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“peace on earth” and the future

Revelation 16:1-21

Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven agents, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the land.”
Revelation 16:2 The first went and poured out his bowl on the land, and severely painful sores broke out on the humans who had the mark of the wild animal and who worshiped its image.
Revelation 16:3 The second poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and every living throat in the sea died.
Revelation 16:4 The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.
Revelation 16:5 I heard the agent of the waters say, You are just –the Holy One, who is and who was, because you have passed judgment on these things.
Revelation 16:6 Because they poured out the blood of the devotees and the prophets, you have given them blood to drink; they deserve it!
Revelation 16:7 I heard the altar say, Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true, and just are your judgments.
Revelation 16:8 The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch humans with fire,
Revelation 16:9 and humans were scorched by the intense heat. So, they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.
Revelation 16:10 The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the wild animal, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues because of their pain
Revelation 16:11 and blasphemed the God of the sky because of their pains and their sores, but they did not repent of their works.
Revelation 16:12 The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
Revelation 16:13 Then I saw three unclean breaths like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the wild animal’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
Revelation 16:14 For they are breaths of demons performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.
Revelation 16:15 “Notice, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is alert and remains clothed so that he may not go around naked and people see his shame.”
Revelation 16:16 So they assembled the kings at the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
Revelation 16:17 Then the seventh poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
Revelation 16:18 There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since humans have been on the land, so great was the quake.
Revelation 16:19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God’s presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger.
Revelation 16:20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared.
Revelation 16:21 Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell from the sky on humans, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.

“peace on earth” and the future

At Christmas, the church remembers the wonder of Christ’s first coming. His arrival was marked not by terror but by tenderness—an infant wrapped in cloths, laid in a manger, and announced by an angelic proclamation of peace. Luke records the heavenly host declaring that the birth of Jesus signaled “peace among those with whom he is pleased.” The incarnation opened a door of reconciliation, offering a world estranged from God the possibility of restored fellowship. The first advent was a declaration of divine goodwill, a gracious invitation extended to all nations.

The second coming, however, will unfold in a dramatically different manner. Scripture describes it not as the quiet arrival of a child but as the sudden intrusion of a thief in the night. Revelation portrays a world convulsing under the weight of plagues, judgments, and upheavals that precede the return of Christ. These events are not random catastrophes but purposeful acts of divine justice, signaling that the patience of God has reached its appointed limit. The contrast between the two comings is stark: the first marked by peace offered, the second marked by judgment executed.

For two millennia, God has extended extraordinary grace to this planet. The message of peace announced at Bethlehem has been proclaimed across continents and generations. The gospel has been carried to nations, translated into languages, and preached in every kind of setting—from cathedrals to huts, from public squares to prison cells. This prolonged season of mercy is itself a testimony to God’s desire that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. The delay of judgment is not indifference; it is compassion.

Yet the window of opportunity is not endless. The biblical narrative presses the urgency of response. Christ will return, and His return will divide humanity into two groups: those who have embraced His offer of peace and those who have rejected it. The same Jesus who came as Savior will come again as Judge. The Lamb who was slain is also the King who will reign. The offer of salvation is real, but so is the warning of judgment.

Therefore the call is clear: run to the Savior while grace is still extended. The One who once lay in a manger will one day appear in glory. He will either be the Redeemer who welcomes or the Judge who confronts. Now is the time to seek the peace He freely gives.

LORD, we accept your terms of peace and offer our lives in unconditional surrender. Help us to reach others with your gospel of grace.