Revelation 16:12-17 The seven plagues demonstrate how righteous and merciful God is towards creating a new world.

Revelation 16:12-17

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.

Background

The outpouring of the seven bowls specifically targets the kingdom of the beast, a nation akin to ancient Babylon. The name Babylon is synonymous with oppression, extreme cruelty and wickedness. The kingdom of Babylon, despite experiencing the plagues associated with the first through the fifth bowls, did not repent but persisted in oppressing the people. The outpouring of the sixth bowl signals a point of no return for Babylon as the kings of the east ally with the beast for battle against God. At the outpouring of the seventh bowl, Babylon is suddenly destroyed and the people are liberated from their oppression. However, God in His righteousness and mercy refrains from destroying the other kings who gathered, as they do not exhibit the same characteristics as Babylon does. Today’s devotion teaches us: The seven plagues demonstrate how righteous and merciful God is towards creating a new world. 

Observation

The outpouring from the bowl of the sixth angel results in the drying up of the Euphrates River, which begins in Turkey and traverses through Syria and Iraq. Currently, the water level of the Euphrates should not impede the passage of the kings and their armies from the east to Har-Magedon as it has experienced significant drying as a consequence of climatic factors. But the Euphrates as seen by John in his vision has a greater volume of water flowing through it.

The drying up of the Euphrates to make way for the kings from the east implies that the dominion of the dragon is concentrated in the west. Currently, western nations are facing a decline, characterized not only by economic challenges but also by a deterioration in legal order and political instability. This is particularly evident in the United States where despite possessing formidable military power, there is significant erosion of governmental structures and moral values. It is expedient for the dragon to establish dominance through a nation exhibiting these characteristics.

The dragon and his agents dispatch diplomats, accompanied by demonic spirits to mislead the kings of the whole world into uniting for war against the Almighty God. This indicates that the dragon, the beast and the false prophet do not possess direct political authority over these kings. Consequently, they resort to deception to rally them for a collective war against God. By then, the celestial forces have revealed themselves as the armies of the Almighty God. From the events surrounding the outpouring of the first through the fifth bowls it would have become clear that the celestial forces are specifically targeting the beast and his kingdom, rather than the nations as a whole. Nevertheless, the dragon succeeds in misleading the kings into thinking that they will face imminent destruction unless they join forces in battle. Once the assembly of the armies gather at Har-Magedon, the battle begins.

When the seventh angel pours out his bowl, the battle between the celestial forces and the great Babylon together with the kings of the world comes to an end as soon as it starts. There is a great earthquake that splits the great Babylon into several parts resulting in total devastation of its cities. And structures that remain intact due to the earthquake are ultimately destroyed by what looked like hailstones that come from the celestial forces. It is evident in the passage, that God is intent on destroying the nation known as Babylon the great while sparing the kings and their armies from the rest of the world. Indeed, God dried up the Euphrates to pave the way for the kings of the east so that they may witness the righteous judgment of God over the beast and his kingdom, Babylon. Furthermore, having witnessed these events, the kings yield to Christ the King, thereby paving the way for Christ’s millennial reign over the earth and all creation.

Truth

The seven plagues demonstrate how righteous and merciful God is towards creating a new world.

God has no desire to destroy humanity despite their incessant sin and rebellion. However, if people are subjected to continual oppression giving way to mindless lawlessness, it becomes necessary to eliminate the oppressors. In biblical history, God destroyed Babylon as judgment for its wickedness and oppression of its own people (see Daniel 4:29-30). Babylon had conquered and oppressed many nations including Israel, taking its people captive (see 2 Kings 24-25). Babylon was also extremely violent and cruel (see Jeremiah 51:35-37). To remove the oppressor, God used the Medes, a neighboring nation to destroy Babylon in 539 BCE (see Daniel 5:30-31). The destruction of Babylon serves as a reminder of God’s righteousness, and His mercy to protect every individual in the world. To realize God’s vision of the new world, a place devoid of oppression, sorrow or suffering, it is absolutely necessary that oppressors and evil doers be removed. The destruction of Babylon is absolutely God’s act of righteousness and mercy. 

The Babylon of the last days, akin to the ancient Babylon is driven by its irresistible greed for power. Leaders oppress the citizens for personal gain. They fabricate false evidences as justifications to launch wars aimed at subjugating people of other nations. They dominate and exploit resources from other nations by turning one nation against another. It entices certain nations to form alliances that aim to suppress and limit the growth of emerging nations. In so doing, it maintains its position as the dominant world power.

In the case of the ancient Babylon, God uses the Medes to destroy it. In the end times, God does not rely on another earthly kingdom to remove Babylon. Rather, He utilizes His Kingdom of saints with resurrection bodies to destroy the Babylons in the universe, thereby bringing forth new worlds without sin, sorrow and suffering. 

God, in His righteousness and mercy does not destroy the kings of the rest of the world because they do not oppress their own people and neither do they hegemonise other nations. Despite their lack of knowledge of God, they have adhered to lawful practices and shown respect for the sovereignty of other nations. Unlike Babylon, these kings will welcome the reign of Christ to bring forth the new heaven and new earth.

God, in His righteousness and mercy employs the plagues contained in the seven bowls to establish the new heaven and earth. He accomplishes it by removing the lawless and the oppressors, but only after countless warnings have gone unheeded. Indeed, there will be no place in the new worlds for the lawless and the oppressors.

Application

Do not support leaders who are liars and self serving by nature. 

Do not live in countries where lawlessness and oppression persist unless God calls you to. 

Pray for the peace of your country and the greater region. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray that the leaders and elites of my country will continue to serve the people, to bring them out of their sorrows and sufferings. I ask that both the leaders and the citizens be imbued with a spirit of justice and empathy. So that we may become a blessing to neighbouring countries. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.