Hello, and welcome to the Takeaway, where we teach through the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, to help you understand God's Word so that you can have a more intimate relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Hello, and welcome again to the takeaway. I'm your host, Pastor Harry Barns, and in today's episode, we're going to be looking at Revelation chapter 16, verses 1 through 12, the first five bold judgments. These judgments here are the final and full wrath of God, and with them his judgments are completed. We will be looking at references in Exodus to help us better understand how God works through judgment and what it is he wants to accomplish. We all know that God can clearly wipe everyone off the face of the earth with just a word, and he would be just in doing so. However, that wouldn't fit the character of God as we have seen all throughout Scripture. It's his desire to wipe sin out and save people so that we can have a relationship with him as he intended from the beginning of time. He wants to show us who he is so that we will submit to him and allow him to cleanse us from all sin. In Exodus chapter 6, verse 6, we read, Therefore say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. God's judgments are used to redeem his people and deal with sin. As we look at these last plagues, we can see that there are many parallels between them and the ones in Exodus. What significance does this have? I believe it will help us understand God's purpose in this final judgment and give us a little more detail to the severity of these plagues. The other reason we could look at Exodus to help us understand what God is doing and why is because he never changes. God's character is unchanging and how he deals with mankind. All throughout Scripture, we can see a pattern in God's mercy as he gives people many chances to repent before he finally deals with their sin and judgment. In Malachi chapter 3, verse 6, for I am the Lord, I do not change. Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. By understanding this about God, it allows us to look at all scripture to discern God's will and character. When we look at Revelation and see judgments that are similar to that in Exodus, we can know that the reasoning is the same, because God is unchanging. Judgment always comes for the same reason, and so does mercy. Just as Pharaoh had many chances to repent, so does this wicked world in Revelation. But instead they continue to harden their hearts and in turn bring judgment upon themselves. Exodus chapter 9, verses 13 to 15. Then the Lord said to Moses, Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh, and say to him, This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, Let my people go, so that they may worship me. Or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. So as we see here, the plagues are so that the people will know that He is God, and there is no one like him. Starting in verse one, 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. This voice is clearly the voice of God, as we were just told in the last chapter, that the temple was filled with smoke, and no one could enter it until after the plagues were poured out. In Revelation 15, 8, and the sanctuary was filled with the smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. I would also like to remind you that this is now going to be the completion of the third woe that we read about from chapter uh Revelation chapter 11, verse 14. It's easy to forget that this is now the third woe, because for the last four chapters, John went on to describe what was what he was seeing in heaven. But now we are back in the events on earth and picking up where the seventh trumpet blew in chapter 11. John was just catching us up on all the things happening in heaven so we could clearly understand what is driving all these events on earth. Let's move on to verse two. So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathful sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. Here in verse two, we see the first bowl brings loathsome sores, but notice that these sores are only for those who have the mark of the beast. Let's now look at the parallel in Exodus chapter 9, verses 8 through 12. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Take handfuls of soot from a furnace, and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land. So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses. So this lets us know just how bad these sores are going to be. They will be extremely painful, to the point they won't be able to do anything, and yet this is only the first plague. Another interesting thing about these first five plagues is that each one of them in some way represents something of Jesus that this world rejected of him, and now they have become a plague instead of life. In John chapter 6, verse 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. Since this world wanted to be their own God, he turned their flesh into death and disease with these sores, since they rejected Jesus' flesh that brings life. Moving on to verse three. Then the second angel poured out his bowl in the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died. Some have asked if this is literal blood, and I see no reason to think otherwise. As we will see in the next couple verses, an angel makes it clear that it is. In every other instance, when something was symbolic, there was an angel to explain to John what it was or meant. In this case, it looks like blood means blood. Again, we can look to Exodus to understand more detail about this plague in Exodus chapter 7, verses 14 through 18. Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is unyielding, he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river, confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says. By this you will know that I am the Lord. With the staff that is in my hand, I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water. We can see from these verses that this is going to have a tremendous impact on the world's food supply. It will be all the salt water oceans, seas, bays, and inlets turning to blood. Sea life will be washing up on shore all over the world, and the stench will be horrible. This water being turned into blood could represent this world rejecting the blood of Christ that saves us from death. Romans 5 9. Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Verses four through seven. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and sprayings of water, and they became blood, 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, for they have shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, for it is their just due. And I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. This third bowl makes it makes all the fresh water turn to blood, poisoning all the drinking water in. In Exodus chapter seven, verses nineteen to twenty-four, the Lord says to Moses, Tell Aaron, take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs, and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone. Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt, but the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard. He would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead he turned and went into his palace and did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the Nile, the uh river. Notice that it wasn't just the Nile that turned to blood, but all the ponds and the reservoirs, even the vessels of water turned to blood. This should give us a clear indication that even bottled water will probably turn to blood with this judgment. This could also be symbolic of this world rejecting Jesus, the living water that brings eternal life. John chapter 4, verse 10. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and he who it is, who says to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. In verses 13 and 14, Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life. Because this world relies on fresh water to sustain their lives, God now gives them poisoned water to drink, because they rejected the living water Jesus offered in himself. Verses eight and nine. This could be as a result of the nuclear war on earth, or just God removing the protective ozone from the earth to allow the sun to burn on contact. We all know how nice it is to walk outside on a beautiful sunny day to take in the rays. It feels good, doesn't it? But this will be something like being under a magnifying glass. You could say we are now the ants, and the sun will burn with intense heat. It will be difficult to escape it. If the sun is burning this hot, we can imagine that it's having a major impact on whatever is left on the electric good streets, cars, and plant life. We all will be affected. Let's not forget this is on top of being covered in sores and not being able to find fresh water to drink. Now, in addition to all that, they will be thrown into complete darkness with the next plague. Since this world thinks we rely on the Son as the ultimate life giver, God will allow it to scorch them and torment them, since they rejected the only begotten Son of God, who truly gives eternal life. First John 2, 23 to 29. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us eternal life. Verses ten and eleven. 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. They blasphumed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds. This will not be dark like we experience at night when the stars and the moon are shining. This will be darkness that can be felt. In Exodus chapter 10, verses 21 to 23, we read, Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt. Darkness that can be felt. So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the place where they lived. This darkness will not allow light to shine through it. No flashlight, candle, or anything will break through this darkness. In fact, as we see in Exodus 1023, this darkness could be felt. Do these first five plagues remind you of anything else? If you have been following along with me through Revelation, you might remember chapter 9 when the demonic army was released on mankind. This was a picture of hell on earth as people were tormented by this army and were unable to die. Now, here with these first five bowls, you could say this will resemble more of what it will be like in hell. Not only will there be demons in hell tormenting people, but they will be burning in fire and in complete darkness. The fire in hell will not produce light, but it will just burn with intense heat, causing eternal pain and suffering that can't be escaped. In Job chapter 10, verse 21, before I go to the place from which I shall not return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death, a land as dark as darkness itself, as the shadow of death, without any order, where even the light is like darkness. In Matthew chapter 8, verse 12, Jesus said, But the sons of this kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This darkness indicates a complete and utter separation from God, as God is light and no darkness is found in him. First John 1 5. This is the message which we have heard from him and declared to you that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Another interesting fact about God being light is seen in Genesis 1 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light, and God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Here we see that God was indeed the only light source. The sun, moon, and stars weren't created until after the first day, indicating that God was the source of the light. Think about that for a minute. All light, no matter how dim, may very well be resonating from God. The natural light sources he placed in the sky were put there for signs and seasons. We think of them as the thing that that's producing the light. But all through scripture, God is the one that produces light and is described as being light. So again, as we look at this darkness falling upon mankind, it indicates that God has indeed turned from them and removed his light from them, showing that he is the only genuine source of light. We have put our trust in technology like electric to light our world. And now, just like Egypt in Exodus, not even fire will produce light. This is indeed a darkness that can be felt, and it's disabling. I would like to point out one other thing. Notice in Exodus 10 23, no one could see anyone else or move about for three days, yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. How interesting is that? The Israelites had light, indicating that God was with them. Do you realize that when you accept Jesus as your Savior, that you also will have light in you? In John 1 6, there was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. In John chapter 8, verse 12, then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. In Matthew chapter 5, verse 14 and 16. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. We are to live in such a way that God's light in us shines through into this world. Do you allow God's light to shine in your life? If you didn't tell anyone you were a Christian, would they be able to tell by your actions? This is a good indicator of the Spirit of God at work in your life and a testimony to your relationship with Jesus. Without the work of the Spirit in our life, our words have no power. There are so many proclaimed Christians in this world who love to proclaim God's presence and more so his condemnation, but never stop to evaluate their own lives. Take the time today to evaluate your life and whether or not it reflects the light of Jesus into this dark, wicked world. Do you hide it from others because you are scared or ashamed of the response you might get? Are you just trying to fit in with the crowd? I could tell you this you are not called to just fit in. We are called to be a reflection of the light God has put in us. Matthew chapter 10, verses 32 to 39. Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I also deny before my father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. Let's pray. Father God, thank you so much for your word and for your revelation. Thank you for the light of life that you have placed in us. Lord, thank you for the power of the Spirit that works through us, that we have this power available to us. And we understand that it's the first command that you ever gave, the greatest of all command, I should say, is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, heart, soul, mind, and strength. It's this love that we give to you, that we have for you, Lord, that then overflows onto our wife and our children and our parents. It's not that we don't love them, like your word says, but it's that that love for them isn't as great as the love it is for you. That our our source of love comes from you in our relationship with you, Jesus, in our relationship with the Father that you allow us to have through you. And then that love is to overflow and pour out. That's why the second of the commands that you give is like the first, to love your neighbor as yourself. So, Father, I pray that for our listeners today that they would understand that first and foremost, to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is to set their mind, their hearts and their lives and their eyes and everything upon you, God, to love you first, to set time aside to be with you, not to go and do works as if that is their relationship with you, but to find their prayer closet, to set their lives aside, to be still before you, God, to allow you to produce life in them that then shines into this world. God, we thank you for the work that you're doing in us. We thank you for your revelation, and we love you in your precious name, Jesus. Amen. I want to thank you for joining us today. And I hope this message helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus and that you have a better understanding for just how much God loves you and wants you to know Him. In our next episode. We're going to look back. We'll be back here in Revelation chapter 16 to finish up the last two bold judgments. With these, God will draw the wicked army of this world to the place where his great wine press of wrath will be poured out. Before we go, I want to encourage you to visit us at thetaway.faith. On our website, you can find out more about who we are and sign up to receive emails to get notifications on new episodes and ministry updates. This also makes it easy to share our podcast and allows you to use it as a resource to help others. On our website, you can easily send us a message, a word of encouragement, questions, or comments. And we would love to hear from you and encourage you to send us a message soon. God bless, and we'll see you next time on the Takeaway.