Yes — God judges later generations, but His judgment is righteous, and it falls as the culmination of accumulated human sin rather than as arbitrary anger.
God does not single out an innocent generation. In Revelation 16, the angels declare God righteous because the world has shed the blood of saints and prophets for centuries, and now it is given blood to drink. Les Feldick teaches that this generation reaps what earlier generations planted, and he answers the fairness objection by pointing to God's patience and to humanity's long history of rebellion.
Revelation 16:5-6 — This is the heart of the answer: the angels call God righteous while the judged generation receives blood to drink because it shed the blood of saints and prophets.
Romans 2:11-12 — It shows that God's wrath is not arbitrary; He shows no partiality and judges each person according to their relationship to the law.
Genesis 6:11-12 — It describes a generation so corrupt and violent that God brought a catastrophic judgment—Les uses it as the pattern for why God steps in.
The Bible's descriptions of catastrophic judgment always tie the judgment to the generation's own corruption. In Genesis 6:11-12, before the flood, "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence... for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." The flood comes after a generation has corrupted itself. Revelation 16:5-6 says the judgments of the bowls are pronounced righteous by the angel of the waters, and the reason given is that "they have shed the blood of saints and prophets" and are therefore "worthy" to drink blood. Romans 2:11-12 adds that God shows no respect of persons and will judge those under the law by the law and those without law apart from the law. 2 Samuel 7:14-15 nuances the picture by showing that when David's son commits iniquity, God will chasten him, yet will not take His mercy away. The Bible's judgments are never blind; they are righteous and discriminating.
Les Feldick teaches that God does not arbitrarily pick one generation to punish. The final generation reaps what earlier generations have sown. In Revelation 16, Les says God essentially tells humanity, "You've been bloodthirsty for 6,000 years; now drink it." The angels understand that God is righteous and that men are receiving what they deserve. When asked why this generation must suffer when there have already been 6,000 years of human history, Les points to population: there are more people alive on the earth right now than in all previous history combined. He also insists that God is fair—humanity had 2,000 years of direct revelation and rejected it. Even the flood was, in Les's words, an act of mercy to unborn generations, because the pre-flood world had become so violent that a child was not safe. The Canaanites, likewise, were destroyed because they had gone down so far. Les does not make the judged generation out to be innocent. God's patience is real, but when a generation's wickedness reaches a point where it cannot continue, God steps in. The result may look harsh, but both Scripture and the angels say it is righteous.
Les deals with this exact question in his classes. He says the reason is population: there are more people alive in the world right now than have lived from the beginning of human history. The coming wrath will therefore touch more lives at once. At the same time, the same generation has not escaped the pattern of the past—it has continued in wickedness, and the blood of saints and prophets has been shed throughout history. The judgment is the final accounting.
Les points to God's patience, grace, and kindness. He lets man continue on his own way, hoping for repentance. But when a generation reaches a point where it "has gone down so far," God intervenes, as He did with the Canaanites and the generation of Noah.
Les responds to the objection by reminding us that God had given the whole human race 2,000 years of opportunity before the call of Abraham. They all had knowledge of what God expected, yet they ignored or rebelled. God's foreknowledge could see that man would continue to get worse, not better. In addition, the angels in Revelation affirm that God's judgments are righteous, and Paul says there is no respect of persons with God.
Les uses 2 Samuel 7:14-15 to show that when Israel committed iniquity, God promised to chasten them with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men. But His mercy would not depart. Israel's history in Judges is a cycle of judgment and restoration, proving that God does not abandon a people He has called.
Bloodthirstiness Reaps Judgment
Les explains that the bowl judgments bring to a finish 6,000 years of shedding the blood of saints and prophets; when God says "drink it," the angels recognize that He is righteous and that men deserve it.
Population and This Generation
Les's direct answer to why this generation suffers: more people are alive now than in all previous history combined, so the judgment falls on the largest number of people at once.
God's Fairness
Les answers the "God isn't fair" objection by noting that humanity had 2,000 years of dealing with God, and they rebelled; God's foreknowledge saw no change coming.
Mercy in the Flood
Les says the flood was not mere wrath but an act of mercy to unborn generations, because the pre-flood world had become full of violence.
The Canaanite Limit
Les says the Canaanites were destroyed because they had gone down so far, and the Gentile world is approaching the same point.
Chastening Without Forsaking
Les shows from 2 Samuel 7 that God chastens Israel when they commit iniquity, yet He never withdraws His mercy.
Impartial Judgment
Les stresses that God's future wrath will fall on everyone equally; He is no respecter of persons.
Cleansing the Slate
Les describes the flood as a cleansing of the slate and a new start, not the full outpouring of God's wrath.
Revelation 16:5-6: And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus: For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
This is the passage Les uses to show God is righteous in judging and the generation is given what it deserves.
Romans 2:11-12: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
This shows that God's judgment is impartial and not based on nationality, ethnicity, or privilege.
Genesis 6:11-12: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
This describes the generation of Noah as corrupt and violent, providing the reason for the flood.
2 Samuel 7:14-15: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
This shows that God chastens His own people for iniquity, yet does not remove His mercy.
Les teaches that the final generation is not being punished for someone else's guilt—it is bringing to a head the accumulated wickedness of the whole human race. In Revelation 16, the world is reaping 6,000 years of bloodthirstiness, and the angels confirm that God is righteous.
Les says no. Humanity had 2,000 years of direct knowledge of God and rejected it. The judged generation itself follows the same path, and God is no respecter of persons—everyone who sins will be judged.
Les describes the flood as an act of mercy to unborn generations. The pre-flood world was so violent that children could not expect to live long, so God cleansed the slate and started over.
Watch the Teaching: What Are the 7 Bowl Judgments? Revelation 15–16 Explained