NOTES for Rev 16:2-21
The punishments described in this chapter resemble the plagues of Egypt, but exceed them in severity. The first four angels punish those who worshiped the Antichrist; the last three bowls are poured out upon the Antichrist’s city, which is hostile to God. At that very time judgment draws near: “Behold, I come like a thief”—secretly, unexpectedly, as a thief comes when breaking into a house. This comparison, close to the Lord’s words in the Gospel, tells us that a person will be caught unawares. He will not be ready for judgment, for the Lord’s coming in glory. Nor will he be ready for the final battle between good and evil, which is inevitable. But what that final battle in history will be like, we do not know.