← Prophecy Watchers
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:01]
A
Hey everyone, Dr. Michael Carey here and have you ever wondered what it will take for the world to finally repent? I mean, most people think that if God would just make himself more obvious, that everyone would believe. But the fourth bold judgment proves the exact opposite. In Revelation 16, the Bible tells us that people know who God is, they know where the judgment is coming from, and and instead of repenting, they choose to blaspheme his name. Today we're going to unpack why that happens, and we're going to look at what the fourth Bowl Judgment reveals about the human heart. Also, if you missed the last video, make sure you go back and watch it. And while you're at it, please hit the subscribe button and click the notification bell so that you don't miss a single video post. I believe that Bible prophecy is more relevant to our generation than maybe any other generation in modern history. And I believe that we're living in those days that God revealed to Daniel when he said, for the words are closed up and sealed till the end of time. God goes on to tell Daniel that the wicked will continue to live without any understanding of the times or prophetic happenings, but that those who are spiritually wise will see and that they'll understand what God is doing. That's why I'm asking you to stand with me. That's why I'm asking you to help me share this message of Jesus Christ and His soon coming return. Now, our next big milestone is 75,000 subscribers and it would be incredible if you'd subscribe to this channel and help us get there. With that said, let's jump into our topic for today. Before we get to the fourth Bowl Judgment, I think it's important to recognize that the first three bowls aren't random acts of God. In fact, they're part of a very intentional and divine progression where God begins to dismantle the spiritual foundations of the Antichrist kingdom. And we've talked about the first three bowl judgments extensively in recent videos, but let me give you a little bit of context for where we are. The first Bowl Judgment exposes the corruption that already exists within those that have aligned themselves with the beast and the Antichrist. Revelation 16:2 says this so the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. So the sores aren't just a physical affliction sent by God. They're meant to reveal outwardly the spiritual corruption that idolatry has produced inside of them, so that what's been hidden in their heart is going to be exposed outwardly in their bodies. Now, the second bull is poured out on the sea. Revelation 16:3 says this. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man. And every living creature in the sea died. Now, on a natural level, this would bring incredible devastation to a major aspect of world commerce and industry, as well as create massive food shortages for billions of people who depend on seafood as part of their daily diet. But spiritually, the sea also represents the collective life and power of nations. It represents humanity in motion. So when the second bowl is poured out, God's not simply judging the seas of the world. He's striking at the very realm from which the beast power, power arose. And he's bringing judgment on the source of that rebellion. Now, the third bowl, judgment, moves even further. It strikes the world's rivers and springs of water. Revelation 16:4 says this. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Now, throughout scripture, fresh water represents life, it represents provision, and it represent access to the source. But the world has rejected God, the true fountain of living water, and it's chosen another king, and it's chosen another source. Now, the angel goes on to say that because they've shed the blood of God's people and his prophets, that God has given them blood to drink. In other words, this judgment is the righteous response of a holy God who has not forgotten a single act of persecution that has been committed against his people. So the first bull exposes their corruption. The second bull collapses their false sources of life, and the third bull settles their blood guilt before God. So through each of the bull judgments, God is exposing and he's dismantling the lies that the Antichrist kingdom stands on. Which brings us to the fourth bowl judgment. Now, check this out. Revelation 16:8,9 says this. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent or give him glory. So in this fourth bowl, the angel is given power over the sun to cause its intensity one way or the other to increase so drastically that its effect is described as to scorch men with fire. Now, this is an intense statement because the implications of this level of heat radiation would be horrific. As the global death toll from he exposure alone would number in the hundreds of millions, maybe even more. Even further, the ripple effect of this scorching heat would quickly impact pretty much all modern infrastructure. Electrical grids would fail under an unprecedented demand for cooling systems. Asphalt roads would soften and buckle. Rail lines would warp. Transportation companies would struggle to keep their trucks running. Airports would all but shut down as runways degrade. Water storage systems would be pushed to capacity, and even things like communication infrastructure and data centers would face cooling emergencies. The agricultural impact also would be catastrophic. Remember, at this point of the tribulation, the rivers and springs of the earth have been turned to blood from the third bull judgment. And under this type of severe heat, crop failure would be widespread. Livestock would die, and the result would be a global food shortage like nothing that the world has ever seen. In fact, entire populations would be searching for water, they would be searching for food, and death would be everywhere. Bodies would literally be piling up in the streets. And then you compound all of that with the riots and the large scale violence that will take place in every center of population around the world. Incredibly, the prophet Isaiah saw these events nearly 800 years before the apostle John wrote the book of revelation. Isaiah 24, beginning in verse 4, says, the earth mourns and fades away. The world languages and fades away. The haughty people of the the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. Now, don't miss what Isaiah said, because he's describing the same prophetic moment that the apostle John saw. He sees the earth being defiled. He sees the curse devouring the earth. He sees the inhabitants of the earth burned. And then he says that few men are left. So Revelation 16 isn't introducing something new, it's showing us the fulfillment of something that God had already warned was coming. In other words, John didn't create the picture of a world being burned under divine judgment. Isaiah had already put it in the prophetic record almost 800 years earlier. And I know that this is a heavy topic and that this level of human suffering can be very difficult to wrap your head around. I mean, all you have to do is look at the famines that have taken place around the world. I grew up in the 1980s and I remember the famines of Ethiopia. I remember the news showing pictures of starving children and mothers who were literally withered away. They were just skin and bones. We saw the devastation of these things, and it's difficult to wrap your head around the fact that these things are going to be taking place on a global level. Yet Revelation 16:9 tells us, and this is incredible. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent. And that's what gets me, is that the real focus of this judgment isn't the scorching heat. Don't get me wrong, the physical suffering, the death and devastation that comes in this fourth bowl. Judgment is very real. But the thing that God wants us to see is what's being exposed in the heart of multitudes around the world who have aligned themselves with the Antichrist and the beast system. Look at verse nine again. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent. Now step back for a minute and really think about what this passage is saying. They know exactly where this judgment is coming from. And even in the rebellious hardness of their hearts, they acknowledge God's existence and they even recognize his power and his authority to do these things. Yet instead of turning towards him and repenting of their sin, they curse. They blaspheme his name. Which tells us that their sin isn't a form of ignorance concerning who God is or uncertainty about His Word. Their sin boils down to what happens when the human heart, when the human will is set in opposition towards God. God, and it set an opposition towards His Word. If you remember, back in Luke 6:45, Jesus tells us that a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks, meaning that the human heart, or the soul, which is comprised of your mind, your will, your intellect, your emotions, the Bible says that your soul, that your heart, is like a treasure vault that contains the most important things, the things that literally define who a person is. Even further, Jesus tells us that the way to locate the true nature of what's inside someone is through the things that they say. That's why Jesus said, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. My point being that divine revelation, even to the point of supernatural experience, doesn't automatically produce repentance. It doesn't automatically produce faith if the human will or the human heart has set itself against God. In fact, this fourth bowl judgment is showing us that people can literally come face to face with God's existence. They can come face to face with his power. They can recognize his authority and still refuse to humble themselves or surrender their lives to Him. See, too many Christians assume that if God would simply make Himself more obvious, that everyone would believe. But that simply isn't true. And then in Luke 8, Jesus specifically deals with this issue. Let me show you. Because it answers the question how someone can recognize God for who he is and even acknowledge his power and authority and still refuse to repent. Now, Luke 8, beginning in verse 16, it says this. And I'm just going to walk through this passage in the context of what we're talking about. Verse 16, it says this. No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand that those who enter may see the light. So in this parable, Jesus is giving us a kingdom principle so that we can understand the interaction between a revelation of God and the condition of a person's heart. Jesus said that no one lights a lamp and then hides it. So the purpose of light is to reveal what couldn't be clearly seen otherwise. And by the time we reach Revelation 16, God has flooded the world with light. And I know I've said this before, but it's something that people miss, and it's important to get into your heart. Let me show you. In Revelation 6, you remember the sky is rolled back like a scroll, and the Bible tells us that the whole world looks up and sees the face of God. In Revelation 7, the 144,000 Jewish witnesses come to the Lord. And through their ministry, there's an incredible outpouring of God that sweeps the earth as the fruit of that ministry leads to a great multitude who come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Then in Revelation 11, the two witnesses appear and are given incredible authority and supernatural power as they stand in defiance of the Antichrist and preach a message of repentance, calling people to God. And then in Revelation 14, God literally sends three angels to the whole earth, with each one carrying a message from heaven, calling people to turn their heart to God and warning them against idolatry, warning them against worshiping the beast, and pleading with them not to take the mark. So when men blaspheme God at the fourth bowl judgment, the problem isn't a lack of light. It's not a lack of understanding concerning who God is. Now hold that thought, and let's keep working through that parable. Luke 8:17 says this. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to the light. And that's exactly what we're seeing in the bowl. Judgments. The sores reveal corruption, the blood reveals blood guilt, and the scorching heat reveals the hardness of their heart. Then Jesus finishes this kingdom parable by saying something very interesting. Look at this. Luke 8:18. Therefore, take heed how you hear. For whoever has to him more will be given, and whoever does not have even what he seems to have will be taken from him. Now, did you catch that? The Bible says, take heed how you hear. Not take heed what you hear. Because the point of this parable is that two people can receive the exact same kingdom, revelation or light of God, and one will repent and the other will harden their heart. So spiritually, the issue isn't light, it's the condition of the heart receiving it. My point being that in Revelation 16, the world isn't suffering from a lack of revelation as to who God is. I mean, the entire world has looked up and literally seen into heaven, and they've seen the face of God. They've seen the Lamb standing by the throne, they've heard the message, they've seen angels. They've had divine experience after divine experience. In fact, the first three judgments they recognize. And they know by the fourth judgment exactly where these supernatural events are coming from. And they know what's happening. See, the issue is that they know exactly who God is. They know where the judgment is coming from, and they still refuse to turn their heart to him, and they still refuse to give God the glory. And maybe no one explains this better than the Apostle Paul. In Romans 1, 18:21, it says this, and listen closely to it. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. So that they are without extraordinary excuse. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were they thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened, which is literally someone having spiritual clarity without repentance. I mean, Paul is saying that they know, they understand, and yet they still refuse God. And in the context of the fourth bowl judgment, because they've rejected God's light and they've rejected God's revelation. Light becomes an instrument of torment and death rather than an instrument of life. Which raises another question. What exactly is the light that God has been shining on humanity from the very beginning? Well, John answers that in one of the most profound statements about Jesus in the entire Bible. John 1:4 says this in him was life, and the life was the light of men. And I'm asking you to hear this and hear this with spiritual ears. Jesus Christ is not simply someone who brings light. The Bible tells us that from the very beginning, he is the source of light and he is the source of life. And when you step back and look at the fourth bowl judgment through that lens, you realize that this judgment is about exposing the heart. For thousands of years, God has revealed himself through His Word. He's revealed Himself through his prophets. He's showing Himself through his Son and through the witness of his people. And yet Revelation 16 shows us that there's going to come a point in the tribulation that global human rebellion will become so strong that no amount of revelation will produce repentance. Which is why this moment is so tragic, because it shows us how powerful the human will can be when it's repeatedly exercised against God. And that's a terrifying thought, because it shows us that people can know the truth with absolute clarity and still reject it. The prophet Jeremiah said this in Jeremiah 5. O Lord, are not your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock. They have refused to return. And then 2 Chronicles 36, 15:16 says this. And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending them because he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy. And that's the same sin that's being exposed through the fourth bowl judgment. God has spoken. God has warned. God has revealed himself, and God has extended every mercy over and over and over again. See, the issue is not a lack of evidence. The issue is not a lack of understanding. The issue is not is that their heart refuses to surrender to God. Which means that the great tragedy here is that they've rejected God's mercy until there's nothing left except judgment. Well, let's stop there for today. But before you go, I'd like to pray a blessing over your life. Psalm 90:17 says this. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be established upon us and establish the work of our hands. Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us. What an incredible promise. Let's pray. Father. Right now, in the name of Jesus Christ, I come to you and I ask that your Father favor would rest upon every person that's watching today. I ask God that your favor would establish the works of their hands. And God, that it would establish the very things that you have called them to as believers, Lord, lead them and strengthen them and guide them in all of your ways. That your favor would produce increase. That your favor would bring restoration in every area of their life. That it is needed, God, that you would remove every obstacle that's standing in the way, God, of the things that you have promised. Of the things, God, that you are doing within their life. That you would restore to them, Father, everything that's been lost, everything stolen, everything taken, everything laid down, Father. God. That you would restore to them, God, a double portion, even of the things that have been missed. And right now, in the name of Jesus Christ, God, I stand in kingdom authority and I break every demonic assault. I break every device. I break every decision that the enemy has made against their life, against their marriages, against their children, against their health. And in the name of Jesus Christ, I say be free. In Jesus name God, I say be free. Free. In the name of Jesus Christ, be free in your mind, be free in your home, be free in your marriage, be free to excel in your job. Be free. In the name of Jesus Christ. And I ask, Father right now that your goodness, God, that your favor would literally be tangible. That it would be evident in every area of their lives. And Father, like David himself said, God, that goodness and mercy would follow them all the days of their lives. And Lord, I receive that promise in my life. And I receive that promise as I come into agreement, God, for the lives of those that are watching. And Father, we thank you, Lord Jesus, for all your goodness. In Jesus name. Amen. Well, God bless and I look forward to seeing you next time.