The Bible Says
Revelation 16:8-9 Meaning

In Revelation 16:8-9, the fourth angel pours out the fourth bowl and the resulting judgment of fire and great heat is met with unrepentant men blaspheming against God. The previous three bowls have judged the land (Revelation 16:2), the sea (Revelation 16:3-4), and the rivers and streams (Revelation 16:5-7).

Now this fourth bowl of judgment affects the sky. God’s wrath targets the sun, the very source of energy and light for all creation. This reminds us that everything in existence-right down to the celestial bodies-ultimately belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1). First, John tells us that the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire (v.8).

In the normal course of life, the sun brings light to guide our days and warmth to sustain life. Here, that familiar kindness of God’s design is reversed into an instrument of punishment. This is reminiscent of Old Testament passages foretelling cosmic upheaval in “the day of the Lord” (Joel 2:30-31), reminding us that end-times events will impact both the earth and the heavens.

Also, the link to the Egyptian plagues is inferred: while Exodus dealt largely with darkness (Exodus 10:21-23), here the sun unleashes scorching heat. Such a shift underscores that God’s power covers all extremes-He can shroud the sun in darkness or empower it to harm.

Historically, Christians in the late first century, John’s original audience, would have recognized the sun’s role in supporting Rome’s agricultural, might, and trade routes. If the sun were allowed to scorch men with fire (v.8), imagine the chaos: crops wither, famine spreads, and the vulnerable suffer.

This phenomenon, described as being “given” (v.8) to the sun, underscores God’s sovereignty-He grants permission and authority for this judgment. In the same way that He established the sun to “rule the day” (Genesis 1:16), He now allows it to afflict the unrepentant world. The natural order-once a blessing-becomes a sign of wrath when humanity persists in rebellion.

For believers, this stark image should prompt humility. The sun’s raging heat in this judgment stands in stark contrast to God’s protective presence so often portrayed in Scripture (Psalm 121:5-6). While there is a promise of comfort for those who trust in the Lord, this bowl highlights the severity awaiting those who harden their hearts.

Just as the sheriff in an old western movie cleans up the town, here God purifies creation by unleashing a force that is normally a blessing but becomes a scourge for those who have rejected His sovereignty (Romans 1:28).

John continues: Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory (v.9).

The text underscores the profound tragedy: though humanity suffers intensely, many refuse to repent. They recognize the name of God who has the power over these plagues yet rather than turn to Him for mercy, they blasphemed. This reveals a level of hardness echoing Pharaoh’s stubbornness in Egypt (Exodus 8:15, 32, 9:34). Just as with Pharaoh, each escalation in judgment appears to be an occasion for increased hardening of the hearts of those who have chosen to worship and serve the beast.

The phrase did not repent so as to give Him glory is similar to the “eternal gospel” preached by the angel flying in midheaven from Revelation 14. His “eternal gospel” was “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters” (Revelation 14:6-7).

These who instead worship the beast continue in their refusal to respond to the “eternal gospel.” It seems that those who have accepted the beast’s mark and worshipped him are also like Pharaoh, in that their hearts have been so hardened that they appear to no longer have the capacity to repent.

In the first four bowls we see God judge the “heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters” mentioned in the “eternal gospel” of Revelation 14:7:

• The “heaven” is being judged in the fourth bowl, with the sun’s heat becoming scorching and unbearable (Revelation 16:8).
• The first bowl was poured out upon the “earth” and led to malignant sores (Revelation 16:2).
• The “sea” was judged in the second bowl (Revelation 16:3).
• The “springs of waters” was judged in the third bowl (Revelation 16:4).

He who created the “heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters” is now judging those things because of the people who refused to acknowledge Him as their creator and bow to the realities of His creative design.

The Greek word “doxa” is translated glory in the phrase they did not repent so as to give Him glory. “Doxa” refers to someone or something’s essence being observed and acknowledged by others. It is inferred that the unredeemed of earth refuse to acknowledge God as the creator of all things, which would make them accountable to Him. The Greek word translated repent in the phrase they did not repent so as to give Him glory means to make a U-turn, to change one’s ways.

The people of earth are committed to the beast and his ways. Their rebellion against God and the Lamb has hardened. They are unwilling to turn, in spite of the judgments they are enduring. They continue to fear the beast and honor him rather than fearing and honoring God and the Lamb. Part of this might be because to fear God and honor Him will mean incurring death from the beast (Revelation 13:7).

Throughout the Scriptures, repentance is described as turning from the path that leads to destruction and instead choosing the path to life (Ezekiel 18:32, Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 13:3, Acts 11:18). Giving God glory means attributing to Him what He deserves, acknowledging the reality of His character and position (Revelation 14:7).

We see in these verses unrepentant men who choose pride and illusion rather than embracing reality. They exhibit the assertions the Apostle Paul makes of those who refuse to acknowledge God as the creator of all things, “their foolish heart was darkened” and “professing to be wise they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22).

This tragic picture also signals a warning for all people, in every generation, to remain responsive to God. For believers, to resist God’s call can lead to hardness of heart which results in loss-a loss of experience of life in this life and of reward in the next (Matthew 16:25, Mark 10:30).