Revelation 16:3 Commentary and Bible Study

The Book of Psalms explains the effect of the plague in Egypt that corresponds to the second of these two vials of wrath: the Holy One of Israel ' wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: ⁴⁴ And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink’ (Psalm 78:43-44). Here in Revelation it is not just the Egyptians who are judged but the whole world and consequently it is not just the rivers of Egypt which are affected but the seas of the world. The second vial affects the sea which in the Book of Revelation stands for internationalism and trade. It is made to take on a foul odour and to have a horrifying appearance; it is fetid like the blood of the dead. We don’t look for a literal fulfilment. The judgment on the waters of Egypt was literal, but this is figurative. This judgement most likely represents war, strife and trouble: one nation overrunning another, and blood being shed. Maybe it also includes insecurity. The sea will become the graveyard of large numbers of human beings. It will be a place where many lose their lives and as a result of God’s anger against human sin.The third vial, like the third trumpet of warning, affects the rivers and inland waters. God gives over men to polluted fountains, teaching untrue ideologies, under the influence of corrupt education systems and corrupt culture. In the third trumpet the waters are polluted by a great star fallen from heaven named Wormwood, meaning bitterness. The third vial instead describes the waters as turning to blood like the sea in the previous vial. When the waters were made bitter, men still attempted to drink them, but waters turned into blood are so repulsive that no one would try. Those beautiful inland waters, refreshing and peaceful, have become a source of horror.