The Malignant Sores
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Let's ask God to guide us:
Our Father,
As we begin to study each one of the seven bowls, please help us to understand the nature
of the last plagues which will soon strike the world, to show in a clear and resounding
way Your perfect justice and the relevance of Your judgments.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 15:1; 16:1
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous:
seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
(...)
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,
«Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.»
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After the close of probation, the wrath of God will show itself through the
pouring out of seven bowls, each one containing a plague which will strike unrepentant
men.
In this lesson, we will study the first of these seven bowls.
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Revelation 16:2
So the first [angel] went and poured out his bowl upon
the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast
and those who worshiped his image.
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When the first plague strikes the earth, a malignant sore appears on all those
who have the mark of the beast or worship his image.
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Revelation 14:9,10
If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives
his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
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Yet, during the loud cry preceding the close of probation, all these men had
been warned that, if they received the mark and worshiped the beast and his image, they
would be exposed to the wrath of God, contained in the seven bowls which would be poured
out shortly afterwards on the world
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Revelation 8:6,7
So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared
themselves to sound.
The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were
thrown to the earth.
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As we will see in a moment, we can draw a parallel between the seven bowls and
the seven trumpets, which we studied in previous lessons.
These two series describe divine judgments punishing unrepentant nations. Each bowl has
the same target as its corresponding trumpet.
So the first bowl and the first trumpet both strike the earth.
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Revelation 8:7 (NIV)
The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail
and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth.
A third of the earth was burned up.
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Revelation 16:2
So the first [angel] went and poured out his bowl upon
the earth.
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On the other hand, the judgment described by the trumpets did not have the
impact of that of the bowls.
So, whereas the first trumpet struck only «a third of the earth»,
the first bowl, for its part, strikes «the earth».
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Job 2:4-7
So Satan answered the Lord and said, «Skin for skin!
Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and
touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!»
So the Lord said to Satan, «Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.»
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from
the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
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The nature of the first bowl, a malignant and painful sore (or boil), is a
response to Satan's numerous attacks against God's faithful people.
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Luke 16:19-21,25
There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple
and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores. (...)
«Remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil
things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.»
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The malignant sore also responds to men's selfishness and insensitivity.
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Leviticus 22:21,22 (New International Version)
When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship
offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be
without defect or blemish to be acceptable.
Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or
festering or running sores.
Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the Lord by fire.
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Moreover, the presence of sores on an animal made it unsuitable to be offered
in sacrifice, because it could not be accepted by God.
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Leviticus 13:18,22
If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is
healed, (...) and if [the spot] should at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall
pronounce him unclean.
It is a leprous sore.
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So the sore which does not heal also refers to the impurity of those who are
affected, and the necessity of cutting them off from the people of God, because of this
impurity.
This is precisely the message conveyed by the first bowl, which strikes unrepentant men
with such a sore.
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Revelation 15:2,3
And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with
fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and
over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God.
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The bowls also remind us of the plagues which struck Egypt in the days of
Moses.
As we have seen in our last lesson, this link between the two series of divine punishments
was already visible in the scene introducing the seven bowls.
In fact, this scene presents the redeemed singing the song of Moses, to praise God for
having saved them from the enemy.
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Exodus 9:7-9
The heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the
people go.
So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
«Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward
the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break
out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.»
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One of the plagues which struck Egypt, that is, sores appearing on people, is
identical to the plague caused by the first bowl.
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Exodus 9:10,11
Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before
Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven.
And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.
And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on
the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
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Note that the sores (or boils) sent by God struck even the magicians who, in
spite of all their powers, were not able to avoid this plague, nor to cure it.
Will it be the same, at the time of the first bowl?
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Revelation 13:13,14
[The beast coming up out of the earth] performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do.
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Revelation 16:14
For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which
go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world.
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Similar to Moses' day, the last days will be marked by the presence of «spirits of demons», which will perform great signs and miracles.
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Revelation 16:10,11
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of
the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because
of the pain.
And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not
repent of their deeds.
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But, like Pharaoh's magicians, those performing great signs and miracles in the
last days will also be struck by the malignant sore of the first bowl, and won't be able
to cure it.
This is why, when the fifth bowl is poured out, men will still be suffering from this
sore.
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Hosea 5:2,11-13
The revolters are deeply involved in slaughter, though I
rebuke them all. (...)
Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept.
Therefore I will be to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness.
When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and
sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound.
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In fact, there will be no cure, no medicine, no remedy for this malignant sore
punishing those who have rejected God's offer of salvation.
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Deuteronomy 28:58,60,61
If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law
that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord
your God, then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues -
great and prolonged plagues - and serious and prolonged sicknesses.
Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid,
and they shall cling to you.
Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, will
the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed.
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So the malignant sore, brought by the first bowl, will be a totally unfamiliar
disease, a disease «which is not written in the book of this law»,
nor in any medicine book.
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Deuteronomy 28:15,27,35
It shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of
the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I
command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: (...) the
Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the
itch, from which you cannot be healed. (...)
The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be
healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
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The curse of the malignant and incurable sore (or boil) had already been called
down in Moses' days on those who would disobey God's commandments.
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Deuteronomy 28:58-60
If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law
that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord
your God, then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues -
great and prolonged plagues - and serious and prolonged sicknesses.
Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid,
and they shall cling to you.
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So the purpose of the malignant sore is the punishment of two specific sins of
unrepentant men:
- first, the fact that they did not fear God;
- then, as a result of this disrespect, their contempt for the commandments
of God.
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1 Samuel 5:2,3
When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it
into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.
And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its
face to the earth before the ark of the Lord.
So they took Dagon and set it in its place again.
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In the past, disrespect for the law of God has caused diseases in men.
That was the case with the people of Ashdod who, in spite of a first warning from God,
continued to place the ark of the covenant - containing the law of God - in the presence
of their god Dagon.
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1 Samuel 5:4,6
And when they arose early the next morning, there was
Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord.
The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only
the torso of Dagon was left of it. (...)
The hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck
them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
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The second night, God destroyed the idol which was worshiped by the people of
Ashdod, thus showing His wrath in the face of this contempt for His law.
But it wasn't enough: to this glorious deed, He added a curse, and struck them with
tumors.
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1 Samuel 5:7,9
And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said,
«The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us
and Dagon our god.» (...)
And so it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the Lord was against the
city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and
great, and tumors broke out on them.
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The people of Ashdod understood that the ark of the covenant was the cause of
their disease, but, even after having moved it elsewhere, the plague persisted on them
all.
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Exodus 23:24,25
You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor
do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break
down their sacred pillars.
So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water.
And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.
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The people of Ashdod could have avoided this disease, if they had given up
their idolatry, turned to the living God, and put into practice all His commandments.
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Deuteronomy 7:12,15
Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these
judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant
and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. (...)
And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the
terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known.
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Men despise the law of God, and they are thus struck with many diseases.
Immorality has greatly contributed to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and
AIDS.
The guilt of sin often leads to depression and suicide.
And how many more diseases could we add to the list...?
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Isaiah 1:4-6
Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a
brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have
turned away backward.
Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the
head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores.
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The abandonment of God has indeed left our world in a pitiful state...
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Sin marks the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of men:
«There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your
anger, nor is there any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone
over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and
festering because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning
all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no soundness in my
flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.»
(PSALM 38:3-8)
«I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body! For my life is
spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and
my bones waste away.» (PSALM 31:9,10)
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Exodus 15:26
If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and
do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I
will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians.
For I am the Lord who heals you.
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Now, here's good news! God can heal us from the incurable sickness called sin,
this sickness which the malignant sore, brought by the first bowl, will only intensify.
We only have to «diligently heed the voice of the Lord» who
calls us to salvation, and then «do what is right in His sight».
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The Lord's way will favor our physical, emotional, and spiritual health:
«Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and
depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.» (PROVERBS
3:7,8)
«Give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from
your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them,
and health to all their flesh.» (PROVERBS 4:20-22)
«When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and
night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I
acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will
confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.»
(PSALM 32:3-5)
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Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
«Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her
plagues.»
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The call to come out of Babylon, and also to take Babylon out of our heart, is
still given to us, «lest you share in her sins, and lest you
receive of her plagues».
So let's accept Jesus, right here and now, as our Savior and Lord, and let's put into
practice the commandments of God, by the power of His Spirit working within us.
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Psalm 91:5-10
You shall not be afraid (...) of the pestilence that
walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not
come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your habitation, no
evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.
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If we follow the way God shows us, He will cleanse us from all sin, and protect
us from the malignant sore which will soon strike the wicked.
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Let's pray together:
Lord,
It is really sad to see that the unrepentance of men and their contempt for Your law, in
addition to causing them a lot of worries and suffering, will soon cause them to be struck
by the malignant sore of the first bowl.
Please send us the latter rain, so that we may receive the love and power we need to
loudly proclaim Your final call to salvation, before it is too late.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 82 is waiting for you!