“The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with fire. The people were burned by intense heat, and they cursed the name of the God who had power over these plagues” (Revelation 16:8-9 CEB).
Several theories have emerged that seek to explain the events within this passage. Those theories range from an increase in solar flare activity, to a rise in ultra-violet emissions, to a decline in the Earth’s capacity to protect against the harmful effects of solar radiation. While it’s often easy to take the benefits of sunshine for granted, those benefits might easily turn deadly if God should elect to remove His blessing and protection. That’s what we see here in Revelation 16:8-9.
So the scorching intensity of the sun will likely make it difficult to venture outdoors during this period. While that is bad enough, the human response to this development was even worse: “…they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory” (NET).
In considering this response, it’s often been said that sunlight affects different materials in various ways. One such comparison involves the contrasting properties of clay and wax on a hot, sunny day. The same sun that hardens the clay will melt the wax, as the saying goes. It all depends on the substance. The same is true of humanity as well.
For instance, we can accept the corrective measures that God allows to enter our lives as painful, but necessary steps on the road to spiritual maturity. The New Testament epistle of 1 Corinthians offers a further explanation…
“But if we evaluated and judged ourselves honestly [recognizing our shortcomings and correcting our behavior], we would not be judged. But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined [by undergoing His correction] so that we will not be condemned [to eternal punishment] along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32 AMP).
Unfortunately, the people of Revelation chapter sixteen chose an alternate path of rebellion that led to greater suffering…
“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done” (Revelation 16:10-11 NIV).
This “bowl judgment” appears to be an assault against the godless political order established by the beast of Revelation. That political order left its supporters with water shortages, painful disfiguring sores, intense heat, and now darkness. The horrific nature of these future events should thus prompt us to seek God’s help in making good spiritual and political choices today.
Image Attribution: Юрий Д.К., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons