The Grace of Judgment
(Rev 16:1-11)
Pastor Dong-gi Park
On hearing that I was supposed to deliver a Sunday sermon, one of my fellow pastors said 'You received the bowl of Gods wrath!' I took it as Gods blessing disguised as wrath. Todays passage is about the bowl of Gods wrath, the last but most dreadful woes after the woes from the seven seals and trumpet plagues. Yet we need to remember that it reflects the love of God, who wants to give us the last chance for salvation. And the Lord says that we deserve the plagues. Why do we deserve them?
1. Its because we dont repent. There was a loud voice from the temple. Yet we cant hear it without having Gods perspective. God cant stand our spiritual deafness. Nor can he give us up. Thats why he wakes us up by pouring his last bowl of wrath on earth. The series of plagues were caused by our unrepentance. Todays passage deals with five plagues out of seven. amp#9312 Ugly and painful sores. They broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The target of these plagues are those who compromise with the world for their temporary wealth and peace on earth. amp#9313 Blood plague. the sea, described as a living creature in Revelation is actually a resource treasure, whose bounty disables us to repent despite Gods waking plagues. amp#9314 The plague on the rivers and springs of water. After the blood plague, God poured out his wrath on he rivers and springs of water, which no one, even Egyptian enchanters couldnt copy. The enchanters stand for those stuck in the rut of judgment mannerism with their stereotyped religious life without any watershed repentance, amp#9315 The burning sun. The sun was given power to scorch people with its fire. The sun stands for what we rely on success, wealth, and health etc., whose flame burns us. amp#9316 Darkness. The whole world was plunged into darkness. It was worse than that of the ten plagues in Egypt, where there was light for the Israelites. We also can be caught in the darkness of beast blindness without the light of the Word being shed on us. Are you currently under the bowl of Gods wrath? Are you able to repent? Or are you in the same old rut?
2. We have our own rationale for our unrepentance. This is what the angel in charge of the waters says. The Egyptians didnt repent despite Gods ten plagues because of the Nile river, their last resort. We also have our Nile, our own loophole that we take no matter what plagues come upon us. We cant repent because we always chase something other than God himself. God warned the church members of Laodicea, who proclaimed they were rich, that they should recognize their nakedness and wear white clothes. The white clothes that cover our spiritual nakedness can be purchased only through our repentance in sack clothes, revealing our physical disgrace. Whats your resource that makes you avoid Gods judgment? Are you ready to take your physical disgrace to buy your white clothes?
3. Judgment must happen prior to salvation. We all have our own idols, the traps that we fall into, for which we never give an inch even to God, refusing his perfect righteousness. So God gives us his judgment so that we see our need to repent. After all, we brought Gods judgment on ourselves. As pastor Kim says, those who try to evade the Word are able to repent not only with their lips but also heart, only after passing through the sea of glass glowing with fire. The response of the altar stands for the prayers of Gods people. Without our fellow Christians prayers, we cant pass through the tough sea of fire. Do you accept your current suffering as part of Gods judgment that youve brought on yourself? Who is the one that will pray for your successful crossing of the sea?
Heres the testimony of an assistant small group leader of our community. 'I came to Wooridle Church in the midst of my extreme suffering, mixed with hatred against my wife, who had a revenge affair for mine on top of a series of plagues after I married her. Then the story of the two cows in 1Sam 6:12, that had never been yoked but went straight up toward Beth Shemesh without turning to the right or to the left struck me hard like a trumpet sound. I thought I was in the same boat as the cows. From that time on, the members of my community have prayed that I wouldnt turn to the right or to the left. Things seemed to be a series of plagues in those days. But I came to realize that everything was under Gods direction for my salvation, which let me enjoy the peace that God gave me.
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go, pour out the seven bowls of Gods wrath on the earth.' (Rev 16:1)
