Blood Wine
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Today we will be reading through chapters 14, 15 and 16 of the Book of Revelation.
Due to the sizes of these three chapters, we will consider each of them together as we go through our time together this morning.
Let’s start by opening our Bibles to
1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
There may not seem to be much to unpack un this first paragraph, especially since
The previous chapter ended with the dreaded mark of the beast and all that goes with that event.
But there is more than meets the eye.
Right off the bat, John tells us at the beginning of this chapter that, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion.
Him, along with 144K people.
Who were all Virgins, undefiled by women, and pure, unpolluted before the Lord through redemption.
And they sang a new song that no one has ever heard before nor could anyone else learn it.
The 144K was previously clarified that these are 144K Jewish people and they are set apart for an evangelism assignment this world has never seen before.
But, in order them to qualify, they had to virgins and unspoiled from the world.
I can see that.
If you are going to take part in the biggest evangelistic campaign the world has ever seen, you should expect to be as ready as possible.
But what makes them so special also is the fact that these 144K people were able to withstand the influence of their day.
Against the influence of the antichrist.
Remember, people are going to be unrestricted in their debauchery,
Meaning these 144K people will have to restrain their passions and desires, etc, in a world that will be tailor made for the free expression of sensual pleasures.
Yet, through their faith in God, they will be able to abstain from that world that will try so desperately to force them into sin or bring them death.
The new Song they sing will only be for their lips because no one else in history had o endure what they had to.
So, they get to write a new song that only they are qualified to sing.
Next we have the proclamation of three angels.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
As mentioned with the 144K, there is going to be a massive global evangelization effort on a scale that has never happened before.
So, much that even the ones the 144K can’t reach, be it because they are on a deserted island, or a reclusive community.
Like some that have killed every missionary that has ever tried to reach them,
As an example, there is an Island in India where the Sentinelese people are so antisocial that the island where they live is protected by the Indian government to prevent outsiders from making contact.
Everyone who has ever tried to approach the island has been savagely killed.
Well, they won’t be able to hide from this proclamation by this angel flying over them telling them about the gospel.
NO ONE will be able to say they Didn’t know, Or they didn’t have a chance.
And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Notice the angel mentions the falling of Babylon twice.
It seems to correspond to the fact that Babylon does indeed fall twice.
Once spiritually falling into unredeemable depravity, and then secondly, fallen as it is completely destroyed physically.
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
This angel warns the entire world, whoever they are and where ever they are.
If you take this mark, you are toast!
You have been warned.
But, listen to this,
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
Not long ago in scripture, we read that people during this time will wish for death but it will elude them.
Meaning, the conditions will be so bad, that many will beg the rocks to fall on them and kill them to take them out of that misery.
But they will not be able to die.
They will have to endure it.
But not so for the people that through faith make it through the tribulation.
The believers in Christ will be hunted and persecuted to no end,
The calvary won’t be coming to rescue them.
They will be on their own, and death will find the believer,
Not through Supernatural calamities, God’s wrath will be pouring out on the world at this time.
No, God’s wrath won’t kill these believers, but the antichrist and his followers will make a blood sport out of it.
I expect them to die in ways reminiscent of the gladiator days, in sheer abject ridicule and humiliation, with their corpses being left to rot on the streets on this barbaric world to come.
To these believers, their relief from this dreaded world and antichrist, death will come as a sweet relief
And they will be immediately transported into their eternal Blessings.
The rest of the chapter introduces the use of the sickle to reap up the harvest of remaining earth for God.
Then we move into the shortest chapter in the Book of Revelation,
Chapter 15.
But for today’s message, we’ll just look at the first verse and then move on to chapter 16.
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
These seven angels introduced here, have the last of the wrath of God, and after they are poured out, the Wrath of God on the earth will be complete.
It will be finished.
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.” 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. 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.
After the last of the Wrath of God is poured out, there will be boils on every person that received the mark of the beast.
Can you imagine the pain in that?
Have you ever had a blister on your feet?
I have, and talk about ruing your day.
They can be very painful, especially when they are at the right spot of discomfort.
Well, when this bowl is poured out, there won’t be a spot on the body that isn’t covered with painful boils.
Ouch!
But then it says that at the pouring of the second bowl, the seas will become blood and everything in the sea will die.
If the seas are turned into blood, or anything other than water, then the rivers and streams that flow into freshwater lakes and ponds will also turn to blood,
And the world will be left without the most important ingredient to life itself, Water.
If there isn’t anymore drinkable water on the earth, people will be forced to turn into vampires,
Im being funny of course, but people will be forced to drink blood.
It is ironic that God would have them drink the very blood they defiled by their rejection of Jesus’ blood for their salvation.
“Oh,,, you don’t want my blood to cover your sins? You don’t need the redeeming blood of Jesus?”
“Well guess what here you, have the blood of the world instead.”
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 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. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
You’d rather have the world over Jesus, Ok, now you will drown in the blood of the world.
Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
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 blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
Since there will be no more water to quench the thirst of mankind, the suns increased heat will bring men to their knees in thirst and desperation causing them to get even more angry at God instead of themselves for causing their torment in the first place.
Their throats will burn, reminiscent of the bitter drink they gave Jesus while he hung on that cross when he asked for water.
But it gets even worse, if you can imagine.
The entire world is plummeted into total darkness.
While there isn’t any clean water with which to sooth their oozing painful sores,
They are left to focus on the agony of their body while stumbling around in the dark.
That means no electricity, no cell phone screen to light the hallway as you hobble to the bathroom to relieve yourself.
In total darkness, they blaspheme God.
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
After these things, they are going to see the great river Euphrates dry up.
In that part of the world, the River Euphrates is big deal.
It has supplied water, fish and life to generations of people.
Their trust in mother earth, or in the antichrists and the false prophet’s ability to sustain them will be broken, when not even their trusted savior
Can stop this great river from evaporating into eternity right before their eyes.
That’s like if all of the sudden the five great lakes here in the USA, dried up over night,
Or rather like waking up to find that the entire Mississippi river dried up completely.
But get this,
It also says that three unclean spirits like frogs will come out from the mouth of the dragon.
These will be lying spirits, lying demons that will go out into the world convincing people to wage War against God.
Can you believe that?
I can.
I see these three spirits as taking the form of something like, CNN, ABC and CBS.
Like news media, their sole objective is to convince you of what they feed you, LIES!
Unfortunately for the people of the world at this time, it will work, and they will be somehow convinced to go out in battle against God.
in the battle of Armageddon.
Isn’t that the most ridiculous this?
To think you can beat win against God?
Really?
Many of us do it all the time in many different ways.
By with holding our tithes that belong to the Lord.
We are given specific examples of the tithe, meaning ten percent of or increase.
Yet, how many today can say they are obedient in giving?
How about in our commitment to the Lord?
yet, how many can say God is their priority?
I know as a pastor that is the case for many, as I have heard this with my own ears.
I can’t come to church or volunteer for an event because I have to cut my grass,
Or little billy has a soccer game etc.
Yes, I can see how the world could be easily duped into the lies of the dragon.
It’s already happening.
So instead of ooing and aghing over how stupid those people must be to wage war against God,
When we already do it ourselves in the here and now.
By thinking somehow we’ll get the better end of the deal in our lives instead of God.
But instead of lining up against God on the battle field of Armageddon, we do it from the comfort our living room recliner, or couch.
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.
Thats it!
With a loud voice from heaven,
that terrible wicked city, that brought fourth Nimrod, and all the evil idolatry and wicked pagan practice rooted in rebellion,
Was gone!
Finished, end of the line.
Those people will never again have the opportunity to repent and be saved by the blood of Jesus.
Instead, god will give them the blood of the saints to drink.
Those who are hearing me, Now is the time to repent and be baptized in the Lord, before the coming of that great and awesome day.
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