Let’s look at a quick overview of the final chapters of our study of Revelation.
Chapter 15 – Preparations are made for the final judgments to be poured out on the last days of the current age.
Chapter 16 – The effects of the judgments
Chapter 17 & 18 – the Destruction of Mystery Babylon
Chapter 19 – The coming of Christ in power and glory
Chapter 20 – The Millennial reign of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment
Chapter 21 & 22 – The New Heaven and New Earth
Summary of Judgments
1) Seven Seals opened by Christ Rev. 6:1-17; 8:1 – Present the world ruined by man.
2) Seven Trumpets which emerged from the Seventh Seal Rev. 8:1-9:21; 11:15-19 – this included the 3 woes (3 judgments of exceptional severity) – Present the world ruled by Satan.
3) Final 7 Judgments or bowl judgments – Present the world reclaimed by God.
Revelation is a book of judgments, which seems very pessimistic being occupied with so many fearful scenes; all is bright at the end of the book. The book does not close until the new heavens and the new earth, wherein righteousness shall dwell throughout a blissful eternity, are brought in.
Christ has given us these revelations out of kindness to us that we may be warned thereby to avoid what lies ahead of this guilty world and to shun every form of the apostasy that He is soon coming to judge.
The seven vials or better termed bowls of the wrath of God, with which chapter 16 deals, are all included in the judgments of the last half of the Great Tribulation. They show the intensive character that these judgments will take as the end draws near.