Wednesday, 28 April 2021
So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Revelation 16:2
The previous verse instructed the seven angels to go and pour out their bowls. With that stated, it now reads, “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth.” As in verse 1, the preposition signifies “into” rather than “upon.” There is a sequential order to the pouring out of the bowls, just as there has been a sequential order to the breaking of the seals and the sounding of the trumpets. As for this first bowl, it says, “and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men.”
This does not match the first trumpet. There, the action was directed to the trees and the green grass. This is directed towards mankind, upon whom falls this sore. The Greek words used to describe it are the adjectives kakos (evil, rotted, poisoned) and ponéros (evil, pain-ridden, agonizing). The cognate nouns are both used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:8 –
“Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
In the rejection of that which is good, and in focusing on that which is filled with malice and wickedness, the world will receive a just punishment in like-kind upon themselves. In this judgment, there is a connection to the sixth plague that fell upon Egypt –
“So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.’ 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.” Exodus 9:8-11
Though no specific disease is indicated, the connection to the boils of Egypt may be what will again afflict the people. Also, it may be that the sores coming upon the people are similar to those Job would have experienced –
“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” Job 2:7
They may affect the entire body, and they will probably be abscessed and malignant. Deuteronomy 28:35 gives a description of such sores as well – “The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.”
Whatever it is, it will be something that will terribly afflict the people it lights upon, meaning those “who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.”
It is of note that the sores will come specifically upon those who have taken the mark of the beast. With modern technology bringing the world closer and closer to this inevitable moment in time, many new ways of solidifying power are coming about. There are vaccines that are being developed, and vaccine passports are being initiated so that only those who accept these things have certain privileges.
There are also injectable tracking devices such as RFID chips. These, and several other types of technologies, could certainly lead to one which will be decided upon for all people to receive. However, that very mark may be the means of bringing about these horrifying sores.
This doesn’t seem far-fetched at all. Many of these technologies that are supposedly intended for good are already showing horrifying side effects. When the mark of the beast is decided upon, it may be that it will take a year or two for the effects to manifest themselves. By then, it will be too late, and the sores will come.
Life application: This will be a worldwide and ongoing series of calamities, and there will be no petitioning for God to lessen the suffering – the heavenly tabernacle is closed until the judgment is finished.
In today’s world, people think it’s fun to proclaim they are atheists. There are seminars set up for people to rage against God, and it is fashionable to write books and make movies about the liberated state of humanism. And, with more people following this path, the cooler it seems. But a time is coming (and remember, this is only the first plague) when giving allegiance to the beast will be a sorely (pun intended) regretted decision.
All of this could be averted by just calling out to God and acknowledging Him and receiving His offer of peace. Let us be wise and look to our Creator and His open hand of grace. Let us come to JESUS.
Heavenly Father, the pains we suffer and the trials we face almost always come directly from our own bad decisions. And a time is coming when the world will collectively face them. Why can’t we just look at the creation and acknowledge that it isn’t mere chance that we’re here? Why can’t we just give You the glory You’re due? Forgive us and heal us. Amen.