One Angel's Opinion Of God's Judgement Series

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 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;

for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets,

and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”

And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” Revelation 16 4-7

RIVERS & SPRINGS OF WATER POLLUTED

THE CONTEXT & THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TRUMPET & BOWL JUDGMENTS:

If you read Revelation 8 and compare it to Revelation 16 you'll see a lot of connections between the Trumpet Judgments and the Bowl Judgments-

the third trumpet shows a start burning like a torch falling from the sky, and polluting the rivers and springs of water. Bowl Three is poured out on the rivers and springs of water which are turned to blood.

we can see many parallels in what's happening today, what many scientists call the 6th Great Extinction which we seem to be causing. They say it may be related to the greatest of the 5 previous extinctions-the Great Dying.

During "The Great Dying," up to 90 percent of the world's species perished.(for more info see: http://www.livescience.com/25253-bacteria-permian-extinction.html)

“Possible causes supported by strong evidence appear to describe a sequence of catastrophes, each one worse than the previous: the Siberian Traps eruptions were bad enough in their own right, but because they occurred near coal beds and the continental shelf, they also triggered very large releases of carbon dioxide and methane. The resultant global warming may have caused perhaps the most severe anoxic event in the oceans' history: according to this theory, the oceans became so anoxic, anaerobic sulfur-reducing organisms dominated the chemistry of the oceans and caused massive emissions of toxic hydrogen sulfide”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permian–Triassic_extinction_event#Combination_of_causes

Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula H 2S. It is a colorless gas with the characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs; it is heavier than air, very poisonous, corrosive, flammable and explosive

-Red Tide-when I was a teenager in High School, we lived close to the beach. Almost every year, for a few weeks we could not swim in the ocean because of a dangerous “red tide”

“Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom (large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms) when it is caused by a few species of dinoflagellates and the bloom takes on a red or brown color. Red tides are events in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, resulting in coloration of the surface water. It is usually found in coastal areas. These algae, known as phytoplankton, are single-celled protists, plant-like organisms that can form dense, visible patches near the water's surface.. . .

Some red tides are associated with the production of natural toxins, depletion of dissolved oxygen or other harmful effects, and are generally described as harmful algal blooms. The most conspicuous effects of these kinds of red tides are the associated wildlife mortalities [death] of marine and coastal species of fish, birds, marine mammals, and other organisms.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide

What is interesting to me is that the evidence is mounting that human behavior has begun to bring about very similar ecological conditions as the disasters which will come about as a result of God’s final judgment on the earth. I can’t help but feel that

1. God is giving the world a warning as scientists begin to understand the impact of changes in atmospheric chemistry, and that their predictions are very similar (or almost the same as) the predictions of the Bible.

2. We, as believers, have a responsibility to get the word out and show people what the Bible says about the last days-we have a beautiful opportunity to bring people to Christ through the amazing truths revealed in the Bible concerning our day.

THE ANGEL’S PERSPECTIVE

The angel has an interesting perspective. He sees the horrors of God’s judgment and the destruction of the planet and the humans who occupy it. Yet he is not astounded and shocked and appalled. He, instead affirms the rightness of this action by God, the justice of it. He praises God for destruction and death. I think we need this perspective. We are not really capable of seeing such things objectively, and if we did, there may be something wrong with us. A psychopath may be able to calculate the balance of evil and the pouring out of wrath, like blindfolded Lady Justice, but a healthy human being should desire to shun and avoid such human suffering. The angel shows no empathy. He evaluates impartially. He sees with non-human eyes how good God’s choices and judgments truly are.