Chapter 16
Seven Bowls of the Wrath of God
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.”
John hears a loud voice coming from the Temple instructing the seven angels that had the seven bowls of God’s wrath to go and proceed to pour out the bowls on the earth.
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.
The first angel pours out his bowl on the earth releasing harmful (Greek ‘ponēron’,[1] malicious) and painful (Greek ‘kakon’,[2] actively causing harm) sores on those who received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. This is reminiscent of the sixth plague sent throughout Egypt when boils broke out on both humans and animals alike (see Exodus 9:8-12).
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.
The next angel pours out their bowl into the ocean and it became like blood and every living thing in the water died. Here the water turned into something that appeared to be blood from a dead body. The text does not say it is blood (like the next verse), but that it looked like blood from a corpse, perhaps being red and viscous.
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!”
The third bowl poured out is again reminiscent of the ten plagues sent to Egypt, notably the first plague which was when fresh water was turned into blood (see Exodus 7:14-25). John hears “the angel in charge of the waters,” acknowledge God’s holiness and how just He is by commencing with this judgment. The angel identifies God as being the Holy One that is (exists now) and who was (existed in the past), referring to Him always existing (note that some Bible versions include something like “and who is to be,” those words are not in most manuscripts, see KJV, NKJV, Textus Receptus). The angel further notes that those being judged shed the blood of saints and prophets and now God is giving them blood to drink, and proclaims, that they are getting what they deserved. Then a voice from the altar agrees with the angel, stating that God is indeed true and just in His judgments.
Some question if the “angel in charge of the waters,” is the same as the third angel. Since the Greek text simply states “angel of the waters,” it could be an angel that oversees and protects water, or it is just another way to recognize the third angel. The text does not offer clarification here or elsewhere in Scripture.
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.
The fourth angel pours out his bowl on the sun and it begins to scorch people with its fiery heat (see also Deuteronomy 32:22; Isaiah 24:4-6: Malachi 4:1; Luke 21:25; 2 Peter 3:1-13). The people that are being burned curse the name of God, as He controlled the plagues and had the ability to stop them. Even though they knew that God had the power to stop these plagues, they still did not repent of their sins, nor did they give Him any 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.
The fifth bowl is poured out onto the throne of the beast (the Antichrist), causing its kingdom (those that the mark of the beast and worshiped his image) to go dark. As a result, the people “gnawed their tongues in anguish” and they once again cursed God for their pain and sores. The fact that they are biting their tongues (possibly to mask pain from some other body location) and that they were cursing God for their condition seems to imply they were also being tormented. Total darkness was the ninth of the ten plagues in Egypt, a darkness so absolute that it was recorded as a darkness that was ‘felt’ (see Exodus 10:21-29). Again, the people still did not repent.
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 sixth bowl initiates a sequence of several events. First, the bowl is poured out on the Euphrates River which then dries up. This allows the kings from the east to proceed by land to travel towards Israel (the Euphrates River was one of the main eastern boundaries of the Roman Empire, kingdoms of the east included the Persian Mede Empire) to participate in the coming battle near Megiddo (see Zechariah 12:11). John then sees three unclean spirits that look like frogs (see also Exodus 8:1-15) that come out of the mouths of the dragon (Satan), the beast (Antichrist), and the false prophet. These demonic spirits perform signs and go around the world gathering all of the kings and leaders of the world to assemble them together (including the kings from the east) for the final battle at a place called Armageddon.
The day of battle is referred to as being “the great day of God the Almighty.” Verse fifteen makes a parenthetical statement spoken by Jesus. “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!” This verse reinforces several previous verses: Jesus returning without warning (see Revelation 3:3); blessings for those that remain awake, found watching, and are ready (see Revelation 3:2-3, see also Matthew 24:42); and not be ashamed due to being naked (see Revelation 3:18). This battle will be reported later in Revelation 19:11-21.
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!”
The seventh and last angel pours out their bowl into the air. Before observing the results of this action, John hears a loud voice from the throne in the sanctuary say, “It is done!” The Greek ‘gegonen’[3] (translated here as ‘done’) conveys the idea that the situation is now different, that a change has occurred. When this last judgment is done, a transition will occur, Jesus returns, justice is served, and He begins His reign as King.
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.
Again lightning is seen and thunder is heard (see Revelation 4:5; 8:5; 11:19). A powerful earthquake, greater than any earthquake in the past, then occurs. The great city (Jerusalem, see Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 11:8) was split into three parts and cities around the world fall. Special attention is made on Babylon (the city previously prophesied to fall, see Revelation 14:8), that the “cup of wine” that was full of God’s fury is to be drained (Greek ‘dounai’,[4] to be given, bestow upon). The next two chapters of Revelation focus on the destruction of Babylon.
John then observes that every island and mountain on earth are gone (see verse twenty). He also sees large hailstones falling (see also Revelation 11:19), which he estimates being around one hundred pounds each, on the people. Again reminiscent of the plagues in Egypt, heavy hail was the seventh of the ten plagues (see Exodus 9:13-35). The people continue to curse God as this plague was very severe.
Considerations
The name Armageddon a transliteration of two Hebrew words, ‘Har’,[5] meaning mountain, and ‘Megiddō’,[6] a location Biblically and historically known for being a place of great destruction and slaughter (see Judges 5:19; 1 Samuel 31:1-13; 2 Kings 9:27; 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22). The word has become a metaphor in the English language as a reference to the end of times. It is the location where a great battle will take place, but it will be a swift battle as Jesus and the armies of heaven quickly defeat those opposing God (see Revelation 19:11-21). It is curious to wonder if Satan, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and all the kings of the world, actually thought they could win this battle as they all will know (have full knowledge) that they are fighting against God (see also Joel 3, Zechariah 14).
Armageddon may be the best known war in the end times, it is, however, not the only war found in yet-future prophecy. While theologians may not all agree as to the order or when they will occur, most accept the fact that these have not occurred in history therefore they are expected to occur before the end of time. The following is a brief summary of each of these potential wars, presented in Scriptural order (no sequence or timing implied):
Note: Like all future prophecies that mention the names of the nations or regions involved, the names will be the ones known at the time the prophecy was written, not current names or modern boundaries, so knowing approximate ancient geopolitical names and boundaries are important. Also, note that multiple ancient names may now constitute only one modern nation, so there will be some redundancies.
Psalm 83 - A prayer written by Asaph (King David’s worship leader), this psalm is considered to describe the first battle in the end times. It has been given the name, “The War of Annihilation.” Some believe it has been ‘recently’ fulfilled in Israel’s War of Independence (1948), the Six-Day War (1967), the Yom Kippur War (1973), or the Israel-Hamas War (2023). Those that believe it is still yet-future often connect it to immediately precede the Gog and Magog conflict of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Potential players include: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinians, and Saudi Arabia.
Jeremiah 49 - Called the “War of Elam,” this is a recent prophetic discovery. Elam currently represents a sizable region now in the nation of Iran. Some believe that this attack on Iran will result in the “War of Annihilation” above. There are many who believe this is not a valid end-times battle scenario.
Ezekiel 38-39 - The War of Gog and Magog, perhaps the second best well known end-time battle. The battle was discussed earlier in the Old Testament texts. It records an invasion against Israel that many believe describe modern weaponry and will involve God obviously intervening to protect Israel. Potential players include: Iran, Libya, Russia, Sudan, and Turkey.
Daniel 11 - This chapter has been interpreted in a variety of ways. The most common is the future prophecy of events that transpired between the time of Malachi to the arrival of John the Baptist, namely about a notorious character named Antiochus Epiphanes who serves as a model for the Antichrist (see discussion in the Old Testament texts above). Potential players include: Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and Turkey.
Revelation 6 - The first battle to occur during the time of the Tribulation. Some have given it the name “World War III.” When Jesus began to open the seven-sealed scroll, the first seal revealed a rider on a white horse, believed to be the Antichrist masquerading as a peacemaker, who ultimately comes to conquer and bring war. He was followed by a rider of a red horse (to take peace away and to slaughter people), a rider of a black horse (to bring hardship), and a rider of a pale horse (whose name is death), together they kill a quarter of all those living on earth.
Revelation 8 - By using expressions like “a third of the earth was burned up,” “a great mountain burning with fire,” and “blazing like a torch,” as read in the first three “Trumpet Judgments,” we see a lot of destruction occurring by exceptional fire. Some believe these are the result of nuclear attacks orchestrated by the Antichrist.
Revelation 12 - A war against the Jews. As discussed in the Revelation Chapter Twelve Considerations titled “Satan’s Attempts to Stop God’s Plan,” the Jews throughout history have been persecuted with the ultimate goal of stopping God’s plan of judgment. Satan couldn’t stop Jesus from arriving or offering salvation to all people, but since the Jews are the ones that will plead for Jesus to return, the Jews remain high on Satan’s list to persecute. This battle begins in the middle of the Tribulation.
Revelation 20 - Referred to as the “Second War of Gog and Magog.” Considered the last war in human history. Some believe this is the same war as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39, but they are very different. This battle occurs near the end of the Millennium after Satan is allowed to deceive the nations for the last time.
John described very large hailstones, something truly supernatural in size (does not appear to be the same type of hail John reported on earlier, see Revelation 11:19). These hailstones would be very effective weapons of mass destruction. It is interesting to note that the primary punishment found in the Torah, God’s law, was stoning (see Numbers 15:35; Leviticus 24:14-16; Deuteronomy 22:23; Joshua 7:25; 1 Kings 21:13; Acts 7:58), could these hailstones be considered a form of being stoned to death?
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[1] Strong’s Greek 4190.
[2] Strong’s Greek 2556.
[3] The root of this word is ‘gínomai’, Strong’s Greek 1096.
[4] Strong’s Greek 1325.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 2022.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 4023.