Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: What's the secret to understanding the book of Revelation? Well, many do find it confusing. In this section of Revelation that we're studying right now, our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, teaches us to see people and events in terms of the number seven. Welcome to Thru the Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'm so glad that you're here as we set off for another great adventure in God's Word.

Now, you've probably heard the number seven called the perfect number, and Dr. McGee actually corrects that by explaining that seven is the number of completion and that sometimes the completeness is perfection, like when God created the heavens and the earth in six days and then he rested on the seventh, not only because his work was complete but because it was perfect.

We'll see here in Revelation, as we study several series of sevens, all a picture of completeness, meaning it covers all: seven years covering all the tribulation, seven churches representing a complete history of the church. In this study of chapter 15, we'll see seven angels and seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God. Looking for the sevens is a good grid to get into our heads. Dr. McGee will explain more later.

So as you grab your Bible and open it to Revelation 15, let's begin with a letter from Baltimore, Maryland, only we'll hear Dr. McGee read it. He appreciated any letter that illustrated how the Word of God is applied where the rubber meets the road, as he put it. Let's listen.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: I'm going to share with you today a most remarkable letter that's come from a place in Maryland, and I don't think I should give the place. However, I'm sure the couple would not mind. I'm reading now. It says, "It's a long and unusual story on how I came to listen to your broadcast and subsequently became a Christian. Your interpretation of God's Word, I'm sure, has done as much for others as it has done for me in terms in bringing us closer to the Lord Jesus.

I never reflected upon the Bible as such a great source for the many questions that perplex modern life. Your thorough understanding certainly makes the grace of God a living and very real thing. I listen often to your broadcast in my automobile on WRBS in Baltimore, Maryland. It's probably due to your program and the great faith the Holy Spirit has imparted in me that my wife and I founded our young business.

Although it's small and we have had some minor struggles, I can truly say that the Lord has really blessed us in our endeavor. We're primarily involved in interior design and architecture. The enclosed gift is returning a part of our labors to him who made it all possible in the beginning. Oftentimes, my staff gathers around the radio to listen to your message. It is a warm feeling, and we thank you so much for encouraging the Holy Spirit to be among us.

We try to make the quality of our work bear testimony to the greatness of our Lord." And friends, I've shared that rather personal letter with you because of the very wonderful fact of how Christianity can be put in shoe leather and translated into the business world today.

Steve Schwetz: Well, what a great letter. You know, and like that gentleman in Maryland, I'm also in business for myself, and not only has it been a joy and sometimes a challenge for me to model grace to all those I come into contact with, God's blessing has also enabled me to spend time as a volunteer host and board member for Thru the Bible, and I really never get tired of hearing how the Word of God applies to every area of our lives, and I hope that's true for you as well.

And that's also the sentiment from a listener named JB, who shares, "Dr. McGee is so good. I'm studying now, and I have grown so close to Jesus. Let's continue to look up and stand up for Jesus. I'm so pleased by so many being saved. This young generation is spreading his word at colleges and schools, and that is why we were born, to glorify the Father. So thankful for those giving their lives to Jesus. God turns evil into good, and one day, we're gone home."

Amen, JB. He does. And let's glorify him now by praying and then studying his Word together. Father, thank you for the encouragement of the saints that your Word is living and powerful, and it's sharper than any two-edged sword and a discerner of the intents of the heart. We do submit ourselves to you and ask that your Spirit would draw all men, women, and children to yourself. In Jesus' most precious name, we pray. Amen.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now I come back today to this very remarkable chapter 15 of Revelation. And it's remarkable because it actually is the entranceway and the introduction to the last sevens in Revelation that concern the great tribulation period. It introduces the seven bowls of wrath that are poured out upon the earth. Now, the last two verses, and I'll read verses seven and eight together again, here in the 15th chapter.

It says, "One of the four living creatures," now that was at the throne of God, you'll recall, "gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God," now this is not the love of God, it's judgment, "the wrath of God who liveth forever and ever. And the sanctuary," that is, the temple, "was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one was able to enter into the sanctuary or the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be finished."

Now the very fact we continue to deal with the temple ought to indicate to anyone that's knowledgeable that we're not dealing with the church. The temple and tabernacle had nothing to do with the church. They are marvelous pictures of Christ that have spiritual lessons for us today. I have a book on the tabernacle, God's Portrait of Christ. But that does not mean that we're to build a temple today or a tabernacle. And here it refers to people who had a tabernacle and a temple, and that, of course, is Israel.

But a great many are reluctant to admit that because they dismiss Israel in the plan and purpose of God when you get to the beginning of the New Testament. And the New Testament does not dismiss them, as you can see. Now these are seven golden bowls. They represent the final part of the great tribulation period. And I think bowls better described the containers here than the word vials in our authorized version. When I think of a vial, I think of a little test tube that's used in the laboratory.

But here, these are bowls. They're large, and they were used in the temple service. A bowl of blood was taken by the high priest one day each year into the holy of holies, and the bowl of blood spoke of redemption for sin. Now these seven angels with priestly garments, they've departed from the temple proper. They're no longer engaged in a service of mercy, but they're beginning a strange ministry, pouring out bowls of wrath on a Christ-rejecting world.

A world that has rejected the blood of Christ must now bear the judgment for sin. This judgment is not the result of man's or Satan's enmity. It's the direct action of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gentle Jesus, but we saw that strange statement at the beginning of this section, "the wrath of the Lamb." We never think of a little lamb being angry. A lion can roar, but not a little lamb. But "the wrath of the Lamb," and that's the thing that's going to startle the world someday.

Now the prophets used this figure of the cup of iniquity and wrath, which would be finally poured out in judgment. In fact, their picture was that God is patiently letting it fill up. When it fills up, he'll move in. And smoke here is connected with the glory of God. I do not want to enlarge upon that at this time. Now these seven angels with seven golden bowls make it clear that the judgments of the bowls proceed from God and are not the result of man's miscalculations and mistakes or of Satan's enmity.

This is the direct action of God. Now the number seven that's been running all through this book will continue. It does not mean perfection. So many today think that seven in scripture denotes perfection. Again, may I repeat this, it denotes completeness. And this denotes the complete judgment and final judgment of God upon this world in which we live. We come now to chapter 16 and the pouring out of the bowls of wrath.

And I come definitely now to verse one, I'm reading from my translation. "And I heard a great voice out of the sanctuary or the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth.'" Now the Lord Jesus Christ is still in charge here. Remember way back when he opened the seven-seal book? And that ushered in this entire series of sevens. And he's not through. He is in command to the end of this book, friend.

He is the one who's marching to victory. He is the one that the power and the glory and the majesty belong to him. And this is his judgment upon a Christ-rejecting world. Now the Father has committed all judgment unto him. And he's the one that gives the command that sends them out. There's no longer delay, no longer an interval or an intermission. The hour has come. The order is given and the seven angels execute the command.

Now it's difficult for man, even Christians, to believe that God is going to pour out his wrath on a rebellious and God-hating world and destroy this civilization. But my friend, everything that you look at today is under the judgment hand of God. I'd love if I had time to just stay here for a few moments. I know when Mrs. McGee and I first came to Southern California, we thought we'd entered the millennium, by the way, when we came out here.

But those were the good old days before all this great population came out and before we had smog and traffic. I still love it, however, but nevertheless, it's not like it was then. Every Monday, we'd take time off and go see something. We'd drive to the beach, to the mountains, to the desert. And I know that one time we were driving out Wilshire Boulevard, and it's a very attractive street. I tell you, drive out at night, you could see all the liquor signs and all that the world of glamour has to offer today.

In every department that would satisfy the flesh in every way, it would satiate all of the demands of the flesh. And as we were driving out there, I said to my wife, I said, "You know, this is beautiful, isn't it? It's interesting. But," I said, "do you know that all of this is passing away?" You remember that the apostle said to the Lord Jesus, "Look at the temple." He said that not one stone would be left on another. They said, "Look at it, how beautiful it is."

They were amazed that he'd make a statement like that. And he told them, not one stone was going to be left on another. I said to my wife, I said, "You know, all of this is passing away. It's under the judgment hand of God. God's going to judge it all. It's all going up in smoke someday. Believe me, we need to make our investments in heaven where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and thieves can't break through and steal it. Because I tell you, down here, you're going to lose it someday."

Somebody says, "I've got my investments, they're gilt-edged. I've got my bonds in safety deposit box." Well, I didn't say somebody's going to get them, friends. I'm saying you're going to leave them someday. And that's just as bad. In fact, that's even worse than if a thief stole them because you're going to release your hand in death and you're going to turn them loose and move out. This world we're living in is under the judgment hand of God.

And it's hard for believers to accept that. We have been fed so much of the saccharine sweetness of love, this insipid preaching of liberalism. And the average man believes that all is sweetness and light, that it's rose water and roses. And God would not discipline or punish anyone. Well, read the book of Revelation. And this is judgment. Now, I'm reading verse two here. "And the first went and poured out his bowl into the earth and it became a noisome and grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the wild beast and that worshiped his image."

Vincent writes, "Each angel, as his turn comes, withdraws from the heavenly scene." In other words, the angel leaves the place where the mercy seat is. And it's now judgment. And he leaves that and he comes out and pours the judgment bowl of wrath upon the earth. Now, this one is quite interesting. It looks as if God is engaged in germ warfare upon the followers of Antichrist. Scripture states that the life of flesh is in the blood, and also death is in the blood.

And these putrefying sores are worse than leprosy or cancer. And as man discovers a remedy today for one disease, another that's more frightful appears. These are judgments of God by which he reveals physically what man is morally: utterly corrupt. And this compares to the sixth plague in Egypt and is the same type of sore or boil. It's interesting to note that Moses predicted judgment that was coming upon Israel someday just like this. And that is given to us back in the book of Deuteronomy, by the way.

I probably ought to take a moment off and just turn to that and read to you. In Deuteronomy 28:15, it says, "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." Verse 27, now here's the list of them. "The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with emerods, and with the scab, with the itch whereof thou canst not be healed."

This is a terminal sore, by the way. And then verse 35, another. "The Lord shall smite thee in the knees and in the legs with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of the foot to the top of the head." And Moses predicted that. Now this is for those who receive the mark of the beast. Now those that didn't, they're in a bad way also. We've already seen that, they can't buy and sell. And the old bromide today, a man must eat, and he'll do anything for that.

If a man has a family that's starving and he can't work and he can't buy, therefore, and he can't beg, nobody'll give to him, and he has several starving little children, you know, I'm not going to blame him if he breaks into a market and gets something for them because his little children have got to eat. That is a strong drive that man has, he must eat. And therefore that awful thing that's put upon man unless he has the mark of the beast.

But those that have the mark of the beast are not going to have it so easy, because at the end of the great tribulation, God will judge them with this. And this is a judgment of God. And may I just add this? I have always interpreted the cancer that I had as a judgment from God. I still do it today, that I feel that's what it was. And the fact God healed me is the fact that God forgave me and has given me my greatest ministry since then.

So I am rejoicing in that. But this doesn't cause these people to turn to God. Now let me read verse three here, the second bowl. "And the second poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died, even the things in the sea." Now this plague is more severe than the second trumpet. I told you we've come now to the worst of all. When the second trumpet was blown, only one-third of the sea became blood.

Now here it's the total sea and the blood is as of a dead man. Now blood's a token of life. Scripture says the life of the flesh is in the blood. And the sea's a great reservoir of life. It's teeming with life. And the salty water is a cathartic for the filth of the earth. However, in this plague, blood is the token of death, and the sea becomes a grave of death instead of a womb of life. The cool sea breezes become a stench from the carcasses floating on the surface of the water that's now bloody and lining the shore.

Commerce is paralyzed. Human beings die like flies. The first plague in Egypt, you remember, was the turning of the waters of the Nile into blood. Striking similarity here. I wonder if we realize today how much we are dependent on God. The light company, the gas company, and the water company all send me bills. But where did they get the light and the gas and the water? Well, it's quite obvious that they had something to do in getting it to us.

But God is the one who created light and the gas and the water also. But has God ever sent you a bill for sunshine, for the water you drink, and the air you breathe? Have you paid him? And he's not sent his bill, and you'd not be able to pay it if he did. God, who has been so gracious to a Christ-rejecting world, will at last judge all the earth. The angels pour out the bowls in the day of God's wrath.

Now, the third bowl of wrath, verses four through seven. "And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of the waters, and it became blood. And I heard the angel of the water saying, 'Righteous art thou, who art and who wast, the holy one, because thou didst judge these things. For they shed the blood of saints and prophets, and blood didst thou give them to drink. They're worthy.' And I heard the altar saying, 'Yea, the Lord God the Almighty, true and righteous are his judgments.'"

Now this plague, similar to that of the third trumpet, is again more severe. There, one-third of the fresh water was affected. Here, the total water supply of the earth will be cut off. This means destruction of human life on an unparalleled plane. The angel of the waters, well, he's an angel who superintends God's water department. And this reveals, I think, another ministry of angels as it affects creation. They're in charge of the different departments of the physical universe.

We've seen the four angels in this book who control the winds. This angel who knows the whole story now declares that God is right and holy in this act of judgment. And my friend, whatever God does is righteous and holy. If you don't agree with him, that's too bad. You're wrong, not God. Imagine a little man standing up today and saying concerning the Creator, "I don't think he's doing right." Well, I have a statement to make to you, in fact, a question.

What are you going to do about it? In fact, what can you do about it? If you're not in agreement with God, you better get in agreement with him, my friend. God is righteous in everything that he does. Now, "they shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and blood didst thou give them to drink." That's poetic justice with a vengeance. Those who take the sword will perish with the sword, and the shedding of blood leads to the shedding of blood.

These who are being judged made martyrs of God's people, and now God is forcing those who killed them to drink blood for the righteous blood they spilled. And the prayers under the altar are now being answered. God was long time getting to it, but he's got to it. And the world is guilty before him. Now we see here the pouring out of the fourth bowl. "And the fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.

And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who hath the power over these plagues, and they repented not to give him glory." Now our Lord predicted that there would be signs in the sun during the great tribulation period. "There shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring." We'll take up right there next time. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: Wow, these judgments are complete and really may seem harsh, but it's important to remember that God is very patient with evildoers and he doesn't want anyone to die without knowing him. I don't know about you, but I'm sure glad that we're coming to the end of our study of this terrible season. In just another week, we're going to hear about the return of Jesus Christ on a white horse to judge, to make war with the Antichrist, and at last to bring peace to a war-torn world.

The warning that we have of judgment to come is a good reminder that Jesus is calling you to himself, to save you from your sin and the wrath to come, to rescue you and to include you at his side during these horrific judgments. If you've heard the invitation, then this is your day to respond. Accept his mercy and turn to him while you still have the opportunity. The Bible tells us that our lives are like a mist that is here today and then gone tomorrow.

You don't know what life holds for you, so make this decision a priority. To know more about God's invitation to come to him, click on "How Can I Know God?" in our app or at TTB.org. Or if you'd rather, call and we'll put a few resources in the mail too. The number again is 1-800-65-BIBLE. Again, that's 1-800-652-4253. And if you want to share this study with others, our free Bible Companion for Revelation is really the perfect way to do it.

In it, you'll get a synopsis of Dr. McGee's teaching as well as prompts to both listen to Dr. McGee's message and read the scripture for yourself, as well as some pretty great questions for reflection or better yet, group study. You'll find it right there in our app or download it for free at TTB.org. You can also give us a call at 1-800-65-BIBLE to purchase a single copy or pack of 10 for your small group. Our journey through the whole Word of God continues. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I've got a seat on the Bible Bus reserved just for you.