Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and a foul and painful sore came on those who had the brand of the beast and who worshiped its image. The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, “You are just, O Holy One, who are and were, for you have judged these things; because they shed the blood of saints and prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” And I heard the altar respond, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just!” (Revelation 16:1-7, NRSVue)
Pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.
I marvel at those who think this is a prediction for a coming event. A place where God’s wrath, rather than Their love, is poured out. Yes, there are stories in Scripture where God is vengeful, but overwhelmingly God is love. And to believe that this book tells us events that will happen when God comes to take up the kingdom in the place of Their creation and will wind up destroying creation is mind-boggling to me.
Revelation and the vision there in is a way to give hope to those who are being held down and made to suffer. It is a book of hope in the times of trial. It is an understanding that no matter what happens, God is always with us.
So pour it out on the earth. It being love.
Help the world know they are never abandoned and are always loved.
