The football team of the University of Alabama is called the "Crimson Tide." Their jerseys are bright red, and as they move down the field, inundating enemy territory and flooding into the end-zone, they appear as a crimson tide. Tides move inexorably; they are unstoppable, and have tremendous power. In some places, as in the Bay of Fundy, the tide advances swiftly in a wave called the tidal bore. It travels at about fifteen MPH, so no one can outrun it. This tidal power is harnessed in Europe to produce electricity as giant turbines are turned by the flow and ebb of the tide.
I once camped at Pt. Magu State Beach near Ventura, California. The road runs right next to the beach, and many erect their tents on the sand. At this particular time a rather extraordinary condition occurred. The ocean became red from what is called the "red tide." This is caused by a microscopic organism which appears red in the daytime and becomes phosphorescent at night. Even though there was no moonlight, the waves breaking on the shore had an eerie greenish glow. As one walked on the wet sand, it glowed, and a handful of sand thrown to the ground appeared as sparklers. This red tide is deadly to fish, and the seagulls and pelicans were having a feeding frenzy as they devoured dead fish a hundred yards offshore.
Something like that must have happened back in Egypt during the plagues. God decided to punish the Egyptians for the years they had enslaved His people. He told Moses and Aaron to smite the water of the Nile River, and when they did so, the water turned blood red, and the river stank, and all the fish died. Even the fountains became blood, and there was blood throughout the Land of Egypt (Ex. 7:20). it seems that God has used blood to signify sin and the punishment for sin and rebellion. A second time was when Moses came down from the mountain and found the Israelites worshiping a golden calf; he proceeded to burn the calf with fire,grind it to a powder, sprinkle it on their drinking water, and make them drink it (Ex 32:20). The significance of this act is lost until one realizes that a colloidal suspension of gold is blood red. Again, drinking what appeared to be blood was a punishment for sin. The third example is found in Revelation 16:3-6 where the second of the seven last plagues is described. During this plague the waters of the sea, rivers, and fountains become as blood, and every living thing in the sea dies.
"And I heard the angel say, Thou art righteous, O Lord,...For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy (Rev. 16:6). But as for the righteous, the plagues will not come near their dwellings, and they will not suffer the deadly effects of "the crimson tide."
