1Then 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.”
And so the final judgment on man who exalts himself and who
has a low view of God begins. It will be
a difficult time for all who have not already called upon the Lord.
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.
The first bowl is loathsome sores. This brings to mind the suffering of Job by
Satan. He was allowed to cause him pain
and discomfort but not to kill him. Job
2:7 records, “So
Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful
boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
Satan did this to Job with the intent of causing him to deny and curse the
living Lord. I am not sure why God is
issuing this as a judgment, except that it must be necessary to show all who is
the God of creation. Note that Satan could
not have touched Job except for the allowance of it by God. Here, God needs no approval.
This plague is for unbelievers. Zechariah 14:12 tells us, “And this shall be
the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought
against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,
Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in
their mouths.” The sixth of
the Egyptian plagues was the plague of boils. The pharaoh was powerless against
the Lord to stop them then and all those who don’t know Him will be powerless
now.
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.
The second bowl turns the seas to blood. Every living creature in the sea died, not
some, all. The closest thing I can
relate this to is red tide. This algae
bloom sometimes comes up and takes the oxygen out of the water and causes a lot
of fish to die. Even as this is a very
small portion of fish in the seas, it really smells bad. It is difficult to see a lot of dead animals,
even fish, on the beaches. I can’t
imagine and don’t want to imagine all the living creatures in the sea to
die. The seas cover 70% of the earth’s
surface. It will be difficult for anyone
not to be affected.
The first plague of the Egyptian plagues was to turn the
river Nile into blood. Back in chapter 8
the second trumpet caused 1/3 of the sea to turn to blood and 1/3 of the living
creatures of the sea to die.
4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on
the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
The third plague is that all waters turn to blood, not just
the salty waters. All creeks and rivers
are blood. This means there is no fresh
water to drink. The source of the water
all over the earth is polluted.
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.
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.”
The One who is and who was and who is to be,
Because You have judged these things.
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.”
7 And I heard another from the altar
saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
This angel worships God as the true and righteous judge of
the people. While we may be overwhelmed
or in disbelief over such plagues, those who are close to the presence of God
praise Him in His perfectness. God is
never arbitrary in His judgments; He is always fair and true. He alone is good and righteous.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” – Psalms 19:7-9
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” – Psalms 19:7-9
If we are going to believe that God’s Word is perfect and
His Words are true, then we must also believe that His judgments are righteous.
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