Revelation 16:1-7 (NKJV) Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.”
First Bowl: Loathsome Sores
2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood
3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.
Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood
4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” 7 And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
V1 “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.” The identity of this voice is not specified but is most likely God. It is loud because all in heaven need to hear the voice. All of God’s judgments are righteous; consider Deuteronomy 32:4 and Romans 2:2. We who are Christ followers agree and follow God’s laws (Psalm 40:8). The time for these most severe judgments has arrived. Compare 1 Peter 4:17.
V2 “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” The contents are symbolic of specific judgments. The contents of this bowl cause horrible and painful sores on their skin. Note that these are only on those who look to antiChrist for deliverance and have his mark/seal on them. They are dedicated to him. Choices have consequences.
V3 “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.” What horror and extent of judgment. Everything in the oceans and seas suffers because of humanity’s sins.
Constable writes: “This judgment resulted in the destruction of all sea life, not just one-third of it, as in the second trumpet judgment (Revelation 8:8-9). This may involve actual coagulated, rotting blood or a liquid that resembles blood (cf. Exodus 7:19-25). I think it probably means real blood. Some commentators interpret the sea as the masses of humanity, but there are no clues in the text that this sea is any more symbolic than the waters that Moses turned to blood.”
Keathley writes: “The Greek text here is very graphic. Literally it reads, “And it (sea) became blood as of a dead man,” i.e., like a dead man wallowing in his own blood. Every living thing (sea creature) in the sea will die. Some would try to limit this to the Mediterranean Sea. However, these judgments are global and the same word thalassa would be used whether it was one sea or all the water masses.
“Here the judgment is universal. This is a global catastrophe. Under the second trumpet one-third was affected, but now, in keeping with the nature of this judgment, the rest of the sea and marine life is struck. It will wreck fishing and it is bound to affect ocean navigation, transportation, and shipping.”
V4 “Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” These evil love blood (killing especially innocent people), so God, true to His method of eye for eye and tooth for tooth, avenges with the same. Compare Exodus 7:19 and Deuteronomy 32:43.
V5 “And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are righteous, O Lord,
The One who is and who was and who is to be,
Because You have judged these things.”
Praise is offered because evil is being punished. The angel praises God, who is righteous to judge. The Lord has no beginning or end (who is and who was and who is to be). Compare Jeremiah 51:56.
V6 “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
And You have given them blood to drink.
For it is their just due.”
The angel’s song and praise continue. They (the followers of the antiChrist) killed the innocent and loved the blood of death, so God pours blood on them. Truly, it is a just desert. Compare Proverbs 21:12, Nahum 1:2, and Galatians 6:7-8.
V7 “And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” Another angel gives the same confirming witness. Compare 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6, Psalm 7:15-16, and Leviticus 24:17-21.
We learn:
- God is just.
- God’s judgment is just.
- We should praise Him for His righteousness and His righteous judgments.