[§260] Rev 16:2: First Vial: A Noisome and Grievous Sore on Land

This podcast explains the symbols and imagery used by John to describe the first, second, and third Vial Plagues in Revelation 16:2-4, which state: “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead [man]: and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” The first Vial Plague is foreshadowed by the sixth Egyptian plague where painful boils afflicted the Egyptian people and their animals, while the Israelites were not harmed. During this first plague and the others that follow, telestial-worthy people (who have the mark of the beast) will suffer and die from the effects of the Vial Plagues of the Third Woe, while people who live at least terrestrial law will collectively survive. The second and third Vial Plagues curse the waters of the oceans and freshwater systems, respectively, on a worldwide scale. The curse upon the waters is also mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 61, where the vision of W. W. Phelps is recorded after he saw the destroyer riding on the waters of the Missouri River. During the second Vial Plague, every sea creature will die in the oceans, whose waters will become like the coagulated and putrid blood of a dead man. When the third Vial Plague occurs quickly after the second Vial Plague, every person will die who drinks the water turned to blood. The curse upon the waters is foreshadowed by the first Egyptian plague were Moses turned the waters of Egypt into blood for a period of seven days.