The second bowl: Destruction of the oceans
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. (Revelation 16:2–ESV)
Compare Revelation 16:3 to the last time destruction was brought on the seas. That was back in Revelation 8.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:8-9–ESV)
Do you see the oceanic between chapter 8 and chapter 16? The major difference we see between these passages is the scope of the destruction. The oceans have not been one happy family since chapter 8’s destruction, but they have been limping along. Now God finishes that task. In chapter 8 God destroyed 1/3 of the oceans. In this chapter he destroys it all! All of the oceans.
The seas die and not just partially: thoroughly, totally. After all humans who have the mark of the beast and the mark of the sores the second angel pours the second allotment of wrath upon the earth. A death theme is steadily advancing and that theme hits the oceans.
A corpse?
When a living creature dies and its heart stops the perpetual life pumping circulation immediately falters. Each of the hemoglobin carrying red blood cells, the white blood cells, the proteins and the clotting factors just stop and settle gravity pulling them to a screeching halt along the arteries and veins. The oxygen in the blood is rapidly used up and the color goes dark. Cells throughout the body will die, not immediately, but surely and quickly. Decomposition follows on.
How are the oceans important?
Now I know that oceans are important to our world, but wanting a more comprehensive list went to the internet. Here are some of the things that I found about the ocean’s importance to the world.
- The oceans provide oxygen. Sure the biomass of the rain forests of our world convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, but 50-70% of our world’s oxygen comes from: The oceans! 1
- The oceans regulate our weather (temperature, weather cycle, heat management, rains) 2
- One third of the earth’s population lives within 60 miles of a coastline 3
- What lives in the ocean: the whales, dolphins, seafood (tuna, cod, halibut–food fish for humanity), coral reefs, sea turtles…Nemo?
These are destroyed and all life in them is gone. Humans have raced to rescue the great whale beachings and dolphin beachings. When the second bowl of wrath comes there will be no rescue. The whales and the fish will have no place to go.
lulrich says
In class we use the NIV version and in that version verse 9 says “…but they refused to repent and glorify him.” One class member raised a question about this phrase. If these people are all those who have taken the mark of the beast defying God and discarding the warning of the missionary angel that went about the earth in chapter 14 then why does this verse say they refused to repent. That implies that the choice was still available to them. The Bibles that have Strong’s numbers attached to the words (NASB, KJV, and Holman Christian Standard Bible) do not include a word for refused. The original languages did not imply a choice was available. The phrase before what I mentioned here says that the people cursed or blasphemed God. The lack of repentance and lack of God glorifying is not meant to speak of an optional response for these people, but to emphasize the thorough rejection of God on the part of these people.