Now the seven bowls of wrath are poured out. No interlude before the seventh bowl as with the seven angels and trumpets. The seven bowls are poured out one after another… the judgment and wrath is immense and yet people refuse to repent (11). It seems once a heart becomes so hard, repentance is nearly impossible. The Pharaoh, in Moses’ day, seemed to fit this bill. In fact there are a number of things about the Moses/Pharaoh account that seems to parallel this account, but that is for another day.
With the seventh bowl poured out it is exclaimed, “It is done!” (17) followed by an exclamation mark of flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake (18).
It is done… stark words in English, only one word in Greek. And with that word the wrath of God is meted out. I closed my eyes as I typed those last words. That is a day of great sadness and pain. They didn’t believe. They wouldn’t believe. And because of that they will pay with eternal torment.
O God, what would you have me do to help people hear of Your love and grace and therefore avoid this ghastly outcome? O Lord, help me to know how to be most effective in spreading the Good News of Your love and the forgiveness that can and is found in faith in Jesus. In Your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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