“And men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues.” (Revelation 16:8-9, NASB)

Some things in life can be a source of life or a source of death. The sun, for instance, can give light and life on earth, but if some sort of massive solar storm takes place, we will all die. According to the creation account, God created the sun on the fourth day to govern the day and give light to the earth. However, during the Great Tribulation Period, He will strike the sun by pouring out His wrath on it so that it will cause harm and damage on the earth. It says in today’s passage,

“And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues; and they did not repent, so as to give Him glory.”

God created the sun to symbolize His blessing, but on the day of His wrath, it will become a curse for those who worship the beast. The sun is able to give light, warmth, and life, but it can also burn you up and kill you. You see, God’s presence is like that. It can be a source of life or a source of death. It all depends upon how you approach Him. If you come to Him in faith and love, His presence can be a source of joy, love, and hope. However, if you come to Him in unbelief and rebellion, His presence will become terror, judgment, and death. Similarly, the cross of Jesus Christ can be a source of life or of death. You can come to the cross in faith and be saved, or you can reject the cross and be condemned.

If you continue reading today’s passage, you will recognize that God had the “power over these plagues.” It means that people were meant to recognize God’s greatness and draw near to Him in repentance, forgiveness, and worship. However, instead of coming to God and giving Him glory, people on earth will curse His name. 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” Now, I don’t know if the events in the book of Peter and today’s passage are the same thing, but one thing is for sure. People on earth will be “scorched” with fire and “seared” with intense heat during the Great Tribulation. You might remember that during the trumpet judgment phase, a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars will be smitten so that the world might be darkened. As a result, we assumed that the world would become colder, but with this bowl judgment over the sun, it would become hotter. Now, if you were a world leader in charge of coming up with ways human beings can survive in those days, what would you come up with?

It’s so hard to imagine how people will survive during those days, but you would think that one thing that people will do would be to fall on their knees and cry out to God for help. Nope. They will curse the name of God and refuse to repent and glorify Him. It leads me to wonder what God would have done if these people had gone the route of repentance? All they needed to do was repent, but they will continue to curse the name of God. God wants to be a source of life to us, but by our actions, we make Him a source of death. The problem is not on God’s end. We are the problem. Our hearts are hardened, sick, and rebellious. The only way to be cured from our sick hearts is to draw near to the Son of God. We are the ones who get to choose whether God will be a source of life or a source of death.

• What do you think will happen to the sun when the fourth angel pours his bowl on it?
• Why do you think people will continue to blaspheme God and not give Him glory?
• Has the cross of Christ become your source of life, and in what ways are you guiding others toward that source?