For more information about our teaching and preaching ministry, you can find us online at cornerstoneorlando.org. The following sermon has been brought to you by Cornerstone Orlando, making disciples for the glory of God. The title of our sermon this afternoon is Bowls of Wrath. This is part two. In the section of text we're looking at, introducing these bowls and God's judgment, Revelation chapter 15 verses 5 through 8. So last week now in our study through the book of Revelation, we took an introductory look at the cycle of bowls or the cycle of vials in chapter 15 verses 5 through 8, this introduction. In describing the wrath of God being poured out in these temporal judgments, the Lord is preparing and equipping his church to endure through tribulation. And that's the purpose or the intention of these texts. Not unlike the warning of Paul given to us this morning in Romans 16, preparing us to deal with divisive men who cause division and offenses contrary to the doctrine we've learned, these vignettes, these visions, these scenes in the book of Revelation are intended to prepare the church for enduring the time of her tribulation. We're walking through what is known in scripture as a period of great tribulation. Great because it's lasted 2,000 years since the coming of Christ, and will continue to last until Jesus Christ returns. We're covering a period of time In history, that Paul refers to as perilous times, where evil men and imposters grow worse and worse, we're walking through a time of tribulation. These cycles prepare God's people for enduring the difficulties that they will face until the Lord Jesus Christ returns. The Lord intends to equip and prepare His church for those difficulties. The texts inform us so that we know what to expect. Like the Lord said to His disciples in John 16, it's so that we might not be made to stumble. As we asserted last week in considering the introduction of the bowls, we as Christians, those who have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love, have been conveyed into his kingdom, but are not promised a life of ease. There is a future rest that remains for the people of God. That rest has not yet been fulfilled, and while we are here, we are the church militant. We are the church embattled. We have to endure through many tribulations, Paul says, before we enter the kingdom of heaven. God will, however, deliver His people. And when God delivers His people, He delivers His people through the sea or through the flood of His own judgment to the glory of His own name. The church militant will soon be the church triumphant, sharing in the glory of our Lord. So what is the message of Revelation to us? The message of Revelation to us is press on. Press on, endure, persevere. Don't count it a strange thing when various trials and difficulties and tribulations come upon you. In fact, count yourself blessed when those tribulations come upon you. They're evidence that the Lord is working out His decreed ends for this age and that He is delivering His people. Press on, be faithful until death, the Lord says, and He will give you the crown of life. So this cycle, the cycle of bowls that begins in Revelation chapter 15, is the fifth cycle in this book, and it emphasizes the judgment of God being poured out on the earth, the judgment of God being poured out upon those who dwell on the earth during our present age. This is the age, brothers and sisters, in which we now live. To borrow language from Romans 1, this cycle emphasizes the wrath of God that is presently being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. When he says there in Romans 1 that his wrath is presently being revealed, These are the judgments, this is the wrath that he's referring to, the wrath that is depicted on the pages of Revelation. And the way that these judgments are depicted, the way that it is written here, described for us in the book of Revelation, in particular in this fifth cycle, is reminiscent of Egypt. It's reminiscent of the plagues that we'll see as we work through the cycle. It's reminiscent of the plagues that God poured out in judgment upon the Egyptians as he saved his people from their hard bondage in Egypt. His people are suffering under difficult slavery. He pours out the plagues of a judgment upon those who oppress them. Plague after plague of righteous retribution ending or culminating in death in the darkness of night, where he delivers his people by the blood of the Lamb, and they walk through the sea of his judgment on dry land. From that point on, from the time of the Exodus, Egypt becomes typological for how God saves his people. God delivers his people through judgment to his own glory. Salvation through judgment to the glory of God. Egypt becomes typological of that pattern, and we see that pattern repeated throughout the Bible. It's a picture, Egypt is a picture or a symbol of how God delivers and how God delivers his people to his own glory, for the glory of his own name. But the cycle, this fifth cycle, begins with John's vision of the heavenly temple, the naos, that word referring to the most holy place. And the temple is open in heaven. This is where the throne of God is, the very seat of God. God is said to dwell in the Naos, in the most holy place, between the cherubim. If you remember the Ark of the Covenant, those two angels atop the seat, the mercy seat where the high priest would go in and sprinkle that with blood on the Day of Atonement once per year, there were two giant cherubim, their wings touching in the middle, and God, God's very presence was said to dwell between the cherubim in the most holy place in the temple, that place where only the high priest could enter once per year. Now we know with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ having delivered His people from their sin, having taken their punishment upon Himself on the tree, having satisfied the wrath of God, having satisfied the demands of God's law that were written against them, the Lord Jesus Christ has delivered His people so that they have access to the very throne of God in the Holy of Holies. that veil in the temple, rent into, and now through Jesus Christ. Because our forerunner entered there on our behalf, you and I have access to the very throne of grace. It's the throne of grace in the most holy place that these judgments are being poured out, that these judgments are coming, these decrees are being made. And John sees this in verse five. After these things, John says, I looked and behold, the temple or the sanctuary of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple, out of the naos, out of the most holy place, came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with a golden band or a golden sash. Last week, as we began our look at this text, we noted the priestly references in the text. This is very interesting, and it's something we need to understand. Those priestly references began with the use of the word martyrian, translated testimony, in verse 5. The temple of the tabernacle of the martyrian, or the testimony. That's not only a reference to the Ark of the Covenant, or the mercy seat, in the Most Holy Place, where a high priest would sprinkle that with blood once a year on the Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of the people. But that testimony, that Marturion, is also a New Testament reference to THE Marturion, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who It's a reference to his atoning sacrifice on behalf of sinners, the one who entered behind the veil in the most holy place with his own blood, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. This is a reference to the new covenant, a reference to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He is our testimony. Amen? He is our righteousness. He is our martyrian, the one who now always lives to make intercession for his people. And think with me now. It's not as though the Lord Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, always interceding for us with words before the Father, as though he has to continuously speak to the Father on our behalf. It's not really what intercession means here. Jesus Christ is the living intercession for sinners. He stands there as our sacrifice. He stands there as our righteousness. He is our life. His very presence in the throne room in the most holy place of God is an indication that his people have been justified and have, present active, have peace with God through Him. He is our living intercession, do you see? It's not that the Lord Jesus Christ gives us eternal life, and then we have that to ourselves. It's not like this is eternal life, and He hands it to us, and we take it, and now this eternal life is ours. No, no, no. For all eternity, our eternal life is wrapped up in Him. He is our life, right? He is our life. None of the blessings that we have, none of the blessings that we have come apart, if you will, from the mediation of Jesus Christ as our great high priest, as our mediator. There is one mediator between God and man, God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. He lives as our intercession. So there are these priestly references, the first of which is the reference alluded to of the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. But also, The angels here, in verse five, are clothed like those who serve in the temple as priests. And with their garments, in verse five, verse six, with their garments, they are intentionally identified with Jesus Christ himself in his priestly garments from Revelation chapter one. If you remember in Revelation chapter one, verse 13, Jesus Christ himself is clothed in a linen garment down to his feet with a golden band or a golden sash around his chest. There, as our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, walks in the midst of the lampstands. If you remember there, in that text, where is it that we find lampstands in the Bible? We find them in the temple. These are the lampstands that are in the temple. And here, Jesus Christ, our great high priest, is the one who walks in the midst of the lampstands, he trims the wicks, he cares for his church, in other words, filling those lampstands, the bowls that sit atop those lampstands, filling those bowls with the oil of his spirit. What is he doing? He's caring for his church. He's interceding for his church. This is his priestly session as our great high priest, serving in the temple of heaven, if you will, caring for us, caring for his people. We find those lampstands in the temple. And in this case, in Revelation chapter 15, verse six, these priests are identified with the priestly service of our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, in that they are clothed in the same way. Exodus chapter 28 verse 3 speaks of that clothing where Moses says, make Aaron's garments to consecrate him so that Aaron may minister to me as priests. And these are the garments which they shall make, a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. These are clothed in bright white linen robes with a golden sash about their chest. It's the garments, the clothing of a priest. Now further, Revelation chapter 15 verse 6, these priest-like serving angels identified with Jesus Christ as our great high priest, they carry golden bowls. Everywhere in the Old Testament that golden bowls are mentioned, they're mentioned in association with priestly service at the altar in the temple. These were utensils, if you will, that the priests used in their service, their priestly service, their sacrificial service at the temple. And furthermore, just like other theophanies or displays, if you will, of the presence of God in the Old Testament, when priestly service was offered in the temple, When the temple was dedicated, God's presence was often shown to be there when he filled the temple with a cloud of his glory. We see that in verse six and following. Verse seven, verse eight, that the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from the power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues or the seven angels was completed. So just like those theophanies in the Old Testament, when the temple service was dedicated, The glory of God filled the temple. Here in verse 8, the most holy place filled with smoke, filled with the Shekinah glory of God. So again, all of these are priestly references in the text. We have to ask ourselves, ask the text, what's the point of those priestly references, right? What's the point of these references to temple service in the heavenly sanctuary? What is the priestly or intercessory service that these angels are performing in pouring out the bowls of God's judgment? What priestly service are they performing? What is going on in the most holy place of God, in the very throne room of God, that leads to these judgments being poured out by angels who are identified with Jesus Christ as our great high priest? What's going on here? Now, not to oversimplify the concept, but think with me for a moment. The office of prophet, right? The prophet is said to face the people on behalf of God. In other words, the prophet would stand with his back to God, facing the people, and the job of the prophet, the main concern of the prophet, was to preach the word of God to the people of God, right? He would preach the word of God to the people. The priest, on the other hand, faces God on behalf of the people. So Jesus Christ, as our great high priest, stands, as it were, with his back to the people, facing God on their behalf as our great high priest. The priest intercedes for the people. And that intercession, largely in the Old Testament, took place at the altar in the temple. So in communicating this to us, what is John doing? John is taking his new covenant ink pen, He's dipping it in the inkwell of the Old Testament, drawing forth those pictures from Old Testament temple worship to inform our understanding of what's going on here in Revelation chapter 15 and 16 with the judgment of the bulls, okay? These images are informative. We've seen this priestly temple service before in the book of Revelation. So in order to understand what's going on here, let's look at a few texts that will help us understand. What rises to God From the altar now, in the heavenly sanctuary, is not the smoke from those Old Testament animal sacrifices. That's not what rises to God anymore. If you remember from the Old Testament, anytime an animal was sacrificed, often the golden bowls were used to carry the fat. the entrails, they would use the golden bowls to carry parts of the animals to the offering, to the altar, to be burned on the altar, or they would use the golden bowls to carry pieces outside the camp, or to carry those pieces that would be consumed by the priests. Those golden bowls used in that temple service. And then the Bible would say that the smoke that rose from the altar That burnt offering was a sweet-smelling aroma to God. It was a sweet-smelling aroma to God. When that offering, that sacrifice was offered from a pure heart, from a heart of faith, from a heart of love and gratitude for the Lord, when they worship the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, it was considered a sweet-smelling sacrifice. When they did that from an impure heart, when they did that apart from faith, God said that rises to him as a stench in his nostrils. and he condemned their sacrifices. Here, it's not the smoke of an animal sacrifice that is rising any longer from that altar. The Lord Jesus Christ entered the most holy place once for all with his own shed blood, purchasing our eternal redemption. It's not the smoke of an animal sacrifice that arises. So what is it that arises from that altar? We know from Scripture, it is the prayers, the prayers of his people. It's the prayers of the saints, those golden bowls. They're not being used any longer to carry the fat of the sacrifice like they were in the Old Testament. They're being used to offer up to God the prayers and pleas of the saints as our living intercessor stands by the very throne of God in heaven. Now to take a look at that, turn back with me to Revelation chapter five. Revelation chapter five. Look there beginning at verse six. Revelation 5-6, John says, I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne, and again, this is in the heavenly sanctuary, the naos, the most holy place where the throne of God is said to be, in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain. You know, that's a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth, all that very symbolic and indicative. Verse seven, then he came and he took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne, the only one worthy. There were no angels that were worthy, no one else in creation. John wept, wept when there was no one found worthy to take the scroll and to execute the decrees of God until the Lord Jesus Christ entered the scene. He marches, as it were, into the throne room, the only one worthy to take the scroll and to execute the decrees of God for this age. When he had taken the scroll, verse 8, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Do you see? There's no longer the smoke of an animal that rises from the altar. It is the smoke of incense, as it were, that represents the prayers of the saints. It's the prayers of the saints that rise up now to God. And the prayers of the saints rise to God through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we pray in Jesus' name, We're praying His mediation on our behalf. We pray by virtue of His person and work, by virtue of His living intercession for us. We pray in Jesus' name, because He is our living intercessor. And our prayers ascend in His name. Our prayers ascend before the very throne of God. And that's pictured here in these visions. Verse 9, they sang a new song saying, "'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe, tongue, and people, and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God.'" Not only is the Lord Jesus Christ our prophet, priest, and king, but he has made us in union with him, prophets, priests, and kings, you see? And we, verse 10, shall reign on the earth. I know that it doesn't feel like it right now, but you rule and reign with Jesus Christ now. You are prophets and priests and kings to your God. Who, who has the word of God in this world to proclaim? It's you. The ones who have been called out of darkness to proclaim the excellencies, the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. You are his prophets. Who, who in this world right now acts as priests? Priests to one another and priests to the lost with the gospel. It's his church. You are the lights that shine atop the lampstand. Who are those who are kings in union with our Lord Jesus Christ? The king. It's his people. We serve as a royal priesthood, a kingly priesthood. We are prophets, priests, and kings in our union with Jesus Christ. This speaks, this text speaks of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Peter says, you are a chosen generation, a royal or kingly priesthood. Listen, you're no longer outcasts. You're no longer strangers or foreigners. You are adopted sons in the kingdom. You are inheritors. You are joint heirs with Christ. What he has inherited, you have inherited in him. He has inherited all things. You've inherited all things in him. You will one day die and you'll be raised at the end of the age in Jesus Christ to inherit all things with him. We are a kingdom of prophets, priests, and kings, you see? Here, with particular reference to our priesthood, we are a royal or kingly priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, so that, verse 10, you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. If you think about things in terms of that reality, you and I have received a very high and a very holy calling. Jesus Christ himself has fulfilled that old covenant Levitical system of animal sacrifice. He did that in his own atoning sacrifice through his own shed blood, acting as our great high priest at the cross. And now his priestly ministry is extended through or carried out in part by his body, his covenant people, through the work of his spirit, that we may serve as priests. We are, as Peter says, a kingdom of priests. It's so that, if you think about various texts of scripture that explain that, right? It's so that we may serve one another as priests. That's 1 Corinthians chapter 12. where according to the Spirit, the Spirit gives gifts according to a measure of faith, and each one is knit into the body and serves the body with the gifts that the Spirit gives. You are to be a priest to one another in utilizing the gifts that God has given you to serve the body. That's Romans chapter 12. We serve with the gifts that the Spirit gives, administers to each one, and we serve, if you will, as priests to one another in the body. and it's so that we may serve as priests for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ to the lost with the gospel. That is the great commission. You are a kingdom of priests to the nations, to the nation. We're to preach the gospel to the lost. This is a motivation to evangelism. This is a call to faithful evangelism. This is the church's mission in the world, is to preach the gospel to the lost as a kingdom of priests. It was Israel who failed in that responsibility. The church will not. We are empowered by His Spirit for mission. We're to go out and proclaim the praises of Him who delivered us out of darkness and into the kingdom of His Son. Luther said, we're all someone else's priest. That was Luther's essential conclusion. We're all someone else's priest. We're all priests to one another. We're priests of the lost with the gospel. We all serve for the glory of our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. He goes on in Revelation 5, verse 11, John says, Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, myriads upon myriads, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. You were made a kingdom of priests to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light, to the honor and glory of His name. Why would you do that? What would compel us? Because worthy is the Lamb, right? Worthy is the Lamb to receive power and riches and wisdom. Worthy is the Lamb to receive strength and honor and glory and blessing. Worthy is the Lamb that He would receive the full reward of His suffering. Every one of the elect who will be raised up upon the last day, the Lamb is worthy. Notice in our text in Revelation 15 verse 8, the intercession of that priesthood is figuratively contained in golden bowls full of incense. In our prayers, brothers and sisters, are a significant part of that priestly intercession. We pray. We don't do that in our own strength. Not by our own arm. We do that in the power of His might, in the strength of His Spirit. Flip the page and look at Revelation chapter 6. And again, we see this temple service being carried out in heaven. Chapter 6, verse 9. When He, the Lord Jesus Christ, opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar... You might think to yourself, Why is there an altar in heaven if there are no more burnt offerings being offered on that altar? There are no more burnt offerings being offered on that altar. The Lord Jesus Christ has entered once for all with his own blood. But what is being offered there now? What is rising from that altar? The prayers of the saints. I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony, the martyria, which they held, and again that word, and they cried with a loud voice. In other words, they prayed. saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. How long, O Lord? A little while longer, just, you know, We're gonna take a little bit of time here, just relax. Here's a white robe. We pray. Don't you long for his kingdom to come, his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? We long for that. Turn on the news for five minutes. Oh, Lord, holy and true, how long? How long are we going to endure this before you return? His saints, Grown, grown under the sorrows that fill this wicked world. And here they are, the kingdom of priests, interceding at the altar in prayer. They're interceding with God in prayer. What are they praying for? They're praying for God to pour out his judgment. They're praying for God to consummate the kingdom. They're praying to God for the end of sin. They're praying to God for the end of sorrow. Jesus Christ is the only one who's going to clean up this mess. He's the only one who can rule. He's the only one who can reign. Jesus Christ needs to come back so that everything can be fixed, and God is going to do it. We pray, God, please come quickly, Lord Jesus, right? Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Flip the page, look at Revelation chapter eight. Revelation chapter eight. Verse one, when Jesus Christ, when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. All of heaven just in awe of God's judgments. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne." As we saw there, this is the altar of incense in the temple. And what exactly is it that's going on here? The prayers of the saints are rising before the very throne of God from the altar of God in the heavenly sanctuary, and God, in response to the prayers of his people, are pouring out his judgments upon the wicked. If you think about the connections again with the Exodus, the people of God, God says that the people groaned before him day and night because of the severe bondage which they were enduring. the harshness of their slavery. Remember when Pharaoh took away the straw? They had to make bricks without straw, find their own straw, right? And just adding to their misery, adding to their woe, and what were the people of God doing? Groaning under that bondage. And the groans of his people were rising up before God in his ears, in his nose, as it were. And what does God do? God responds with deliverance. That happens throughout the Old Testament. You remember when we were walking through the book of Judges? How often was it that the people groaned under their misery, and then God would send a judge to deliver him from the hand of their enemies? The people of God, brothers and sisters, in this day and age, they groan. They groan. They groan under the misery of our own sin. Don't you groan at your own sinfulness, the weight of your own sin, the proclivities of your own flesh? We're embowed over our own sin. We see wickedness in this world. We mourn over the sins committed by others. This place is a mess. And here, what we see offered on the altar of incense in the temple are the prayers of the saints. Those prayers rise before the throne of God. They're in the nostrils of God, as it were. And what does God do? On behalf of his people, He pours out judgments upon the wicked in anticipation of the great day of His judgment, when He will usher in His saints to eternal glory and take away all of the wicked, casting them into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone." Right? God is going to deliver His people. And the outpouring of His judgment, even now, is an indication that God is working out in redemptive history His own judgments and the salvation of His people. In verse 4 there, Revelation 8, the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand. And then what happens? He pours out judgments associated with the trumpets. Again, this is a priestly intercessory service at the altar in the heavenly temple. This is done in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, our great intercessor, our great mediator. Golden bowls full of the prayers of the saints in their priestly intercession as they pray for one another, as they're praying for the church, as they're praying for the lost, as they're praying for all those who are persecuted for the sake of his name that would be vindicated of the glory of God. They're praying, the saints pray, in effect, the promise of God that their service, their labor in the Lord would not be in vain. The kingdom would be established and God would be glorified, praying that his kingdom would come, his will would be done. When the smoke of those Old Testament sacrifices attended to God from the altar and the worship and praise and gratitude of his people, they were said to be a sweet-smelling aroma before the Lord. He was pleased with those offerings made from a circumcised heart. They weren't offered with the right heart. God described them as a stench. Now, with the prayers of His sanctified people rising before the very throne of God, where Jesus Christ stands as a living intercession for us, the very presence of Jesus Christ continually pleading for us, those prayers offered in His name are a sweet-smelling aroma and received by God in His name. where they are heard by God. Romans chapter 8, the Spirit Himself interceding with us, for us, with groanings which may not be uttered, right? The Spirit Himself interceding for us. They're heard by God, they're received with the approbation, the approval of God, where God most assuredly gives us the petitions that we've asked for when we ask in accord with His will. Notice in verse 5, God answers their prayer. Those prayers rise from the altar and God answers their prayer by pouring out his judgments upon the earth. Verse 5, then the angel took the censer. He's acting on behalf of God. He filled it with fire from the altar. It's a picture of judgment. And he threw it to the earth. And there was, in language that is characteristic of the final eschatological, temporal judgments of God upon the earth, there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. God answers their prayers with judgment upon those who oppress us. God answered the prayers of his people in Egypt by pouring out his judgments upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians and delivered them from his hand. So what are the angels then doing in Revelation 15? What are they doing? What is the significance of their priestly identification with Jesus Christ? They're given bowls that we've already associated with the prayers of the saints. And now those bowls are filled with the wrath of God in answer to those prayers. You see, there's a connection being made between the prayers of the saints and the outpouring of God's judgment. They are performing a priestly service, as it were, in connection with the prayers of the saints as God Himself answers those prayers and pours out His wrath upon the earth. Verse seven, one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God from his power. No one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. Let me ask you, do you groan under bondage? You remember in Ezekiel where We'll look at a text in a moment that is, I think, helpful. But when the angel was given an ink horn and told to mark the foreheads of all those who groaned and sighed over the abominations committed in Israel, in Jerusalem. In other words, he was all those who mourned the wickedness in Israel were the people of God. They were sealed on their forehead with the mark of God. He marked all those who were groaning under the abominations committed, and the angel was told to go through and destroy the rest. God's people are marked by a holy disgust. for the sin of this world, for their own sin, for the sin of others, do you groan under bondage? Many of you, when you came to the Lord, you lost every friend you had. Many of you, when you came to the Lord, you lost family members. The book of Hebrews describes Christians as losing everything. And it says they rejoiced. They rejoiced to be plundered, as it were, for the cause of Christ. Do you pray this way? Do you pray for the Lord Jesus Christ for His will to be done? Everywhere you turn, everywhere you turn, His name is being blasphemed. Everywhere we turn, His name is being blasphemed. We need to be a praying people. We need to pray with the assurance, with the assurance that during this age in particular, our prayers rise with a sweet-smelling incense before the very throne of God offered in Jesus' name, And God is absolutely, certainly pouring out His judgments upon this earth in answer to those prayers. And one day soon, one day soon, He's going to crush Satan under our feet. The Lord Jesus Christ will return. He's going to usher His saints into eternal glory. And He's going to do away with sin, the devil, this wicked world forever. He will make an, Daniel 9 says, He will make an end of sins and usher in everlasting righteousness. We need to be praying for that, and God is answering that prayer. Turn with me to Isaiah 51, and I want you to see a picture of this from Isaiah. Isaiah 51, I think this is really helpful. I wanna say neat, but it just goes beyond neat. This is awesome. Isaiah 51, look there beginning at verse 1. You know, the Lord is speaking to His wayward nation, the nation of Israel. And he is promising their restoration in this text, going to be restored. And it's immediately on the heels of this text that we get in the servant songs of Isaiah. We come to, for example, the end of Isaiah 52, into Isaiah 53, and the servant song of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we learn of Jesus Christ's mediation on behalf of his people. Here, he's promising to restore his people, a people whom he had, that he had consigned to his judgment God is now promising, I'm going to restore you to myself. True Israel, true Israel, he's going to restore to himself, and he's going to take the cup of his judgment out of their hand, and he's going to put it into the hand of those who oppress them. And God does that in grace. Look at verse one. Listen to me, he says, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord, that's God's people, look to the rock from which you were hewn. The Lord Jesus Christ is the rock from which you and I were hewn. Look to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to the depths from which he has raised you. Look to Abraham your father, whose seed you are through faith in Jesus Christ, and to Sarah who bore you. That's Galatians chapter four. She's in that typological analogy there, that metaphor. She is the mother of those who believe. For I called him alone and blessed him and increased him. For the Lord will comfort Zion. He will comfort all her waste places. He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in it. Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. We often hear the voice of sorrow, the voice of misery in this world. This is what the Lord is going to do. Listen to me, verse 4, my people. Give ear to me, O my nation, for law will proceed for me and I will make justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near. My salvation has gone forth. Amen. My arms will judge the peoples. It's already an indication of that. God pouring out his righteous wrath. The coastlands will wait upon me, and on my arm they will trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath, for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished. Amen and amen." Listen to me, verse seven. You who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law, do not fear the reproach of men. Don't be afraid of their insults, for the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. And all the people of God say, amen. Verse 9, awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord, awake as in the ancient days and the generations of old. Are you not the arm that cut Rahab apart and wounded the serpent? Are you not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, that made the depths of the sea the road for the redeemed to cross over? Certainly He is. So the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads, and they shall obtain joy and gladness. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. I, God says, even I, verse 12, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die? Do not fear their faces. And the son of man who will be made like grass, do not fear the one who can kill the body. Fear him who can cast both body and soul into hell. And you forget the Lord your maker who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor when he is prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens that he may be loosed, that he should not die in a pit, that his bread should not fail. But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea, whose waves roared. The Lord of hosts is his name, and I have put my words in your mouth. I have covered you with the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, you are my people. That is a call to evangelism right there, brothers and sisters, right? That's a call to the Great Commission. Awake, verse 17, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury. It's interesting, the word there for cup is a reference to a bowl. We're looking in Revelation chapter 15 and chapter 16 and the bowls of his judgment and those golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And here he's referring to a bowl of his judgment, literally. You've drunk at the hand of the Lord the bowl of his fury. Speaking to Israel because of their Idolatry was under the judgment of God. They have drunk from the bowl of God's fury. You have drunk, verse 17, the dregs of the cup of trembling and drained it out. There is no one to guide her among all the sons she has brought forth, nor is there anyone who takes her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up. These two things have come to you. Who will be sorry for you? Desolation and destruction, famine and sword. By whom will I comfort you? Verse 20, your sons have fainted. They lie at the head of all the streets like an antelope in a net. They are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of your God. Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted. You are drunk, but not with wine. Thus says your Lord, the Lord your God, who pleads the cause of his people. See, I have taken out of your hand this bowl of trembling. I've taken out of your hand the dregs of the cup of my fury, and you shall no longer drink it." Praise God. Listen, when you were in your sin, when you were in your sin, you held in your hand the cup of the Lord's fury. You held in your hand the bowl of his wrath, and that was to be poured out on your head if it had not been for the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. Had the Lord Jesus Christ not taken your sin upon himself and paid the penalty that you rightly deserve, had he not paid your penalty in his own body, on the tree, you would have drank that bowl, that cup, to the dregs. All eternity, you'd be drinking the bowl of God's wrath. But God has taken it out of your hand. Through the person and work of his own Son, he gave up his only begotten Son. And his Son took that cup and drank it to the dregs for you. And he wept in the garden, praying, God, if there's any way that this cup can be taken from me, The Lord Jesus Christ said himself, giving himself for you and I, nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. And he drank that cup for you. He drank that cup dry for you, for me. God says, you'll no longer drink it. Look at verse 23. But God says, I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you. God delivers us through his judgment to his own glory. I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to you, lie down, that we may walk over you. You have laid your body like the ground and as the street for those who walk over." Sometimes feel trampled on by this world? Yeah, yeah. And we here, don't we, we enjoy a great time of peace here, really that is unprecedented in the history of God's people, a time of peace where we can worship in peace, we can evangelize in peace, we can fellowship in peace. Those days are quickly fleeing. And even now, even in Western European countries, there are people being arrested for standing on a street sidewalk and praying in front of an abortion mill. Praying silently, quietly to themselves, simply praying on the sidewalk and are arrested. Being arrested for preaching the gospel. Sometimes you feel as though you're being walked over. And that we are promised. Yes, and all those who desire to live godly in this present age will suffer persecution. God says, though, do not fear, don't despair, don't be discouraged, don't shrink back. I've taken the cup of my fury out of your hands. I've taken the cup of my wrath out of your hands, and I'm gonna put it in the hands of those who afflict you. Paul says, It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. What are you looking for? As God's people, we're looking for the end of sin. We're looking for the end of all that offends, all that blasphemes the name of our God. an end to suffering, and we're looking forward to the reign of everlasting righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, has won that for His people. And the outpouring of these judgments that we see all around us now, and as we see depicted on the pages of Revelation 15 and Revelation 16, poured out by these angels with the bowls of God's wrath in their hands, God's outpouring of those judgments is already an indication to us, his people, that the end is near, that God's kingdom will be established, that Jesus Christ will return, and that glory awaits. It's an indication to his people that God is answering the prayers of his people and bringing everything to its consummated end. It should be an encouragement to the church. It's an encouragement to us to press on. Paul says also, don't be terrified. Don't be terrified by your adversaries. To them, it's an evidence of their perdition, their condemnation, their damnation. But to us, it's an evidence of our salvation, our deliverance, and that from God. All of the difficulties that we face should be an indication, an indication, that God's judgments will come soon, Jesus Christ will return, and we'll be ushered into the eternal kingdom. God is even now answering our prayers and the judgments that he's currently pouring out on this world. As the angels take those bowls of God's wrath, back in Revelation 15 verse eight, the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, from his power. No one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed. These judgments are God's judgments, and his presence in power are manifest in them, as we'll see. So much so that not even the angels in heaven can stand in his midst. Smoke filled the heavenly sanctuary and they couldn't go in. This was a repeated expression, a repeated experience in the Old Testament. Several times God's presence filled the temple such that the priests were unable to enter. We see that here in verse 8. God's glory is manifest in your redemption, and God's glory is manifest in His righteous judgments against those who oppress you, against those who blaspheme His name. Both, both are an indication that God is fulfilling all His Word. And as it says in chapter 15, verse 1, in these bold judgments that we'll see, Revelation 16, in these judgments, the wrath of God is complete. all brought about through the righteous prayers of His saints, offered on the altar, as it were, a sweet-smelling aroma before the throne of God, carried out by our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is delivering His people. He works on our behalf in pouring out the judgments of God. He works on our behalf as our great High Priest. He will deliver us through God's judgment to eternal salvation, to the glory of God. Amen. We'll continue these judgments further in the weeks ahead, if the Lord allows, as we work through Revelation 16. Pray with me. Father in heaven, thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness to Your Word. Thank you, Lord, that the wrath of God even presently being poured out against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men is an indication that one day you will reign over an everlasting kingdom and the scepter of that kingdom will be a scepter of righteousness. Holiness will reign. Everything there will be marked with holiness to God. And we will worship and praise you in the presence of our elder brother, our Lord Jesus Christ, for all eternity, to the praise of the glory of your grace. We thank you, Lord, for these promises that you've given us in your word. Help us now as your wrath is being poured out on the earth. Help us to endure. Strengthen us by your spirit not to despair, not to be discouraged, not to shrink back, not to withhold. your word, withhold that which is right, but to press forward, not fearing those who can merely kill the body, rather fearing you, Lord, who killed both body and soul. I pray that you'd be faithful as worshiping the witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the great glory of your own name, to the exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the power of your spirit. May we, Lord, be testimonies of that grace and worship you in eternity. Jesus, thank you for everything. you Hello, and thanks for listening. My name is Mark Brashear, and I have the blessed privilege of serving with the saints at Cornerstone Church near Orlando, Florida. We're so grateful that you've connected with us through the sermon that you've just heard. For more information, visit us at cornerstoneorlando.org, or better yet, come and see us on the Lord's Day at 3370 Snow Hill Road in Oviedo, Florida. We're just east of Orlando and about 15 minutes from the campus at UCF. It would be a joy to have you worship with us.