Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways… I. All the dispensations of this suffering ARE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF GOD. "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." From the very Shrine of the Almighty, the Holy of Holies, He deals out and regulates every item. 1. He orders their agents. Each of the "seven angels" or messengers are sent forth by Him. "Go your ways." The Supreme Governor of the universe conducts His affairs through a vast system of secondary instrumentalities. There is not a pain that quivers in the nerve of any sentient being that comes not from Him. Is not this a soothing and a strengthening thought under all the dispensations of sorrow? 2. He appoints their seasons. The "seven angels" do not all come together, each has its period. 3. He fixes their places. Each of the seven angels who, under God, are to dispense the plagues, has his place assigned him. Each had his "vial," or bowl, and each bowl had a place on which it was to be poured. The first came upon "the earth," the second on "the sea," the third upon "the rivers and fountains," the fourth upon "the sun," the fifth upon "the seat (throne) of the beast," the sixth upon "the great river Euphrates," and the seventh "into the air." Whether there is a reference here to plagues in Egypt, or sufferings elsewhere, I know not. 4. He determines their character. The sufferings that came forth from the bowls were not of exactly the same kind or amount, some seemed more terrible and tremendous than others. The sufferings of some are distinguished by physical diseases, some by social bereavements, some by secular losses and disappointments, some by mental perplexities, some by moral anguish, etc. "Every heart knoweth its own bitterness." II. All the dispensations of this suffering HAVE A GREAT MORAL PURPOSE. They are not malignant but merciful. They are not to ruin souls but to save them. They are curative elements in the painful cup of life; they are storms to purify the moral atmosphere of the world. 1. The righteous punishment of cruel persecution. "For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." 2. The righteous punishment of supreme worldliness. "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat (throne) of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues." Worldliness in the ascendant is indeed like this beast pourtrayed in the Apocalypse. It sits supreme; it has a throne, a crown, a sceptre that extends over all. 3. The overwhelming ruin of organised wrong. Great Babylon, what is it? The moral evils of the world organised into its metropolis. Falsehood, sensuality, pride, ambition, impiety, fraud, tyranny, embodied in a mighty city. This is the Babylon, and all unredeemed men are citizens in it. The Divine purpose is to destroy it. All His dispensations are against it, and will one day shiver it to pieces. Take courage, be of good cheer! III. All the dispensations of this suffering HAVE AN INFLUENCE CO-EXTENSIVE WITH THE UNIVERSE. There was not a drop from the bowl in either of the angel's hands that terminated where it fell. The contents of these bowls are not like showers falling on the rocks in summer, which having touched them are then exhaled for ever. No, they continue to operate. The bowl that fell on the earth became an evil and painful sore, that which fell on the sea became blood and death, that which fell upon the sun scorched mankind, that which fell on the beast spread darkness and agony in all directions, that which fell upon the Euphrates produced a drought, and drew out of the mouth of the dragon wild beasts and strange dragons, the bowl that poured out its contents on the air produced lightnings, and thunders, and earthquakes, causing Babylon to be riven asunder, and every mountain and valley to flee away. Observe — 1. Nothing in the world of mind terminates with itself. "No man liveth unto himself." Each step we give will touch chords that will vibrate through all the arches of immensity. 2. Whatever goes forth from mind exerts an influence on the domain of matter. (David Thomas, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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