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Psalms
114:1-8 When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His
sanctuary, And Israel His
dominion. The sea saw it and
fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills
like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little
hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the
presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.
Father God we praise you and ask that you sent the Holy
Spirit to each of us to open our ears and change our minds and hearts in a new
way to better understand you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Revelation 16:1-11 NKJV
These
are the last of the judgments that will be poured out on earth and mankind.
These judgments resemble some of the Trumpet judgments and plagues Pharaoh and
his people experience. If people don’t repent of their ways with these
judgments they will not have another chance because the Battle of Armageddon
will follow. The sad thing is that the majority of the people will not repent.
There will only be a remnant that will. As human beings we are stiff necked and
hard hearted toward God’s ways. We would much rather believe and follow the
doctrine of some religion and manmade laws and customs than to place our faith
exclusively in Jesus Christ and why He had to died on the Cross for us in order
for us to be able to go to Heaven. We need to follow the doctrine of the Bible
and not that of man because man twists the doctrine of the Bible to fit their
lifestyle. The Bible is clear and Jesus stated that one must be Born Again in
order to see the Kingdom of God. Any religion that preaches about a list of
things you have to do, or baptism, or doing good deeds, etc. will gain you
entry into Heaven have twisted the Bible verses and are lying to you to keep
you in bondage to a religion.
This
chapter starts another vision of John’s and as you will see these judgments
come in rapid succession based on the verses. Almost one bowl per verse is
poured out in succession and nothing is mentioned about these plagues being
temporary so it appears they will continue right into the battle.
There
is a remarkable similarity between the order of these plagues and those of the
Trumpet plagues Revelation 8:2–9:21, but
not identical. There is also great similarity of these plagues with the plagues
placed on Egypt before the Exodus. So let’s get started and see what these
similarities are.
1 Then I
heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and
pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."
Whose voice is this loud
voice? Is it God’s? Is it a messenger Angel? Let’s examine the facts that we do
know. It is a loud voice of authority; it is coming from the temple where God
is and as we left off in the last chapter and last verse the temple is filled
with smoke meaning God is present; we also know based on last week’s lesson that
no one could enter into the temple filled with smoke until these last seven
plagues are poured out; this voice is giving the order to the seven angels to
go and pour out their bowls, it isn’t a messenger it is a direct order from
someone in authority; so based on these fact we know it is the voice of God. Revelation 15:8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory
of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the
seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
2 So the
first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome
sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped
his image.
So
the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome
sore; This doesn’t
sound very good with the words foul and loathsome in the description. The
definition of foul as it pertains here is, covered with or containing
extraneous matter which is injurious, noxious or offensive; filthy; dirty; not
clean. The definition of loathsome is; disgusting; horrible; abhorred;
detestable, repugnant, revolting. Both words describe this plague as one that
will be of the most unpleasant for men and women to bear.
The word “sore” properly
denotes a wound, opening in the skin, or an ulcer. In the New Testament the
dogs came and licked Lazarus sores. Luke_16:21. Sores is also used in the Old Testament in
reference to the boils that were brought upon the Egyptians, in Exodus
9:9-12, and probably Deuteronomy
28:27; in reference
to the leprosy in, Leviticus 13:18-20,
Leviticus 13:23; sores
were brought upon Job by Satan also in Job_2:7,8; These could very well be open
draining sores because of Job scraping them and the dogs licking them. A dog
will lick an open draining wound.
Came
upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; This plague will only inflict those
that take on the mark of the beast, and worship the image. Some say this will
only take place in the Middle East and others claim it will be worldwide. Why
some say only in the Middle East is because of the statement, “who worship the
image”. Their claim is they have to be present to worship the image. Others
claim around the world because of all the news, internet, and TV coverage that
will be taking place. If there will be one world order of economy, religion,
and governance, then won’t people around the world take on the mark of the
beast and worship his image via TV? We don’t know for sure, but verse 10 does
just pertain to the Middle East with Jerusalem being the central point.
3 Then the
second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the
sea died.
Then
the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a
dead man; The color of the sea turned the color
of a dead person’s blood. This color is almost black and it is rancid. The
blood also coagulates and becomes very thick. This will affect all sea travel
and commerce trade. Some say this sea is the Mediterranean Sea only and with
the reference being to the sea it very well could be, but it could also affect
other seas in the Middle East. If it does affect other seas then the shipping
of oil from the Middle East could come to a complete stop that would have a
huge impact on the world.
And
every living creature in the sea died;
This phrase is stating all living creatures in the sea will die. This tells us
that this transformation of the water is also toxic to all life including human
life.
4 Then the
third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they
became blood.
Here again just as we saw
in Chapter 8 all the wells, springs, and water tributaries will become blood
again. There won’t be any water available. This also took place in Egypt
thousands of years ago. If you believe the Bible, which you should, you know it
will happen just as it is written in the future.
5 And I
heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One
who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.
And
I heard the angel of the waters saying; This is telling us that angels have duties over elements
of the earth, just like the four angels that were subduing the four winds in Chapter
7 and the angel that had the power over fire in Chapter 14. Revelation 7:1 After
these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the
earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Revelation 14:18
And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he
cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in
your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her
grapes are fully ripe."
You
are righteous, O Lord; This
angel is declaring God to be righteous in His action of changing these bodies
of water to blood, the blood of God’s people that were slain because they would
not renounce Him. It is hard to imagine the vast numbers that will be slain and
the severity of the divine judgment, but all this angel sees is an act of
righteousness by God bringing just retribution on the guilty.
The
One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things; There is only one judge, Jesus, he hasn’t
changed and never will change.
6 For they
have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to
drink. For it is their just due."
This verse goes right
along with verse 5 and confirms what verse five is all about. It isn’t just the
blood of those during the Tribulation, but it is the blood of God’s Saints and
Prophets from the beginning of time till the time when these bowls are poured
out. It is their just due meaning they have slain the saints and now it is time
for them to be slain and removed from earth.
The phrase, “And You have
given them blood to drink; for they are worthy,” refers to the fact that those
worshiping the beast are getting their just rewards.
God takes care of and thinks
highly of His Saints and Prophets. Anyone that comes against them, whether by
word or deed, will pay the price. When one of His children is touched, He is
touched! When one is harmed, He is harmed! And the opposite is true also; when
one of His is helped, He is helped! That’s why Jesus said: Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did it to
one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. Matthew 25:40
He also said: Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did not do it
to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. Matthew 25:45
7 And I
heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and
righteous are Your
judgments."
Here again another angel
is chiming in with this angel of the water and declaring God’s righteousness
and that He is justified in His actions. It has been long overdue!
8 Then the
fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to
scorch men with fire.
Here we are witnessing
another angel with power over an element of creation, the sun. He has the power
to cause the sun to shine and burn with such power it will be unbearable to be
outdoors in direct sunlight. It will be possible to cook food without any other
source of heat. Without the shipping of oil from the Middle East, will there be
fuel for industry? Will there be air conditioning?
9 And men
were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has
power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
This tells us the hope of
God and that He doesn’t want to see anyone go to Hell for eternity. Even with
all these plagues, mankind will not repent and turn to God. All they want to do
is believe a lie and deceive themselves.
10 Then the
fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom
became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
Then
the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom
became full of darkness; The
previous plagues targeted mankind, but this plague is directed right at the
Antichrist. Darkness will envelope the Antichrist’s kingdom, meaning the Old
Roman Empire. This darkness will cause confusion and disorder in the immediate
kingdom of the Antichrist. This plague also mimics an Egyptian plague. The
darkness was thick, meaning you could hold your hand up in front of your face
and could not see it. Exodus
10:21-23 Then the
LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may
be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt."
22 So Moses stretched out his hand
toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three
days. 23
They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three
days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
They
gnawed their tongues because of the pain; What is causing the pain? We don’t know how long each of
these plagues will last except for the plague of sores. Based on the next verse
people will still be afflicted with sores. Some believe the pain from these
sores intensify with each passing day. It could be possible that the intense
heat from the sun is still occurring and that there is no water readily
available. The combination of these plagues would cause great pain. If one is
sick with these sores it is possible a fever could accompany this plague, and
with a fever you need water to bring the fever down and stay hydrated. If the
sun is still scorching men then water is needed also to stay hydrated. Is it
possible anything that contains water would become like blood? Ice cubes, soda,
bottled water, etc.?
11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of
their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
This verse tells us that
if the people would only repent of their wicked ways, God would relieve them of
their burdens. Instead of repenting the people will only curse God for what is
happening to them. Things will be so corrupt during this time people will not
humble themselves and turn to God. They will love what God hates, and hate what
He loves. The wretched state of the world will be the results of evil taking
over.
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Seven
Bowl Plagues
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Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
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Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him
and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill
Wiesbrock https://www.facebook.com/bill.wiesbrock?ref=tn_tnmn
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you
believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all
of my sins. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.” (John 3:16,17;
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
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