Free Bible Commentary
“Revelation 16:1-7”
Categories: Revelation“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.’ So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, ‘Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.’ And I heard the altar saying, ‘Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.’”
---End of Scripture verses---
God’s time for patience and warnings have now ended, and the outpouring of His unrestrained wrath has begun in earnest against the oppressors of His people. The fulfillment of these verses, of course, is past tense for those of us reading this in the 21st century, but it was prophetic in nature for the persecuted Christians living in the first century Roman world. Even though this is not a depiction of God’s Final Judgment, it is still very severe and complete, and any nation or kingdom with the same predilections for wickedness ultimately suffers a similar fate. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). No people, no matter how mighty and arrogant, can stand against the righteous indignation of the perfectly just and completely powerful God of creation.
Whereas the sounding of the seven trumpets brought devastation to only 1/3 of every affected area of concern (Revelation 8:7-12), the results of the outpouring of God’s bowls of wrath was not partial in nature. All of “the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image” were plagued with a “loathsome and malignant sore” (verse 3). All of the water of “the sea” (verse 3) and “the rivers and springs” (verse 4) “became blood”. What is depicted here is ruination of physical vitality and those things which comprise the basic necessities for human survival.
Robert Harkrider wrote the following about these “plagues” in his commentary: “Any attempts to find in history specific application of these signs has always met with reasonable objections. Rather than trying to identify definite historical occurrences that would fit these scenes of God’s wrath being poured out, the reader should simply accept these in the apocalyptic style as symbolic. God brought to naught the false religion of paganism which was backed by corrupt rulers of a world empire. These signs are revealed in God’s picture book, not as specific events of history, but as scenes in which to visualize the awesome terror of His judgments.”
Some people see the harsh and inevitable judgments of God as cruel and unusual punishment, but the perpetrators of wickedness always “deserve” (verse 6) the wrath that is returned unto them and heaped upon their heads. We live in a God-created Universe governed by the inescapable laws of “cause and effect”. This is true on the physical, intellectual and spiritual planes of existence. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8). It is only right for God to give “blood to drink” to those who have “poured out the blood of the saints and prophets” (verse 7).
The only way to escape the eternal consequences of the sins that we all are guilty of is to turn to Christ Jesus in believing, sorrowful, repentant, obedient faith. We must be genuinely remorseful for every violation of the God’s commandments that we are guilty of committing or omitting (2 Corinthians 7:9), and this “godly sorrow” must lead us to practical repentance to be forgiven (2 Corinthians 7:10). Anyone who has not been baptized for the forgiveness of sins remains guilty of them and answerable to the just wrath of God until he is immersed in water for the forgiveness of his sins (Acts 2:38) and into Christ’s body and death (Romans 6:1-6). We cannot be good enough to save ourselves, but through the plan, blood and resurrection of Jesus, God has provided us the Way to clemency and heaven. Follow His plan. Jesus is The only Way to the Father in heaven (John 14:6).
Please read Revelation 16:8-12 for tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
-Louie Taylor
