Blessed be our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! By His blood shed upon the cross, He has redeemed us unto God, and has made us a kingdom and priests unto God the Father. By His blood shed upon the cross, He has delivered us — His saints — from the wrath to come, and has reserved for us a glorious inheritance in the heavenly places, according as it is written: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9). It is He, therefore, whom we await from heaven to deliver us from this coming wrath. There is indeed a Day of Wrath — a Day that God has reserved to punish the world for its wickedness, and the wicked for their iniquities. On that day, God will take vengeance upon His adversaries; He will take vengeance upon those who live in utter ungodliness, upon those who are in rebellion against the Truth, upon those who shed innocent blood. For God avenges — He avenges, and will by no means leave the wicked unpunished. Let all glory therefore return to Jesus Christ. Amen!

Beloved, in our teaching entitled "The Rapture and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb", we saw from the Scriptures that the Rapture of the Church will take place only after the Great Tribulation imposed by the Antichrist. It is after those days of distress that the Lord will appear from heaven with glory and power to rapture His saints — His faithful Church — and to celebrate the wedding feast with her (Mark 13:24–27). In this teaching on the 7 Bowls of the Wrath of God, we will come to understand that after the Rapture of the Church — which will be preceded by the Great Tribulation — the wrath of God will come. To grasp this more fully, I invite you to examine with me this first passage.

2 Thessalonians 1:6–10
⁶Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; ⁷And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁹Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; ¹⁰When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

What does this passage of 2 Thessalonians 1 speak to us about? It speaks, in general, of the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ — that is, of His coming. If we dwell only upon verses 7 and 8, we understand that the Lord will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels to take vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon all who are in rebellion against the Truth. From this, we can already understand that the very purpose of the appearing and return of the Lord is to punish men — to pour out His wrath upon them because of their wickedness. Furthermore, if we examine verse 7 alone, the Bible teaches us that God will also give rest to us — His Church — at that same appearing of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, with the angels of His power. What, then, can we understand from these verses? We understand that the Lord will be revealed from heaven with the angels of His power, in the midst of flaming fire, to punish the men who are in rebellion against Him; but that before this, He will first rapture His Church — expressed here as giving rest — in order to spare her from this punishment, which is none other than the wrath of God. The passage of 1 Thessalonians 1 here finds its true meaning.

1 Thessalonians 1:10
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Let us return once more to our passage of 2 Thessalonians 1:6–10. Notice that verse 9 declares that all these rebellious men will receive as their punishment everlasting destruction, when the Lord pours out His wrath on that day. Let us therefore hold fast to this, beloved: the purpose of the Rapture of the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ is to cause her to escape this everlasting destruction — which is the wrath of God. That said, the wrath of God will take place immediately after the Rapture of the Church.

Beloved, in order to better understand this wrath that God will pour out upon the earth — upon men — let us ask ourselves this question: how will God proceed to exercise His wrath? In other words, how will the wrath of God be manifested? To answer this question, let us look together at verse 1 of Revelation 15.

Verse 1 (Revelation 15) : And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

This verse 1 of Revelation 15 speaks of 7 angels. What is striking about these 7 angels is that they hold in their hands 7 plagues or vials. And the Bible tells us that it is through these 7 plagues or vials held by the 7 angels that the wrath of God is fulfilled. In other words, the wrath of God — from which the Church is delivered — will be made manifest through the outpouring of the 7 plagues held by the 7 angels. Before examining these 7 plagues closely — which is the purpose of this teaching — let us look at the remaining verses of this chapter 15 of the book of Revelation.

Verse 2-4 (Revelation 15) : ²And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. ³And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. ⁴Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

These verses 2 to 4 of Revelation 15 speak of those who have gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over the number of his name. Now, we know from the Scriptures (Revelation 13) that the appearance of the beast — the Antichrist — will only take place during the period of the Great Tribulation; and that his image and the number of his name will be put in place during that same period of the Great Tribulation. That said, these people who have gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over the number of his name, are coming out of that period of the Great Tribulation in which all these things will be established. We are then told that these overcomers — those returning from the Great Tribulation — stand upon the sea of glass with the harps of God in their hands. Revelation 4:6 tells us that the sea of glass is in heaven, before the Throne of God.

Revelation 4:6
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

We therefore understand, in this light, that these people who have gotten the victory over the beast — and over his image and over the number of his name — those who are coming out of the Great Tribulation, are in heaven before the Throne of God. And what are they doing there? They are worshipping God with their harps, as verses 3 and 4 recount. And what happens after their worship?

Verse 5 (Revelation 15) : And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

After the worship in heaven of those who come out of the Great Tribulation, the Temple of God in heaven is opened. And what happens after the opening of this Temple?

Verset 6-8 (Revelation 15) : ⁶And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. ⁷And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. ⁸And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

After the opening of the Temple of God in heaven — which was preceded by the worship of those who come out of the Great Tribulation — the 7 angels holding the 7 plagues through which the wrath of God is accomplished come forth from the Temple and prepare to pour these plagues upon the earth. A golden vial full of the wrath of God is given to each of them. What should we retain from these verses? Let us retain this: at the very moment when the Overcomers of the beast — and of his image and of the number of his name — are in heaven worshipping God, upon the earth, the 7 angels holding the 7 plagues that are the emblems of God's wrath will pour them out upon men. Let God be praised for His Word!

1 - The First Bowl: A Grievous and Painful Sore

Revelation 16:1–2
¹And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. ²And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Beloved, from the moment the Church is raptured after the Great Tribulation, the first to experience the wrath of God will be all those who accept the mark of the beast and worship his image during the Great Tribulation. It is upon them that the first bowl of God's wrath will be poured; and the manifestation of God's wrath against them will consist of a noisome and grievous sore. Why will God cause them to drink first of the wine of His fury? Beloved, God is just. God will pour out His wrath first upon these men and women because they will refuse to worship Him — the one true God — during the reign of the Antichrist (the Great Tribulation). God will strike these men by the very fact that they will worship a man — the Antichrist — during the Great Tribulation. God will punish them because they will reject the voice of God by submitting to the beast, the Antichrist, during the Great Tribulation. During the Great Tribulation, God's message will be: do not worship the beast, nor his image — lest you suffer My wrath. Let us discover this message in Revelation 14:9–11.

Revelation 14:9–11
⁹And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, ¹⁰The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: ¹¹And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Let us therefore take very careful note of how the Lord warns all who would worship the beast or receive his mark during the Great Tribulation; let us take careful note of the punishment God reserves for those who choose to worship the beast during the Great Tribulation: the wrath of God and eternal torment.

While those who overcome the beast — those who refuse to worship him and his image — will be in heaven rejoicing, upon the earth those who are overcome by the beast — those who worship him — will be in torment and anguish under the judgment of God against them. While those who are beheaded or slain during the Great Tribulation for refusing to worship the beast will be in heaven, upon the earth those who bow the knee before the Antichrist will know nothing but desolation because of the plague the Lord will inflict upon them: a noisome and grievous sore. Let us see together a foreshadowing of this plague in the book of Exodus, chapter 9.

Exodus 9:8–11
⁸And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. ⁹And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. ¹⁰And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. ¹¹And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

Beloved, understand that for those men who will experience the wrath of God, this will be but the beginning of sorrows — for the plagues that follow will be more terrible than they could ever have imagined. Understand, beloved, that the wrath of God will be far worse than the Great Tribulation. Do therefore what is necessary so as not to be seduced by the beast; do everything in your power not to fall under his spell by worshipping him and afterward suffer the wrath of God. Do everything you can not to accept the mark of the beast during the Great Tribulation — otherwise the lake of fire will be waiting for you with open arms. Stand firm and immovable during the Great Tribulation. Do not forget that whether we live or die, we live and die unto the Lord. If we must be put to death in order not to worship the beast and his image, let us accept death — for our eternity is at stake. God, for His part, will not change His word concerning the sentence against those who worship the beast.

In passing, allow me to reveal to you one of the greatest secrets concerning the Antichrist.

Revelation 17:8
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

What does this mean? Since the beast — the Antichrist — goes into perdition, this means that all those who follow him will go into perdition with him. Grasp this truth now.

2 - The Second and Third Bowls: Waters Turned to Blood

Revelation 16:3–7
³And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. ⁴And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. ⁵And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. ⁶For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. ⁷And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

Beloved, do everything in your power to be among those whom the Lord will rapture unto Himself on the day of His coming — so as to escape the misery and desolation that will immediately afterward fall upon men. Note well, beloved, that these times of wrath will be, for God, times of vengeance — times in which God will render unto the rebellious according to their works.

After God's judgment by boils, God will judge the earth — and all those who have missed the Rapture — by blood, as was the case in Egypt. As you have just read, the pouring out of the second bowl will have the effect of turning the water of the sea into blood, and as a consequence, everything in the sea will perish. Beloved, this is serious! I do not know whether you fully grasp the magnitude of what is declared in this passage of the Bible. Imagine for a moment that there is no longer any trace of life in the sea; imagine for a moment that there is not a single fish left in the sea. What will men do when confronted with this? How will they respond to this terrible divine judgment? What will become of all those whose survival depends upon sea fishing? What will men do when confronted with the decomposition of tons upon tons of marine creatures dying as a result of this plague? What will they do in the face of oceanic pollution? What will they do? What will they do?

What is most terrible about this judgment by blood is that it does not stop at the seas alone; the same passage of Revelation tells us that it will extend to the rivers and fountains of waters — to all water sources upon the earth: this is the third bowl. Simply reading the description of this third bowl, one can already begin to understand the utter chaos the earth will be in; one might even ask how men will survive upon the earth during this period with all these waters defiled. To better understand what life will be like for men during these times, let us turn to Exodus 7:19–21.

Exodus 7:19–21
¹⁹And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. ²⁰And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. ²¹And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

Do you now perceive, through this passage, the hell that the Egyptians endured in that time? Do you perceive to what extent the Egyptians could no longer do anything with water? Do you perceive that even the vessels of stone and wood — the Egyptians' water storage containers — were filled with blood? What could the Egyptians of that day do in the face of that plague?

Beloved, fear the Lord! I cannot even begin to imagine the hell there will be upon earth after the outpouring of these bowls; I cannot even begin to imagine the upheaval it will cause upon the earth. The Word tells us that at the pouring out of the third bowl, all rivers and all fountains of water will be changed into blood, as was the case in Egypt. During this period, therefore, all water upon the earth will be defiled — nothing good will be done with water. The question arises: what will they drink in those days? The rivers and fountains of water being turned to blood, every creature dwelling in them will also die, as with the second bowl. The death of these billions of living creatures found in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water will further defile these waters through the stench of decay.

Let us ask ourselves this question: why will the Lord strike the earth with so terrible a plague? The answer is found in the verses that come immediately after the description of this third bowl.

Revelation 16:5–7
⁵And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. ⁶For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. ⁷And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

These judgments of the Lord by blood are explained by the fact that the inhabitants of the earth will have shed the blood of God's saints. As a consequence, God renders back to them in punishment infinite volumes of blood to drink. Indeed, God is not mocked — whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7). They shed the blood of the servants of God; God gives it back to them in boundless quantity, that they may be utterly drunk with blood. In those days, blood will be everywhere: in their containers, in their refrigerators, in their cooking utensils, in their bathrooms. They will drink blood and wash with blood. They will be drunk — utterly, completely drunk — with blood.

In passing, please also note the declaration in verse 5 from this angel of the waters — a spirit-being that presides over the waters. Understand, beloved, that this judgment will fall not only upon men, but also upon the demonic entities that dwell in particular beneath the waters. God will give blood to drink to both the physical and the spiritual beings that feed upon blood. All those demons that orchestrate the slaying of the saints; all those human beings who take pleasure in shedding the blood of God's servants — they will be drunk with blood in those days, and they will be utterly sickened by it. In those days they will have what they have always craved — and they will be truly revolted by it.

Through these passages, I therefore wish to reassure the children of God who will pass through the Great Tribulation that their blood will be avenged by the Lord (Revelation 6:9–11).

To be continued in Part 2 of this teaching.

May the Lord bless you!