Watch out world

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

WATCH OUT WORLD

Rev 16:1-2

16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

NIV

We need to remember this is the beginning of the end, it is the beginning of the completion of God’s wrath poured out on those who refused to accept him for who he is. What John is describing for us here is some sort of painful sores that are also ugly which are inflicted on those who have the mark of the beast and worship his image. This might be a good time to recall just who or what the beast is. Again some would claim him to be the Pope, but again those are of course the protestant scholars of years ago, when there was such a great distain for this power in Rome. Some are still convinced this beast already existed and these plagues were see during the French revolution, well at least they thought so, but have no real evidence of all the plagues during that time. But the fact remains there is some kind of beast and there are many people who have its mark and worship its image. This beast could very well be an ideology rather than a person. It could be humanism, it could be capitalism, or communism, or socialism, all of which have an image of sorts, a representation of its meaning. It certainly makes sense that those who refuse to accept God for who he is, the creator of all things, including mankind, would express their faith or belief system in something or someone else. We see much of that today both in those who believe in evolution and those who are environmentalist, believing man can actually destroy the planet, which God created, thus making mankind the power, not God. They worship themselves. We noticed one comment just the other day regarding a hurricane which has been labeled the strongest ever. This person said, “We are breaking the planet”. This person must think it is because of man harming the environment that we have caused this hurricane. This is nothing more the worship of man, not God. What God is going to do in these last days, the completion of his wrath is go about proving he is the all-powerful God. These people whoever or whatever they claim as their belief will see what they have faith or belief in has no power to save them. These horrible ugly sores are only the beginning of God proving they need him and not their other belief. He still desires them to turn from their worship of whatever and turn to him. If any man did turn we would be convinced they would be healed of these sores instantly. Again there most already be some who turned toward God during the seven trumpets, as this plague is only on those with the mark of the beast. It is much like those plagues on the Egyptians. They were the only ones inflicted with the plagues while Israel stood by and watched. So shall it be whenever this happens, God’s people will not be harmed. But watch out world.