Daniel’s Confession and Prayer for Jerusalem—Gabriel Comforts him by the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. Dan. 9:1-27 continues.
Text: Dan. 9:26-27
The determined wrath of God upon the desolator continues. Dan. 9:27
The seven vials (cups) of God’s wrath continues. Rev. 15:1-16:21
“The notion of God’s wrath is not always a welcome subject to the Bible reader, but its reality as a clear-cut teaching of both Old and New Testament is inescapable. The reality of evil, the reality of human freedom, the righteousness of God, and longing of God to have creatures, who though distinct from Him… nonetheless freely relate to Him in trust and love, made inevitable the notion and reality of God’s wrath. A righteous God responds to those who persist in their evil refusal to acknowledge their righteous Lord. God longs to see His rebellious children lay down their arms and come to Him” God has mercifully acted by all possible means to bring wayward children home. The very penalty He has prescribed for sin has been laid on His Only Begotten Son. Wrath brings grief even to the heart of God, but God will not coerce our love for Him.
- Rev. 16:1 “…Go your ways and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth”. The vials contain the rest of the wrath of God which began in the 6th seal Rev. 6:12-17 continuing in the 7 trumpets of the last 3 ½ years of Daniels 70th week. The plague will be literarily fulfilled in the order in which they are given. How long any one of them lasts is not revealed. The purpose is to punish those who worship the beast and his image and has taken his image.
- The first vial: sore on men Rev. 16:2. The sore is as literal as in Egypt Ex. 9:8-12. This is also like that of poor Lazarus Lk. 16:20-21. Job was attacked by sore boils Job. 2:7, just as King Hezekiah once had this sore boil 2Kg. 20:7. Similarly, King Asa was given a sore on his feet 2Cho. 16:12. God sometimes uses sore to judge people Deut. 28:15, 27. These men had the mark of the beast they are also given a sore by God as their mark.
- The second vial: sea turn to blood Rev. 16:3. This is literal as in Rev. 8:8-9 where only a third part of the sea was turn to blood. Maritime business comes to a complete hurt. Is. 50:2, Ps. 105:29
- The third vial: rivers are turn to blood Rev. 16:4-7. In Ex. 7:19-21 all pools, rivers and ponds were turn to blood.
a. There is an angel who oversees all the waters, he acknowledges and worship God accordingly Rev. 16:5-7. If angels of the water can worship, why not you?
b. A third of the waters becomes bitter to taste in the third trumpet, and now all the water is turned to blood. God gives them blood to drink for killing Christians and prophets. - The fourth vial: the scorching heat from the sun Rev. 16:8-9, Lk. 21:25. Moses talked about it in Deut. 32:24 and Isaiah predicts that “the inhabitants of the earth are burned” Is. 24:6; 42:25 and in Mal. 4:1 is the day of burning heat as oven. It should be noted that, the hole in the ozone layer is a sign of what is coming upon the world. Since it was discovered, it is said to be expanding. The world called it climate change. Christians should watch out for these signs; the day of our redemption is near.
- The fifth vial-dense darkness upon the throne of the Anti-Christ’s kingdom Rev. 16:10-11 (cp. Ex. 10:21-22). The throne of the beast Rev. 13:2, 2Thes. 2:4, the plague is stated to be upon the kingdom of Anti-Christ, that is, the revised old Roman Empire.
