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REVELATION - Behold, I am Coming Soon
Studies in the Book of Revelation
BOOK 5 - ANTI-CHRIST AND THE LAMB OF GOD (REVELATION 13:1 - 16:21)
PART 5.7 - THE SEVEN BOWLS OF THE WRATH OF GOD (REVELATION 15:5 - 16:21)

1. The First Bowl of Wrath: Terrible and Painful Sores for the Followers of the Son of the Dragon (Revelation 16:1-2)


REVELATION 16:1-2
1 I heard a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth!” 2 The first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth, and it became a harmful and evil sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image.

A painter painted the picture of one of the angels who had to pour out the golden bowls full of the wrath of God. The angel in this picture fulfils his duty while he looks away with a sorrowful face and pours out the bowl of wrath over his shoulder. Often the angels are sent out so as to serve, help and protect men and children (Matthew 4:11; 18:10; 28:5; Luke 2:13; 16:22; John 20:12; Revelation 12:7 and other verses); yet in the case of the bowl of wrath judgments they poor out sorrow, misery and horror on men and animals after the anti-Christ demonized the masses and betrayed and forced them to worship him. There is no greater wrongdoing than to worship a god who is not a god but let himself be worshipped as a god. Allah in Islam is such a non-god or liar-god. Profaning the name of the true God and blaspheming him demands an instant destruction of all rebels.

One of the four cherubim at the throne of God called with a loud and sharp voice to the seven angels: Go and pour out the bowls of wrath of God on the earth! The cherub did not command each angel individually to pour out the full measure of the judgment in his bowl on the inhabitants of the earth, but addressed all angels just once. That means that the angels one by one should poor out immediately and without a pause the full anger of the holy judge on the godless and sanctimonious people. The time of grace was finished and the judgment began.

Instantly the first servant of the Lord went and poured out his bowl like a cloudburst on the earth. Some expositors think that the word “earth” means Israel, others think of all civilized countries in their hubris. The wording does not point to a special country, but in general speaks of the land where men are living. The “earth” is the place where they had been offered the righteousness of God and his grace which they despised and rejected.

The effect of this tempest of wrath was terrible sores on the bodies of those who worshipped the son of the dragon. Everybody who had followed the anti-Christ and his false prophet and borne his mark, were under the spell of an evil spirit being in them, which now became manifest through a stinking growth. Then they realized that their lying prince, his lying prophet and his speaking statue could not help them and deliver them from the wrath of God. They had received the mark of the beast and now Gods wrath marked them with painful festering sores.

As for this punishment we think of the sixth plague which Moses and Aaron had to bring over Egypt so as to force out their people from the slavery (Exodus 9:8-12). In those days the judgment of God struck only a single country Egypt. With the first bowl of wrath, however, which John saw in his vision, all men all over the earth were struck who had opened themselves to the spirit of the ant-Christ. May be that their life in communion with the unclean spirit was morally degenerated to such an extent that they infected each other or the unclean spirit got power over those on which the wrath of God abode.

What had at first been euphorically announced by the son of perdition as “worldwide victory” and as “breakthrough of Satan's dominion” turned out now as a stinking disease and a defeat of the anti-Christ.

PRAYER: Eternal Father, we thank You because the first bowl does not cause diseases and painful sores to the followers of Christ, since Your beloved Son has healed all the sick who came to Him. However, the worshipers of antichrist, who have neglected the powerful protection of Christ, will suffer serious pains with the son of the Evil One. Amen.


2. The Second Bowl of Wrath: The Sea Becomes Bloody Red (Revelation 16:3)


REVELATION 16:3
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man. Every living thing in the sea died.

The bowl of wrath of the second angel changed the sea into blood. Thereby we are reminded of the first plague in Egypt (Exodus 7:14-25) and of the second trumpet plague of the book of Revelation (Revelation 8:8-9). The disaster after the second judgment trumpet, however, was limited to a third of the sea which changed into blood. “Only” a third of all creatures in the water died then, and “only” a third of all ships sank. In interpreting this judgment some expositors were reminded of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy at 24 August 1979, when its lava according to contemporary reports colorized great parts of the Bay of Naples as red as fire, killed many fishes and burnt numerous ships.

Through the second bowl of wrath judgment in the vision of John, however, the whole sea became blood and every creature therein died. This intensification from damage of a third part to a “total damage” signifies the enhancement from the trumpet judgments to the bowl of wrath judgments. The wrath of God is great and its punishment extensive and final.

For many men fishing is the basis of their living. Metaphorically speaking the sea has in the meantime become the waste bin of the industrial nations. Poisonous waste mutates or kills life in the oceans more than we want to know. The waste water of our washing agents alone could peel away all fish scales of millions of fishes or bleach the brilliant colors of the see weeds. More over, the acid rain finally ends up in the sea which has become the garbage dump of mankind.

The fact that the sea became blood red is to remind the followers of the anti-Christ of the shed blood of many a follower of Christ which cries to heaven and calls for the punishment of those who did not accept the atonement of Christ.

We do not know whether only the Mediterranean Sea will be struck by the second bowl of wrath or all oceans. By all means for many tourists holidays will be spoilt at the sea which stinks of coagulated blood so that they may rethink and repent in the last moment.

PRAYER: O Holy One, we worship You because the blood of Your martyrs are crying out to heaven like the blood of Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain. You take revenge uprightly, shake the sinners who do not repent, and allow the corruption of the foundations of life of the followers of antichrist. Amen.


3. The Third Bowl of Wrath: Rivers and Fountains of Water Become Blood Red (Revelation: 16:4-7)


REVELATION 16:4-7
4 The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 I heard the angel of the waters saying, “You are righteous, who are and who were, you Holy One, because you have judged these things. 6 For they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this.” 7 I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.”

Lack of water is the greatest problem in Middle East. In a drought drinking water may become more expensive than petrol. When the Lord made all fountains of water, rivers and streams contaminated then he shakes the existence of mankind.

The pollution through the increasing world population and through industrial waste resulted in such a contamination of rivers in all continents that fishes cannot live further therein. In the Netherlands an amateur photographer is said once for one night to have dipped an exposed black-and-white film into the River Rhine and taken out the developed negative film in the next morning! The ultimate danger to the water, however, comes from radioactive materials flowing via the rain into the fountains of water, in the rivers and the lakes, diffusing into all organisms and exposing them to radiation. If a nuclear war breaks out, the above described horror vision could become a reality so that in all waters death through radiation may lurk.

The book of Revelation, however, clearly testifies that the bowls of wrath judgments do not originate from accidents and nuclear wars but from God. The angel of the waters affirms this punishment, because he must see to it year after year that his waters are getting spoiled by men more and more. This prince of angels testifies as the choir of singers beside the sea of glass already did, that God Almighty is just and holy, for his judgments correspond to the inequities of men and his holiness had to judge any uncleanness of men in word, action or mind. He addresses the eternal God in his worship as Yahweh who is and never changes and keeps his promises for thousands of generations of those who love him, but punishes the iniquities to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him (Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 7:9-10).

The hatred of the evil one against the holy Lord is in the Last Times especially directed against the church of the Old and New Covenant because their members obey God, love him and honor him. That is a horror to the son of hell. He wants to lead all men to “unlimited freedom", to disobedience, to egoism, and to the worship of his person. He wants to rule the world alone.

Yet the Lord God will give the murderers of his church members blood to drink. Oriental people think that the soul of man is in his blood and therefore find that disgusting. Thus in Middle East there are only few blood donors. Blood donations of Christians in the Gaza strip are, however, in great demand. Some blood donors hope that their “Christian blood” will run through Jewish or Muslim veins.

Even the horns of the altar of burnt offerings in heaven can not keep silent any longer on this bowl of wrath judgment, but must cry (see Revelation 6:9-10; 9:13). Here, they second the plea of the martyrs killed during the time of the Old Covenant who esteemed the honor of God more than their own life and believed in the coming of his righteousness. The blood of those wrongly killed must be avenged (a mystery of righteousness which is also known to many animistic peoples). The horns of the altar of burnt offerings agree with the worship of the choir of martyrs beside the sea of glass and confess that the Lord solely is God Almighty and the only ruler of the universe; his judgments are true, just and unchallengeable.

QUESTION:

  1. Why will all the fountains of water, rivers and streams become contaminated?

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