Revelation 16

1 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. 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 Chapter 15, we again are being told of a terrible time coming upon the earth in the end time.

Matthew 24:21 ESV

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

We are told of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and now the seven bowls of wrath. What is the purpose of God’s judgment of those on earth? It is simply to convince anyone who would repent to do so before their eternity is secured in hell. God has decided enough is enough, and He will no longer tolerate rebellion, denial, immorality, and evil will be destroyed completely. Remember now, we are in the last three and one half years of the seven year tribulation - things are moving forward quickly, and once again God sends seven signs to touch the peoples heart - literally giving them their last chance at repentance.

Prelude

Revelation 16:1 ESV

1 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.”

The temple is the dwelling place of God, so it can be assumed the voice John hears is that of God Himself. The time is setting itself for the second coming of Jesus, and that end is rapidly approaching as the last of the three levels of judgment is poured out. These seven bowls represent God’s final judgments, His last attempts at trying to convince those remaining on earth to repent and turn back to Him in the last three and one half years of the tribulation.

What do these bowls of wrath represent?

God’s last attempts at repentance.

First Four Bowls

Revelation 16:2–9 ESV

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.

What do the first four bowls focus on?

These first four bowls are focused on the earth and its inhabitants. Notice, also how quickly these last seven bowls come - not like the others where there was a seal broken and a description of what had occurred, but these are literally “dished/poured out” one after the other, then another.

The first bowl is a bowl of judgment - ulcerative sores - literally festering wounds covered those who have taken the mark of the beast. We find a similar scene in Egypt

Exodus 9:8–11 ESV

8 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. 9 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.” 10 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. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.

The second judgment bowl is poured out upon the sea. While we know the Antichrist's center of power is in the Middle East, or some nation that was part of the old Roman Empire, many theologians believe this sea refers to the Mediterranean. Otherwise, little human life would be able to survive - especially when we look at the third bowl. Regardless, the sea becomes infested / infected with some blood red contamination and all sea life within it will be killed. Today, we know of red algae blooms - “red tides”, which refers to harmful algae colonies growing out of control polluting the water and producing harmful effects and even death for fish, shellfish, marine animals, and birds.

The third judgment bowl is poured out on the fresh waters where the antichrist and his followers are located. Again, if it were fresh water throughout the whole world there would be none that could survive on the earth. Fresh water contamination would be much more critical than even the salt water sea - it will directly impact the antichrist and his followers by having little to no water for drinking, washing, or bathing. Think of the humanitarian effort that will have to be undertaken just to transport water to the Middle East and other areas this will affect! Without water, they will only be able to survive a few days. We find a similar account also in Egypt:

Exodus 7:17–25 ESV

17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.” ’ ” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ” 20 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. 21 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. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. 25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

Many of us have heard the argument that God is too loving and kind to do such a thing as pour out His wrath on the earth. But notice why God will destroy the earth and punish these people. 1) They will be the master mind behind the worst slaughter of Christians known to man. They will kill millions of people killed, slaughtered, simply because they follow God and would not take the mark of the beast. 2) Because God is true and righteous, He is JUST. He will no longer be able to tolerate the ungodly behavior and evil nature of people. God will reach a point that He will no longer tolerate rejection, and He will punish the evil doers and end the world.

The fourth judgment bowl pours out on the sun. Severe heat and radiation from the sun are going to scorch the ungodly and evil of this earth. There will be a heat wave unlike anything the earth has ever known. The sun will burn and scorch people with a blazing, fierce heat. They will be in misery and tormented and will fret and groan and be miserable. The idea is that the weather will be so hot that it will be like burning in a hot oven.

What is the result of the first four bowls of wrath?

Note: the ungodly will still not repent.

What is the response of the ungodly?

They will do what unbelievers have usually done when things go bad: curse and blaspheme the name of God.

Preparing for Armageddon

Revelation 16:10–21 ESV

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. 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.

What does the fifth bowl target?

The fifth bowl of judgment is poured out upon the seat or throne of the Antichrist. The whole kingdom of the antichrist and his followers will be full of darkness. This is not referring to spiritual darkness, but to some phenomena that blots out the light and heat of the day. Note: this is a drastic change from the scorching light and heat of the fourth judgment. Some darkness, some thick, heavy pitch black darkness will fall upon the whole kingdom of the antichrist, upon him and all who follow him.

Note: this judgment seems to exclude the nations who are not actively included in the Antichrist's kingdom. Remember: there will be many nations cooperating with the antichrist but who are not actively included in his kingdom, not in the plotting of his murderous evil. They are, of course, guilty by association, guilty because they have formed an alliance with the antichrist. But they are apparently spared some of the judgments because they are not quite as guilty. However, their armies will be destroyed and their governments and cities utterly destroyed at Armageddon—all because they are ungodly and evil in so many other ways. (However, please note: again, this judgment—in fact, all the bowl judgments—could be worldwide. All the world to some degree will be cooperating with the antichrist. He will be sitting at the head of some world organization like the United Nations or the European Common Market. Therefore, the seat and kingdom of the antichrist could refer to the whole world.)

The suffering will be excruciating and gnawing. The suffering of the sores, thirst, filth, and smell of water pollution, scorching heat, and now pitch black darkness will cause the antichrist and his followers to curse and blaspheme more and more. Note that the torment will be so painful and unbearable that they will be gnawing their tongue (v.10). But they will still not repent of their ungodly and evil deeds. They will only become more and more stubborn and hardened in their wickedness and rebellion against God.

Where do the unclean spirits come from?

The mouths of the dragon (Satan), beast (Antichrist), and the false prophet. (Unholy trinity)

The sixth bowl dries up the Euphrates River. The Euphrates is the longest and by far the most important river of western Asia. It is 1780 miles long and ranges from 300 to 1200 yards wide. Its depth ranges from about 10 to 30 feet. From the Persian Gulf inland it can be navigated by small vessels for about 1200 miles. How could a river of such enormous size ever be dried up? Today, of course, man can build huge lakes, rivers, and canals such as the Panama Canal. Man can also divert huge lakes and rivers. Remember this: in the end time natural disasters will be increasingly striking the earth. Whole areas of the world will be devastated by the forces of nature going wild. Just how the great Euphrates River will be dried up—by man or by some devastation of nature—is not known. But Scripture clearly says that the waters of the river will be dried up.

The reason for the drying up of the Euphrates is to allow a great armed confederation of nations to form and march against Israel and to exterminate the Jews.

Atomic weapons would only destroy the land and make it unusable for decades. In the end time the nations or kings of the east will want to preserve Palestine for its land and enormous wealth. Therefore, they will march against it with foot soldiers and weapons that will preserve the land itself. God will apparently help the advancement of the troops by seeing that the great Euphrates River is dried up when the march begins. The point is this: when the antichrist and the confederation of nations under his power begin to march against Israel, the other nations of the world apparently become edgy and nervous.

There is the source or spirit behind the confederation of nations. Note: this verse says that all the nations of the earth are going to be involved in the great battle of Armageddon.

The kings of the east of Palestine - including the Arabs and China

The kings of the north - including Russia

The kings of the south - Africa

The kings of the west - European nations and probably the Americas and Canada

Armies will gather from every nation with each taking sides to protect its own interest.

Note what is behind the whole scene: evil spirits. Evil spirits are giving power to the mouth of the antichrist and his false prophet. This means the power to influence and deceive the leaders of other nations. The evil spirits will give the two leaders supernatural power to inspire their confederation to march and conquer Palestine. All the other nations will march to protect their interest in the region (perhaps oil). The result of the evil spirits is the gathering together of all the armies of the world to the place in Palestine called Armageddon or the valley and mountain of Megiddo. This is the great valley that runs through the middle of Palestine from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. It is about 200 miles long and ten miles wide.

There is the day of Armageddon (Megiddo) Harmagedōn, Literally “Mountain of Megiddo.” The place at which all the kings of the Earth gather in Rev 16:16. (Appears only once in the New Testament). Mt. Carmel, or in Hebrew Har HaKarmel, means “God’s Vineyard” and one visit reveals why. It is a lush coastal mountain overlooking the Jezreel Valley or the Valley of Armageddon. Although a Biblical landmark with plenty of history, the prophet Elijah is most notably associated with this place.

The day when all this will happen is called by Scripture “the great day of God, the Almighty.” This is the day the armies of the world will be destroyed, all the ungodly and evil of this world. It is the day when Jesus Christ will return to rule and reign over the earth. When all the armies are gathered together for battle then Jesus Christ will consummate this age of grace. Time and history as we know it will be no more. Godliness and righteousness will be brought to earth by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There is the great warning of Christ to the people of the earth: watch and be prepared. Only those who have kept themselves unspotted from the worldliness of this earth and from following the antichrist will escape the terrible judgment coming.

What is significant about the seventh bowl?

And now, the seventh and final bowl of judgment is poured out into the air. The very air that provides the breath to man will be taken from him. God’s thundering voice announces, “It is done.” The judgment upon all the ungodly and evil armies of this world is seen consummated: all the armies of the ungodly and evil nations are wiped out by the judgment of God. Nature breaks loose in the most terrifying devastation and horror imaginable. The most awesome and spectacular display of the power and glory of God is launched. There will be violent storms and a worldwide catastrophic earthquake. Imagine an earthquake that will violently affect the whole world. There is the reaction of the ungodly and evil survivors around the world.

What is the response, again, from the ungodly?

They still blame and blaspheme God, and still do not repent. We would expect repentance, but the ungodly and evil of the last days will be as hard and stubborn as the ungodly and evil are today.

Even as bad as it seems today, we ain’t seen nothing yet. Aren’t you glad believers will be spared from this?

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