The second and third vials Revelation 16v3-6.
"And the second angel poured out his vial on the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say "thou art righteous oh Lord, which art, and wast, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy."
In these two vial outpourings, God corrupts the waters of the earth; first the salt waters of the oceans, then the fresh waters of the rivers and the fountains. These two vials relate to the first plague in Egypt, and the river Nile and its tributaries were turned into blood. All Egyptians were dependent on the waters of the Nile for their food and for their livelihood, and this was indeed severe judgment. This plague was a solemn visitation by God on rebellious Egypt. What we have here is even more solemn, since the judgment is global. We can hardly imagine such a scene. No society can do without water, nothing can grow without water, ultimately no one survives without water; and yet here we have the oceans of the world as the blood of a dead man and the rivers and fountains of water all turned to blood. The earth is bereft of a huge life giving source.
The sight alone must be revolting; the stench and putrefaction must be overpowering. In the judgments of God there is much blood letting. In chapter 14 we read of "blood up to the horses bridles" (four feet in height), by the space of two hundred miles (chapter 14v20). Why is God bringing before the world the sight of so much blood? We go back to the scene of the crucifixion in (Matthew 27v25) "then answered all the people and said His blood be upon us and on our children."
God is taking mankind at his word. In (Hebrews chapter 10v29) the writer speaks of those "who have trodden underfoot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified a common thing(KJV margin), and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace." The world of this future day which has seen the unlawful killing of many of the saints and prophets of God are equally guilty. The angel of the waters comments on this that the eternal God who created all things and has been despised, despite His constant provision is right to corrupt the waters which He gave to the world. In verse 6 he gives the reason "they have shed the blood of saints and prophets;" they wanted blood and God has given them blood to drink. The principle being underlined here is that of retribution(see next blog). God will pay back mankind exactly in accordance with their actions. The principle is all over holy scripture "whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." In Matthew chapter 23 Jesus spoke of the martyrdom of God's people from the very beginning, in verse 25 "that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of the righteous able unto the blood of Zechariah son of Barachias whom you slew between the temple and the altar." Added to that carnage has been the martyrdom of God's people in the present age.
Readers should note two things which are underlined here.
- All actions are recorded by heaven and will be revisited.
- Retribution will be made like for like, and measure for measure.
God will visit this world with His vengeance and shall cause the killers to drink blood. This is a pretty grim scene and it is there for our warning.
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