And the first went, and poured out his bowl upon the earth; and there fell foul and evil sores upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and upon them who worshiped his image.
Read Chapter 16
Bede
AD 735
earth: Preachers pour out the wrath of God in a twofold manner, while they either impose the punishments of the ungodly upon the ungodly themselves by judging spiritually; as Peter said to Simon, "Thy money perish with thee;" or they manifest it to holy Church by preaching, as he also said, "For their judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their perdition slumbereth not." A third manner may also be understood, in that each sinner, as the preaching of the truth is heard, is destroyed by the severer wound of contradiction, of which the Lord said, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin."
And the first. From hence it appears that the first vial was poured out indiscriminately upon the good equally with the wicked. But behold the different consequences that follow: those that have the mark of the beast are afflicted with a sore and grievous wound, which is said in allusion to the madness, fury, and despair with which the wicked were afflicted, whilst St. John's omitting to say any thing of the just, shows that they bore it with resignation and joy. (Calmet)
