Red Water

In Romans 2, the apostle Paul writes about not only the judgment that comes upon those who are disobedient, including acts that he had listed in the previous chapter, but about the kindness of God, Who is calling people to repent and come to Him:
2But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.3And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?4Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

The Bible is very clear about activities that displease God - later in Romans, Paul offers the famous passage that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.  There is a clear delineation between what pleases Him and what does not - and throughout the Scriptures, we see a God who is calling out to people to turn from unrighteousness and embrace His truth and avoid His judgment.  Our Savior is urging us and those around us to pay attention to His call and to surrender our lives to Him, so that we might be made right with Him and experience His power to live right.

Jesus taught about reading the signs of the times in Matthew chapter 24:
32"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.33So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors!

Here is an interesting story from China which presents a rather disturbing visual.   It comes from the city of Wenzhou in eastern China, where residents woke up to a mysteriously blood-red river Thursday morning.  The Mashable website quotes China Radio International, which reported that the river began to redden at 6 a.m. local time, baffling residents, some of whom complained that they could no longer fish in the river.

China Radio International reported that officers from the Wenzhou Environmental Protection Bureau took samples to determine the cause of the alarming color shift.  It's suspected that people dumped red pollutants into the water somewhere upstream, according to Shanghaiist.

According to ABC, Jianfeng Xiao, chief of the Wenzhou bureau, told China News, “We suspect that somebody dumped artificial coloring in the water because he thought the typhoon yesterday would cause heavy rain, and nobody would notice [the color].” He added, “It turned out there wasn’t heavy rainfall yesterday, so the evidence is left behind."

Xiao said that there is a paper manufacturer, a food coloring company and clothing-maker along the river, though China Radio International quoted locals saying that there are no chemical plants upstream. The bureau is still investigating the incident.

This the third time a Chinese river has been mysteriously "bloodied" in the past three years. In 2012, the Yangtze river in Chongqing turned orange red, and in 2011, the Jian river in Henan Province turned a crimson hue.  There have been other reports of water turning red from other parts of the world, including in the Netherlands, as well as a lake in Texas.

Now, I'm not declaring that there instances are signs of an impending Armageddon, but this story did remind me of some Biblical references to water turning red.   One of those is found in Exodus, where Moses and Aaron call on Pharoah to let the people go, and God demonstrates His displeasure with Pharoah's refusal by pouring out ten plagues upon Egypt - one of them, found in the 7th chapter of the book:

19Then the Lord spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.' "20And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.21The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
This was matched, we're told, by the Egyptian magicians through their "enchantments."  And, Pharoah's heart was hardened and he refused to release the Israelites.   
In Revelation 8, the second of the trumpet judgments involves the seas being turned into blood:8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.9And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
In Revelation 16, we read about two of the bowl judgments that God would release on the earth:3Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.4Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.5And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.

OK, so there's no evidence that these red-water occurrences in China over the last few years are related to Biblical judgment.  But, this latest story from China and other instances can certainly give us a chance to pause and think about the nature of God and the future of the earth.   For one thing, we do serve a God of justice. Throughout the Scriptures, we see His heart concerning disobedience - those who will reject Him are judged and will receive punishment.   And, as we learn from the stories of Egypt, as well as His display of wrath concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, there will be municipal and national expressions of judgment.  

But, in His mercy, He offers us a way out of eternal punishment through the blood shed by His only Son, Jesus Christ.   We also serve a God of mercy.  Even though every human being is under a death sentence because of sin, He broke the curse of sin and offers us a way to be right with God.   If a person accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, then that penalty is considered to be paid in full, and we can enter into a right relationship with God.

Finally, the Bible does tell us that there will be signs in the last days.  And, I believe that God is speaking to our world today.   In the midst of the proliferation of natural disasters, the escalation of wars throughout the globe, and the degradation of the culture, God is calling to people to turn from their selfish, disobedient ways and surrender to Him.   It may not be red water, but I certainly believe that He is dedicated to communicating His message, and He will use each of us as His mouthpieces to warn people of the consequences of sin and to encourage people to give their lives to Christ.