Revelation Chapter 16:1-12/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 16:1-12 Revelation 16:1 “And I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth." 2And the first angel went and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore upon the men who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. 3And 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. 4And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. 5And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous art Thou, who art and who wast, O Holy One, because Thou didst judge these things; 6for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink. They deserve it. " 7And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments." 8And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9And men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues; and they did not repent, so as to give Him glory.

10And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. 12And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east”.

Introduction “Since no one was able to enter the temple until the seven bowls were poured out (15:8), it must be that the voice from the temple giving orders to the seven angels (16:1) is that of God Himself. Like the seven trumpets that sounded in chapters 8 through 11, these bowls resemble the plagues of Egypt, reminding the reader that the evil world under Satan’s dominion resembles the Pharaoh’s oppressive reign, from which God’s people have been delivered. It was often been pointed out that the domains affected by the numbered trumpets and their corresponding bowls are the same. The obvious difference is that each of the

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trumpets adversely affected only a third of whatever domain they touched, whereas the bowls produce utter and total ruin” (Gregg pp. 353,355).

16:1 “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels”: The angels mentioned in 15:5-6. “It was a loud voice for the Lord is filled with anger because of the impenitence of Satan’s followers” (Hendriksen pp. 160-161). “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God”: “Similarities exist between the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of wrath. 1. Each is divided into groups of four, two, and one. 2. Each is directed against the same objects. 3. The trumpets were partial, affecting only one-third; whereas the bowls of wrath are more intense and complete. The reason for this difference is that the trumpet judgments were calls to repentance, whereas the bowl judgments are visitations of punishment. Lenski noted that the seven seals ‘reveal’, the seven trumpets ‘announcement’ and ‘warn’, and the seven bowls ‘execute’” (Harkrider p. 461).

Hailey notes that these bowls of wrath do not refer to the final judgment. “There can be no more complete judgment until the final judgment, which is not introduced until chapter 20. Rather than pertaining either to the end of time or to events just prior to the end, the scene of this chapter deals with God’s judgment against the dragon, the beast, the earth beast, and their associates. Such judgments may be repeated at intervals throughout history” (p. 325).

16:2 “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 worshipped his image” Premillennial writers such as Hal Lindsey argue that this refers to sores caused by radioactive fall out results from nuclear war at the end of time, yet John is not writing about the end of time (Revelation 1:1,3).

16:2 “So the first angel went”: “Angels, the good ones, are wiser than humans.

When God says ‘go’ they just get up and go. You think there’s a lesson here for us?” (McGuiggan p. 235). “Loathsome”: “Troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful” (Thayer p. 320). “Malignant”: “Painful, virulent, serious”.

“Sore”: An abscess or ulcer, a foul and angry sore. Compare with Luke 16:21.

“On the people who had the mark of the beast”: “The boils didn’t have any trouble in finding who to attach themselves to” (McGuiggan p. 235). “As in the human body where sores break out from an accumulation of impurities that permeate the whole body, so also in this case it is the corruption of the world breaking out” (Gregg p. 355). Those who see this section as dealing with the destruction of Jerusalem, typically interpret these boils as being upon the Jews who tried to defend Jerusalem against the Romans.

Point to Note

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Those who worshipped the beast and thus were accomplices against God’s people will become like the persecutors against God’s people in ancient Egypt (Exodus 9:8ff). What people of the world sow, they will reap, including corruption even in this life (Galatians 6:7; Romans 1:27).

16:3 “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” This is a judgment from God, but it does more damage than the judgment mentioned in 8:8-9 where a third of the sea life died. This also reminds us of the judgments that came against Egypt (Exodus 7:17-21).

16:3 “Like that of a dead man”: “The blood is not running in streams, but instead is like that of a dead man: clotted, coagulated, and putrefying” (Chilton pp. 398-399). Hailey notes, “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11).

Consequently, when the life is gone, decay and rottenness set in until one returns to the dust from whence he came” (p. 328). Hailey believes that the “sea” represents society apart from God and that this judgment is describing the rotting condition of the then Roman world. “In such a society, morals decline to the lowest level; the family collapses, schools breed anarchy and rebellion, business ethics are forgotten, entertainment becomes base and sordid, and printing presses exude smut and filth, until the whole is strangled in its own death blood and suffocated by its own stench” (Hailey p. 328). Ogden takes a different view and believes that this refers to a battle fought on the Sea of Galilee during the Roman-Jewish War, in which the Romans killed 6500 Jews in the battle of Taricheae”. McGuiggan believes that this refers to God’s judgment upon commerce.

16:4 “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood” “As in the case of the third trumpet, so here, the rivers and springs of water are affected, though with far more drastic results” (Hailey p. 328). When the Nile was turned into blood during the ten plagues, the Egyptians dug in search for springs in which to find fresh water (Exodus 7:20ff). Yet during this judgment, even the underground springs are turned to blood. “God visits punishment in accordance with sin: Once the Empire had made the blood of the martyrs run like water; now all the Empire can find to drink is blood—and they deserve it” (Gregg p. 365).

16:5 “And I heard the angel of the waters”: In this book each element has its angel, and each angel has his work to perform (1:20; 14:18). “This angel, who is over the rivers and fountains which are so essential to life, proclaims the righteousness of this judgment. It proceeds from the righteous character of God whose judgments and ways are always right, for they are expressions of His holy nature” (Hailey p. 329). “Saying, ‘Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things’”: The angel does not feel that

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he must explain or apologize for God’s judgments. God’s wrath is always just, and His punishments are always fair, in fact they typically come after a tremendous amount of longsuffering (Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9; Psalm 103:10).

This angel rejoices in God’s righteous judgment. Do we equally rejoice in God’s righteous judgments against sin or do we feel the need to apologize or downplay various Old Testament judgments or the doctrine of hell? Compare with Hebrews 2:1-3. “When men pollute, corrupt, and destroy, it is just that they receive a commensurate retribution for their wicked deeds” (Hailey p. 329). “The angel of the waters is so far from resenting the plague that he bears witness to the justice which inflicts it” (Gregg p. 365).

16:6 “For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it” “The sarcasm is thick here. The emphasis should be placed on the word ‘thus’ judged, as the next words show. They wanted blood; they seemed to enjoy it, for they shed enough of it! Blood they wanted and blood you gave them! The punishment suited the crime” (McGuiggan p. 238). Those who had persecuted the church were eager for blood and they are repaid in blood. Note the last statement, “They deserve it”. Compare with Obadiah 15-16 and Matthew 23:3136. One of the problems I see today is that fewer and fewer people are willing to admit that a sinner “deserves” God’s wrath and judgments. It seems that more and more people are seeking to make excuses for those who are rebellious and that no one, no matter how wicked, “deserves” to be punished. Have we forgotten that our sins “deserve” divine retribution?

16:7 “And I heard the altar saying, ‘Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments’” “Joining the angel in praise comes the voice of the altar itself, where the blood of the saints and prophets had been poured out (6:9-11)”. The altar is here heard speaking its agreement because it was earlier associated with the prayers of the saints for justice to be done. Part of God’s answer to those cries was the sending of the trumpet judgments, which were intended to warn the wicked to repent. Now in the bowls we see the final answer to those prayers as God pours out unrelenting vengeance upon the unrepentant” (Gregg pp. 366-367). Once again, this is not the final judgment, rather this is a judgment that comes as a result of the persecution mentioned in 6:9-11. This judgment comes upon those who persecuted God’s people when this book was written. “True and righteous”: God’s judgments are genuine, “proceeding from an infinite source; His righteous actions are infallible” (Hailey p. 330).

16:8 “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire”

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“From a waterless world filled with blood, the vision now focuses upon the blazing sun, which scorches men with fire. Unlike the fourth trumpet which caused the sun, moon, and stars not to shine for a third part of the day, and unlike the ninth plague of Egypt, which produced a three-day darkness that could be felt (Exodus 10:21ff), this plague turned the sun into a source of blistering heat. The source of light, intended to guide, warm, and cheer, is turned into an instrument of pain…all are at His service” (Hailey p. 330). Some feel that this refers to the basic truth that God is a consuming fire and will consume His enemies (Psalm 97:3,7). Other possible views could be that while suffering results in patience and faithfulness among His people (Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1:6-8), calamity and suffering only tends to harden the sinner. As in the case of Pharaoh, calamity only seems to make Pharaoh more determined to rebel against God. Another thought in this section could be that when man rebels against God, the world that God made not longer cooperates with him, that is, in rebelling against God man often is equally fighting against God’s creation.

In the Old Testament often we find the promise that the faithful will not be smitten by the sun (Psalm 121:5-7; Isaiah 49:10; compare with Revelation 7:15-17). See also Jeremiah 17:7-8 where the faithful person does encounter the “heat”, but he is like a tree planted by the waters, his roots extend deep and thus he does not fear when the trial arrives. Chilton notes, “We have noticed several times already that John uses the passive voice to indicate divine control. He again stresses God’s sovereignty by telling us that it was given to the sun to scorch the men; and, in the very next line, he is even more explicit: God has the power over these plagues. John knows nothing of a ‘God’ who sits helplessly on the sidelines, watching the world go by; nor does he acknowledge a ‘God’ who is too nice to send judgments on the wicked” (p. 403).

16:9 “Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues”: We need to be impressed that God is not helpless when it comes to human rebellion. This world is never out of control in the sense that God must stand idly by and do nothing. Like the Beast, whose head is crowned with names of blasphemy (13:1), these blame God for all their problems. “This shows the depths of their degradation. When a criminal gets to the point where he blames his victim, his parents, society, the courts, and the prison system for his suffering the penalty of his crime rather than seeing himself and his crime as responsible, we call him a hardened criminal” (Harkrider p. 182). Look at the people today who blame God for the problems and sufferings in this world.

There is a great lesson here, the condition of our heart is revealed in how we respond to calamity, and especially the problems that come upon us because of our own sins. If our heart is hard, we will curse God, complain, and seek to place blame on everyone except ourselves.

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16:9 “And they did not repent so as to give Him glory”: Repentance is a way of giving God the credit and properly praising Him. Refusing to repent is often motivated by a desire to keep all the glory and credit for ourselves. Are we shocked that these people, in spite of everything they are suffering, refuse to repent? Do not people manifest the same stubbornness today? Just look at the people whose lives are absolutely miserable because of their sins and yet who refuse to bow before God. Yet the Bible is filled with examples just like this, remember Pharaoh? Once again, these plagues are not the final judgment, for all these things were designed to move people to repentance. “Instead of recognizing their sin and repenting toward God, men added two additional crimes to their already sin-cursed lives; they blasphemed the name of God who had power over these plagues, and withheld from Him the glory that is rightfully His due (Romans 1:21)” (Hailey p. 331).

16:10 “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast”: “When the beast emerged from the sea it was said that ‘the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority’ (13:2)” (Hailey p. 332). Hailey believes that this throne is the seat of world power, which would have been Rome in John’s day. “But this throne should not be restricted to Rome only; for wherever world power is worshipped, there the beast has his throne” (p. 332).

16:10 “And his kingdom became darkened”: Hailey believes that this refers to a loss of wisdom and understanding by which to guide the empire. “In this plague, the upper echelon is hit. And when the head is bruised, the body suffers.

The leaders are confused and become the more brutal as they continue in moral darkness. God has often punished nations by giving them (as it were) children to rule them (Isaiah 3:2-4; Ecclesiastes 10:16). This is a terrible thing when men of state are inept, foolish, and incapable of making decisions which involve the lives of millions. The wisdom is taken from the Roman leaders. We are not short of illustrations in Roman history of this kind of thing” (McGuiggan pp. 239-240).

16:10 “And they gnawed their tongues because of pain”: “Since the worshippers of the beast preferred to live in spiritual darkness rather than in the light of the knowledge of God, it is a fitting retribution that the darkness they loved becomes a means of torment for them” (Gregg p. 373). “The agony and despair, the emptiness and sorrow of living unrestrained lives is great. When one begins this path he thinks he is in control, but his confidence is based on the lies of Satan” (Harkrider pp. 182-183).

16:11 “And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds” “Once again those who were suffering under the mighty hand of God declined to choose the one option that could have relieved them” (Gregg p. 373).

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16:12 “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up” The Euphrates River had been introduced back in 9:13, and in this instance the four angels bound at the river had been loosed so that an army might be released. But here the water of the Euphrates is dried up to make way for the coming of kings from the east. “This Euphrates here is not a physical or geographical location; it symbolizes a barrier or deterrent to invasion, which is now removed” (Hailey p. 333).

16:12 “So that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east”: Some feel that this refers to the Parthians who constantly were threatening the Roman Empire on its eastern boundary. There is some question among commentators as to whether these kings are forces against God’s people or forces that are fighting are God’s cause. The very fact that these kings come as a result of God’s judgment, would indicate that they are forces that God is using to punish Rome. Various writes note that Babylon in Old Testament times fell because the Persians diverted the Euphrates (which ran through the city of Babylon) and thus marched down the dry riverbed under the walls and into the city, and that it is fitting that the last world empire in Daniel’s vision (Daniel 2) falls in similar manner to the first. Premillennial writers argue that these kings from the east represent various Asiatic nations (Red China, Japan, India, etc…) that all come against God’s people in Israel at the end of time. But this does not make any sense from the context. God is not bringing a judgment against the converted, but against unbelievers. This is a judgment upon evil in John’s day and not in the far off future (6:9-11). Please note that the angel pours out this bowl of wrath from God and the results are seen in these events taking place.

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