Our Savior Jesus Christ was granted all authority in Heaven and upon the earth (Matthew 28:18).  An obvious, but often overlooked factor in that authority is His headship over the church (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23).  In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  Jesus is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:9-10).  Christ’s authority is inclusive of being the judge of all mankind (II Corinthians 5:10; cf. Romans 14:11-12).

Jesus, having all authority (Matthew 17:5), chose twelve men that He called His apostles (Luke 6:13).  Their names were: “Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor” (Luke 6:14-16).  Judas hung himself after betraying our Lord and had to be replaced (Matthew 27:1-5 and Acts 1:15ff.).  Matthias was chosen by lot to be the replacement in the stead of Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:26).  Barnabas and Paul were also known as apostles (Acts 14:14).

The prophets which spoke and the apostles that lived beyond Christ had authority (II Peter 3:2).  In fact, the apostles and prophets are included in the foundation of the Lord’s church (Ephesians 2:20-22).  We are to imitate those things which were taught by word and practice by Christ and the Apostles (Colossians 3:17, I Peter 2:21, Acts 2:42, Philippians 4:9, etc.).

Today, we have some that call themselves our brethren who are suffering from an identity crisis.  By the way they preach, teach, and write it seems as though some preachers of today think they are our Lord Jesus Christ, one of the prophets, or modern day apostles.  Some are teaching and preaching new ideas as though they themselves are a higher standard than the word of God.  Instead of book, chapter, and verse we hear people citing what preachers of today believe instead of what Christ, the prophets, and the apostles have said.

I read an article not long ago wherein the ignorant author appealed to a book written by a preacher as his standard for authority.  While I am not opposed to uninspired literature (such opposition would be a contradiction to this very article), or even the book this fellow referenced; we better place our faith in the Lord rather than man (Psalms 118:8).  Besides this, whatever happened to speaking as the oracles of God (I Peter 4:11)?  Too many who call themselves Christians have sought to have man as the authority rather than the Lord.

This crisis of ignorance we are in among so-called “brethren” will only end when all saints will return to being a people of THE BOOK (Matthew 4:4).  Instead of consulting preachers, let us do as God advices us: “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.  Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment” (Job 32:8-9).  – B.A.Y.

Introduction Thoughts:

We have had seven seals, seven trumpets, and now we will read of the seven vials (bowls) of wrath we had introduced to us in chapter fifteen (15:6-7).  Chapter sixteen is a continuation of what we studied in chapter fifteen.  We should note that history tells the fall of Rome was not instant, but came through many avenues.  There were natural disasters, internal conflict, social decay, and finally enemy invasion.

16:1 “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.”

• As we conclude chapter fifteen with God in the temple and no more offering for the sins of Rome, we hear the instruction from God to pour out His wrath upon the earth.  We know the vials contain the wrath of God from what we read in the last chapter (15:7).

• The first angel poured out his vial and sores fell upon those who had followed the false prophets resulting in emperor worship.
• False doctrine spreads as a disease (II Timothy 2:16-18), so it is fitting the punishment for following it should too.

• The second angel poured his vial upon the sea and the sea was turned into blood.  The sea here, based upon the fact that the beast arose from the sea (13:1) and the waters of the earth would be affected through the rivers, would be society.  So, the second angel poured his vial upon the sea of humanity and society was turned into blood.  The blood of a dead man would be coagulated [thickened] and this describes what the wrath of God upon society is like.
• Likewise the third angel poured out his vial and the rivers and springs became as blood. The rivers, streams, springs, etc. are vital to the survival of mankind.  This plague is like unto what God did in Egypt (Exodus 7:14-19).
• The angel praised God and explained the reason for the fitness of this act. The reason was that Rome had shed the blood of the saints, and now they are being given their fill of blood.  The prayers of the martyred are answered (Revelation 6:9-10).  Consider the following: “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

• In chapter nineteen we read a great summary to what is said here in this verse: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand” (19:1-2).

• With the waters infected, God puts on the heat!  It is too bad these folks did not have spiritual thirst of which the Lord would have quenched (Revelation 21:6).

• Those being punished failed to see that their doom was at their own hands.  It was in their power to prevent this and to end this, but they did not repent.  This is what we found when the trumpets were sounding earlier in our studies (Revelation 9:20-21).

• Now the city of Rome faces the wrath spilled out from the fifth vial.
• Rome [the beast] was empowered by the Devil (13:2).  Rome was full of darkness because Satan clouds the light from shining through (Revelation 9:1-2; cf. II Corinthians 4:3-4).  Thus, we know that sin has corrupted Rome and society has decayed there.
• The Empire of Rome bites her tongue because of the pain they face through the wrath of God, but they do not repent.

• The sixth angel poured out his vial and the Euphrates River was dried up so the dreaded Parthian army could come and conquer Rome.
• So far God has, through his vials of wrath, brought natural disasters, there was already social decay, and he paved the way for enemy invasion.  We will see in chapter seventeen that God has cleared the path for eternal conflict to contribute, with these other factors, to the fall of Rome.

• Now three angels of darkness spring forth like frogs from the mouth of Satan, Rome, and the false prophet.  Satan of course is behind the empowerment of Rome and the work of the false prophet.  Satan is the Father of lies (John 8:44), so no doubt has to arise that Satan’s battle cry against the cause of Christ to all nations and leaders is full of lies.  He would be blaming the wrath of God on the church for one final attempt to destroy the body of Christ.
• These false spirits are working miracles, and through such they are tricking people into thinking they are the true and genuine while those not bowing to Rome are not (II Corinthians 11:12-15).
• These nations, led by Rome, will persecute the church, but we know the outcome (Revelation 19:19-21).

• Knowing there is a great persecution to come, how can the saints be comforted?  They would be comforted in knowing the Lord is going to rescue them and they need to be prepared for that time, which could be any time, but most certainly it would be a short time (Revelation 1:1).  This is similar in how we are preparing for THE Judgment Day.
• Their conduct must be befitting of a faithful Christian.  It would be hard to keep the faith knowing that denouncing it could save your life.  As the Lord said to the church in Smyrna, they can: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

• The valley of Megiddo is a place of triumph.  Judges chapter 4, 5, and 7 for instance show Israel winning battles.  This is a place in which victory was taken.  If we notice the references to places that are in the book of Revelation we can see why and how this was used.
• John used Mt. Zion in Jerusalem (14:2) and Jerusalem itself (21:2) as symbols of God’s spiritual city.  Babylon symbolized apostasy (14:8), Sodom and Egypt symbolized corruption and sin (11:8).  Armageddon is not a place of a future battle.  It is the place of past battles.  From this reference saints could know victory was just over the hill!
• As one preacher put it “if this battle is literal, it is a battle where frogs are the weapons” (in reference to verses 13-14).

• The seventh angel pours his vial into the air.  God then speaks declaring “It is done” signifying the end of his outpouring of wrath.

• We now conclude this brief version, which will be explained in the chapters to follow, of God’s judgment on Rome which will be compared to a harlot in contrast to the pure bride of Christ (the church).
• God’s wrath is summarized by the imagery of a great and horrible storm.  The worst the wrath of God has ever come upon men.
• The division in the city of Rome points to her complete devastation.
• There was no island or mountain to flee to from the wrath of God, unlike the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:16).
• The weight of this judgment was great.  A talent that was a weight measurement would have been about 100 lbs.  Thus, this hail was likened unto 100 lb. hail stones.