:57,350 --> 00:15:59,390 one more chance for mercy. 267 00:15:59,870 --> 00:16:04,470 But instead of repenting and turning to God, people curse, and 268 00:16:04,470 --> 00:16:09,430 they revile him in their great suffering, continuing to be convinced 269 00:16:09,430 --> 00:16:12,750 that they do not deserve the punishment that they're facing. 270 00:16:13,230 --> 00:16:18,230 Instead of acknowledging their sin, they continue to be infuriated 271 00:16:18,230 --> 00:16:18,910 with God. 272 00:16:20,030 --> 00:16:24,110 And once again, we see a verification of the rightness of 273 00:16:24,110 --> 00:16:26,030 the punishment they receive. 274 00:16:26,030 --> 00:16:28,830 They are deserving everything they get. 275 00:16:29,470 --> 00:16:33,270 They have opportunity to repent, and rather than receiving 276 00:16:33,270 --> 00:16:39,140 it, they ignore it and become more entrenched against God. 277 00:16:40,980 --> 00:16:45,100 Ultimately, what's witnessed here in this seventh bowl of God's 278 00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:49,460 wrath is the end of gospel opportunity. 279 00:16:50,660 --> 00:16:52,340 This is it. 280 00:16:53,300 --> 00:16:56,980 There are no more opportunities after this bowl is 281 00:16:56,980 --> 00:17:00,900 poured out, because these five verses tell us that at the return 282 00:17:00,900 --> 00:17:04,800 of Christ, we will see the end of the world, the end of worldly 283 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,040 society, and the end of sin. 284 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,200 That's what these verses tell us, an end of the world, the end 285 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,120 of worldly society, and the end of sin. 286 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,640 And for believers, this is good news. 287 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,680 This is great news because it means that we're ready to go truly 288 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:22,080 home. 289 00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:27,280 And there's something wonderful about him that we sometimes 290 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,040 sing called Almost Home. 291 00:17:29,510 --> 00:17:31,750 Don't drop a single anchor. 292 00:17:32,150 --> 00:17:34,070 You're almost home with the course. 293 00:17:34,870 --> 00:17:37,350 Almost home, Almost home. 294 00:17:37,990 --> 00:17:41,750 That sense of knowing there's a place that's beyond this world, 295 00:17:42,390 --> 00:17:46,230 beyond the heartache, beyond the strife, beyond the pain. 296 00:17:47,110 --> 00:17:52,590 And there's a day here, given to us in Revelation, when there will 297 00:17:52,590 --> 00:17:58,090 be the end of the world, the end of worldly society, the end of 298 00:17:58,090 --> 00:17:58,530 sin. 299 00:17:59,810 --> 00:18:03,490 But it's also a day when it will be the end of gospel opportunity. 300 00:18:04,290 --> 00:18:07,410 And for believers, as much as we're looking forward to our heavenly 301 00:18:07,410 --> 00:18:12,050 home, there has to be a tinge of sadness knowing that the time 302 00:18:12,129 --> 00:18:13,730 is finally done. 303 00:18:14,290 --> 00:18:18,890 It is done, comes that voice from the throne of heaven, because 304 00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:22,050 there is no more opportunity to know God's salvation. 305 00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:29,660 This is the hardest reality of all, to accept that the age of responding 306 00:18:29,660 --> 00:18:32,460 to the gospel will end. 307 00:18:34,060 --> 00:18:39,780 But hasn't the writer of Hebrews told us this already in Hebrews 308 00:18:39,780 --> 00:18:42,060 chapter 9 and verses 27 to 28. 309 00:18:42,540 --> 00:18:45,900 And just as it is appointed for man to die once and after that 310 00:18:45,900 --> 00:18:50,020 comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear 311 00:18:50,020 --> 00:18:55,490 the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, 312 00:18:55,650 --> 00:18:58,850 but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. 313 00:18:59,650 --> 00:19:03,530 What the writer of Hebrews is doing here in Hebrews 9, 27 and 28 314 00:19:03,530 --> 00:19:07,690 is stating that Christ's first coming that culminates with his atoning 315 00:19:07,690 --> 00:19:11,690 death for sin on the cross establishes a present opportunity 316 00:19:11,690 --> 00:19:14,130 for salvation through faith in him. 317 00:19:14,370 --> 00:19:17,960 And during this age, sinners who die without believing in Jesus 318 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,580 fear the immediate prospect of divine judgment. 319 00:19:21,060 --> 00:19:24,420 Then, when Christ returns at the end of the age, the opportunity 320 00:19:24,420 --> 00:19:26,740 of salvation is no longer offered. 321 00:19:27,060 --> 00:19:31,980 Instead, Jesus delivers those who have been waiting for him, even 322 00:19:31,980 --> 00:19:35,660 as he brings a destructive end to all those who have rebelled against 323 00:19:35,660 --> 00:19:36,020 him. 324 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:39,380 Those who have been waiting will be taken to heaven, and those 325 00:19:39,380 --> 00:19:42,100 who have rebelled will face that destructive punishment. 326 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,580 And so John's vision shows that even as the terrible judgment 327 00:19:46,580 --> 00:19:51,750 falls on the last day, Christ enemies cursed God for this severe 328 00:19:51,750 --> 00:19:52,150 plague. 329 00:19:52,470 --> 00:19:56,630 And this reaction to God's just punishment confirms their complete 330 00:19:56,710 --> 00:20:01,350 enmity, which is a word we read right at the beginning of Scripture, 331 00:20:01,670 --> 00:20:04,790 their complete enmity towards God. 332 00:20:06,550 --> 00:20:12,350 And as unrepentant enemies and sinners, they are smitten to the 333 00:20:12,350 --> 00:20:15,110 ground by these great hailstones. 334 00:20:16,230 --> 00:20:20,110 Hailstones of the colossal size described here would easily 335 00:20:20,110 --> 00:20:25,750 have enough force to slay all those beneath them, utterly silencing 336 00:20:25,750 --> 00:20:28,310 the lips that curse their God. 337 00:20:29,750 --> 00:20:34,230 Craig Keener is not someone who I would ordinarily read. 338 00:20:34,550 --> 00:20:36,550 He's described as a Baptist. 339 00:20:36,550 --> 00:20:37,670 Pentecostal. 340 00:20:37,990 --> 00:20:40,310 A Baptist, apparently. 341 00:20:40,550 --> 00:20:41,910 Who knew there was such a thing? 342 00:20:42,630 --> 00:20:43,750 But he did say this. 343 00:20:45,030 --> 00:20:50,950 The world dies in its sin, unwilling to repent. 344 00:20:54,550 --> 00:20:55,670 Isn't that sad? 345 00:20:56,870 --> 00:20:57,910 Isn't that striking? 346 00:20:57,910 --> 00:20:59,350 Isn't that confronting? 347 00:21:02,150 --> 00:21:03,590 Let's add another word in there. 348 00:21:03,590 --> 00:21:12,560 The world is willing to die in its sin because it is unwilling to 349 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:13,120 repent. 350 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:21,440 This judgment of the seventh bowl of wrath shows the need for 351 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:26,560 the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit through the ministry of God's 352 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:26,960 Word. 353 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:32,000 Not even the cataclysms of the end of the age can motivate. 354 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:37,420 Let's describe them as Satan's minions to repent and give God the 355 00:21:37,420 --> 00:21:41,260 glory he deserves, even as the last seconds of gospel opportunity 356 00:21:41,260 --> 00:21:43,700 flee away from history forever. 357 00:21:44,740 --> 00:21:48,260 There's a story told of a man who miraculously survived an air 358 00:21:48,260 --> 00:21:48,740 crash. 359 00:21:49,460 --> 00:21:52,780 It's said of him he always expected people who were dying to 360 00:21:52,780 --> 00:21:57,020 cry out to God for mercy in their final moments, but noted that 361 00:21:57,020 --> 00:22:00,860 he heard many respond with cursing following the habit they 362 00:22:00,860 --> 00:22:03,040 had spent their life developing. 363 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,280 You know that last year, and I've told you of a tornado going 364 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:12,080 through our airplane, however many years ago, 2007. 365 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,440 Well, you'll know because I told you we were the last flight 366 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,480 to land into Belfast because of one of the storms in October, 367 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:22,040 the British Airways flight that came in after us had to abort 368 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:23,680 its landing and be diverted. 369 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:27,360 And someone that heard me say this in church came to me and said, 370 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,130 I guarantee you there wasn't any. 371 00:22:30,370 --> 00:22:32,370 There was no atheists on that plane in that moment. 372 00:22:32,370 --> 00:22:33,450 And that might have been very true. 373 00:22:33,450 --> 00:22:34,370 There were no atheists. 374 00:22:35,330 --> 00:22:41,130 But much like this man who survived a plane crash, I didn't 375 00:22:41,130 --> 00:22:43,650 hear very many people calling out to God for fear. 376 00:22:44,850 --> 00:22:46,290 Yes, true, there was no atheist. 377 00:22:46,290 --> 00:22:50,090 But Christians were either praying or those who were rebellious 378 00:22:50,090 --> 00:22:53,010 were continuing to curse him as they'd always done all their lives. 379 00:22:53,010 --> 00:22:58,460 And you see, if you're someone who the Bible describes as a sinner, 380 00:22:58,940 --> 00:23:02,060 someone who hasn't come to Jesus for repentance, do you understand 381 00:23:02,220 --> 00:23:04,620 what the habit of the lifetime now is for you? 382 00:23:05,420 --> 00:23:07,420 Your natural instinct is to curse God. 383 00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:11,780 Now, you may not use profanities as the world understands 384 00:23:11,780 --> 00:23:15,020 cursing, but in your heart you are against Him. 385 00:23:15,580 --> 00:23:16,700 That's what cursing is. 386 00:23:16,780 --> 00:23:19,900 You're against the God who offers you salvation. 387 00:23:21,430 --> 00:23:25,590 And just like those words that Craig Keener comes out with, you 388 00:23:26,470 --> 00:23:32,390 are willingly dying in your sin because you're unwilling to repent. 389 00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:35,030 There's no middle ground. 390 00:23:35,030 --> 00:23:36,870 There's no goodness of ourselves. 391 00:23:36,870 --> 00:23:38,070 There's no good works. 392 00:23:39,430 --> 00:23:45,910 You're willingly dying in sin because you're unwilling to repent. 393 00:23:48,310 --> 00:23:52,470 You see, the example given here of this plane crash should help 394 00:23:52,470 --> 00:23:56,670 persuade us that now is the time to repent before your heart 395 00:23:56,670 --> 00:24:01,470 is so hardened in sin and unbelief that you no longer are able 396 00:24:01,470 --> 00:24:02,230 to repent. 397 00:24:03,670 --> 00:24:09,270 Repent while the day is still now, because there will be a day 398 00:24:09,350 --> 00:24:14,780 when the gospel age will end and you will not have the opportunity 399 00:24:14,780 --> 00:24:15,660 to repent. 400 00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:18,220 And how will you be found? 401 00:24:19,420 --> 00:24:22,620 You'll be found continuing to curse God just as you've done all 402 00:24:22,620 --> 00:24:23,100 your life. 403 00:24:24,220 --> 00:24:26,780 You see, the call tonight is urgent. 404 00:24:27,180 --> 00:24:31,900 If you angrily rise against God in response to minor trials and 405 00:24:31,900 --> 00:24:33,980 judgments that you've already experienced. 406 00:24:34,300 --> 00:24:38,220 Matthew Henry writes, to be hardened in sin and enmity against 407 00:24:38,220 --> 00:24:44,050 God by his righteous judgments is a certain token of utter destruction. 408 00:24:44,850 --> 00:24:50,810 We only become more hard of heart as we rebel against God. 409 00:24:50,810 --> 00:24:55,170 But there is the opportunity for joy and peace while there is 410 00:24:55,170 --> 00:24:55,890 still time. 411 00:24:56,129 --> 00:24:59,930 We each must turn to the Savior to trust him and to live for 412 00:24:59,930 --> 00:25:00,290 Him. 413 00:25:00,370 --> 00:25:03,090 These are the two responses to the Gospel. 414 00:25:03,410 --> 00:25:07,860 Often we can say we have turned to him, and maybe we point 415 00:25:07,860 --> 00:25:10,860 back to a moment in our history whenever we'll say I gave 416 00:25:10,860 --> 00:25:11,660 my life to the Lord. 417 00:25:11,660 --> 00:25:13,220 But you've never lived like it. 418 00:25:13,780 --> 00:25:16,580 You're simply relying on a date and a moment, and you can't 419 00:25:16,580 --> 00:25:17,140 do that. 420 00:25:18,340 --> 00:25:19,580 You have to live for Him. 421 00:25:19,580 --> 00:25:21,220 You have to love him every day. 422 00:25:22,019 --> 00:25:23,620 You have to speak of Him. 423 00:25:25,940 --> 00:25:29,180 Because the second part is that we have to demonstrate that 424 00:25:29,180 --> 00:25:31,540 our faith is indeed well placed in Jesus. 425 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:35,320 Yes, we need that miracle of a moment of salvation, but we must 426 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:38,960 live it to demonstrate whose we are. 427 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,760 And so, as we conclude the seventh bowl of God's wrath, the 428 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,760 warning is to flee the sin that hardens our hearts. 429 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:50,320 And we are to turn to Jesus because the writer of Hebrews assures 430 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:54,000 us again of God's steadfast love towards us in Hebrews 8, verse 431 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:54,320 12. 432 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:58,370 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities and and I will remember 433 00:25:58,370 --> 00:26:00,330 their sins no more. 434 00:26:01,290 --> 00:26:07,250 This is the good news that we have in this gospel age, that while 435 00:26:07,250 --> 00:26:12,250 there is still time we can repent each of us, but we can each 436 00:26:12,250 --> 00:26:14,970 forgive one another for the wrongs that have been done. 437 00:26:15,050 --> 00:26:21,090 We can truly live as Christ's men and women, so that we will demonstrate 438 00:26:21,090 --> 00:26:22,450 the faith that we have. 439 00:26:22,450 --> 00:26:25,450 You see, the glorious hope that we have is Jesus. 440 00:26:26,530 --> 00:26:29,490 The next number of chapters are going to show how this world 441 00:26:29,490 --> 00:26:32,610 will be dismantled and face its punishment. 442 00:26:33,330 --> 00:26:39,370 But we have glorious hope this night that whoever we are, he is 443 00:26:39,370 --> 00:26:43,450 the One who will hold us fast because he is the One who has given 444 00:26:43,450 --> 00:26:46,770 us his all, that he will never turn us away when we come to Him. 445 00:26:47,810 --> 00:26:49,730 For some of you, your hearts may be hard. 446 00:26:51,660 --> 00:26:52,820 Maybe you wouldn't say that. 447 00:26:52,820 --> 00:26:56,060 Maybe you say you believe in Jesus, but even the devil believes 448 00:26:56,060 --> 00:26:56,700 in Jesus. 449 00:26:57,500 --> 00:26:59,900 There's a difference in believing and knowing him as your 450 00:26:59,900 --> 00:27:00,460 Savior. 451 00:27:00,940 --> 00:27:05,180 But there's also a difference in saying that you are Christ's and 452 00:27:05,180 --> 00:27:09,220 yet not living like it, choosing to be angry, choosing to 453 00:27:09,220 --> 00:27:11,740 hold grudges, choosing to be unforgiving. 454 00:27:13,260 --> 00:27:17,910 You see, we are called this night to be truly his, because this 455 00:27:17,990 --> 00:27:22,430 bowl of wrath that is poured out in the air is one that will be 456 00:27:22,430 --> 00:27:23,270 seen by all. 457 00:27:24,070 --> 00:27:27,950 The weather conditions that are presented here are extreme and 458 00:27:27,950 --> 00:27:29,350 they bring with them fear. 459 00:27:30,470 --> 00:27:33,910 But for God's people, His perfect love and peace drives out 460 00:27:33,910 --> 00:27:34,310 fear. 461 00:27:34,870 --> 00:27:38,910 But yet we must truly know him as Savior so that we will know this 462 00:27:38,910 --> 00:27:41,590 truth deep within our hearts. 463 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:47,360 See, that's why we sung that song before we came to God's. 464 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:53,200 Word because of the chorus stead or fixed or resting upon Jehovah. 465 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:55,200 What happens? 466 00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:02,240 Our hearts are fully blessed because we find, as he promised, 467 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:06,800 perfect peace and rest. 468 00:28:08,730 --> 00:28:13,130 Will you find that this evening as you look to Jesus and 469 00:28:13,130 --> 00:28:14,010 trust in him? 470 00:28:14,570 --> 00:28:15,450 Let's pray. 471 00:28:16,650 --> 00:28:20,810 Our Father God, we thank you for your word that assures us of 472 00:28:20,810 --> 00:28:21,530 who you are. 473 00:28:21,530 --> 00:28:25,410 You are the God of judgment, and that is absolutely right and 474 00:28:25,410 --> 00:28:26,570 fair and just. 475 00:28:27,450 --> 00:28:30,810 But you're also the God of salvation, and both go hand in hand. 476 00:28:30,810 --> 00:28:34,650 For as you redeem your people unto glory, so you will punish. 477 00:28:34,650 --> 00:28:38,610 But as you punish rebellious people, so that means it is the moment 478 00:28:38,610 --> 00:28:40,310 for when you will bring your home. 479 00:28:40,630 --> 00:28:44,150 There is no middle ground and we cannot sit on the fence. 480 00:28:44,950 --> 00:28:50,310 So Father, make us wake up to the reality of who we truly are and 481 00:28:50,310 --> 00:28:52,870 to the Christ and Savior we truly need. 482 00:28:54,710 --> 00:28:58,550 Lord, may indeed this night be one of true glorious hope for us 483 00:28:59,110 --> 00:29:02,950 that as we study this last book of the Bible, this great book, 484 00:29:03,670 --> 00:29:07,900 so Christ will be revealed to us and we will understand the urgency 485 00:29:07,900 --> 00:29:13,060 of what it means to know him as Savior, to flee from our sin and 486 00:29:13,060 --> 00:29:14,060 to live for him. 487 00:29:14,060 --> 00:29:16,580 For the day is coming when he will return. 488 00:29:17,940 --> 00:29:21,540 So Father, help us to respond well to your word this night. 489 00:29:21,859 --> 00:29:24,420 In Jesus name, amen.