November 7 The Final Judgments

Revelation 16:1-9 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” 7 And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
 
REVELATION records there are two marks on the people of the earth. One is God’s mark of salvation. The Lord God has sealed his own in Jesus’ blood. The second mark is of the beast on those who worship Satan.
    These verses demonstrate God’s wrath poured out throughout the entire earth – land, sea, rivers – and the heavens. His wrath is just as he avenges the blood of his saints. Even the altar of the temple speaks to display God’s providence over his earth. Perhaps the altar’s voice is the voices of the martyrs as they called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10) God avenges sin. He protects his church. His wrath condemns the unrepentant.
    The apostle Paul writes of this in Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.  
    The blood in the waters and the scorching sun are God’s signs of his sovereign authority over heaven and earth. The “nature plagues” repeat and reflect God’s plagues on Egypt. The unrepentant sinners mirror Egypt’s Pharaoh, who refused to relent and obey God. Pharaoh’s hard heart is expressed in his prideful wonderment to Moses, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2)
John the Baptist warned the Jewish rulers of God’s wrath: Luke 3:7 “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” The message of God’s wrath to judge sin is clear.
    I think one reason people reject the understanding of Revelation is its clear view of sin’s death and eternal punishment. We in the church are very uncomfortable to teach such hard truth. The church is criticized and even ostracized from the culture when we warn of God’s wrath. Our only option, though, is to be true to the True God. This is his world. In his gift of faith, we are his children. Our task is to reveal the Father’s great love to a world he desires to save.
 
Prayer: I pray we as your church, Lord, hold fast to your truth. You have told us. We must tell all. Amen.