Home / Revelation: Verse by Verse / Revelation 15–16
God’s Final Plagues of Wrath
- Passage
- Revelation 15–16
- Taught
- June 15, 2025
Summary
The slides open with a chapter-by-chapter summary of Revelation so far, with the Lamb and the 144,000 of chapter 14 and a “Revelation Made Simple” overview. Chapter 15 begins with another sign in heaven: seven angels with the last plagues, and those who conquered the beast standing beside a sea of glass singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. The slides give the song of Moses from Exodus 15 and verses that every nation will one day worship God, with the takeaways of victory through faithfulness, worship, God’s holiness and certain judgment.
In chapter 16 the seven bowls are poured out: sores, the sea turned to blood, rivers and springs turned to blood, scorching heat, darkness on the beast’s throne, the drying of the Euphrates and the gathering of the kings at Armageddon, and finally a voice crying, “It is done!” with the greatest earthquake ever and hailstones of about a hundred pounds. The slides compare the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments and show the parallels with the ten plagues of Egypt.
They also show the Euphrates, Megiddo and the Jezreel plain, cite Joel 3 and Zechariah 14 on the nations gathered for battle, and give the “thief in the night” passages that stand behind 16:15. They list the reasons for God’s wrath on Babylon, among them idolatry, oppression, pride, sorcery, persecuting the saints and corrupt wealth.
The two chapters
The class read them this way:
- 15:1–8. The seven angels with the seven plagues, and the song of Moses and the Lamb.
- 16:1–7. The first three bowls.
- 16:8–16. The fourth to sixth bowls, and Armageddon.
- 16:17–21. The seventh bowl.
Practical takeaways from Revelation 16
The slides give these takeaways:
- God’s sovereignty and the assurance of victory for believers.
- A call to repentance while there is time.
- Stay spiritually vigilant for Christ’s return.
- God’s justice is perfect, and rebellion against him is futile.
- The urgency of the gospel.
Questions to talk about
- The people under the bowls curse God instead of repenting. What does that show about the hardness of the heart?Revelation 16:9, 11, 21.
- What does “stay awake and keep your garments” look like in my daily life?Revelation 16:15.
- What song of praise do I owe God for who he is?Revelation 15:3–4.