They did not repent of their deeds
Mon, 25 December, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
In chapter 16, John sees the angels pour out the seven bowl judgments upon the inhabitants of the earth. We see that God is just and righteous to bring these judgments, and that they are what the people deserve.
But we also see that in the face of judgment, the people continue to rebel against God. They do not repent and turn to Him, but instead curse Him and remain in their rebellion.
What do we learn from this?
Difficult times will come into our lives. I dare say most of us will never face anything like these bowl judgments in this chapter, but we will see pain, suffering, and death. How we react to it shows a lot about our relationship with God.
The true child of God can wonder why God would allow such things to happen to them. They can question God. Sometimes they will even be angry at God for the things they must endure. But they will come to the point where they will submit to God and trust Him in the face of their pain and suffering. They will repent of their sin (including their sinful reactions to the suffering) and give glory to God for all that He does, even the hardships that He brings into our lives.
The person who is not a child of God will curse God and be strengthened in his rebellion against God. He will not learn the lesson, and heed God’s call to repent, but will instead be hardened in his unbelief and flee from God even further.
Since we all will face hardships, we should set it in our minds firmly that we will not rebel against God in the hard times. We will not withdraw from attending church. We will not curse God and hate Him for allowing such things to happen to us. We will, to the best of our ability, God giving us the power, submit to His will, and seek Him in our times of trouble. We will repent of our sin and trust Him to bring us through the difficulties He brings into our lives.
Where is Christ in this passage?
In these bowl judgments, God is pouring out His wrath against the sins of the rebellious followers of the beast. They will suffer for the way they have rejected God.
God does vent His anger against sin, and all sin must be punished. As the angel says in this chapter, Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. God is just and He will punish all sin. He will punish every sin that you and I commit.
The good news is that Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for all those who come to Him in faith. For all His people, He has borne the punishment due to them. On the cross, He suffered in their place, so that they would be found righteous in the Father’s sight.
Jesus Christ willingly took the full brunt of the wrath of God against sin, so that we do not have to bear it ourselves for eternity in hell.
