And Blasphemed The God Of Heaven
Revelation 16:11
Given to American citizens by our government and guaranteed by the American constitution are certain inalienable rights. One of these rights is freedom of speech, whichis the right to express oneself without government interference or censorship. This includes the right to speak, write, publish, and assemble peacefully. However, this right is not absolute and has certain limitations.
Never in the national history of the United States have we seen the use of this fundamental right exercised in so many ways, as well as the abuse of this fundamental and personal right. Activists use this constitutional privilege to publicize and politicize their personal beliefs to bring attention to and sway public opinion to their cause. Their use of the freedom of speech leans more often to abuse of it as their “cause” is often morally perverted. Demonstrations are mounted against conservative values and those who hold them. Demonstrators are unafraid to verbally assault the church, whatever its denomination, all cardinal truths of the Christian faith, to burn the Bible, and to denigrate all Christians as far right extremists. We watch and are appalled.
The guarantee of this constitutional right unfortunately sanctions the abuse of it by allowing these ungodly protests against Israel, against the church, against the moral values on which our country was founded. By no means did our founding fathers intend such abuse of these constitutional rights to happen or go unpunished. By no means does this book which we call the Bible, God’s Holy Word, promote such sickening abuses or will allow those who do such sins to go unpunished. We sit in amazement at the inaction of our national leaders against the debasement of their character and our constitution and God’s holy word.
It’s bad now but during the tribulation, when the Divine Restrainer, the Holy Spirit, lessens His power over the earth, and the Man of Sin, Satan comes into power, hell on earth will take over because there will be no restraint or godly influence to limit them in their wickedness, and men, humanity, will not repent even after witnessing and experiencing Divine judgment. Rather than humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God, John the Apostle said they will “blaspheme the God of heaven.” Blaspheme has a strong meaning, “to blame,” and “to injure.” Together they paint a picture of the world in that hour that vociferously and publicly and continually blame the God of heaven for the calamities that come upon them. Rather than humbling themselves before the Lord and repent of their sin, they raise their fist toward heaven in anger and speak strongly against the God of heaven because of “their pains and their sores” (v. 11) that torment them. This apocalyptic scene calls to remembrance the action of the Lord God in sending the plagues the upon land of Egypt and the reaction of the Egyptians. The parallels ae uncanny.
With that setting, let us consider how people will fail in that day: a) they will fail in their reasoning of their sinful nature and need; b) they will fail to take responsibility for their sin; c) they will fail to repent of their sin. The spiritual and moral collapse of the world begins with the collapse of society and government on an individual basis. Complete failure of fallen man illustrates this chapter.
Biblical history records several periods where social injustices, unparalleled evil, and spiritual apostasy were so widespread and rampant that man knowingly and fearlessly pitted himself against the God of heaven. One record is found in Isaiah 1. While we are unable to go into details of those sins, God, through Isaiah, His representative and messenger, addressed those issues and then said unto the people, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). What happened to Israel? How did they arrive at such a low spiritual level? There was a failure in their reasoning of sin. The leaders of Israel had sinned so long that their hearts were calloused and insensitive to the God of heaven. Even in judgment, they refused to acknowledge their wrong and sin and repent. Rather, they became angry. They decided their opinions were right and set themselves against their God. Thus, the God of heaven calls them to come and “reason together” with Him. Reason, as used by Isaiah, “is a law term used of arguing, convincing, or deciding a case in court. The people were to be convinced by their argumentation with God that He was right and they were wrong about their condition.”
The period in Isaiah illustrates to a small degree the greater sin of the tribulation period when the hearts of the masses will raise their fists toward heaven in satanic anger and blasphemy, impiously speaking to Him and all the while refusing to change their minds regarding their sin and God’s holiness.
The social and spiritual conditions of our day foreshadow the conditions of the day that John the Revelator was shown. The masses of mankind will fail to take responsibility for their sin. They do not own their sin, nor acknowledge the natural, celestial, infernal judgments are the result of their own failure to turn to the God of heaven. Instead, they blaspheme God and lay their blame upon Him. They are not atheists, or apostates, nor agnostics because they “blaspheme the God of heaven,” understanding that these dreadful vial judgments are sent on the earth from Him.
Let us remember that genuine saving faith includes taking ownership, responsibility for personal sin when one can call upon the Lord. In that future day, as John saw it, that generation will fail to repent of their sin. One will not be saved, born again until and unless they repent of their sin. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. Repentance is the thinking differently of one’s lifestyle and habits that conduct and control their life. Genuine repentance unto God prompts one to reconsider everything about their life, their past, their present, their future. John foresaw a day when that will not happen. The roots of that day were happening in John’s day. They are deeper and stronger in our day. They will come to fruition during the tribulation.
That generation will remember to their eternal doom the words of God to Israel— “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Nu. 32:23).
They Blasphemed The God of Heaven
