Revelation 16:1-3; How Did It Come About?

¹ And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. ² And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and uponthem which worshipped his image.

By now, God has sent 144,000 Jewish men to preach the gospel. He has sent 2 witnesses to declare to the whole world to repent and acknowledge their Creator. He has also sent an angel to preach the everlasting gospel.

The Great Tribulation will also be a time where the wrath of God is outpoured upon the earth in judgment as never before as it were to jolt men to fear and repentance. This is described in detail from Rev 6 – 19 with the series of judgment beginning with the 7 seals (Rev 6) followed by 7 trumpets (Rev 8-9) concluding with 7 bowls (Rev 16).

We follow the scene at the beginning of the 7-bowl judgment.

How Did It Come About?

Judgment came at the command centre of the whole universe, God’s throne room in the temple of God in heaven the instruction as passed to 7 angels.

This first bowl judgment fell upon all who took the mark of the beast and upon them which worshipped the Antichrist and his image. It is idolatry. 

Exodus 20:1-6 And God spake all these words, saying, I amthe LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thingthat isin heaven above, or that isin the earth beneath, or that isin the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God ama jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generationof them that hate me;And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

There is a fearful awaiting of judgment for the unrepentant, unbelieving and rebellious. These sores came upon the Egyptians during the time of the plagues that rained upon Egypt prior to the Exodus. Physical affliction can come as a result of God’s judgment. These who take the mark has no salvation. It is a stark warning of the reality of the judgment of eternal hell-fire to come for the unsaved. Though they could buy and sell by taking the mark of the beast, it seemed the benefits are now not so apparent!