Revelation 16:8-16 Series

Revelation 16:8-16

Last week we had read about the beginning of the 7 bowls of God's wrath being poured out onto the world. The first bowl created painful sores on the bodies of the unbelievers, the second poisoned the sea with blood like a corpse, the third poured this same blood into the rivers and springs of the earth poisoning them as well.

I had mentioned that God's intention was not to kill these unbelievers quickly but rather to cause them to suffer greatly before their deaths. It is the complete justice and wrath of God poured out on the guilty. It is what unbelievers deserve.

Read Revelation 16:8-16

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

God's righteous torment of those unwilling to believe, repent and glorify Him, are as I have mentioned already, they feeling God's just wrath.

Imagine you are already walking around with these painful sores all over your body and now these extreme temperatures are literally scorching your body on top of that increasing the pain.

You have nothing to drink because all of the water has been poisoned by the dead blood poured into it, all the fish are dead and the animals that depend on that water for survival are dying off as well from dehydration.

Romans 3:16 says this about unbelievers “in their paths are ruin and misery” and now in Revelation even more so.

10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

God now turns His attention to the beast and its kingdom. This fifth bowl will begin a direct attack from God on the beast itself. Keep in mind this is not the dragon or rather Satan. The Beast is the anti-Christ and there is also the false prophet who is under him.

Plunged into darkness may on its surface make us think of hell but it is not and other thoughts to the meaning are that they may have been blinded in some way or that they fell into some sort of confusion or chaos.

In either case there was some sort of mental or physical pain and suffering caused by this which led to them gnawing their tongues in agony.

Still with all of this pain and suffering the unsaved still did not repent for their sins against God but rather they cursed God.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

During the first century the Parthian's would have been directly to the east which is now called Iran. But being this is in the future we don't really know who will be occupying this area.

13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

There is a final act of desperation here from what is called the “unholy trinity”. God is winning this war and Satan gives it one last attempt by releasing three unclean spirits.

These unclean spirits are attempting to do what they are used to doing which is to perform signs and attempt to trick or coerce people and kings from around the world to follow them into one last battle.

“Day of God”

2 Peter 3:8-13 ~ 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.