The Final Avenging Wrath Of God

The saints are secure. The 144,000 are safe. They are the living temple of God and He dwells in them (1 Cor. 3:17; 6:19). The beast has been conquered and these saints sing the songs of victory beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands (Rev. 15:2-4). So we watch as yet another revelation unfolds and "the seven bowls of the wrath of God" are poured out on the earth (Rev. 16:1-21).

1. Sores, harmful and painful, come upon the worshipers of the beast
2. Sea becomes like the blood of a corpse
3. Rivers and springs of water become blood
4. Sun scorches all with fire
5. Darkness over the throne of the beast and its kingdom 
6. Euphrates dries up so three unclean, demonic spirits may come out to assemble at Armageddon
7. Babylon split into three parts by lightning and thunder and a great earthquakes as every island and mountain disappear and hundred pound hailstones rain down

How does this list compare with earlier lists portraying the wrath of God? Start with the ten plagues in Egypt as Moses confronted Pharaoh when he would not let God's people go (Exodus 7:20-10:30)

Teach with Bible Cartoons: water into blood

1. Water made into blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice
4. Flies
5. Cattle infected
6. Boils and blains
7. Thunder and hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. First-born slain

Then move on to the terrors following the sounding of the seven trumpets (Rev. 8:7-9:31)

1. Hail, fire and blood wither a third of the trees and all grass
2. Flaming mountain cast into the sea, turning it to blood
3. Wormwood star falls, turning the waters bitter and poisonous
4. One third of the sun, moon and stars darkened
5. Abyss unlocked by the star so that smoke and terrible demonic locusts pour forth
6. Four angels bound at the Euphrates released so that 10,000 x 10,000 mounted troops pour forth to kill a third of mankind

Compare the lists. See how many things they have in common: hail, darkness, blood in the waters, ulcerous sores and boils, terrible Parthian hordes from across the Euphrates. But note the difference between this final list and the two earlier. Now all the horrors and terrors are gathered together as the avenging wrath of God is hurled upon the unbelieving world in one last terrible deluge of disaster. So the slain saints and their leaders are avenged. And the third angel in charge of the waters says, 

"Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!" 

Earlier the souls of those slain for the word of God and the witness they had borne were under the altar, crying with a loud voice for God to avenge their blood. Now He has and they proclaim His judgments just (Rev. 6:9-11).

And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" - Rev 16:5-7 ESV

All of us grow weary of war, killing, bloodshed and death. When will it end? And when will the blood of God's holy ones be avenged? This chapter again urges us all to cling to God's Word in faith. He is not slow to fulfill His promises as some count slowness. Rather He is patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Pet 3:9). But the day of the Lord is coming, coming like a thief. And then the heavens will indeed pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed (2 Pet 3:10).

The final battle of Armageddon awaits. More on that next time.

Hell Is Your Choice!

The Apostle Paul quickly learned that the questions about Christ's return would not go away in Thessalonica despite what he wrote and what I quoted in my previous blog. This busy metropolitan city with its intersecting roads to the rest of the Roman world had many intersecting ideas and thoughts rushing back and forth. And among those were some troubling thoughts about the return of Christ. Besides all that the church there was being persecuted. So Paul begins his response to all this troubling news like this:

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 2Th 1:1-12 ESV

As you can see, Paul did indeed have the return of Christ and the terrible Day of the Lord in mind. Destruction in the form of flaming fire is on the way. God will visit His vengeance on those who do not know Him nor obey—in the sense of pay attention to—the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be dealt with. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction! That's a strange phrase, because we usually think of destruction as something that happens and the person is gone, dead, destroyed.
But Paul says they will suffer and keep on suffering God's δίκη (dē'-kā), God's justice. The sentence will be carried out. That sentence, he writes, will be destruction, but not extinction. Everything that Christ's enemies trust in, everything they dream about, all peace and security, all their riches and power—everything will be wiped out and they themselves will be separated forever from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. They will eternally know nothing but despair, guilt, fear, anxiety and loneliness. As Paul wrote in his first letter,

. . . sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. - 1Th 5:3 ESV

But forever? Why? How can it be? That is a most difficult concept to take hold of. Men usually couch it in terms of the Lord Jesus being too vindictive. Won't his anger ever be satisfied? Will he forever demand punishment, justice—destruction!? But that's the exact opposite of what the Scriptures reveal. How dare you or I make such a mockery of our Lord's mercy and love? How dare we forget that Jesus became our High Priest and made Himself the one final sacrifice for the sins of all men (Hebrews 7:27; 9:11-14, 27-28)? How dare we not hear His loud cry for all humanity upon the cross, 

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - Mat 27:46 ESV

He stands before the world of men of all ages with his scarred hands held out. He longs to give forgiveness, but so many are like Jerusalem. He looks down upon them with tears in His eyes.

 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! - Luk 13:34 ESV

But like ancient Pharaoh and Jerusalem's Sanhedrin their hearts are hard, their eyes are darkened and they are not willing! Hell is their choice. The Lord cannot and will not deprive them of the freedom to choose their own destruction.

So it stands for each one of us. Make your choice! If you want hell, then that is what you will receive.