Revelation 16:9

And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues and they repented not to give him glory.

This verse is terrifying, not only because of the judgment itself, but because of the response to it.

Men are scorched with great heat. Their bodies are blistered. The seas are ruined. The rivers run red. The whole world is reeling under the hand of God. And yet instead of falling on their faces in repentance, they blaspheme His name. They know these plagues come from Him. They know He has power over them. But they still will not repent and give Him glory.

That is important because it answers a question people often raise. They ask how hell can be eternal. They ask how any punishment could last forever. They say surely after enough suffering a man would finally repent. Surely after enough pain he would turn. But Revelation says otherwise. Here on earth, under dreadful judgment, men still refuse to repent. Their problem is not lack of evidence. Their problem is the hardness of the human heart.

That is why hell is everlasting. It is not because God delights in punishment. It is because man, left to himself, remains unrepentant. Jesus spoke of everlasting fire in Matthew 25:41. He spoke of the fire that is not quenched in Mark 9:43 to 45. And here in Revelation we see why. Judgment does not soften the rebel heart. Apart from grace, it hardens it still more.

That ought to humble every one of us. Because if you or I ever repented, it was not because we were wiser than others. It was not because we were softer by nature. It was because God in mercy moved toward us. Romans 3:10 says there is none righteous. Left to ourselves, we would have gone right on resisting Him too.

So this verse is both a warning and a cause for gratitude.

It warns us about the dreadful stubbornness of sin. But it also reminds us that every tear of repentance, every turning of the heart, every cry for mercy is a gift of grace. If the Lord had not initiated His saving work in us, we would still be running from Him.

Saints, never get over that. Never get casual about grace. The difference between a blasphemer and a believer is not human goodness. It is divine mercy. And that means we should walk humbly, pray thankfully, and worship deeply, because the God men curse in Revelation is the God who was kind enough to bring us to repentance.