Revelation Chapter 16

Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

Bowls directed against natural phenomenon. A voice from the temple. Since no one could enter the temple (15:8), this loud voice from the temple must be God Himself, who personally initiates the horrific judgment of the bowls. These bowls of judgment are the third woe described in 11:14; there is the note of finality; these are not chastisements (with the purpose of bringing repentance) as much as punishments (with the purpose of dispensing justice). As such, we usually think of these as occurring at the end of the seven year period, immediately before Jesus' return.

Exodus imagery in these plagues is repeated; God also visited plagues of boils (Exodus 9:8-12), waters turning to blood (Exodus 7:14-25), and darkness (Exodus 10:21-29) upon Egypt in Moses' time. Are these plagues symbolic? Perhaps we can't envision all that these words mean; however, God's judgment of this world will not be a symbolic judgment. We can remember that the reality behind a symbol is always more real - and in this case therefore more terrifying - than the symbol itself .

Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image.

The first bowl: foul and loathsome sores. Those who worshipped the beast as received his mark are now "marked" by God with loathsome sores.

Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead [man]: and every living soul died in the sea.

The second bowl: the sea turned to blood. Revelation 8:8-9 described a partial contamination of the sea; here the contamination is made complete. The sea doesn't necessarily become blood; it may correspond to the blood of a corpse in its appearance and sickening character (it became blood as a dead man).

Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

The third bowl: fresh waters polluted. Again, this complete contamination is in contrast to the partial (one-third) pollution of fresh waters shown in Revelation 8:10-11. When these judgments come, the time must be very short until the return of Jesus, because with ecological disaster such as this, the race cannot survive long.

Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and was, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus.
Rev 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Rev 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous [are] thy judgments.

The righteousness of God's judgments. It is completely fitting that those who delighted in shedding the blood of the saints should now be forced to drink "blood"; they have refused the Living Water, and now will be given the waters of death. Even in the midst of judgment, it is right that the angel declares You are righteous, O Lord; not only is God's justice fair; it is pure, and appropriate; there is no "vigilante justice" with God.

The voice of verse 7 is either an angel speaking from the altar; or the altar personified, representing the corporate testimony of the martyrs (6:9) and the prayers of the saints (8:3-5). This "speaking altar" may be God's altar - the cross, where His greatest sacrifice was made, and which here testifies of His righteous judgment, both in the past and soon to come - and the altar whereby God, in His love, has offered a means of escape from these judgments.

Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

The fourth bowl: the sun scorches men. What is normally taken for granted as a blessing - the warmth of the shining sun - is now a curse. The failure of men to respond with repentance shows that man's depravity will not be altered by a knowledge or experience of judgment; people not won by grace will never be won. "The wishful thinking of some that men would repent if they only knew the power and righteous judgment of God is shattered by frequent mention in this chapter of the hardness of the human heart in the face of the most stringent and evident divine discipline."

Rev 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Rev 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Bowls directed against the beast and his government. Fifth bowl: a plague of darkness. Some see this as a symbolic darkness; the last three plagues have been called a "triad of political disaster" - internal anarchy, invasion, irreparable collapse. But it isn't necessary to see the this darkness as a symbolic political darkness; the ninth plague on Egypt was a literal darkness, with spiritual overtones (it could be felt, as described in Exodus 10:21-22). The darkness of this fifth bowl is a preview of Hell itself, which is described by Jesus as the outer darkness (Matthew 25:30); those under the judgment of this fifth bowl are, as it were, standing on the shores of the lake of fire. In man's depravity, he increases his sin when under God's judgment instead of forsaking his sin.

Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The sixth bowl: armies are gathered. The Romans considered the Euphrates River a secure barrier against invasion from the empires of the east (it was 1800 miles long and 300-1200 yards wide). If the Euphrates were dried up and made a road, massive armies from the east (nations such as China, India, and Japan) could move westward with ease. Why do they come? Is it to wipe out Israel? Or to rebel against a European-based world leader (the Antichrist)? Ultimately, they come to do battle against God and His Messiah (Psalm 2).

The spirits are like frogs in form; the Jews regarded frogs as unclean and repulsive, but the Egyptians revered a frog-goddess. "We can only explain the similitude from the uncleanness, and the pertinacious noise, of the frog". "Christ expelled unclean spirits, but His enemies send them forth". The frogs are "a devastating caricature of the failure of evil. That which men fear most because it appears to be mighty and eternally entrenched becomes at long last only a ridiculous spawning of sickly creatures of the night." (Love). These demons are like the "lying spirit" who led Ahab into battle (1 Kings 22:19-23). Again, signs and wonders are used by demons as tools of deception; the false prophet here is the second beast of Revelation 13.

This battle is not nation against nation, but the nations against God (Psalm 2:2); and one of three important battles mentioned in prophecy. Gog, Magog and allies against Israel (Ezekiel 38 and 39). The battle of Armageddon, when the Antichrist leads the world system against a returning Jesus (Revelation 17:12-16; 17:14; 19:19). The final battle, when Satan and his allies, after the millennium, make war against God (Revelation 20:7-10). The winner of this battle is apparent: it is the great day of God, not the great day of man, not the great day of the Antichrist, not the great day of the dragon. In the midst of the description of the coming battle, there is a warning to be prepared in light of Jesus' assured victory.

Garments are pictures of spiritual and practical righteousness; we are given the righteousness of Jesus as a garment (Galatians 3:27), but we are also called to "put on" the nature of Jesus in terms of practical holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24). Above all, we must not be "naked" - that is, without a covering, or trying to provide our own covering like Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:7), which is like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Armageddon (Har-Megiddo) is the place of this battle. Since there is no specific mount (Har) Megiddo (Megiddo is actually a valley), many see this as a symbolic mountain or hill of slaughter. Megiddo is in a region frequently associated with decisive battles: Deborah over Sisera (Judges 5:19); Gideon over the Midianites (Judges 7); Pharaoh over Josiah (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:22); it is also a place of end-times mourning (Zechariah 12:11). Over 200 battles have been fought in the region, from 1468 BC (Tuthmosis III) to 1917 (Lord Allenby of the British). It is best to see the place as literal; as the region of Megiddo and the valley of Esdraelon -16:14, 17:14 and 19:19 speak of an organized battle that must center somewhere, even if it extends much further.

Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, [and] so great.
Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The seventh bowl: the final judgments.

It is done, coming from the throne itself tells us that there will be no more delay; in mercy, God has stretched out this scene as much has He could - the seals were followed by trumpets; the trumpets were followed by bowls; but there will be no more judgments upon the earth after this - it is done. The fact that the bowl is poured into the air may show judgment against the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and his allies. In these final judgments, God shakes the earth with a tremendous earthquake, as in Hebrews 12:26: Now He has promised, saying, 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven' - yet, the things which cannot be shaken will remain.

The fall of Babylon (the great city) is more explicitly described in chapters 17 and 18; here, it is enough to say that God gives her the cup of the wine of the fierceness (thymos) of His wrath (orge). Giant hailstones fall, weighing up to 100 pounds; men respond in utter, unrepentant depravity. Hail is frequently a tool of judgment against God's enemies, as seen against Egypt (Exodus 9:24); the Canaanites (Joshua 10:11); apostate Israel (Isaiah 28:2); and Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:22).

In each of these circumstances, the hail raining down from heaven was used as a tool of judgment, not as a corrective chastisement of God's own children. We might say that Revelation 16 is a "great" chapter. Describing great evil: a great city, great Babylon (verse 19). Describing great tools of judgment: great heat (verse 9), a great river dried up (verse 12), a great earthquake (verse 18), great hail and great plagues (verse 21). Describing a great God: His great voice (loud is the same Greek word for great; verses 1; 17), and His great day of victory (verse 14).

Penalty for blasphemy: stoning! [Hail also accompanies nuclear effects...]

Note: These judgments are not the "blessed hope": "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Many are trying to reduce the population of the earth; it seems more appropriate to reduce the population of hell! Judgment cannot pro-duce repentance. It was never intended to. God changes hearts through His grace and mercy. This book was sent to the seven churches. It was given to us in order to change our lives right now.