God’s Final Judgment, pt. 1

Rev. 16:2-9

v. 2  Perhaps these sores will resemble leprosy?  Picture of sin/God has used before as method of judgment.

Num. 13—Miriam, Moses’ sis rose up against him, challenging his delegated authority from God, knew better than him…God judged her…His anger was kindled…He gave her leprosy to show outwardly what her sin was like inwardly.

II Chron. 26—king Uzziah committed sacrilege, invaded the office of the priest/tried to burn incense in the temple tho’ not a priest, not qualified, not ceremonially clean…he was confronted and rebuked by the priests, but he challenged their authority, and he was stricken w/ leprosy.

Maybe not leprosy…it may be a sore that is “nuclear fallout” in nature…either way, it’s poured out upon the worshippers of antichrist. (since they bear the mark of the beast, they’re easy to locate!) [microchip]

By the way, if you didn’t know what the Bible says, you’d be for all this!  No more kidnappings, bad checks…and most will go for it!

Those left on earth at this point have the mark, but now it’s not just the government that looks for them, but this first angel, and germ warfare happens in a way it’s never happened [WMD!]

v. 3  plague #2: (“as blood”)

all the salt water is affected, and every single soul in them dies!

[earlier in the trib. 1/3^rd of waters were affected…but it was just a warning…this is much worse!]

Imagine w/ me:  picture the world’s shorelines lined and cluttered w/ decaying corpses of sea life/unbearable stench…so bad that when you breathe you’d gag.  It would make you remember fondly that sulfur smell as you go near the quarry in Sandusky.

So, they’ve got these sores, and no relief, and constant nausea.

Since waters are contaminated, ocean-going vessels will come to a halt.  Back in ch. 6 [3^rd seal] it was a measure of wheat for a penny=a full day’s wage for 1 meal only!…but now it’s much worse!

The world today doesn’t realize how dependant they are upon God…do we?  The now-salty waters of the world are God’s cleansing agent for the filth of the world, but no longer!

vv. 4-7     fresh water is the target of this plague…the only resource left, and now it’s being plagued! 

Jesus turned water into wine, but the Father now turns it to blood!

The angel says to the Lord:  there’s a poetic justice in what you’ve done!  The antichrist has shed much blood of those who refused the mark, and many thru the ages before them, and now they’re reaping what they have sown! 

Gal. 6:  be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap!

Ex. 1—Pharoah declared male Jewish babies would be drowned…and that’s how he and his whole army died!

Esther—Haman decided to exterminate the Jews, and he wanted to start by hanging Mordecai…he sneakily concocted and started the plan into motion…and how did it end?  He was discovered and hung on the very gallows he prepared for Mordecai!

Many other examples we could look at.

7. who is this under the altar?  Martyrs!  They cry out continually, how long until you judge them?

Here they say, “good job, Lord, you have avenged us!”

now the 4^th:

v. 8  greatest heat wave in history—global warming!  So unbearable that bodies will be scorched…a foretaste of hell right here on earth…w/ no water to drink, mind you!

        At the very least many thousands will die of thirst, heat exhaustion, skin cancer, etc.

[ironic that sun refused to shine 3 hrs. while Jesus was on the cross, but here it’s intensified!]

The OT prophets talked of this plague:

Deut. 32:24

Deut. 32:24

They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction:

Is. 24

6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

Few?  Fact is no one would be left if God did not supernaturally shorten the daylight hours!

Mt. 24:42

Mt 24:22 -

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:

Some think that means trib. shortened, but no, not true, He said 7 years!

        The only interpretation is that some literal days will be shortened!

One more OT prophesy:

Mal. 4:1

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts

Think about this:  we’re already seeing in nature some things science cannot explain:

Frequency/intensity of earthquakes—100 fold increase last century!

Famines/pestilences/diseases [sars/monkeypox]

Hurricane Andrew—intensity even inland previously thought impossible

 Lk. 21:11, 25-26

“signs in the heavens” [realm of nature]

        Can you see the signs of the times?

All God would have to do to create this scenario is to remove one layer of the atmospheric blanket He currently protects us with!

Solar flares?  Tongue of flame that leaps off…Nov. 12, 1960…perhaps 1 million miles into space…resulting in electrical/magnetic storms/compasses off/electronics not working!

        Days shortened—low lying cloud of dust?

You’d think that would break men?

v. 9b        They know there is a God…no doubt, He’s proven Himself, yet in their agony the last thing on their mind is repentance, but rather they curse Him, hate Him!

        [very revealing about the wicked heart of mankind!]

Don’t ever think that judgment brings men to repentance…it only rarely does!

        If God’s love doesn’t bring them, His wrath likely won’t!

        Those in hell aren’t begging to be saved, they curse, blaspheme God, gnash teeth [snarl in face of God!]

        Once you die your character is forever fixed!

Rev. 22:11 [speaking of eternity…]

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

The unsaved continues to sin in hell, rebel all he can, and his hatred toward his judge continues forever!

v. 9  a description hell!

Let’s stop there w/ the verse by verse…so what can we apply practically?

We need to learn to look at things in their proper perspective.

Don’t we get burdened down by the cares of this life easily?  We shouldn’t!  We need to step back and look at the big picture!

We have a problem and it’s like the biggest thing in the world to us…all we can focus on!

        But in the big picture what does it matter…even a year from now, much less in eternity!

A passage like this also ought to affect our prayers—call us to spend more time praying for names that are lost than those that have earthly problems.

We wouldn’t wish these things in ch. 16 on our worst enemy, let alone family, friends, neighbors, co-workers!

A passage like this should affect us more volitionally than emotionally [affect our works!]  Cause us to ask people if they are saved, how they know, etc.!