When Rivers Run Red: The Third Bowl and Earth’s Water Crisis

So we're talking about the third bowl tonight, and we're picking back up in

Revelation chapter 16, verses four through seven.

Revelation 16 · chapter mention

It says, then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs

of waters, and they became blood.

And I heard the angel of the water saying, righteous are you who are and who were, O holy one,

because you judge these things, for they poured out the blood of saints and

prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.

And I heard the altar saying, yes, O Lord God, the Almighty,

true and righteous are your judgments.

And that's Revelation 16, four through seven.

So we see tonight when the third angel poured out his bowl, the same appalling

judgment that affected the oceans was visited on what?

Water. They too became blood. So you might think, hey, if it was just the oceans,

maybe I can find a mountain stream somewhere, a stream hidden up in the woods,

you know, that don't have blood.

It doesn't have all that death in it. No, that's not going to be the case.

And what happened to the Nile River in Egypt, as we see back in Exodus chapter

Exodus 7 · chapter mention

7 and Psalm 78 talks about it, now happens to, get this, the world's entire supply of fresh water.

The contamination of the world's oceans will be an environmentalist's worst nightmare.

But the destruction of the world's remaining fresh water, that supply is going

to be catastrophic. You can just imagine. It'll be staggering.

It's a staggering blow to fallen humanity.

I mean, just think about it. You know, pity the people that have the bottled water, right?

I mean, it's going to be gone quick. And I mean, by the time the third bowl

is poured out, fresh water will be in critically short supply.

The third trumpet judgment we saw back in chapter 8 of Revelation will result

in the poisoning of how much of the water?

One third there. I fooled y'all

there. Going back in time, that trumpet judgment just did a third, right?

But additionally, the two witnesses, if you remember we studied,

they will have the power to shut up the sky so that rain will not fall during

the days of their prophesying. We talked about them.

That's the last three and a half years of the tribulation.

And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood.

We saw in chapter 11.

So the temporary restraining of the earth's winds that we saw back in chapter

7, verse 1 of Revelation, think about it, it's going to also cause drought.

And as we look at that, with no wind to move clouds and weather systems,

by the way, the hydrological cycle will be disrupted and no rain will fall.

The destruction of what is left of the earth's freshwater will cause unthinkable

hardship and suffering. You can imagine.

There'll be no water to drink, no clean water to wash the oozing sores,

remember, caused by the first bowl judgment.

No water to bring cooling relief from the scorching heat that the fourth bowl

judgment will shortly bring that we'll see tonight.

And the scene is really so unimaginably horrible that people will wonder how

a God of compassion, mercy, and grace could send such a judgment.

And so there is a brief interlude here. I want you to see this in the pouring

out of the judgments while an angel speaks in God's defense.

I find this interesting. It says, appropriately, see here, it's the angel of

the waters. Did you see that?

Who defends God's righteous judgment here in an echo of the overcomer song in

chapter 15, verses three and four that we talked about.

So in contrast to the curses and the blasphemies of men, the angel declares what? Look again here.

He says, righteous are you who are and who were, O holy one,

because you judge these things.

God's judgment, in other words, of sinners is unquestionably righteous.

Because why? Because he is the holy one.

And although his wrath is terrifying and deadly, it is a just,

deserved, and appropriate response to sinners' rejection of him.

The angel actually here declares that the Christ-hating, God-rejecting people

receiving these judgments will bear an overwhelming burden of guilt.

They will have rejected, y'all think about this, the clear, powerful,

and persuasive preaching of the gospel throughout the tribulation.

More than that, the angel reminds the reader here, look back at it,

that they poured out the of saints and prophets.

They will mercilessly persecute and kill believers throughout the tribulation,

beginning with the martyrs of the fifth seal that we saw back in chapter six.

But later, John saw a great multitude, which no one could count from every nation,

all tribes, all peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the

lamb clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands.

He says, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and they have

washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.

That's back in chapter seven.

And so the two witnesses, if you remember this, will be martyred, right?

That's back in chapter 11. And the enraged nations in chapter 11 will be drunk

with the blood of the saints, it says, and with the blood of the witness of Jesus.

And that's in chapter 17 that we haven't got to yet.

But fittingly, get this tonight, fittingly, those who have spilled so much innocent

blood, ironically, will be given blood to drink.

In the angel's chilling words, look at it. Don't miss this. This comes from

the angel. What does it say there?

They deserve it. They deserve it.

God is just and holy and will execute vengeance for his people.

Don't forget that. Romans 12, Hebrews 10.

Having willfully rejected the knowledge of the truth, it talks about this in Hebrews 10.

Again, there is nothing left for the unbelieving world to do but to receive

what they deserve, a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire

which will consume the adversaries.

It tells us in Hebrews 10, 27.

Then the apostle John, what, heard the altar saying, look at it,

yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.

The personified altar here echoes the sentiments of the angel with the word

similar we found back in chapter 15, verse 3.

It may be that, you know, the very altar under which the saints were earlier

seen praying for vengeance back in chapter 6 now affirms here that God's true

and righteous judgments are the answer to those prayers.

That God's judgments are true and righteous it's the constant teaching of scripture, isn't it?

They are not like those capricious judgments associated with false pagan gods.

God is the holy one. He's the holy one.

In fact, in Genesis 18, verse 25, Abraham actually asked rhetorically,

Genesis 18:25

shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly?

David wrote in Psalm 19, verse nine, the judgments of the Lord are true.

They are righteous altogether.

And while in Psalm 119, verse 75, the psalmist actually added these words.

Psalms 119:75

He said, I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteous.

Paul actually wrote of the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God in Romans 2.

In chapter 19, verses 1 through 2, John heard something like a loud voice of

a great multitude in heaven,

we'll see, saying, hallelujah salvation and

glory and power belong to our god because his judgments are true and righteous

for he has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality

and he has avenged the blood of his bond servants on her.

And then we have the fourth bowl. Man, just think about it for a minute.

We've talked about three. There's four more to come, right?

I mean, the fourth bowl. The fourth angel, verse 8 of chapter 16.

The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.

Men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God,

who has the power over these plagues. and they did not repent so as to give

him glory. Don't forget that part.

You see, in contrast to the first three angels who poured out their bowls on

the earth, we see right here tonight that the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun.

And as a result, the sun, which has, you know, since the fourth day of creation

that we see in Genesis 1, given the world light, warmth, and energy,

it becomes a deadly killer.

You know, a searing heat exceeding anything in human experience would have gone

to scorch men so severely that it'll seem that the atmosphere is on fire.

And those who will be scorched with the sun's fierce heat are the same people,

don't miss this, who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

This fiery judgment really, I think, is remissive of Isaiah chapter 24,

Isaiah 24:4–6

verses 4 through 6, where it says this, the earth mourns and withers,

the world fades and withers,

the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.

The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants for they transgress laws,

violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.

Therefore, a curse devours the earth and those who live in it are held guilty.

Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left.

Another serious consequence of the sun's intense heat will be the melting of the polar ice caps.

The resulting rise, think about it for a moment, in the ocean's water level

will inundate coastal regions.

Flooding, think about this, flooding areas miles, just flooding areas miles

inland with that noxious water.

Remember that polluted, the death there and the blood of the dead oceans?

I mean, widespread damage and loss of life will accompany that flooding.

And adding further to that unspeakable misery of the devastated planet.

Transportation by sea will become impossible, Brother Ronnie. That'll be no more.

One would think that, you know, all the unparalleled disasters we've seen,

all those, the first four bold judgments here would cause people to repent.

They'd finally realize wow god is

god he is holy they would they would repent right there you would think right

god's judgment is designed y'all to call sinners to repentance it tells us that

romans 2 verse 4 or like pharaoh what's the other result when it doesn't bring you to repentance,

Romans 2:4

what happens to your heart it hardens your heart and if y'all notice this if

you go back to that with Pharaoh in Egypt.

He talked about to start with it, Pharaoh hardened his heart.

Pharaoh hardened his heart. And then when you get in a little deeper,

it says God hardened his heart after that because God gave him exactly what he chose.

And so instead of blaming their sin in the most shocking example here of hardness

of heart in history, what they do instead, they blaspheme the name of God.

Whom they know, by the way, they don't have doubt, they know this,

to be directly responsible for all their misery that they're going through.

Amazingly, y'all, they know it is God who has the power over the plagues.

He's the one that can help them. And they know that, yet they will love their

sin. Get this, don't forget this tonight.

They're gonna love their sin so much and be so deceived by Antichrist that they

will not repent so as to give God glory.

Until this point, only the Antichrist has been described as blaspheming back in chapter 13.

Here, notice this, the progression. The world adopts his evil character.

Neither grace, y'all, nor wrath will move their wicked hearts to repentance.

In fact, back in chapter 11, verse 13, the earthquake, you remember that,

brought some to repentance, but not in this judgment, not in this judgment series.

So you think for a moment, such blind, blasphemous hardness of heart is incredible

in the face of the devastating judgments that they're going to be undergoing,

they're all going to experience.

Remember, these are the unbelievers. This is not for Christians.

This is not happening to Christians. They're going to be protected, okay?

But like their evil leader, Antichrist, They'll come to hate God and they will

refuse to repent, which would give glory to God if they repented, right?

As a just and righteous judge of sin, as it talks about in Joshua.

Wow, that's four. Should we look at number five? This is the fifth bowl.

Let's pick up in verse 10 of chapter 16. Then the fifth angel poured out his

bowl on the throne of the beast,

and his kingdom became darkened and they gnawed their tongues because of pain

and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores

and they did not repent of their deeds.

That's a common recurrence, right? That central interpretive motif,

right? It just keeps coming back.

And as he did long ago in Egypt, back in Exodus 10, God is going to turn up

the intense suffering of the sinful world. What is he going to do? How's he going to do it?

Turning out the lights. It's going to be darkened.

After that fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast,

his kingdom became darkened.

You know, commentators disagree over where specifically this bowl will be dumped.

Some think that it'll be on the actual throne and the beast that he sits on.

Others on his capital city of Babylon, still others on his entire kingdom.

And I kind of think it's best to see the throne as a reference,

though, to his kingdom, since the bowl here that's mentioned is poured out on

the throne. When it's poured out on the throne, darkens the whole kingdom.

So regardless, though, of the exact location of where the bowl is dumped, the result is what?

That darkness engulfs the entire earth, which is Antichrist's worldwide kingdom

at this time. The beast will be as helpless before the power of God as anybody else.

You know, Joel actually described this time of judgment as a day of darkness and gloom, he did.

He said, a day of clouds and thick darkness, multitudes, multitudes in the valley

of decision. Y'all remember that from Joel?

For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon

grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. That's in Joel chapter two and chapter three.

Zephaniah described the day of the Lord as a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and thick darkness. in Zephaniah chapter one, verse 15.

And actually Jesus, y'all remember this? He actually declared in his discourse that in those days,

after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, he said, and the moon will not give its light.

It's in Mark 12. Also, it talks about it in Isaiah 13, Luke 21, Acts 2.

So think about it for a moment. The cumulative effect of all of the painful

sores, the fouled oceans, the death that's there, lack of drinking water,

intense scorching heat, all engulfed in thick blackness.

Now, that's going to bring unbearable misery, right?

I mean, we think we have it bad, you know, when the AC and the car goes out. I mean, that's nothing.

Yet incredibly, the wicked, unbelieving people of the world,

it's just hard to grasp this, will still refuse to repent.

John actually knows that they gnawed their tongues. See it right there?

They gnawed their tongues. It's so bad.

Literally kept on chewing on their tongues. I mean, I just kind of freak out

when I actually bite my tongue.

But they're going to be in such pain, they're actually going to chew on it.

Because of the most intense and excruciating pain here, yet with those same

tongues, what else are they going to do?

They're going to curse God. They're going to blaspheme God, the God of heaven.

You know, that's a frequent Old Testament title for God.

Because of their pains and their sores, maybe related to the lack of sunlight

as well as the effect of the previous plagues, those previous blows that God

is executing, and they did not repent of their deeds.

There we go. The ultimate act, y'all, of defiance by those hopelessly engulfed

in Antichrist's satanic system here.

This is the last reference, by the way, to their unwillingness to repent.

The first five plagues were God's final call to repentance. That's it.

Sinners ignored that call and are now confirmed in their unbelief.

You know, it's kind of like I told you with Pharaoh. He hardened his heart.

Pharaoh hardened his heart. He hardened his heart. Then God hardened his heart.

So they're confirmed in their unbelief. The final two bowls containing the severest

of all judgments will be poured out.

Think about it tonight on hardened, implacable, impenitent humanity. All of it.

Okay, I got to ask, should I stop tonight or do you want to hear those final two?

All right, the sixth bowl. We're almost there. The sixth bowl we pick back up in verse 12 through 16.

Here we go. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river,

the Euphrates, and its water was dried up so that the way would be prepared

for the kings from the east.

And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the

beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs.

For they are spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of

the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps

his clothes, you know, where it keeps your clothes on, right?

So that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.

And they gathered them together to the place, which in Hebrew is called Harmageddon.

So unlike the previous five bowls, what do we see here?

The sixth, like the sixth seal, by the way, back in chapter six,

it doesn't have any specific assault on humanity, but it prepares for what is to come.

And when his turn came, the sixth angel, what does it say again?

Poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. the euphrates

actually appeared earlier in revelation in

connection with that six trumpet that we studied back in

chapter 19 that six trumpet judgment you remember

when 200 million demons who

were bound near it were released and as

the longest and most significant river in the middle

east the euphrates deserves to be called

that great river and it is in scripture not only

here but genesis 15 deuteronomy 1 joshua 1

so it's the source its source is actually

in the snow fields an ice cap high on

the slopes of mount ararat located where

modern turkey right from which it flows some 1800 miles before emptying into

the persian gulf and in ancient times the garden of eden was located in the

vicinity of the euphrates we learned that in genesis 2 the The Euphrates also

formed the eastern boundary of the land God gave to Israel.

Along with the nearby Tigris, the Euphrates is still, y'all,

the lifeblood of the fertile crescent.

So by the time the sixth bowl here in this passage is poured out,

the Euphrates will be very different than it is today or has ever been.

The blazing heat, think about this, the blazing heat from the sun associated

with the fourth bowl will melt the snow and ice cap on Mount Ararat,

and that will vastly increase the volume of water in the Euphrates,

causing massive damage, flooding along its course, right?

The bridges spanning the river will surely be destroyed with all this flooding.

So the reason for the sixth bowl becomes apparent, doesn't it?

When you think about it, as the angel dumped his bowl, the Euphrates River was

dried up because it needed to be dried up, right?

So that, why? So God's purposes could be accomplished so that the way would

be prepared for the kings from the east. God knows what he's doing.

The eastern armies will need to cross the Euphrates to reach their ultimate

destination, Armageddon in the land of Palestine.

God's drying up of the Euphrates, it's not an act of kindness toward the kings

from the east, by the way, but it's one of judgment.

They and their armies will be entering a deadly trap.

The evaporation of the Euphrates is going to lead them to their doom,

just as the parting Red Sea, if you remember, led the destruction of the Egyptian army.

So why they'll make the dawning journey here that will take them to their doom

through the drought, scorching heat, darkness, and their painful sores is actually

stated in verses 13 and 14.

Whatever the human motives of this invasion force whether

it's political rebellion or or maybe rabid

anti-semitism the real

reason behind their advance toward palestine soon

becomes evident doesn't it in a grotesque vision

like something out of a horror movie john saw

listen to this coming out of the mouth of

the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of

the false prophets three unclean spirits

talks about this by the way in the new testament too in

matthew 10 mark 1 and acts 5 it says

like frogs from the mouth really symbolizing the the source of influence right

of each member of the unholy trinity remember we talked about satan's counterfeits

you know god has the holy trinity he has the unholy trinity so the dragon which is one member of it,

Satan, and the beast, another member of it, the Antichrist, and the false prophet.

Come foul, unclean spirits resembling frogs.

Frogs were unclean animals. It tells us that in Leviticus 11,

they were considered unclean. But these are not literal frogs.

As in the plague in Egypt, John actually identified the frog-like apparitions as what? What are they?

Demons. They're spirits of demons. And that's graphic, revolting.

And the disgusting illustration here, it pictures the slimy,

cold-blooded, you think about it,

vileness of these demons just by comparing them to frogs who seduced the kings

from the east into making this difficult journey to their doom,

by the way, at Armageddon under their deluding influence that they have.

And as part of their deception, the demons here will no doubt perform supernatural signs.

Earlier in tribulation, remember in the tribulation, the false prophet performed

great signs. Y'all remember that.

Even making fire come down out of heaven to earth in the presence of men.

That was back in chapter 13.

So as a result, he was able to deceive those, it says in scripture,

those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given to him

to perform in the presence of the beast.

He was even able to persuade those who dwell on the earth to make an image to

the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

Now, we talked about this back then when we looked at it, whether he truly was

struck down and died and was resurrected or whether it was a fake false resurrection,

which is what I tend to believe because, you know, all the Satan stuff is the counterfeit, right?

So people are going to think he was resurrected, but I don't think he really was.

I think it's all a show, but I could be wrong, but I think it's a show.

But anyway, these unclean spirits of demons will work lying wonders to deceive

the Eastern Kings. They're going to deceive them.

And that these demons will have such power of deception, it's not surprising, is it?

I mean, Jesus predicted that false Christ and false prophets will show signs

and wonders in order to lead astray, if possible.

Don't forget this, y'all. The elect.

That's us. That's the church. And certainly these demons will have even greater powers of deception.

In fact, Scripture says, I have to mention this, that if possible,

the elect, but God is going to protect them.

God is going to protect them. And certainly those demons will have even greater

powers, like I said, of deception.

So they'll have little difficulty here in deceiving the kings of the whole world

to gather them together.

And I don't know about y'all. I just have to say this.

It don't take much to deceive people, does it?

Unfortunately i mean seriously i mean

you listen to some of the stuff in our culture and people are saying

and things they believe oh my you know

it's like hello takes very little to deceive the human heart the mission of

the demons is together you know not just the eastern powers but all of the world's

rulers and armies to join forces from the east for the war of the great day

of god it It says, the Almighty,

in their pride, think about it for a moment, in their pride,

arrogance, and folly, the demonically deceived nations of the world here will

converge on Palestine to do battle with who?

God himself at Armageddon. I mean, this is their chance, Brother Ronnie, to get God.

They're going to come with all their mighty power and demon forces.

They're going to get him once and for all, right?

According to chapter 17, which we haven't got to yet, verses 12 through 14,

10 kings will be involved.

Joel actually prophesied of this time in Joel 3. Let me read a few verses of his prophecy.

He said, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.

Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my

inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and they have divided up my land.

Proclaim this among the nations. Prepare a war. Rouse the mighty men.

Let all the soldiers draw near. Let them come up.

Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.

Let the weak say, I am a mighty man.

Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there.

Bring down, O Lord, your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up

to the valley of Jehoshaphat. For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.

Come, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.

Zechariah also wrote at that time, listen to what he said, Zechariah 14, verses 2 and 3.

Zechariah 14:2

He said, For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle,

and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished,

and half the city exiled.

But the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

Then the Lord will go forth and fight against these nations as when he fights on the day of battle.

Also the psalmist wrote, Why are the nations in an uproar?

And the peoples devising a vain thing.

The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together

against the Lord, against his anointed,

saying, let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us i

mean they they want to do god in right and his anointed i mean i think we said

this before but y'all it's kind of kind of,

humorous from a distance in a weird way the war is going to be over very quickly,

These will wage war against the lamb and the lamb will overcome them because why?

Because he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Sword of his mouth. I mean, come on. In fact, it's not going to be a war. It'll be a slaughter.

In chapter 19, we're going to see graphically it portrays it.

Amid all the horrors of judgment, deception, and more comes this parenthetical

word of encouragement to believers.

Behold, what does it say? I am coming like a thief.

Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps.

This gracious word from heaven will come before this pouring out of the seventh

bowl, by the way, and it will assure believers that they will not be forgotten.

They're not going to be forgotten. So it's a parallel, by the way,

to that wonderfully beautiful passage in Malachi, where the prophet addresses

words of comfort from God to the righteous,

who were frightened by the approach of the horrible day of the Lord.

Says, then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it.

And a book of remembrance was

written before him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem his name.

They will be mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I prepare my own

possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.

That's in Malachi 3. God told them not to be afraid because what? Because they are his.

Never forgets his own church that you

know there were similar breaks here

in god's judgment to encourage god's people

between the or similar breaks

here between the sixth and seventh seals and between

the sixth and seventh trumpets because the bowl judgments here take place in

a short period of time that break that pause between the sixth and seventh bowls

is very brief very brief The word of comfort from the Lord Jesus Christ here begins,

behold, I'm coming like a thief.

Like a thief comes, Jesus is going to come quickly. He's going to come unexpectedly, right?

But unlike a thief, he will come not to steal, but to take what's rightfully his, Brother Ronnie.

And that imagery of Jesus coming like a thief appears elsewhere,

as we know in the New Testament.

Early in Revelation, Jesus actually warned the church in Sardis,

if you do not wake up, What does he say?

I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

In fact, in that Olivet Discourse, he added, therefore, be on the alert.

For you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

Be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the

night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have

allowed his house to be broken into, it says in Matthew 24.

The Apostle Paul even reminded the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord will

come just like a thief in the night.

A truth that Peter also affirmed in 2 Peter.

Jesus' sudden, unexpected return will bring fear and dismay to who? His enemies.

But what to those who are his?

Hope, comfort to his people. So then the exalted Lord pronounced the third of

seven Beatitudes, blessings, benedictions in Revelation.

Listen to it. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that

he will not walk about naked and men will not see a shame.

Y'all, that just describes those who like the five prudent virgins.

You remember back in Matthew 25 will be prepared for his arrival.

And the imagery here is is

not that a bridesmaid's preparing for a wedding

but what of soldiers alert on

duty only a soldier who stays awake and keeps his clothes on is ready for combat

those caught unprepared when the battle breaks out will walk about naked and

men will see their shame the shame of a soldier derelict in his duty we don't want to be that,

We don't want to be that even today. I talked a little bit about this morning on spiritual warfare.

Those whom God has clothed with garments of salvation and wrapped with a robe

of righteousness, as it says in Isaiah 61, who have put on the Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 13, 14, will be ready when that judgment comes.

Now, little children, what does it say? Abide in him.

John urged this in his first epistle, right? So that when he appears,

what did he say? we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame at his coming.

Those whom Jesus finds prepared when he returns will be blessed.

I can't help it. I always think of songs. I think of the old Petra song, Midnight Oil.

Those who'll be prepared, you know, they're going to be ready.

We burn the midnight oil.

But after the brief interlude of encouragement here for the redeemed,

the prophetic narrative returns here to the events of the sixth bowl.

The deceiving demon spirits will have gathered the nations together to the place

in Hebrew, which is called Harmageddon.

Harmageddon is a Hebrew word. It means Mount Megiddo.

And since there's no specific mountain by that name, and Har can refer to hill

country, it is probably, probably a reference to the hill country surrounding the plain of Megiddo,

some 60 miles north of Jerusalem.

And so more than 200 battles, by the way, have been fought in that region.

Including Barak's defeat of the Canaanites and Judges, Gideon's victory over the Mennonites.

The Valley of Jezreel is another name for the plain of, I believe it's Estrelaon,

Estrelaon, I believe it's called.

And Josiah's defeat at their hands of Pharaoh Necho.

The plain of Megiddo here and the nearby plain of Esdralon will be the focal

point here for the Battle of Armageddon, which is going to rage, by the way,

the entire length of Israel as far south as the Edomite city of Basra.

Remember that? Isaiah 63 tells us that.

Other battles will occur in the vicinity of Jerusalem, will also occur there.

But the battle will be over almost as soon as it begins, as the Lord Jesus Christ

returns to rescue his people.

Joel says also, and defeat his enemies.

The resulting slaughter here, think about it, of the world's armies,

was going to be almost unimaginable with blood splattered several feet high,

and perhaps running in streams throughout a distance of 200 miles.

The sixth bowl, get this tonight, sets the final stage.

But before the brief battle, the seventh and final plague will hit.