Just

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

JUST

Rev 16:4-7

4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve." 7 And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments."

NIV

Although this is another angel, this one brings the same sort of bowl to the party as the second angel did. Still instead of all the oceans, this one effects all the rivers and springs of waters, which usually feed all the small lakes, or even the great lakes. This would be the fresh water, the drinking water. There is going to be a real run on bottled water in every store across the land, because that will be the only source. No more coffee in the morning, because our faucets will pour blood instead of water. No showers, nothing will be made that requires water as an ingredient. If this doesn’t get the attention of the wicked, what will? Of course if they do understand and acknowledge this is from the hand of God, his judgement on their wicked ways, they might well just get mad at him, blaming him for being unjust. But the fact remains all the judgements of God are just. It is so declared in heaven. It is true that in the time of the prophets many of them were killed, and so we could think this was a judgment only on those of years ago, yet nothing like this happened then and all the people today surely have not killed prophets. So how can the angel declare this judgment just because the people have shed the blood of the saints and prophets? Perhaps we could better see this when we read the Greek text. He has judged them because they send the blood of those who are righteous, morally blameless, consecrated and those who are inspired speakers for God. This certainly could be any number of people who are living today. In fact with those terrible terrorist groups, we are seeing believers being brutally slain and they broadcast their horrific acts of murder for the world to see. This is just one instants of why his judgment is just. There may be more of this kind of treatment of believers all over the world before we are taken out of here when Jesus comes in the cloud to gather us. We simply do not know if we will be here during this kind of slaying of Christians, but it would seem there will be a certain amount of it in order for this judgment to be declared. We are seeing, at least in the news, a few occasions where shootings in schools have occurred where the shooter was killing believers, or asking about their faith before shooting them. Whether we want to admit it or not there is an segment of our society which hates the whole idea of God, and thus has a real hatred for believers, or at least think we are stupid for believing in God. The atheists want any reference to God removed completely from the public square. At least there are open in their hatred toward God and us. But there is also a distain for our faith the lies beneath the surface. There are people who simply won’t listen to anything about God. They have made their choice and someday the pain of seeing all this will be at hand for them. But the truth for us today is also in the fact that any judgment of God is just. If he would to judge our behaviors he would be just in doing so. But the truth is we are in Christ and he therefore judged us innocent. We have been weighted and measured and been found not wanting in anything for we have been declared blameless in Christ. When people say that if God is a God of love then all people will get to go to heaven they are simply not willing to accept his judgment of their behaviors. When we understood the truth, when the Spirit convicted us of our sin, our behavior and we understood his judgment on such behavior, we repented and turned to Jesus thus we have escaped this kind of judgment. But it is coming and people will still refuse. Nevertheless God is just.