Day 6 of Read: Revelation

On Tuesday we read Revelation 16-18. At the beginning of chapter 16 we see the final 7-fold judgment of God called the "bowl judgments". Here is the judgment that comes when each bowl of wrath is poured out on the earth:

• 1. Sores break out on those who worship the beast
• 2. The seas turn to blood and everything in the sea dies.
• 3. The fresh water (rivers and springs) turn to blood.
• 4. The heat of the sun becomes intense scorching and burning people with fire.
• 5. This judgment is specifically directed at the beast so that his kingdom is "plunged into darkness". Apparently his followers are in such agony that they gnaw on their own tongues.
• 6. The Euphrates river dries up so that the kings of the east can prepare themselves for battle against God. Also, the demons which possessed the beast and false prophet are released to go gather the kings of the whole world, and these demons appear like frogs.
• 7. This is the end of God's judgment upon the earth (see Rev. 15:1), and God declares from the great city that "it is done!" while a great earthquake shakes the whole earth.

In chapter 17 we see the destruction of the woman who is on the beast. She is called Babylon, which is the world's system that is directly opposed to Jesus Christ. In this chapter we see its destruction and in chapter 18 we see the angels in heaven rejoicing over her destruction while the evil inhabitants of the earth mourn for her destruction.
Did you notice all of the different numbers listed in chapter 17 surrounding the description of Babylon? As you can imagine, the angel is correct in telling John in 17:9 that "this calls for a mind of wisdom." How many symbolic numbers did you find (ie. how many hills are listed? how many kings?).
Remember: tonight we are finishing our study and will be eating pizza. Come hungry! And remember, it's Jack Knoll's birthday too!