The Good News in the Plagues!
A quick overview of the 7 last plagues before the detail. As always everything in the Bible must be run through the prism of the cross. We have already noted that Revelation 15 & 16 stands opposite the 7 trumpets of Revelation 8-11 in the chiasm of the book. The trumpets had been partial judgments on the enemies of God’s people. Both the 7 trumpets and the 7 last plagues run the order of the days of creation backward. (see diagram from PPT presentation above and below.) This is de-creation!
However, what is even more astonishing is that these plagues are the plagues of the cross! Jesus experienced the plagues. He experienced the “wrath of God” on our behalf.
The spiritual struggle of Gethsemane is His Armageddon; the sores represent how he was treated like a leper – outside the gate. The blood and water from His side, the sun turning to darkness, the earthquake, the crown of thorns as the second Adam carried the curse upon His head, the cry, “it is finished,” echoes the cry of creation, re-creation and now de-creation.
In effect, Revelation 16 is telling us that either we accept the fact that Jesus took the wrath of God on our behalf, or we must experience it for ourselves. That’s the exchange made at the cross; our sin becomes His and His perfection becomes ours; our death becomes His and His life becomes ours. Our condemnation is upon Him and His acceptance before the Father is now upon us.
When you have made that exchange you have been “born again.” He was treated as we deserve so that we could be treated as He deserves. He suffered the death which was ours so that we might receive the life that was his; He was condemned for our sin in which He had no share so that we might be justified by His righteousness in which we have no share. This is the Gospel of the 7 last plagues. Like the plagues in Egypt, they do not come upon God’s people, because we have applied the blood of Christ to the doorpost of our lives.
Is it not amazing that even Genesis 1 has a chiasm as it structure. Notice the diagram above: days 1-3 are the forming days, days 4-6 are the filling days. So in the chiasm days 1 and 4 match, days 2 and 5 match and days 3 and 6 match. Have you ever been asked why the sun and moon come on day 4 when the light came on day 1. This is because the whole structure of the days of creation are pointing towards day 7. The seven trumpets and the 7 last plagues are running creation backwards. At creation there was a Sabbath Rest, At the Cross, Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath as a memorial of our re-creation. But for those who worship the beast and receive the plagues, there is no rest (Revelation 14:11)
That is so insightful Ross. Thankyou.
Thank you Mike!