Revelation 15:5-19:10
(Week 9 of 12)
Dr. Robert Wall
Suggestions for Daily Readings
- 15:5-16:21
- 17:1-8
- 17:9-18
- 18:1-8
- 18:9-20
- 18:21-24
- 19:1-10
Follow the three movements of this week’s reading…
God’s Wrath (15-16)
In this section of Revelation, God brings down the
hammer: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God”
(16:1). Picture emptying a full bucket
of water on a small sandcastle – utter destruction! How do we make sense of our loving God acting
so violently? Dr. Wall puts this
destruction in perspective, reminding us that destruction of the old precedes
reconstruction of the new, as in a full kitchen remodel. I remember putting a new roof on my house
(with major help from my friends Eric & Grant). Because the problem (leaks & mold) went
down to the core of the plywood, just installing a surface cover of new
shingles wouldn’t fix anything. A full
tear-off of the old roof was required – and that demolition project required
violent force.
Evil Babylon’s
Fall (17-18)
At the center of all evil that rejects God we find a
city, Babylon, repeatedly referred to as a whore. Most scholars agree that John’s vision is
referring to the city of Rome, a city built on seven hills (17:9). Dr. Wall points out that Rome isn’t the only
city to be built on seven hills – so is Seattle! He underscores a major aspect of Babylon’s
evil that is described in the account of the fall of Babylon in chapter 18: economic
exploitation and godless materialism. Read the passages that describe the merchants,
their trade, and the judgment that is poured out upon them. What relevance does this have for life in our
society today, dominated as it is by trade & materialism? Dr. Wall doesn’t hide his answer to this
question…read it and consider how it makes you feel.
Hallelujah Chorus
(19:1-10)
No surprise here.
A victory for God brings another loud worship song, a four-verse “Hallelujah!”
chorus. Read and reflect on these words
of praise to nurture your worship of the Lord…and listen to the Hallelujah
chorus of Handel’s Messiah!
Questions for Application
- What place do trade, profits, advertising, & materialism have in the fully-realized Kingdom of God?
- Will there be a “Fortune 500” list in heaven? If not, why do we citizens of God’s reign spend so much of our lives serving this power?
- As Dr. Wall asks at the end of his commentary, “How can one be Christian within Babylon’s self-destructive system?”
- Also from Dr. Wall: Think of three concrete ways that we can unstick ourselves from the gluey materialism that adheres to all areas of our lives.
The Scene
What does the scene look like? What stands out to you visually?Revelation contains a strange mix of vision elements – some readily understood and others quite mysterious. What do you understand? What remains mysterious?
The Characters
Who are the living characters who appear in this
scene? What does the text tell you about
them? How do they interact with one
another…what is the dramatic action? What remains mysterious about them?
The Message
What do the characters do or say or sing? If you were to summarize this in a word or
phrase, how would you put it? What remains unclear or mysterious with regard to a
message in the text?
Memorize or Meditate on the song in Revelation 19:6-8.
6 Then I heard what sounded
like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of
thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For
our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be
glad
and
give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and
his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and
clean,
was
given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous
acts of God’s holy people.)
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