<p>16:2- see on Rev. 8:7; Rev. 13:17.</p><p><em>Harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image</em>- This is after they have been appealed to, to rid themselves of this mark (see on 14:9). There is no opportunity now for repentance (see on 15:8). The sores recall the growths that appeared on the Philistines / Palestinians who captured the ark (1 Sam. 5:6). The destruction of Dagon in that passage perhaps looks forward to the image of the beast. Those who bear the mark of the beast are within the territory of the beast- which is exactly where the Philistines were. &quot;Harmful&quot; translates a Greek word which in all of its 50 other occurrences means &quot;evil&quot; in a moral sense (e.g. 2:2). Their punishment was appropriate to their own evil. We wonder therefore if their usage of nuclear weaponry against Israel backfires upon them, and they themselves suffer the tumours associated with nuclear fallout.</p>