Revelation 16:1-9 – the first four bowls

We all struggle with the concept of God’s wrath. How can a loving, caring God also be one who is described to have wrath? Essentially, the wrath of God consists of two critical elements. Firstly, we will see that He permits the wickedness of human to work itself out, to reap its own consequences. Secondly, when human wickedness gets out of hand, He steps in to intervene and stop it.  

As usual, these four plagues use powerful symbolic language. We get confused when we try to interpret and attach all sorts of meaning to each and everything described here. The message is quite simple really. It is intended to convey the message that God will allow nature itself (the earth, sea, river and sun) to pass judgement on human being. Why? For people are God’s image bearers and should have rightly reflecting the Creator God, but they have abused their position. They are tasked by God with the responsibility to care for the earth and to look after each other as fellow human being. But they have failed to do so, hence God will call on the natural elements to turn on them and judge them for their wickedness.  

These judgements are total and complete. With the seals and trumpets God did not harm or destroy everything. Only part of the world was destroyed because He was sending out a warning to those who need repentance. This time around this is absent. Everything in the sea dies and all the rivers turn into blood. No opportunity to repent is given. These plagues begin the process and will end in Revelation 20. By then God would have removed from His beautiful world those who have assisted in the destruction and decay described in this chapter. In Revelation 17-18, the imperial systems that have set up massive structures of injustice, will also have been dealt with. Then in Revelation 19-20, we’ll see the dark powers that lie behind these systems removed and ending with Death and Hades themselves.

In all these, we realize that the Creator God is not an unpredictable, disorganized and ill-tempered God. The love of this Creator God is clearly seen in the giving of His Son, the Lamb, to be our sacrifice, and this is the Son who shares His throne. If this good God does not hate the wickedness of all the systems that destroy so much of the nations, how can He be said to be a good God? If this loving God does not deal with human injustice and systems that dehumanize the human race and come up with something that will deal with it, how can He be a loving God?

As a loving God, He does not step in to deal with the situation immediately. He allows time and opportunity for those who still could be salvaged and rescued. But be sure that He will step in at the appointed time. This is what Peter meant, when he said, God has no desire for any to perish but that all should come to repentance. We should not interpret His grace as His slackness. While evil is taking its course, God in the right time will bring everything to its climatic closure. In the light of this, we must “seize the day” or as Paul said: redeem the time for the days are evil.