Revelation 16:5-6; They Are Worthy

Revelation 16:5-6 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 

The angel who caused the waters of rivers and springs to become blood is now called, literally, “the angel of the waters”; he praises God for his righteous judgments.

Pouring out his bowl, the angel declares the justice of God by saying: “You are just in having judged these things.” Leon Morris aptly remarks, “ ‘The angel of the waters’ sees in these proceedings an excellent example of making the punishment fit the crime.” The words seem to have their origin in the Great Song of Moses and the Psalter, “A faithful God … upright and just is he” (Deut. 32:4; see also Ps. 119:137; 145:17).

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 

Psalm 119:137 TZADDI. Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright arethy judgments. 

Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 

The words who is and who was (Revelation 11:17) are familiar; elsewhere the phrase “who is to come” completes the formula (compare Revelation 1:4, 8; 4:8).

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace beunto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 

Its omission in this verse attests to the fact that God has already come in Christ and that John looks back, as it were, on the fulfillment of the consummation.

God’s holiness tolerates no unrighteousness, and His judgments are always right and just. Saints who confess their sins receive His grace, but sinners who refuse to repent receive their just deserts. The song stresses holiness by placing Holy One at the end of the sentence following the description “who is and who was.” … The time has now come for God to exert His attribute of holiness, vindicate the saints who suffered because of his Word (Revelation 6:9–10), and inflict punishment on his adversaries. Pouring the contents of the third bowl into the rivers and springs of water is God’s judgment on his enemies who persecuted his people.

Revelation 6:9-10 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 442–443). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.