Revelation 16:1 Commentary and Bible Study

The voice is the voice of God for it comes from the temple, and John has just told us that none could enter the temple because of the smoke from the glory of God and his power until the seven last plagues were delivered. It is a loud voice for the command is clear and compelling and must be carried out without delay. The time has come and the patience of God has been exhausted. It must be remembered that this outpouring of God’s anger on the earth is not something that only happens once at the end of the world. Like all of the sections of this book, these events take place continually throughout the gospel age. But for the sake of the literary structure of the book and to focus more clearly on the distinct elements of God’s actions in the world, the seven plagues are presented as if they were a single event. This is not yet the final judgement; not till the last vial, and yet as the book moves towards the final scenes of world history, there is a stronger emphasis on the outpouring of wrath.