God turns water into blood during the tribulation as part of His wrath, and Les Feldick shows it repeats the pattern of the Egyptian plagues by striking both the sea and fresh-water sources.
The trumpet judgment in Revelation turns a third part of the sea to blood, and the next trumpet strikes a third part of the rivers and fountains of waters. Les compares this with the Nile turning to blood, when the Egyptians dug wells but God then struck the well water in the next plague. In his teaching, these judgments belong to the day when God says "Enough!" and pours out His wrath on the earth.
Revelation 8:8-9 — This is the passage Les quotes to show the sea becoming blood during the tribulation trumpets.
Revelation 8:10-11 — Les uses this verse to show the judgment extending from the sea to the rivers and fountains—the sources of fresh water.
Exodus 7:20-21 — The Old Testament event Les uses as the pattern for God turning water into blood.
John's vision in Revelation records the trumpets through which the sea is struck: "And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed" (Revelation 8:8-9). The next trumpet then falls on a third part of the rivers and fountains of waters, striking the fresh-water sources of the earth (Revelation 8:10-11). Scripture also connects blood with the judicial wrath of God in the tribulation. The vine of the earth is cast into "the great winepress of the wrath of God" (Revelation 14:19), and blood flows out of the winepress even to the horses' bridles (Revelation 14:20). Isaiah 63:3-4 uses the same imagery: "I have trodden the winepress alone... the day of vengeance is in mine heart." This is the scriptural backdrop for the water-to-blood judgments.
Les Feldick's teaching on this judgment takes students back to Egypt. He reminds them that when Moses turned the Nile to blood, the Egyptians dug wells for fresh water, so in the following plague God struck even the well water. Applying that to Revelation, Les says the trumpet judgment that turns a third part of the sea to blood is followed by a judgment on the rivers and fountains of waters—"it's going to attack the fresh water."
In the clips, Les explicitly uses the Egyptian plagues to explain the tribulation's water judgments. He states that when Moses turned the river Nile to blood—the source of the Egyptians' drinking and cooking water—they quickly dug wells for fresh water. In the next plague, God affected even the well water. Les sees the tribulation judgments repeating that same pattern, so no simple substitution of wells provides relief.
Les says we have been correctly programmed to think of God as a God of love, mercy, and grace—"and indeed He has been." But, he adds, the Scripture literally screams that this will not always be the case. There is coming a day when God says, "Enough!" As a reason for the force of that wrath, Les points to the world's long record of persecuting, martyring, and murdering God's people—the blood of prophets, saints, and all that were slain upon the earth was found in the great Babylon system. The water-to-blood plague fits inside this larger revelation of God's justice.
According to the Revelation passage Les teaches, the second trumpet turns a third part of the sea into blood, killing a third of the creatures in the sea and destroying a third of the shipping. Then the third trumpet falls on a third part of the rivers and the fountains of waters. Les describes this as an attack on fresh water—what people use for drinking and cooking in everyday life. In his Egyptian comparison, even digging new wells was not a permanent solution, because God then affected the well water too.
Bowls as the Wrath of God
Les reads the bowl judgments as the pouring out of the wrath of God upon the earth, showing that the blood-water judgments are part of a larger judicial outpouring.
The Sea and Fresh Water Struck
Les explains that the second trumpet turns a third part of the sea to blood and the third trumpet attacks the rivers and fountains of waters; he compares this to the Nile becoming blood and the Egyptians digging wells, with God then striking the well water in the next plague.
From Adam to Tribulation: God's Biblical Timeline Explained
When He says in verse 5, "...and surely your blood of your lives I will require at the hand of every beast I will require, at the hand of man, at the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man." And then verse 6, "...whoso now sheddeth man's blood," in other words, kills, murders by man.
Why the Church Will Not Go Through the Tribulation
"...and blood came out of the wine press, even unto the horses' bridles, by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs." That's about 180 miles. Now a lot of people scoff at this. They say, Well how in the world can such a thing be? Well fortunately, since we're not taking this detail by detail, we can jump in on another little aspect of all this, and that would be back in, oh let's see, I wasn'…
God Says 'Enough'
Les teaches that although God has been a God of love, mercy, and grace, Scripture says there is a day when God says "Enough!" and gathers the earth into the winepress of His wrath.
The Blood of God's People
Les shows that the severity of God's wrath is tied to the centuries of persecution and murder of God's people, with their blood found in the great world system.
The Day of Vengeance
Les quotes Isaiah 63 to show that the tribulation's blood judgments are God's day of vengeance, when He treads the winepress in anger and fury.
Hail, Fire, and Blood — An Exodus Pattern
Les observes that the first trumpet's hail and fire mingled with blood matches one of the plagues in Exodus, reinforcing the pattern of God's repeated judgments.
Exodus 7:20-21: And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote 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. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
Les points to this as the original water-to-blood plague that the tribulation judgment repeats.
Revelation 8:8-9: And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
The exact passage Les cites where the sea becomes blood during the tribulation.
Revelation 8:10-11: And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
Shows the judgment reaching the rivers and fountains of waters, the fresh-water sources Les highlights.
Revelation 14:19-20: And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Used by Les to show blood flowing from the winepress of God's wrath.
Isaiah 63:3-4: I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
Quoted by Les to explain the day of vengeance behind the blood judgments.
God turns water into blood as part of His judicial wrath in the tribulation. Les Feldick shows that the pattern comes from the Egyptian plagues, where the Nile became blood and even the well water was struck. The judgment removes the basic source of drinking and cooking water as part of the outpoured wrath of God.
Les does not treat the water-to-blood event as a metaphor. He describes the sea becoming blood, a third of sea creatures dying, and the fresh-water rivers and fountains being attacked, and he compares it to the literal Nile plague in Exodus. He speaks of it as an actual judgment on the earth.
Les uses the Egyptian plagues because they show God's pattern of striking the source of water. When the Nile turned to blood, the Egyptians dug wells; in the next plague God struck the well water. Les applies that same pattern to the tribulation, where the sea is struck and then the rivers and fountains of waters are attacked.
Yes. Les says people are rightly programmed to think of God as love, but Scripture says there is a day when God says "Enough!" The tribulation judgments, including the water turning to blood, are that day—when God's wrath is poured out because of the world's centuries of persecution and murder of His people.
Watch the Teaching: What Are the 7 Bowl Judgments? Revelation 15–16 Explained