The Appearing of Sons Angel
Jun 24, 2016
Revelation 16:4-7 says,
4 And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous art Thou, who art and who wast, O Holy One, because Thou didst judge these things; 6 for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.”
The third angel is called The Appearing of Sons, also known as “the angel of the waters.” The third bowl is related to the second. The main difference is that the second bowl was poured out upon the sea, while the third was poured out upon the rivers and springs. The result is the same, because in both cases the water was turned to blood. This, of course, reminds us of the first plague upon Egypt, where the Nile River and all the water in the land was turned to blood.
Whereas the Cleansing Angel brought “the voice of God” to speak judgment upon the “Holy See,” the Appearing of Sons Angel now justifies this judgment. “They deserve it,” is the divine verdict, and the altar itself, wherein the bowls of wine are poured, speaks forth its own testimony of truth that the judgments of God are “true and righteous.”
It is because the church, like King Saul, was disqualified to rule beyond a certain point that God has raised up the overcomers, even as God raised up David to replace Saul’s rebellious and oppressive reign. So the third angel brings the word of this replacement, and this is borne out by Psalm 50:16-23, which the priests sang when the third bowl was poured out at the altar.
16 But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell My statutes, and to take My covenant in your mouth? 17 For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you.
When “the wicked” try to teach God’s laws and claim His covenant, they act hypocritically. God says that those who “hate discipline,” those whose hearts will not receive correction, have no right to hold positions of government or priesthood.
Here I must mention that there are really two main prophetic types of the church in the Old Testament: King Saul and Eli the high priest. The first speaks of the pope’s political claim, while the second speaks of the pope’s claim as high priest (“Pontifex Maximus”). Both Saul and Eli were replaced in the end on account of their sin and their refusal to repent. Saul was replaced by David, and the line of Eli was replaced by Zadok and his lineage. So also, the Roman church has been replaced by the overcomers, who are of the Order of Melchizedek.
The third bowl of wine, poured out by the third angel, speaks of this replacement. Psalm 50 supports this by giving the indictment against those who have ruled corruptly and hypocritically. Psalm 50:18 continues,
18 When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you associate with adulterers.
One big reason why the church has become corrupt is because promotions are largely based on the ability to raise money for the church. The love of money permeates the church, which sanctifies their hidden motives by the principle that the end justifies the means. So the church developed the practice of selling “indulgences,” by which the church sells time off from Purgatory. If the church truly had such power to get people out of Purgatory, one would think that they would love their parishioners enough to extend such salvation freely.
In fact, there was one pope who was truly righteous in this regard. Pope Celestine V was a hermit name Peter Morone, and when the cardinals in 1294 were unable to agree on the election of a pope, they decided on a whim to drag Peter from his cave and to make him pope. His first act was to forgive all and to declare a Jubilee free of charge. Further, he began to give large sums of money to the poor. The cardinals were alarmed, because he was ruining the church. So his secretary of state, Benedict Gaetani, convinced him to resign and was subsequently elected as Pope Boniface VIII. Peter Morone happily returned to his familiar cave, but soon Boniface arrested him and threw him in prison, where he soon died, either of poison or starvation.
The time was 1,260 years from the day of Pentecost (33-1293 A.D.). At the end of 3½ “times,” God gave the Roman church an opportunity to repent and a second “Peter” gave the church an opportunity for a new beginning. But the church failed to change its ways, because it had rejected divine discipline and had cast aside the word of God. They preferred to steal money from the people and defraud them by their practice of selling indulgences.
Psalm 50:19-21 continues,
19 You let your mouth loose in evil, and your tongue frames deceit. 20 You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. 21 These things you have done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.
After a long time of divine silence, His reproof came in 2001 in the year after we poured out the second bowl of wine. This was an act of judgment before the divine court, when “the case” was stated, or presented to God for judgment. The results were seen in the following year.
The rest of Psalm 50 gives the conclusion of the matter:
22 Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. 23 He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.
This speaks of the righteous ones, the overcomers, whom God has raised up to replace those “who forget God.” Those whose hearts are obedient, those who accept discipline when they go astray, are the ones who will see “the salvation of God.” The word translated “salvation” is the Hebrew word yasha, which is a form of Yeshua (Jesus). Though the psalmist does not give specifics about this, the fact that it was read on Tishri 16, the second day of Tabernacles at the time of the drink offering, tells us that it is fulfilled by the Appearance of Sons Angel. In other words, this is a promise that the overcomers will be manifested as the Sons of God at the end of the age when the dead are raised in the First Resurrection and the living overcomers are changed into His image.
This is part 120 of a series titled "Studies in the Book of Revelation." To view all parts, click the link below.
Studies in the Book of Revelation