The
Seven Vials of God's Wrath
– Revelation Sixteen –
Revelation Sixteen gives a picture of the
seven vials of God's wrath being poured out. God's judgment, without mercy,
issued forth against the
Evil people of all ages will face similar
punishment to that received by the
As the others vials were opened we see the sea
stinking with blood and death. The consequence of the corruptions of mankind is
that the
Violence becomes a way of life where God is
left out of the lives of people. These judgments against the unbelievers are so
harsh that some wonder if they could have come from a loving God. We must
remember that His judgments are "true and righteous." These sever
judgments come because these people persecuted God's people. Those who rebel
against God will go down to total defeat. The great city of
The first three vials of God's wrath –
Revelation 16:1-7: This voice that speaks has to be the voice of God because
no one else could enter the
It is to be observed that these vials of God's wrath affect the non-believers. The first vial brought terrible ulcers upon those that worshipped the beast and received his mark. The stinking ulcers that are all over the earth are hurting those that refuse true worship. These sinful things also hinder all kinds of legitimate endeavors. It is no wonder that God's wrath is poured out on such evils!
The second vial likewise pictures the
corruption brought on by sin. The beast from the sea (the civil persecuting
power of
The reason for God’s "true and righteous
judgment" being poured out unmixed upon these people is stated in the
words, "For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets." The
great cities of the earth are in trouble as never before because God has been
left out! The
The fourth and fifth vials of God's wrath – Revelation 16:8-11: The sadness of the terrible attitude of the ungodly was that they, "blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." Even the coming of God's judgment did not lead the people to repent. These rebellious ones refused to drink the "Water of Life" so now they will be forced to drink the "blood of God's wrath." The hardness of man's heart in view of God's mercy is beyond belief. How much more unbelievable is this hardness in view of His wrath? Listen again, "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory."
The same failure to repent was seen with the fifth bowl of wrath. "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. (Revelation 16:10-11) Imagine being so deep in sin that not for one moment would you think of repenting. What could you expect except the wrath of God?
The sixth vial of God's wrath – Revelation
16:12-16: God dried up the rivers so the armies from the east would
have no trouble entering to destroy
We do not see the battle but we hear God's
warning loud and clear, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon."
The seventh vial of Gods' wrath – Revelation
16:17-21: The earth, waters and now the air is affected by God's
judgment against
The things that happened to
The horrible punishment awaiting the wicked
should move us to obey the gospel quickly. To obey the gospel one must hear
God's truth (John