Going ahead

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

GOING AHEAD

Rev 16:3

3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

NIV

Once again we have a great debate or conflict with those who are considered as scholars by each other. Some would say this is some great naval battle between the forces that support the Papal power, which would be the nations of Spain, France and Portugal that have naval fleets and those who oppose the power. A bloody battle with many lives being lost at sea and thus the sea would be turned to blood. Others would have us see the waters turning to blood as with the plague in Egypt and all marine life was destroyed, for the purpose of rendering the economics of the fishing industry null and void. This might be a plausible explanation, but it seems there may be something else which could be happening. If we recall through Moses God inflicted boils upon the Egyptians just as he caused the Nile to turn to blood and all the fish died. All those plagues were to prove God was more powerful than the gods the Egyptians believed in. In this case we see today that man has engaged in what might almost be worship of water as it relates to the environment. They are causing environmental laws to control the water purity for the sake of mankind. There is much talk about the polar ice caps melting causing the seas to rise out of control and flood the planet. Inventions are at hand to create pure water from salt water. Life without water is simple not possible and so mankind has an almost faddish about water, much like the Egyptians did with the Nile. Mankind also serves marine life in some sense. We are told we are the stewards of the environment and we need to save the whales, save the seals, save the polar bears, save whatever species that are endangered by our reckless behaviors. But the fact is here we see God once again proving that he is in charge of everything.  He is the author of all life, and he is the finisher of all life. If God sees to it that all marine life is destroyed in order to get the attention of man, that is what he will do. This should also prove to us that all marine life is not sentient beings, no matter how intelligent we are told they are. They are not aware of their own life, they are created for the purpose to sustain life for man. They are created for the pleasures of man, as is all the earth. God created this place with all that is needed to sustain our lives. All the environment is his creation and man cannot ever do enough harm to that which God created for man has no even a one billionth of a millionth of a ounce as much power as God. So when God turns the water to blood, and all the life in the water is destroyed, who of mankind is going to save them? What cause will arise to save the whales? What political leader will rise up and claim to have the answer, to save the water? Or will men be struck with fear and turn to God? It is a good thing we have already turned to God for we will not be here to experience his wrath poured out on mankind. But yet they are people who will, and some of them we might know. We have no idea when all this will actually take place, it could be within our lifetime or it could be in another hundred or thousand years. No man knows the day or the hour, but it is surely coming. If it were to happen in our lifetime, we do know people who will have to go through this terrible experience. Should we not try to warn them? Even if they die before it all happens, their eternal lives are still at stake. There is a fate waiting for those whose names will be blotted out of the book of life that is not a pleasant fate. Should we not be about our Fathers business? Should we not be among those who need to know of his plan for man? What value is there in only associating with others who know him? Yes we should not forsake the assembling with others of like faith, but not at the expense of not being with those who need to know the truth. Is it that church recharges our batteries? Should not the Holy Spirit be charge enough? Sure it would seem we should be engaged in corporate worship as some day we surely will as we stand by the shores of the crystal sea in his presence. But it seems we have almost made church a thing of worship rather than God. Nevertheless the truth is God is going to go about proving he has all the power and man has none. This is what is going to happen and the reason he is telling us all this is so we can go before him proclaiming his mighty power. We need to be going ahead.