CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The great voice speaking out of heaven, is no doubt, the voice of God the Father. It directed the seven angels to go forth and pour out their vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. The vial of God's wrath from the very first angel causes a noisome (bad), grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them that worshipped his image. They are the first to receive the unmixed wrath of God, and they well deserve it. It is in response to beast worship. Mankind is commanded in chapter 14:7-11 to worship God the Creator. He warned them that to worship the beast, or to receive his mark, would cause them to drink the unmixed wrath of God, and to be tormented day and night, for ever and ever, in the Presence of the Lamb and of the holy angels. They deliberately disobeyed, even though God sent them a special, supernatural messenger. Thus, their judgment is just, in chapter 16:2.

In that case, illicit, ungodly, worship causes damage to the earth. Notice in verse 3 that the sea became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. That blood was not like the blood of a living man, it was putrid, repulsive as the blood of a dead man. Compare this verse with chapter 8:9, where only a third of the creatures in the sea died. Thus, we see a progressing severity of judgment, due to the increased wickedness of mankind. It is not because of Divine malice; it is because people shall have been warned, but persisted in their wickedness. Their hearts are harder than they were in chapter 8. They have become more deplorable in their wickedness than they were then.

The third angel commends God because of turning the waters of the rivers and fountains of waters into blood. The reason, he said, is because they (mankind) have shed the blood of God's saints and prophets. This no doubt includes the death of the Two Witnesses, in chapter 11:7-12, as well as to the death of the tribulation saints of all races.

If we could actually see, or witness, what has been going on in the earth, we would no doubt say, Amen. The angel who poured out this judgment, declared that God is right. God is just in all His ways. When He sent the flood in Noah's time, He was just because He strove with mankind to repent, and they didn't. He was just to judge Sodom, because they were so vile as to attacked His two angels in an attempt at sex sin with them. He was just in His judgments upon Egypt at the time of the Exodus, because they had oppressed Israel for hundreds of years, and it was time to avenge their wickedness. He is just in these events in Revelation also.

God shall give the people on earth blood to drink as a retribution for their murder of innocent people. Mankind ought to consider that fact, when they so glibly commit murder for the convenience of women. Often, immoral women at that. In verse seven a second witness, this time from the altar, concurs with the assessment of the third angel. Are we trained enough by God's Word, to recognize righteousness, and to say amen to what is right?

To the fourth angel, in verse 8, was given power to scorch mankind with the heat of the sun. In chapter 8:12, the fourth trumpet judgment reduced daylight by one third. He also reduced the moonlight and starlight by one third. But in chapter 16:8, the fourth angel, in effect, turns up the heat, enough to scorch mankind on earth. God absolutely owns and controls the sun and all of the universe. He can get the response He wishes from them. The fourth angel was deputized with power to scorch mankind with intensified heat from the sun.

The contents of the fifth angel's vial fell on the seat of the beast. Bear in mind that the beast (the human ruler over the eighth world kingdom) stands in the Temple in Jerusalem and declares that he is god. Upon his seat (throne), the fifth angel pours his vial of God's wrath. His kingdom becomes full of darkness, and they GNAW their TONGUES for PAIN. Do they repent? No! They persist in blaspheming the God of heaven because of their pains and sores. Verse 11. Therefore, when we get to chapter 20, at that Great White Throne, there can be no possible recrimination of God for casting sinners into the lake of fire. To us, that is the most dreadful prospect, but it is the due reward for those who refuse God's offers of mercy. Romans 3:4.

The prospect of mankind going into the lake of fire forever, was sufficient cause to move God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, to make a way for sinners to be saved. John 3:16; Acts 16:31; 2 Peter 3:9. He WILL forgive sinners if they repent.

The seven vials are poured out in very rapid succession. They seem to be cumulative, with little or no respite between each of them. In verse 2, BAD sores appear on bodies of the beast worshipers. In verse 11, they still have the sores from verse 2. To that is added pains and darkness that results from the fifth angel's vial.

The vial of the sixth angel, verse 12, is poured out upon the river Euphrates, and it dries up. That is in preparation for the crossing of the armies of the kings of the East. When that is done, three unclean spirits, like frogs, come one each from the dragon, and the beast, (the king) and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They weren't  ordinary frogs, they were demon spirits that looked like frogs. Verse 13.

In His wrath, God permits three unclean demon spirits to gather the kings of the earth and of the whole world to the battle of the Great Day Of The Wrath of God Almighty. Verse 14. That is no doubt Zechariah 14:1-2. They CAN'T DO IT UNTIL GOD PERMITS THEM TO! Keep that fact in mind for just a bit until we get to verse 16.

God injects a blessing and a warning to those saints of His who are on the earth at that time. (Thus, we should see that people keep on coming to Christ, after the others have died, or been raptured, as in the case of the 144,000.) That is NOT the Church as we know it today. The blessing of God is for those who keep their garments (of righteousness) during those dread days. If they fail to do it, their shame will be evident and they shall get caught in the dread battle of Armageddon.

When God says it's done, it means that His twenty one judgments that were kept under the seven seals on the Book in chapter five, are completed. Next He must deal with Great Babylon. Chapters 17 and 18 will tell what shall happen to Babylon.

Verse 20 continues describing the dreadful earthquake of verse 19. It is so great that it causes every island to flee away, and the mountains were not found. There has never been so great an earthquake as that one, since mankind has been on the earth. That means as far back as Genesis 1:26! That will mean great geographical changes to the earth.

As if the earthquake wasn't destructive enough, next a great hail occurred. Every hail stone shall weigh about 90-120 pounds!! Have you been in a hailstorm in our times? It makes a great noise doesn't it? Think what sound is going to accompany that hail storm! It is a very great plague, but it only caused men to blaspheme God. Such a terrible hailstorm doesn't even 'knock' repentance into them! They still blaspheme God. As bad as that great earthquake was, some people survive, but alas, they are still as wicked as they were before. Verse 21.