In this episode of ‘Hope for Today’, we delve into the dramatic and profound teachings from Revelation 16, focusing on the final plagues. David Hawking takes us through the chilling vision of the third angel’s vial where rivers and fountains of water turn into blood as a righteous judgment from God. Through scriptural insight, discover the layers of symbolism and the message of justice that permeates these verses. Whether you are a seasoned theologian or a curious seeker, this study challenges and deepens our understanding of divine judgment and mercy.
Plague number three, verse four, the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of rivers, and they became blood. Can you imagine what’s going to happen when that happens? The rivers and the fountains of water, they’re all going to be affected. They become blood, the Bible says.
SPEAKER 02 :
The wrath hasn’t cooled, it’s escalated. The bowls of God’s anger keep pouring out, and the world, it’s drowning in its own defiance. The waters bleed, the sun scorches, the air itself turns against humanity. And still, still they will not repent. What they do is raise their fists to heaven, cursing the one who holds their every breath. God doesn’t take any pleasure in their pain, but His holiness demands justice. This is the point of no return. His justice, it’s final. His holiness, undeniable. And we’re going to learn more about it on this edition of Hope for Today with Bible teacher David Hawking. Today, David continues his study of Revelation 16 with day two of his message, The Final Plagues. And it starts in mere moments. First, Matt, we have a letter from Gail. And Gail has a very interesting line in the letter she sent about God’s glorious treasure. God’s glorifying treasure, yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
God’s glorifying. Read the note there. Okay, yeah. It says, I am perpetually grateful for hope for today and the passion for the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel that is focused upon those of us blessed to be fed and edified through this radio program as our partakers of such God-glorifying treasure. Amen. Wow.
SPEAKER 02 :
Gail, you understand the value of God’s word and what a blessing it is to hear from you. Folks, we are here to pray for you. We’re here to encourage you through this broadcast ministry, through our online ministry as well. And we would like to hear your testimony, your comment on how God is working in your life, how you’re growing in faith as you listen to the program. Get in touch with us. Hang on. We’ll tell you a bit later how to do that. Now turn to Revelation chapter 16, verses 1 through 11. We’re going back there for day two of David’s message, the final plagues.
SPEAKER 03 :
The seven last plagues. Health, food supply has come to plague number three. Plague number three. verse 4 to verse 7. Now there’s quite a bit said about this one. It’s as though we need a break, so to speak. God pours out all this judgment, and before He finishes, there’s a break in which we are realizing this is a righteous judgment. judgment of the lord verse 4 the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of rivers and they became blood the first one was health the second one food supply the third one is drinking water the rivers and the fountains of water you say well we get arrowhead water we’re going to take care of that one too they’re all going to be affected they become blood the bible says Verse 5, I heard the angel of the waters. Now, this is very interesting. It doesn’t say an angel. It says the angel, which means there’s a particular angel assigned over the waters to carry out the judgment of God. Apparently, God has many angels assigned to specific duties. And this is one, and they’re going to inflict judgment. And the angel of the water says, “‘Thou art righteous, O Lord, who art and wast and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy.’ And I heard another out of the altar say, “‘Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.'” Now, folks, because of this passage, I’ve put something together that I hope will bring some understanding to you about Revelation. You remember back in chapter 7, we saw a great multitude which no man can number out of every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. In chapter 6, after the fifth seal was broken, we saw the souls of them under the altar who were beheaded and were killed for the name of Christ. They were asking, how long, O Lord, until you avenge our blood? And the instruction was given to them that they rest a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants should be killed. I think we better face something, that the believers in the tribulation period, and there’s lots of arguments as to who they are. I happen to believe they are a group that will come out of nations that have not heard the gospel. Post-tribulationists believe it’s the church. It’s a lot of us. But I happen to be a pre-trib. I believe we’re going out of here before the tribulation. And it is important, regardless of a view, to understand that there are going to be thousands, perhaps millions of people killed during the tribulation. Now, everyone who does not receive the mark… at least Gentiles, because God only spares the Jewish remnant. So apparently all Gentile believers are killed in the tribulation. The false prophet sees to it that they’re all killed who do not receive the mark of the beast. And then in chapter 20, we see these martyred souls being promised resurrection, and they’re there because they did not take the mark of the beast. So now all the people with the mark of the beast have malignant sores. But on the other hand, all those who did not take the mark have been periodically and continuously throughout the tribulation been killed and persecuted by those who have the mark. Now, the reason why I’m pointing this out is here the angel says that God is righteous in turning the drinking water into blood because they, not past ancestors, but they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and given them blood to drink, and they’re worthy now of this judgment. Folks, it doesn’t take a lot of conjecture or opinion to see how easily our world can decide that the ones that are causing all this trouble are those who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to start to persecute them as never before. First of all, we will not be the first generation to do that. While all of us certainly are terribly affected by what Hitler did in the Holocaust as he killed six million Jews, and I might add hundreds of thousands of Christians as well, Let me add that after Hitler came Joseph Stalin, and now because of the records we have through KGB headquarters, we now know that he killed over 30 million people in the former Soviet Union, and primarily they were religious Jews and Christians, 30 million of them. So it is not unusual, even in this modern time of the 20th century, to experience a holocaust of terror against people for what they believe and then try to kill them and get rid of them. Now, in our country, we have people who are saying the exact same thing at the present time. The real enemy are fundamental Bible-believing Christians. First of all, we’re made to look as stupid as possible. That’s the kindest thing they do to us. We’re made to look like bumbling idiots, non-intellectuals, and they just ridicule us everywhere. But it’s worse than that, folks. There are several groups, part of New Age occultic thinking, who have made determination that the real problem in America are Bible-believing Christians, and they must be eliminated. I have seen a document which was handed to me by a friend who was in a futuristic society and didn’t want to give me a permanent copy of it, but he showed me a document that actually calls for the elimination of fundamental Bible-believing Christians in our culture, that we are the main problem hindering the advance of all their goals. I think we need to wake up to something. The enemy of our soul, Satan, has really been making progress in terms of stirring up the unbelieving mind against the believer. Years ago there was respect and value placed upon those who held to values. Right now they’re seen as the enemy. They’re seen as people who get in the way. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like in a tribulation? as thousands of believers are going to be killed. Maybe millions, because it says a multitude that no man can number. And so when God hits the drinking water, and you say, oh, how terrible, why would God do that? Well, it says they are worthy of that and much more. God simply gives them blood to drink because they have been shedding the blood of saints and prophets. That’s what it says. It’s really awesome. Just breaking this down, three things I’d point out to you in this little section, verses 4 to 7. One is we have the reaction of the angel of the waters. And two things come out of him. Basically an explanation, thou art righteous, O Lord, who art and wast and shall be. It’s the righteousness of God. Don’t think that God isn’t doing right. As Genesis 19.14 says, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And there’s also an explanation, because thou hast judged thus. Why are we praising the Lord? Because he has brought this judgment. He is righteous. Go back to Psalm 33 and look at verse 5. Psalm 33, verse 5. Psalm 33, verse 5. The Bible says, He loveth righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Interesting comparison there with goodness, with righteousness and judgment. God is a good God, and because He is good, He must exercise judgment against evil. And so thou art righteous, O Lord, says the angel of the waters. Turn to Psalm 145. Psalm 145, look at verse 17. You can never accuse God of not doing the right thing, no matter what it is. He does all things well. In Psalm 145, verse 17, it says, The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works. There isn’t anything that God does, nothing His hand touches, that isn’t right and the righteous thing to do. I find myself often asking myself, You know, why? I mean, it doesn’t seem like it’s fair or it’s just or it’s right or things seem so out of kilter. They don’t seem to make sense anymore. But the angel of the water says, he’s righteous and don’t you ever forget it. Whatever God does is right in your life and in mine and in this final judgment at the end of the tribulation. Go back to Revelation again. In chapter 16, verse 6, there’s a reason behind this praise. After looking at the reaction of this angel, notice the reason behind the praise. Because they’ve shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. They’re worthy of it. Now, if you’ll look back at chapter 15, verse 3. Chapter 15, verse 3. When they sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, they say, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Go over to chapter 19. Chapter 19. When Babylon is destroyed and God’s final victory is won, something happens in heaven, a great rejoicing. It says, “…after these things I heard a great voice…” And here it’s of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation, glory, honor, and power unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments, for he hath judged the great whore who did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. So when the Bible speaks of God being righteous, it normally connects it. The reason for that praise to the Lord is that he always will avenge. You know, I don’t know about you, but I sometimes want to straighten things out that cannot be straightened out. Do you feel that way sometimes? You want to straighten it out. You got something, a grievance or a problem or whatever, and you want to straighten it out. And there’s always a temptation to justify, defend, and try to vindicate ourselves. And yet the Bible says in Romans 12, 17 to 21, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. God never encourages us to defend ourselves, ever. And that is why God is righteous in all of his ways. In chapter 18, look at this. Chapter 18, verse 20. When they rejoice over the fall of Babylon, it says, Rejoice over her, thou heaven, you holy apostles and prophets. Why? For God hath avenged you on her. Look at verse 24. In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth. So again, the righteousness of God. Why are we praising God for this terrible onslaught of plagues? Why? Because God is doing the righteous and just thing here. Turning the drinking water into blood to remind that contemporary culture of unbelievers who received the mark and are following the beast and the dragon to remind them that he is a God of vengeance. And because they’ve killed the blood of his people, they now will drink blood as a reminder of what is coming. What an awesome preparation by God Almighty himself. It’s really amazing. Turn to Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is an acrostic. I don’t know if you like Jewish poetry or not, or you know much about it, but they love acrostics. If we would do that in English, we would have 26 lines to a poem representing each letter of the alphabet, and the first word of each line would begin with the letter in sequential order, like A for… All of you should praise the Lord. B, blessed be the name of the Lord. C, comfort one another, all you people. D, delight thyself in the Lord who will give you the desires of the heart. E, exalt the Lord and worship at his holy hill. F, I’m going to stop, okay? But you understand what I’m saying? That’s a Jewish acrostic poem. Now in Psalm 119, which is a tribute to the Word of God and God’s character behind the Word, there are 22 sections. You can see that of eight verses each. They should be marked. It’s in the Hebrew alphabet. My Bible’s marked like that. The first eight verses are called Aleph. It’s like our English A. The second one’s called Beth, which is like our English B. And then it goes to Gimel and Daleth and so forth. Now, there are 22 sections with eight verses in each, or a total of 176 verses. One of the interesting things about this, in fact, I think it’s one of the great testimonies to the Bible being the Word of God, that no man could produce it. What amazes people who know Hebrew is that every verse, In each section, let’s just take the first one, Aleph. All eight verses have a word that begins it whose first letter is Aleph. In the second section, every verse begins with a word whose first letter is Beth. To even find those words and create them, you have to have at least eight for every letter of the alphabet and plus make sense. The beauty of this is incredible. That’s Jewish poetry, and it’s a testimony to God. And it’s a very common practice in Jewish poetry. In Psalm 119, it’s just amazing how it’s all put together like that. But just to show you the character of God that’s behind His Word and how it relates to what we’re reading in Revelation, look at Psalm 119, verse 7. Just keep your eyes on the Bible and look at what it says. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart when I shall have learned thy, what kind of judgments? Righteous judgments. I praise the Lord when I see that everything he does is right. Verse 75, I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me. Boy, if there’s ever a time when you want to question what God’s doing, it’s when you’re suffering. God’s laid something on you. There’s affliction. And yet the psalmist says, wait a minute. I know that thy judgments are right. Psalm 19, 106. I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments. I look at Psalm 119, 118 to 120. Thou hast trodden down all those who err from thy statutes, for their deceit is falsehood. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross, therefore I love thy testimonies. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I’m afraid of thy, what? judgments. Look at verse 137 and 138. Righteous art thou, O Lord. Makes you wonder if that isn’t the quote in Revelation chapter 16. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. Verse 142. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. Verse 144, the righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting. Give me understanding and I shall live. Verse 164, seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. How many times did you do today?
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David’s back in just a moment to close out our time in God’s wonderful word. First though, Matt’s here, and together we’re going to tell you about something you may just want to add to your home Bible study library.
SPEAKER 01 :
Matt, this is excellent. Each month, Jim, we hear from our listening family regarding the trials and tribulations they’re facing. Members of our staff are experienced Experiencing deep hurts and pains. And as a nation, we’re reeling from these recent events. Yeah, these are difficult days indeed, Matt. So how do we keep our hearts focused and trusting in the Lord? How do we hang on to hope? Yeah, well, this month we’re featuring my dad’s book, Hope in Difficult Times. Hope in Difficult Times is 195 pages of encouragement, faith-building guidance, biblical direction for every discouragement of your life. And it’s just $20.
SPEAKER 02 :
Matt, Inside Your Dad takes readers through a biblical study of hope and its role in the life of believers. He shows us God’s merciful character for those times when the hopelessness we face comes from our own sin, rebellion, or cowardice. Yeah, and it also includes a powerful study from Peter’s life. Boy, he’s a good example. Amen. Well, Matt, how about the discouragement we endure when we’re targeted by gossip, rumors, and accusations?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, exactly. Well, there’s hope from God’s word from these seasons. And my dad lays it out inside this book, Hope for Difficult Times. Matt, how about those times when we fail and desperately need restoration? Yeah, you know, there is hope from God’s word. Amen. And you’ll discover and realize that when you read Hope for Difficult Times, it isn’t just about wishing upon a star hope. Hope is the confidence that God cares, loves, has Has a purpose and will complete his work in and through our lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
And gives us the abundant blessing of eternity with him. Wow. Amen. Well, get your copy of Hope for Difficult Times today for $20 from Hope for Today. Read, enjoy, and then share with a friend who also needs hope. And don’t forget to always pray for Hope for Today. Yeah, please do. Getting your copy of Hope in Difficult Times? It’s super easy. Call 1-800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 1-888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And of course, you can order online at our website, davidhawking.org. As we come to the end of the month, we’re asking our listeners and friends to stand with us once again. If these studies in the book of Revelation, if they’ve helped you grow in your faith, if you’re finding strength and hope through the teaching of God’s Word in this series, then we’re asking you to pray about what you can do today to help us continue the program in the month ahead. This is a critical time for our ministry and your gift, large or small, makes a huge difference in keeping Hope for Today on the air and online. It’s how we continue to reach people around the world with the uncompromising truth of God’s word. Every broadcast, every message, every video stream, and every resource we share is made possible through your support. So again, as we approach the end of the month, we need to finish strong, and your help right now will ensure that we stay fully funded and ready for the ministry ahead. You can give safely and securely online at davidhawking.org or by calling us at 1-800-75-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S., 1-888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and Bible by the number is, of course, 242- Or you can mail your gift to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO7OAKS, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S 8PU1. Or once again, call 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 1-888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And our website again, davidhawking.org. Let’s get back to David for some final thoughts.
SPEAKER 04 :
We’ve been teaching the book of Revelation, and we’re in chapter 16, and we’re talking about some very critical judgments that are coming on the planet Earth. The third one, the angel pours out his bowl on the rivers and fountains of water, and they become blood. Sounds like Moses in Egypt all over again. And according to the Bible, there’s a reason. They have shed the blood of saints and prophets. Wow. I like verse 7. Another out of the altar says, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. Wow. Wow. And the fourth angel is going to pour out his bowl, and it’s going to go on the sun. And what’s going to happen is the power of the sun will be so great, it will scorch men with fire, and they will blaspheme God for it, and they won’t repent to give him the glory. My goodness. And we’re also told that the fifth angel… He poured out his bowl on the seat of the beast or the Antichrist, and his whole kingdom was full of darkness. And they gnawed their tongues for pain and blasphemed the God of heaven because of it. Wow. Well, I hope you’ll be with us because we got at least another day to talk about the final plagues. So God bless you and get ready.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, thank you, David. And next time on the broadcast, our study in Revelation chapter 16 comes to a thundering close. The final bowls are poured out and the seas turn to blood. The air is filled with darkness and the power of God continues shaking the earth to its core. It’s a scene of unmatched judgment and undeniable holiness. And you won’t want to miss it. Invite a friend to join you as we conclude this intense and powerful chapter together. And we’ll see you then, right here on Hope for Today.
