The Bible Says
Revelation 16:4-7 Meaning

In Revelation 16:4-7, John introduces the third bowl judgment which causes the rivers and springs to become blood.

After describing how the second bowl devastates the sea (Revelation 16:3), the Apostle John details yet another judgment falling upon a critical life source-fresh water. He writes that the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood (v.4).

Like the previous plagues that targeted the sea, the rivers and springs being turned to blood recalls the first Egyptian plague in Exodus 7:20-21. In ancient societies, rivers such as the Jordan in Israel or the Nile in Egypt were lifelines. They provided essential drinking water, irrigation for crops, and routes for transportation and trade. This plague symbolizes a strike at the heart of daily existence.

This is a severe judgment. But the Apostle John records a proclamation from an angel he calls the angel of the waters, which is presumably the angel that executed this plague:

And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it" (vv. 5-6).

We see here that this judgment is directly given because the population remaining on the earth is complicit in the mass murder of God’s people. The saints and prophets refer to God’s people (saints) and His spokesmen (prophets). The prophets could include the 144,000 witnesses we were introduced to in Revelation 7:4 and who we saw again in Revelation 14:1-5.

The people of the earth that took the mark of the beast and supported his reign participated in a regime that intentionally killed those who would not take his mark because of their profession of faith in the Lamb. The angel pronounces that this judgment fits the biblical principle of “measure for measure” which can also be expressed as “the punishment fits the crime” in saying: They deserve it. God pronounced this principle in Genesis 9:6 and this principle is also reflected in Romans 6:23, which states “the wages of sin is death.” The idea of “wages” is “just payment.” This is just payment for the murder of God’s people.

The word translated here as deserve is “axios,” which is translated elsewhere in Revelation as “worthy,” such as in Revelation 5:2 when no one was found “worthy” to open the scroll, or Revelation 5:12 when it was declared “worthy is the Lamb who was slain.” In Revelation 3:4, the overcomers are declared “worthy” to walk with Jesus in white. So, the statement that they deserve it is a comment upon what they are worthy of. We will all get our just due for rewards, and we might be worthy to walk in white with Christ, or worthy of judgement.

We saw in Revelation 13:17 that the beast prohibited those who would not take his mark from buying or selling in the commercial system. We saw in Revelation 13:15 that all who would not bow and worship the image of the beast would be killed. This is all part of the beast’s “war with the saints” where he was given power to prevail over and destroy them (Revelation 13:7).

The Greek word translated saints is “hagios” and appears twenty-five times in Revelation. Roughly half of the time, “hagios” is translated “holy” and the other half, “saints.” The word refers to someone or something that is set apart in a special way. Context determines what is being set apart and for what purpose.

In the instances where “hagios” is translated “saints” in Revelation, it refers to those who are believers in Jesus. In this era during the great tribulation, we have seen that those who believe the “eternal gospel” will be those who fear God more than the beast and therefore refuse to take his mark (Revelation 14:6-7). We might infer here that by this point in time that many and perhaps all those who had not taken the mark of the beast have been killed. This is inferred by several verses:

• Revelation 17:6 says that the “harlot,” representing the global regime of the beast (“Babylon”), is “drunk with the blood of the saints.” This would indicate a mass slaughter.
  
  
• Revelation 18:24 says “in her [the harlot] was found the blood of the prophets and of the saints.”
  
  
• In Revelation 6:9-10, we saw the martyrs under God’s altar asking for Him to avenge their blood, to punish those who slew them upon the earth. In Revelation 6:11, they were asked to wait until their number was fulfilled, again indicating a mass slaughter.
  
  
• In Revelation 20:4, we see a host-those that did not worship or take the mark of the beast-reigning with Christ for a thousand years, and they are said to have been “beheaded.” This infers that those who did not take the mark of the beast were killed.

Revelation 20:9 speaks of “saints” camped in the “beloved city” and being surrounded by Satan and those whom he has deceived. However, this event occurs at the end of the thousand-year messianic reign when Satan is released from the abyss for a season. After he is vanquished for a final time, he is thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet already reside (Revelation 20:10).

The phrase describing the violence against God’s people, they poured out the blood of saints and prophets (v.6), underscores a long history of violence against believers, from Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah (who prophesied around 627-580 B.C.) to New Testament martyrs like Stephen (Acts 7:58-60). Jesus, too, spoke of how His prophets would be persecuted and killed (Matthew 23:37). The beast’s kingdom of persecutors, by rejecting God’s messengers, demonstrate a hardened rebellion that calls down this final judgment.

God is thus bringing judgment upon those who intentionally killed His people. In this context, we can embrace the assertion from the angel of the waters when he says of those being judged by having foul water to drink: They deserve it. They spilled the blood of innocent people who would not opt in to the world system, and in payment they are given blood to drink. Blood often represents life (Leviticus 17:11). To have blood replace water underscores that the blood of God’s saints has been spilled.

That the people of the earth are said to have blood to drink infers that the water is still drinkable, but fouled. The angel of the waters declares God as being righteous in His judgments. We see this echoed in a statement that comes from the altar:

And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments" (v. 7).

Perhaps this statement comes from people or creatures associated with the altar, as with the people “underneath the altar” in Revelation 6:9 who are advocating for God to avenge their death by bringing justice to those who murdered them. But, as written, it seems that the altar speaks, since John says I heard the altar saying. This indicates that in the heavenly realm what is inanimate in our world might be living. Perhaps the reason we enjoy fantasy stories where the furniture is alive and can talk is because in the age that is to come that will be part of our daily experience.

The altar represents the place of sacrifice, worship, and intercession, and here it takes on a voice of affirmation saying Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments. The word “Yes” (v.7) is a resounding agreement that God’s judgments align perfectly with His character: true and righteous. All things are being realigned to usher in a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). That is to say, a new earth where all things work together in harmony and mutual benefit.

The Greek word “dikaios” is translated righteous in the phrase Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments. The noun form of this adjective “dikaios” is “dikaiosyne,” which is usually translated “righteousness” or “justice.” Plato’s seminal work “The Republic” centers on the question “What is ‘dikaiosyne’ (justice)?” Paul’s letter to the Romans largely focuses on the same question, “What is righteousness?”-the word “dikaiosyne” appears thirty-four times in Romans.

Generally, the word “dikaiosyne” means “everything working in harmony according to its purpose and design.” Plato concluded that “dikaiosyne” is when all the members of a city-state work in harmony to bring the maximum benefit to all. The Apostle Paul makes a similar point, but one that focuses on Christ as the head rather than man. Paul says of “dikaiosyne” or righteousness:

• With respect to any individual, to restore our original design to be a member of God’s family and be His child, “dikaiosyne” in God’s sight comes by faith. In the New Testament era, that is faith in Jesus’s death on the cross for our sins (Romans 4:3, 3:23-24).
  
  
• With respect to any individual, persisting in a walk of faith is what fulfills our design to mature from being a child to being a “son” who possesses our inheritance to be a servant leader along with Christ. To be a servant leader with Christ fulfills Christ’s deliverance of creation from the Fall. When believers walk in the Spirit and obey Jesus’s commands, they fulfill the law. This reflects God’s good design for creation to function in a state of harmony, where people love rather than exploit one another (Romans 8:4, 1:17, Hebrews 2:5-10).
  
  
• With respect to God, He is righteous because He is the Creator of all that is, and all He made is good. All things consist in Him and He holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17). He is righteous as a matter of His nature.

The angel of the waters pronounces a praise to and proclamation about God: Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One. God is righteous, because He is the essence of what is good. There is no evil or darkness in Him (James 1:13, 1 John 1:5). He is the Holy One because He is set apart from all else.

There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). He alone created all that is (Ephesians 3:9). But the angel of the waters specifically says in this case that God is the Holy One because You judged these things, speaking of the bowls of judgment poured out upon those who have killed the saints and prophets.

God is holy (set apart) because He is just (in perfect harmony). God’s judgments are righteous because they are a part of bringing justice to those who have perverted God’s original design for humanity to live in harmony, reigning in the earth as servant leaders. The beast and his followers have filled the earth with tyranny and violence: the opposite of God’s design. God is in process of bringing all things back to harmony, in accordance with His original intent. These last judgments are a part of that process.

The angel expressing the phrase O Holy One highlights God’s set-apartness and is a familiar refrain from the images we are given of God’s throne room. We see the cherubim in Isaiah’s vision crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:3), and the four living creatures in Revelation echo the same refrain (Revelation 4:8).

Though these plagues are harsh, they are appropriate for the occasion. Many have expressed frustration with God’s delay in bringing justice to the earth. For centuries God has delayed judgment in order to give people time to repent (2 Peter 3:13). But now it seems the stored-up wrath will be delayed no longer. God is bringing all to account. It seems that the bowls of judgment include or are induced by the prayers of saints over the centuries who have prayed for justice to be brought to the earth (Revelation 5:8).

Referring to God as the Almighty (v.7) reiterates His supreme power and sovereignty. Earthly rulers might falsely claim divinity, but it is only the One True God who sits on the heavenly throne, with dominion over the altars and angels. It is only He who is truly Almighty (Revelation 19:15).

This perspective reminds the faithful that despite the chaos in the visible realm, the final word still belongs to the Lord God. We are reminded in this section that all the actors in this grand cosmic drama are acting within God’s authorization. In each case He establishes limits to their authority. And He is, inevitably, bringing about justice and restoration to the earth. God’s judgments are in perfect harmony with His truth and righteousness.

We see the cosmic scales balanced: the unrepentant persecutors reap the consequences of their deeds, while heaven’s witnesses-represented by the angels and the altar-rejoice at the vindication of God’s holiness and righteousness; His integrity of being and doing.