According to the apocalyptic view of history, the spiritual and societal conditions of human existence will continue to deteriorate, and there is nothing any sociopolitical institution can do to reverse them. Salvation comes from outside of history, from God’s heavenly abode. In returning to the theme of divine judgment, already so vividly drawn in his visions of seven seals and trumpets, John is making this same point more keenly: salvation is from God and not from Babylon’s rulers. John’s is an imperialistic politic that champions the sovereign rule of God, and there is no room for compromise.

Perhaps this is why he begins this particular vision with echoes of the Exodus (cf. Boring, Revelation, p. 173): the bowls from which the wine of God’s wrath is poured bear a “family resemblance” …