A Sovereign, Just, & Merciful God
12/17/25 Bible Thought (Revelation 16)
God Almighty is in control of the end of the world.
While theories abound and people get nervous watching the news or the signs in the heavens, the Scripture consistently showcases to us a picture of a God who is sovereign. As such, the created order will not end apart from His direction.
A Look at Revelation 16
That said, in Revelation 16, it appears that creation itself is unraveling. Herein we find the seven bowl judgments, which are the last of the series of seven judgments that will ultimately climax with the Battle of Armageddon and the return of Christ.
The seas and waters are turned to blood, the sun is darkened, the beast’s kingdom is plunged into darkness, storms abound, there is a great earthquake, and hundred-pound hailstones rain down on the earth—and these are just the things that are found in nature. The worshippers of the beast are covered with sores, and demonic spirits assemble the kings of the earth for battle. It’s an absolutely wild time.
Yet, it is not out of control.
For all these things are the byproduct of the sovereign hand of God executing His just judgments upon those who have rejected Him.
Bringing it Home
While some of the imagery of this chapter may be difficult, there are a few abundantly clear things that should fill our hearts with hope today:
1. God is sovereign. He is the One who is orchestrating the end of the world before its recreation.
God is the One, “who had power over these plagues” (Rev. 16:9). Just as we can turn water on or off at a kitchen faucet, so the judgments of God are entirely at His control, and He can apply them at His will.
2. God is just, and therefore His judgments are just.
Both the angel and those at the altar cry out in response to God’s acts of judgment that He is just (Rev. 16:5,7). The nonbelieving world still rejects Him to His face. They knew He was the One who was the cause of the great plagues, yet “They did not repent and give him glory” (Rev. 16:9, see also verse 11).
3. God is merciful. The believer in Christ is spared from the wrath of God.
The first bowl is explicitly stated to be directed at those who worshipped the beast and took his mark (Rev. 16:2). As such, the believer who is sealed by God is safe from His wrath (1 Thess. 1:10).
Christ was the propitiation for our sins; that is, He was the wrath-bearing sacrifice.
In the words of one scholar, “He exhausted sin’s penalty upon the cross.” As Israel was once spared from God’s judgments upon Egypt while sojourning in the Land of Goshen, so those who received the seal of God will not face the consequences of His wrath.
Altogether, these things should encourage us. When the world seems to be falling apart, it’s actually falling into place. At the right time, Christ will come and bring all of history to its God-ordained culmination, and there is nothing that is outside of God’s control along the way.
Challenge for Today:
Do I trust that God will finish what He started?