The Real Fright Night

 

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” (Revelation 16:1-7 ESV).

 

All Hallows Eve, or as it is commonly known – Halloween. I have noticed an increased emphasis on various “news” channels about Halloween this year. One newscaster mentioned how Halloween has now become a week-long event with school parties, dress up days at work and school, and of course, trick or treating on the night itself. There are various segments of things to do or not do, what to wear, and how to make sure everyone is safe. I learned a new safety precaution as well. Did you know that blue buckets for children to carry collecting their treats indicates they have food allergies? Good idea, but Halloween is not the real fright night. That happens when God tells the angels to being to pour the bowls of wrath. We have the first of those in our reading today.

 

When it comes to divine judgment, timing is also everything. God will not pour out the fullness of His wrath until the right time for that wrath has arrived. Our reading today conveys this same idea that the fullness of God’s wrath will come once the appropriate measure of wickedness has been achieved. The entire chapter describes the pouring out of the first six bowls of wrath, which is expressed in the form of plagues. Note that these plagues parallel the judgments expressed in the sounding of the seven trumpets (cf. Revelation 8:6–13). However, whereas the earlier judgments afflicted only a portion of sinful humanity, the plagues from the bowls of wrath fall on everyone not united to Christ by faith alone (vv. 1–16). The complete measure of judgment has arrived, for humanity has made itself fully deserving of the Lord’s wrath. The same notion of the fullness and appropriateness of God’s wrath at the right time is also expressed in 16:4–6, where the impenitent are forced to drink blood. This is because the enemies of God’s people have shed the blood “of saints and prophets,” having persecuted believers under both the old and new covenants. Their behavior merits punishment in kind.

 

Because these plagues are like the earlier judgments but greater in their scope, they show us that what comes at the final expression of God’s wrath is the full escalation of the Lord’s earlier judgments. There is a connection between the disaster at the end and the suffering that the world experiences before then. Plagues, wars, and natural disasters are a foretaste of the wrath to come and warnings that people must repent now before it is too late. God is calling out to the world for repentance, and one of the ways He does this is by reminding us of our frailty. I hope you understand your frailty and remind people that they need to know Christ before it is too late.