F. The Fifth Bowl (16:10-11)
F. THE FIFTH BOWL (16:10-11)
There is a change. The first four bowls related to nature: land, sea, rivers and springs, the sun. But the last three are ‘more directly political’ (Swete). They take us to the operation of the powers of evil.
10. The fifth angel made his attack directly on the beast’s citadel. He poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, with curious results. The beast’s kingdom was plunged into darkness (cf. 9:2; Ex. 10:21-23) and his adherents (this is surely the meaning of the indefinite men) gnawed their tongues in agony. Just as there is no mention of what caused the darkness, so there is no mention of what brought about the pain (though possibly it is the result of the previous plagues, ulcers from the first plague and burns from the scorching heat of the fourth). John is not giving a detailed report, but simply highlighting the important points, in this case the darkness and the pain. There was something similar about the fifth trumpet plague. Smoke came out of the abyss and darkened the sun and the air, and this was accompanied by the appearance of locusts who tortured people (9:1-6). It is possible that we should take the darkening in this plague to denote the waning of the power of the beast, and this will be further stressed in the remaining plagues.
11. Sinners reacted in the wrong way (as was the case with the preceding bowl): they blasphemed God. John brings out something of his majesty by calling him the God of heaven. But these earth-dwellers could not recognize the majesty of heaven when they saw it. They were preoccupied with their pains (plural here, though singular in the previous verse). One pain is singled out, the ulcers (the same word as in v.2, though here plural). John notes once more that, despite their troubles, these people did not repent. Even grievous pain did not awaken them to the realities of the situation.