Revelation 15-16 (7 Bowls/Plagues Part 1)

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 15

The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

4  Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.

4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,

“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,

for you brought these judgments.

6  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,

and you have given them blood to drink.

It is what they deserve!”

7 And I heard the altar saying,

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,

true and just are your judgments!”

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The Seventh Bowl

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

In our last time we concluded a section of John’s Apocalypse that spanned chapters 12-14, which provided an overview of the spiritual events leading up to the circumstances of the Apocalypse, the events that resulted in the great tribulation of the first century. That Christ had come, and that the Dragon had tried to devour him, but that he ascended to his throne in heaven. Therefore, war arose in heaven between the Dragon and Michael with his angels. Ultimately, the dragon was cast out of heaven down to earth, and in his great wrath he made war on the saints, he sought to destroy the church. He stood on the shore of the sea and summoned two allies, two beasts, one out of the sea (the Roman Empire), and another out of the land (Apostate Israel). These beasts persecuted the church in the first century, carrying out the schemes of the Dragon. Exerting pressure on the church to worship the state, to worship the empire rather than Christ. To give their allegiance to the beast instead of Christ, to bear the mark of the beast on their foreheads and on their hands, that they would serve the beast. And if they wouldn’t, the beast would make spectacles of the Christians by starvation, torture, and death. Therefore, the Christians were repeatedly called to endure.

Then in chapter 14 the church was given a picture of the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with 144,000, a picture of those redeemed from the earth, a firstfruits of the first century, those who had not worshiped the beast. They stood with the Lamb on Mt. Zion in opposition to the Dragon and the two beasts. And despite the wrath of the Dragon against the church in the 1st century, the church was not alone, for they stood beside the Lamb on God’s holy hill. And finally chapter 14 ends with the refrain, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” These beasts will not prevail against the church, the church would be preserved and the beasts would be judged.

Climax of judgment

And while both beasts would be judged, the second beast, which arose out of the land, is the focus of John’s Apocalypse. We saw this judgment originate from the altar in heaven against Jerusalem back in chapter 6 depicted by 7 seals, then again in chapters 8-11 as 7 trumpets, each time increasing in intensity and severity, so by the time we get to chapter 15 we reach the culmination of those judgments, their climax and finality. This is why we read there in chapter 15, verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 15

15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

Immediately after the seals were opened back in chapter 6 we were told in chapter 7 that the angels were not allowed to harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until the servants of God had been sealed on their foreheads. That, before the judgments announced in chapter 6 could be carried out, 144,000, signifying the redeemed, had to be set apart, or marked out, that they would be kept from the coming destruction.

However, when the judgments are depicted again in chapters 8-11 by trumpets we’re told that they were still only partial. At the first trumpet we were told that a third of the earth was burned up, that a third of the trees were burned up, and that a third of the green grass was burned up. At the second trumpet a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. At the third trumpet a third of the waters turned bitter. At the fourth trumpet a third of the sun, moon, and stars were struck leaving a third of the day without light. And then at the sixth trumpet that a third of the people were killed by an army. The point is obvious, the trumpet judgments were partial, the wrath of God was not yet finished. Until now, in chapters 15-16, when the wrath of God would be finished and depicted by 7 final bowl judgments.

Plagues and the Egypt connection

And it’s important to note that these 7 bowl judgments are also described here as 7 plagues, which should immediately call to mind the plagues against Egypt recorded in the Book of Exodus. At least four of the bowl judgments clearly correspond to the the plagues in Egypt, water turned to blood, boils on the skin, hail, and darkness. And there are at least four of the trumpet judgments that clearly correspond to the plagues in Egypt, including water turned to blood, hail, locusts, and darkness. And finally may of these judgments parallel the curses associated with the Mosaic covenant, described particularly in Deuteronomy chapter 28, curses that were often akin to the plagues against Egypt if the Israelites broke the covenant.

And as we’ll see later, these correlations are important, they will paint a picture not only of Israel’s punishment for her disobedience and failure to keep the covenant, yet again, but also that Israel, or Jerusalem, had become like its biblical enemy, Egypt. That though they thought of themselves as children of Abraham, that in fact they had become children of the devil. This is why I often refer back to Revelation 11:8 when John described Jerusalem as “the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.” John’s point throughout is that Jerusalem has sadly, and ironically become like the pagan nations around them, like Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon. And it’s why Jerusalem is also referred to as a false prophet later in chapter 19. So, as we walk through chapters 15-16 look for these correlations and the intended irony.

Heavenly sanctuary

Now, chapter 15 is intended to set the stage for these 7 final plagues. Chapter 15 reminds us that these judgments originate from God’s heavenly sanctuary, and so we see that scene depicted here again, just as we did back in chapters 4-5 before the 7 seals were opened in chapter 6. And remember, when you read all of those mind-numbing details of the tabernacle in the OT, that the tabernacle, and later Solomon’s Temple, were modeled after God’s heavenly sanctuary, therefore we’re meant to notice the various correlations between the furniture in heaven and the furniture described in the earthly tabernacle.

We read there starting verse 2,

English Standard Version Chapter 15

2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

4  Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Song of Moses & the Lamb

The song of Moses found in Exodus 15 was a song that the Israelites sang after they crossed the Red Sea and escaped the chariots of Egypt, for God had caused them to cross on dry land while the waters drowned the Egyptian army. We’re told that Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, and that the people feared the Lord and his servant Moses, and so went on to sing a song of triumph which later became known as the song of Moses.

And so it is here, these final judgments against Rome and Jerusalem signify God’s triumph over the dragon and the two beasts. Therefore, those who had conquered the beast, those who had not worshiped the beast, who did not bear his mark, but rather had the Lamb’s name written on their foreheads are described as standing in heaven with harps singing the song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb, a song of triumph. Just as the Israelites had been delivered from the hand of the Egyptians, so the church would be delivered from the hands of their enemies.

This is the hope that those in the first century could hold onto, that Christ would win, that if they endured the great tribulation, if they refused to worship the beast, that it wasn’t the state that would triumph, but Christ. Remember, the Book of Revelation is ultimately a book of triumph, that it is the Lamb who triumphs over the dragon, that later in chapter 20 the beast and the false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire, and the devil is bound from deceiving the nations. This is the result of Christ’s first coming, this is the result of Christ ruling and reigning from his father’s throne in heaven now, this is the result of all authority in heaven and earth being given to the Son. And this is the same hope that we hold onto even now, we have the same promise as we look forward to Christ coming again. We too will sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb.

Golden bowls and the prayers of the saints

Then John goes on in verse 5,

English Standard Version Chapter 15

5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

Again, we see the much of what we’ve seen before, the heavenly sanctuary, the four living creatures, and the angels. However, this time one of the four living creatures gives to the seven angels seven golden bowls of the wrath of God. These are likely the same bowls described back in chapter 5, verse 8, when the the four living creatures are described as “each holding a harp, and golden bowls full on incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

This is significant because this indicates that these seven bowls here in chapter 15 are carrying the prayers of the saints. And what’s the content of these prayers? Well, back in chapter 6, when the fifth seal was opened John “saw under the altar” in heaven “souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness the had borne” and John said that they “cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” But they were “told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Rev. 6:9-11)

Full of the wrath of God

John also says here in chapter 15 that these bowls were “full of the wrath of God”. In other words, these bowls not only carry the prayers of the saints that cry out for justice, when we reach chapter 15 the time has come for the wrath of God to to vindicate them, that the blood of the martyrs would not be overlooked. And don’t forget what Jesus had told to the Pharisees in Jerusalem before he died in Matthew 23:29-36,

English Standard Version Chapter 23

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus had given his disciples a clear expectation that the unbelieving Jews were filling up the measure of their father’s sins, and therefore all of the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, whom they had murdered in the Temple, would come upon their generation. And John’s Apocalypse was intended to depict and explain that great tribulation. This is what’s being portrayed when one of the living creatures gives these 7 angels 7 golden bowls full of the wrath of God.

No intercession for Jerusalem

Then in verse 8 we also read that,

English Standard Version Chapter 15

the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

The point here is that “no one could enter the sanctuary until the plagues of the seven angels were finished.” The purpose of entering the sanctuary was to offer sacrifices for sin, that the sins of the people might be forgiven, however, it appears here that the smoke of God’s glory filled the heavenly sanctuary with the explicit intention of preventing regular temple activities, that intercession would be prevented “until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.”

Free offer of salvation isn’t forever

We live in a day when God’s free offer of salvation is extended to the whole world. That if anyone would turn from their sin and believe in Christ that their sins would be forgiven, that they would be given eternal life, this is why the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” However, we also know that a day is coming when that offer will come to an end, whether it’s when we die or when the Lord returns. The free offer of salvation is not forever, therefore we must never delay our repentance. Sadly, Jerusalem had lost their opportunity to repent.

First angel, boils

Now, turn over to chapter 16 with me as John describes the details of these judgments, of these 7 bowls. We read, starting verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 16

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

Here we see again this “mark of the beast” used to describe those who have allied themselves with Rome. As I’ve pointed out before in John 19 when the Jews demanded that Pilate have Jesus crucified, Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” They stood opposed to Jesus, and instead yoked themselves to Rome. While I’m sure they despised being yoked to Caesar, it was more preferable than submitting themselves to Christ. And in doing so they subjected themselves to drinking the cup of God’s wrath.

And so the first angel poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast. While I’m sure that there were many who suffered such ailments while shut up inside the walls of Jerusalem for 42 months, the content of this plague has biblical significance. Painful sores and boils also afflicted the Egyptians in Exodus 9 during the sixth plague. We read in Exodus 9:8-11,

Exodus 9:8–11 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.

And more than that, after the Israelites had escaped Egypt and made a covenant with God at Mt. Sinai Moses warned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28:27 that if they did not obey the voice of the Lord that, “The Lord [would] strike [them] with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which cannot be healed.” In other words, I’ll afflict you with the same kind of plagues as I did the Egyptians if you break the covenant and behave like them. Therefore, again, it’s a sad irony that the same plagues that afflicted Egypt are again described here in John’s Apocalypse as judgement against Jerusalem.

Second angel, sea becomes blood

John goes on in verse 3,

English Standard Version Chapter 16

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.

Again, this plague is like the first brought against the Egyptians in Exodus 7:20-21 when “Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.”

While the essential point of many of these plagues, described here in John’s Apocalypse, is to connect God’s judgments against Jerusalem with his judgments against Egypt, there are times when Josephus describes the events of the Jewish-Roman War that possess and uncanny parallel with what John records here. Listen to how Josephus described the Jewish-Roman War on the Sea of Galilee,

“They were killed by the darts on the lake; and the Romans leaped out of their vessels, and destroyed a great many more upon the land: one might then see the lake all bloody, and full of dead bodies, for not one of them escaped. And a terrible stink, and a very sad sight there was on the following days over that country; for as for the shores, they were full of shipwrecks, and of dead bodies all swelled; and as the dead bodies were inflamed by the sun, and putrefied, they corrupted the air…” (Wars, III.10.9)

Third angel, rivers and springs become blood

Then John describes the 3rd plague pickup up there in verse 4,

English Standard Version Chapter 16

4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.

Like the plague before it, the rivers and springs become blood, likely indicating the same kind of bloodshed described by Josephus earlier on the Sea of Galilee. In fact, when the Roman army initially advanced toward Jerusalem they came from the north wiping out cities as they went along, and filling the Jordan River with the dead that were carried downstream. During the siege against Jerusalem the water within the city became extremely polluted and was described as being filled with blood from the mounting body count.

True and just are your judgments

Then John writes that he heard another angel, who was in charge of the waters, say,

English Standard Version Chapter 16

“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,

for you brought these judgments.

6  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,

and you have given them blood to drink.

It is what they deserve!”

7 And I heard the altar saying,

“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,

true and just are your judgments!”

Our sin naturally clouds our judgment of just how serious our sin is, and just how holy God is, therefore his judgments often appear extreme by our reckoning, but the angel here assures us that, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments” and “true and just are your judgments”.

Moreover, the angel also says, “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink.” In other words, God will not allow innocent bloodshed to go unpunished, because he is holy and just. He’s a righteous and good judge, for he does not let the evildoer get away with his wicked deeds. This also teaches us that on the last day we too will be vindicated, that God will right all wrongs, that no matter how fallible or corrupt our earthly justice systems may be, no injustice, no matter how small, will be overlooked by God Almighty. Therefore, we must learn not to despise God’s righteous judgments.

Blood of saints and prophets

This particular verse is also very telling. Tell me, within the context of the Bible, who is typically characterized by having shed the blood of saints and prophets? Is it Egypt? Is it Babylon? No, the answer is Israel. This idea of killing of the prophets was a sin of Israel and of Jerusalem, not Egypt or Babylon. Not because Jerusalem was more evil than Babylon, but because prophets were typically sent to Jerusalem, because God had made a covenant with Israel, not Egypt or Babylon. Therefore, Jerusalem was held to a higher standard when they were guilty of killing a prophet sent by their own covenant God. Killing saints and prophets was a characteristic crime of Israel.

Listen to Jesus in Luke 13:33-34 when he sarcastically remarks that it wouldn’t be proper for a prophet to perish away from Jerusalem,

Luke 13:33–34 (ESV)

.. for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

You might also recall Jesus’ Parable of the Tenants when he described the Jews as tenants tenants of his vineyard, but that when he sent his servants to the vineyard to collect the fruit that the tenants beat and killed his servants. He eventually sends his own son to collect the fruit thinking they’ll respect him, but when his son gets there the tenants saw the son and killed him in order to steal his inheritance. Jesus then looks at the chief priests and the Pharisees who are listening to the parable and asks them, “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” And not realizing he’s talking about them they reply, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruit in its season.”

In Acts 7 just before Stephen is stoned to death he tells the chief priest and those with him, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

And these kind of statements are not unique to the NT, I could give you more examples, but my point is that what this angel says is very telling, his statement that “they have shed the blood of saints and prophets” is another clear confirmation that these judgments are being carried out against Jerusalem, not Rome or some other nation in our distant future. In fact, we’ll see this phrase again in Revelation 18:24 when John describes Babylon as “in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints.”

Prayer