By Mike Kurtz
We have been out of the book of Revelation for several weeks now, and this week we get back into the swing of things again. In review, we have been taken through a series of judgments called the seal judgments and the trumpet judgments. There were seven seal judgments and seven trumpet judgments, each judgment growing in severity over the previous judgment. In chapter 15, we reached the seventh and final trumpet judgment. The seventh trumpet will be described in the forthcoming chapters as seven bowl judgments (i.e. the seventh trumpet = seven bowl judgments). This seventh trumpet is the greatest of all the judgements and marks the beginning of the end. God’s wrath is peaking at this time; the end is very near.
This week, we look at chapter 16. it is a chapter that describes all seven bowl judgments in a single chapter. The brevity of the description of these judgments in quick succession seems to indicate that these final judgments will be quick and severe. Take a moment now to read the entire chapter to gain a greater sense of these judgments.
The first four verses of chapter 16 take us through the first 3 bowl judgments. The first bowl inflicts judgment on the land and those on the land. The inhabitants of the earth that have the mark of the beast will be afflicted with a terrible and painful sore. Reading carefully, they will not receive sores (plural) all over their bodies, but it will be a single painful sore on each person. The second judgment is upon the seas which will kill everything living in them. And the third judgment is on the rivers & springs, which will make them unfit for consumption.
The severity of the judgments is comprehensive, unlike the earlier judgments which only affected portions of the earth, sea, and rivers. it is at this point that the earlier judgments appear to be more acts of mercy than of wrath because God surely could have done away with His enemies with one word at any time.
The question must be raised: Is God just in these actions?
The answer is “yes” according to one of the angels who declares, “You are just in your judgments… because you have so judged.” (v. 4) Think about that for a moment. Why is God declared just? It is because He judges. If I understand that correctly, that means without judgment, God would not be just. We look around the world today, and we hear the cries for justice. The world is filled with injustices. Who would God be if He did not judge the injustices of the world? And yet, people complain that God is not loving who judges sin. Why doesn’t He just forgive everyone? But if He was to do that, if He chose not to judge injustices, what kind of God would He really be? Can’t have it both ways – a God who turns a blind eye to injustices and a God who judges. And so because God is just, He must judge the world. It is something worth remembering when we think God is too harsh. In reality, we would not want it any other way.