Seven Bowl Judgments - Part 2

Welcome to God First with Brian C. Thomas, a program committed to encouraging you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible.

Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let's join Brian C. Thomas for today's message. I was talking to a man just yesterday at my home, and we got into a conversation about the things that are taking place in the world, the condition of society. And we were pointing out things like the racial tension and the pestilence with COVID-19, the wars and rumors of wars, and just so many things that just seems like the world is in this upheaval over everything. And he said, God is trying to get people's attention. God is trying to get people to focus back on Him. And the reason that God is doing that is because He's warning us through His love and compassion of what is yet to come.

Things that the Bible foretells us of a day of judgment, things that the Bible tells us that would be precursors of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ coming back to the earth. And I certainly agree with the man and his take on things. But, you know, an interesting thing he said is that it just seems like still most people are not waking up. Most people really don't seem to understand that God is warning us.

And I, again, I totally agree with him. And I even think about not only people who are out there in the world, but even people who sit on church pews Sunday after Sunday. And it just seems to be a disconnect between events that are taking place right in front of us. And what the Bible said would be the condition of society. Jesus said it would be as it was in the days of Noah. And we see things again going on in the world that lets us know that the fulfillment of prophecy is upon us. And so we are looking today as we continue our series in the Book of Revelation, we're looking at this time that the Bible says will be a time of our Lord's wrath in which He would pour out His judgment upon the earth for those who have rejected Him as Lord and Savior. We're going to see things that it just goes beyond human comprehension as to how bad the judgments will be that are going to come upon the earth. So today we're looking at Revelation chapter 16.

We're going to pick up where we left off with verse four. Heavenly Father, we thank you Lord for this time together. We thank you Lord for your great word. It is my prayer Lord that all things that are spoken that it'd be nothing but sound doctrine and may you be honored in all things in your name, Lord Jesus, we pray.

Amen. Revelation chapter 16 verse four. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water and they became blood.

The third bowl judgment is a sequel to the second. If you remember in our last message, we looked at the second bowl judgment in which the waters of the oceans throughout the entire earth were turned to blood. And so we see here today that now the fresh waters are being turned to blood. This, this judgment involves the fresh waters becoming contaminated as blood.

This includes the creeks, the rivers, the fountains, the Springs, ponds, lakes, underground reservoirs. This judgment will mirror Egyptian plague number one, which is from Exodus chapter seven versus 14 through 21. And I don't need to tell you that water is a basic human need.

So this judgment will certainly lead to disease and pestilence. And unless God provides another water source or man figures out a way to purify you, there will be certain chaos that will ensue. You know, due to the present day supply chain disruptions that we've talked about in weeks past that have been triggered by this, this COVID-19 pandemic, I have found little to no jugs of water for the majority of my trips to the grocery store over the past several months. And, and in this, when I, when I see this, you know, the disappointment and sometimes the frustration though, it pales in comparison to what life will be like during the tribulation, when all the fresh water becomes blood. Now that begs the question, how long can humans survive without water? I mean, what is going to be the full scope of this judgment?

You may ask. Well, I cannot say with 100% certainty, but water stored in city towers may be available for use, but if so, it will be a gradually diminishing resource, which will definitely lead to rioting to get it. But the fact that the Bible states the water in pitchers and buckets would turn to blood in the Egyptian plague in Exodus chapter seven, verse 19, I think it may debunked that theory. And another theory is that most fruits and vegetables have a very high water content. So maybe the water within that, which has been stored in freezers and refrigerators will remain pure, allowing man to avoid immediate dehydration, the water in prepackaged sodas and beers and wine may also be available.

But again, even if so, they will be diminishing resources. Now, as we look at the plague of the scorpion light locust from revelation chapter nine, verse five, which was limited to five months, this plague of the waters being turned to blood may have a shelf life. We don't know for certain, but however long it lasts, meaning will die as the world spins into a survival of the fittest and God will see to it that rejectors of Christ feel the brunt of his wrath. But the question is why roll the dice to wonder how bad this judgment will be, because there is a way to make sure you never have to face it. All you have to do is receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. That is the only way by which you can be saved.

And if you have not already received him as Lord and savior, I encourage you to do it today because folks, there is a time of judgment that is coming for those who have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. This is not a game. This is not a fairytale. And that is why I always encourage people that when we preach Bible prophecy, it is not to gain head knowledge, but it's to have heart knowledge. It is to change hearts. It is to change minds. It is to convict us to come to our Lord Jesus Christ. And for all who have already received him, it is to encourage you to go out to your fellow brothers and sisters and your, your friends and loved ones, to coworkers, whoever it may be and urge them to come to Jesus Christ.

Because our Lord said that this day that is coming, this time period known as the tribulation will be the worst time that the earth has ever seen or ever will see. So the time to come to Jesus Christ is today. In verse five of revelation 16, it says, and I heard the angel of the water saying, you are righteous O Lord, the one who is and who was and who is to be because you have judged these things. We've seen throughout the book of revelation that angels carry out many important roles. And apparently there will be a special angel during the tribulation with the assignment of overseeing the waters of the earth, where the judgment is poured out, that will turn the waters of the earth to blood. This angel will proclaim that our Lord Jesus is justified for bringing this calamity upon the earth.

This will be vindication for those who are persecuted for the sake of Christ. Notice the eternal presence of our Lord referenced in the text, the one who is and who was and who is to be. Now many people view Jesus as coming into existence when he was born to the Virgin Mary, but our Lord has always existed. He is God. If it were possible for us to get into a time capsule and travel back in time and just keep going and going and going, we would find Jesus has always been present and he is alive and well today.

And he is at the right hand of the father in heaven and he will continue living forever. But you know, when we look at these judgments of revelation, hearing about the judgment of Christ is not popular. That's why you don't hear it preached very often.

It's not a popular thing. And that's nothing new because God called many prophets in the old Testament to, to put forth the warning to repent or that judgment would come. And because the people love their sin, they did not want to turn from their wicked ways and therefore they hated the prophets instead of wanting the truth. They would demand the prophets to tell them things that made them feel good, tell them lies. And when the Israelites, we fuse to he, the commands of God, judgment would come upon them sometimes through plagues, sometimes through enslavement. And the fact that it is rare to hear preaching today on the wrath of God is because most do not want to hear it. And most preachers do not want to tell it because they want to be accepted.

They want to be loved. And so they give cushiony sermons that make people feel good. But a day of judgment is coming for all who do not repent. And the angel declares that Jesus is judging the wrongdoing because of his righteousness. He is just in doing so.

What about you? Are you winking at seeing? Do you feel that a little seeing here and a little seeing there is all right because Jesus calls us to be righteous as fallen man. We're not going to live perfectly, but we should be striving to be more like Christ. That means we should hate seeing and turn from it.

That is an indication that you are truly born again, but if you love seeing desiring it more than you desire our Lord, you have not been born again in Jesus Christ. And the Bible says that our Lord will pour out his wrath upon all who do not receive him. So come to Jesus Christ today. Again, folks, a time of judgment is coming.

This is not a game. It's not a fairytale. A time of judgment is coming.

This is real. The Bible declares that these things will happen. Don't be as the people were in the days of Noah where they mocked Noah and they laughed at him and they said, Noah, you're crazy. You're building an art and it's never rained before. But then one day after Noah had been building the art for over a hundred years, the raindrops began to fall and the people smiles and they're snickering and the laughing stopped and they began to look around to see what is going on because they had never rained before. And then as the waters began to rise and they began to realize that they were wrong in their assessment of Noah. And so they went and tried to get into the ark, but God had locked the door.

It was too late. Don't be like the people in Noah's day. Don't wait until it's too late to be saved.

Come to Jesus Christ today. Verse six of Revelation 16, for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and you have given them blood to drink for it is there just do. The Bible tells us that we reap what we sow.

Galatians six, seven through eight reads, do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever a man sows that will he also reap for he who sows to his flesh will love the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will love the spirit reap everlasting life. There are many today suffering the consequences of what they sowed in times past.

The promiscuous suffering, the consequence of sexually transmitted diseases, the drunkard suffering from incurable liver damage, the drug addict suffering from irreversible brain damage, the murderer suffering with a life prison sentence. This principle will come to fruition with the bold judgment. For thousands of years, haters of Jesus Christ have persecuted and murdered his followers. It began with the early church being fed to the lions and stadiums as spectators cheered on.

And it continues even to our present day. But you know, most in our nation are not faced with death for being a follower of Christ, but many in the world are being slaughtered for refusing to denounce him. And as a result, Jesus will leave the world with nothing but blood to drink when his judgment strikes all the waters of the earth. This will be vindication for the saints and prophets from the earliest times up to the present.

A day of judgment is coming. Satan has shed the blood of many saints and prophets, and now the world will have nothing but blood to drink. Imagine going to your kitchen faucet and upon turning it on, nothing but blood runs out. Imagine going to take a shower, only to be faced with a gush of blood.

Again, it sounds like a fictional horror movie, but it will become reality in the future. And this makes me think about all the pro-abortionists out there who have contributed to the blood shedding of millions of babies in their mother's wombs throughout time. God says we reap what we sow. But you know, the great thing about it, though, is that God's principle of reaping and sowing holds true when it comes to blessings.

As the text says, he who sows to the spirit will love the spirit, reap everlasting life. God will honor and reward you when you stay true to his word by abstaining from sex until marriage when the fornicators are mocking you. God will honor and reward you for faithfully attending church while others have the church closed. God will honor and reward you when you forgive your enemies while the world shouts get even. You will receive blessings because in doing these things, you are sowing to the spirit. You are sowing to his kingdom. And the ultimate reward is that he will hand out eternal life for accepting him as Lord and Savior. And what a day it will be when we see him face to face and we hear those words, well done, good and faithful servant.

You were faithful over a few things. Now I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of our Lord. What a great day that will be to enter into the joy of our Lord. Don't give up, folks. Don't lose the faith. There are some who are working hard and you're not seeing any fruits of your labor, but continue striving because our Lord is watching our Lord is keeping record and he knows your faithfulness. So keep working for his kingdom. And he says the day will come when he will make you a ruler over many things.

He will enter into the joy of the Lord. Verse seven. And I heard another from the altar say, and even so Lord God almighty true and righteous are your judgments.

Another likely an angel declares that what the angel of the waters has stated is true by reiterating that our Lord is true and righteous in his judgment of turning the waters to blood. Now maybe someone has wronged you in life. Do not seek revenge. Just wait on the righteous judge our Lord God almighty. That is the only way by which you will get true and righteous vindication because we cannot count on judges of our day to bring about true justice.

God calls on us to forgive our enemies and leave the judging to him. Do you know that there are cities within our nation in which the theft of materials that value less than $950 will not be prosecuted. There are actually district attorneys who have decided that thugs can walk into a shopping center, pick up merchandise and walk out without paying. And it's not a crime. And there are videos showing this taking place in broad daylight.

Now put yourself in the shoes of the store owner. He or she will likely go out of business if that were to continue. So again, folks, we cannot count on man to bring about righteous justice. There are cities in which prostitution is legal. Domestic violence is just a misdemeanor in New York city.

So there a husband can punch his wife between the eyes, knocking her out cold. And he only gets a misdemeanor slap on the wrist. And we've all witnessed the damage to innocent business owners. When the black lives matters, protesters decide to unleash that wrath on anyone or anything. And most of them were not charged for any wrongdoing.

It may seem as though people are getting away with crime because of people in authority who lack discernment when handing out proper judgment. But as I said, Jesus will make everything right in the end, as he is the true and righteous judge. When you are the victim of wickedness, do not be dismayed. Just wait on Jesus Christ. And he says, I will make everything right in the end.

So you have to be faithful and trusting of our great Lord God. And so as we see, he continues to pour out his wrath in verse eight, we look at the scorching in the fourth bowl. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. You know, the consistency of the rising and setting of the sun, it, it provides security for mankind. I do not know of anyone that worries as to whether the sun will rise on any given day or if something bad will happen to the sun. But you know, I find it interesting that there is an Alaskan town formerly known as Barrow, and it experiences a period each year from the third week of November to the third week of January in which the sun does not rise due to the tilt of the earth in winter.

But even still the people there do not worry as to whether the sun will resurface in January because they are familiar with the annual cycle. But when this fourth bowl judgment during the tribulation is carried out, it will cause people to worry about the sun, because this judgment will bring the worst heat wave that mankind will ever know. A third of the sun will be darkened at the fourth trumpet judgment, but what is left of it will bring intense heat to the inhabitants of the earth. And you know, when I teach on the judgments of the tribulation, I I'm constantly again urging people to receive Christ as Lord and savior if you have not yet already, because otherwise you will have to face his great wrath. I mean, it is a sobering message to imagine that the sun will become so intense that his heat will scorch people.

And what we can only imagine now will be reality in the future. And in verse nine, and men will scorch with great heat and they blaspheme the name of God who has power over these plagues and they did not repent and give him glory. So when the fourth angel pours out his bowl of God's wrath, the heat from the sun will become so intense that it will scorch the people on the earth. Now, many of us have experienced heat waves here in North Carolina. We know how intense the heat can become. And sometimes these heat waves are so severe that that people actually die from heat strokes and from heart attacks.

And for those who do survive, it is a very uncomfortable, oftentimes miserable feeling. And we've seen on the news where a reporter will, will cook an egg on the pavement during the summer heat wave to demonstrate just how hot it is. Now, considering that this heat of the tribulation will come on top of defile water sources. Remember the waters are turned to blood.

The options of cooling off at the pool or the sprinkler or the beach will not be available. So it seems that people will almost get a taste of the torments of hell. It's recorded in Luke chapter 16, verses 23 through 24. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, father, Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. And one would think the people would beg God for mercy, but instead they will curse the name of God and refuse to repent.

This is the first of three occasions in which this happens. The prophet Malachi spoke of the great day of the Lord in chapter four of his book, verses one and two for behold, the day is coming burning like an oven and all the proud. Yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble in the day which is coming shall burn them up. Says the Lord of hosts that will leave them neither root nor branch, but to you who fear my name, the son of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings.

And you shall go out and grow fat like stall fed calves. It is just astonishing that instead of repenting, there will be people who will curse God, the one with power over the plague. It is my desire that we all would be like actor, comedian Chris Tucker. Chris Tucker has recently expressed his repentance for his past transgressions and he actually turned down $12 million to appear in a Friday movie sequel. A report States quote Ice Cube, who also produced the movies, said Tucker did not return to play Smokey because of religious reasons. We were ready to pay Chris Tucker 10 to $12 million to do next Friday, but he turned us down for religious reasons. He didn't want to cuss or smoke weed anymore on camera.

Ice Cube tweeted in quote. So Chris Tucker stated that he grew up in the church and he knew right from wrong, but he strayed as he got older and he went into playing parts in movies that glorified a lifestyle that was not of God. But as he continued to mature, his convictions caused him to repent.

He no longer wants to be a part of those type of movies. You know, I applaud Chris Tucker for choosing God over $12 million. But what about you? Are you choosing things of the world rather than the straight and narrow path of our Lord? If so, I urge you to repent because Jesus is waiting with open arms for you to turn back to him. The devil is going to tell you that you've done too much wrong and that the Lord will no longer accept you. But Jesus is waiting just like the prodigal son. The father was waiting for his son to come back home and when he did, there was a great celebration and our Lord Jesus will hold a great celebration for you.

If you would return to him, you may be sitting in a prison cell right now with a murder charge, a drug charge, rape charge, whatever it may be. And you may be feeling like all hope is gone. But I want to tell you right now that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you to repent because Jesus Christ is waiting. You may think that life is over.

There is no more hope, but you have eternal life ahead of you if you would just come to Jesus Christ and receive him as Lord and Savior. Because if you do not receive Jesus, whether you're in prison or whether you're out in the world, regardless, if you do not receive him as Lord and Savior, a day of wrath is coming. A day of judgment is coming in which you will be separated from God for all of eternity.

But you can have a joy even in the midst of your trials. You can have a peace that the Bible says surpasses all understanding. So come to Jesus Christ today. If that is you, I want to pray for you right now. Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Lord that for those out there who know your word, Lord, they hear this word and they still have not yet received you as Lord and Savior. I ask Lord that you would prick their hearts, Lord.

Prick their minds, Lord. Allow them to not have any peace until they realize that they need you as Lord and Savior because it is only through you that we can get to the Father. It is only through you that we can get to heaven. It is only through you, Lord Jesus, that we can have eternal life because you said in your word that you are the truth, the only way. And so, Lord Jesus, we just pray that for all out there who will receive you that this word will lay on their hearts, lay on their minds, Lord, that they too will come to know you as Lord and Savior. We just thank you, Lord, for this time. We just give you the honor, Lord. We give you the glory.

We give you the praise. And Lord Jesus, we just look so forward to that day in which the trumpet will sound and there will be a loud voice from heaven, the shout of the archangel. And Lord Jesus, you will call us up to meet you in the air and then we will forever be with you for all of eternity. We look forward to that day, Lord Jesus. And as we depart today, we remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel. And unto you, the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.

Amen. We've been listening to the Bible teacher, Brian C. Thomas, founder and president of God First. Brian and God First reserve all copyright protection under applicable law. Our copyright policy is available at our website, GodFirst.org. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God.