Revelation 16:3 “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.”
In this section we want to discuss the second bowl of God’s wrath being poured out on the earth and the corresponding judgement that will be initiated because of that bowl’s outpouring. The above quoted passage of scripture describes the angel pouring out the second bowl on the sea and turning it into the blood of dead man, thus killing every living creature in the sea. It is almost impossible for us to begin to imagine what such a judgement will look like. The closest that mankind has come to experiencing something even remotely similar, is when a major oil spill takes place at sea causing a coastline to be covered in oil. Nevertheless because an oil spill only covers the surface of the sea, it is mainly the bird life and sea mammals which are destroyed, not the marine life. This judgement however will impact not just the surface of the sea but all of it, and not just one coastline but all of them. The stench of blood and dead marine life throughout the earth caused by such an event will be beyond all description. Linked to this is the fact that approximately seventy percent of the earth’s oxygen is generated by the marine life (blue-green algae) in the oceans of the world; and so when all of this marine life dies, the earth’s oxygen levels will begin to decline, making it more and more difficult for people to breathe normally. In other words it would be similar to the difficulties experienced by people struggling to breathe at high altitudes today. Another aspect to consider is that two thirds of the earth is covered with the ocean, which is why the planet looks blue when viewed from outer space. When God turns the oceans of the earth into blood however, from that moment on the planet will look red when viewed from outer space. As and aside, because of their sea views, some of the most expensive properties on earth are located on the various coastlines of the earth. Those properties will very quickly be abandoned after this judgement however, for no one will want a view of a sea of blood and dead marine life accompanied by its corresponding stench.
Ezekiel 47:8-9 “Then he said to me: "This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. (9) And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.”
After the wrath of God has ended, the Lord Jesus will return to begin His millennial reign in the earth. The context of the above quoted passage of scripture describes one aspect of what will transpire during the Lord’s millennial reign. This passage refers to the river of life that will flow from the Lord’s throne during that time. The reason this passage says that when the river of life reaches the sea that its waters will be healed and everything will live wherever the river goes, is because Jesus will at that time reverse the judgement of the second bowl of God’s wrath, thus turning the sea from blood back to normal and restoring the earth’s marine life once again. Scripture teaches us that the river of life flowing from the Lord’s throne will flow both into the Mediterranean and Red seas during that time (Zechariah 14:8). And so we see that the Lord will begin to heal the world’s oceans starting from Israel’s coastlines.
Revelation 16:4-7 “Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. (5) And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. (6) For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due." (7) And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
In this section we want to discuss the third bowl of God’s wrath being poured out on the earth and the corresponding judgement that will be initiated because of that bowl’s outpouring. The above quoted passage of scripture describes the angel pouring out the third bowl on the springs and rivers, turning them into blood. We have a scriptural example of this type of judgement taking place, i.e. when Moses judged Egypt by turning the Nile River into blood (Exodus 7). That scriptural account tells us that the river stank from the smell of the blood and because of all the fish that had died. Clearly the earth will experience the same when the third bowl of God’s judgement is poured out, i.e. the springs and rivers of the earth will stink from the smell of blood and all the dead fish. The Exodus account teaches us that the Nile River returned to normal after seven days. The reason for that was because Moses didn’t strike the source of the Nile, only the section flowing in Egypt itself. And so after a period of time the water flowing from the source located upstream eventually cleansed the blood from the section of the river flowing in Egypt. The judgement of the third bowl will be different however, because on this occasion God will turn not only the rivers but also the springs i.e. the various sources of those rivers into blood. And so we see that this judgement will remain in place for the full duration of God’s wrath. The Exodus account teaches us that the Egyptians were forced to dig all around the river for water to drink because they could not drink the water of the river. Therefore we see that as a result of the third bowl judgement that people will have to follow the example of the Egyptians, i.e. by digging around the banks of the various rivers in the earth in order to obtain water to drink, although over time that source will eventually begin to run out. And so we see that as God pours out His final wrath on the earth that life for men will become completely unbearable; with the sea already turned to blood and now all the rivers and springs as well, men will be hard pressed to find a way to remain alive.
Michael E.B. Maher
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