Posted on by Chris Hardin

Revelation 16

*Again, bowl = vial = censer

Revelation 16:1-12

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to 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 a harmful and painful sore afflicted the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

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

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; 6 for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

8 And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 And the people were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.

 

Breakdown:

[Revelation 16:1-2

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to 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 a harmful and painful sore afflicted the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.]

 

What were the ten plagues God used to punish Egypt?

  1. Nile to blood (cf Rev 16:3-7)
  2. Frogs (cf Rev 16:13-14)
  3. Gnats or Lice – magicians could not copy this
  4. Flies
  5. Egyptian (only) Livestock die
  6. Boils (cf Rev 16:2)
  7. Hail (cf Rev 16:21)
  8. Locusts (cf Rev 9:1-11)
  9. Darkness (cf Rev 16:10)
  10. Death of first born – there is much human death throughout Revelation – not just the martyrs, but look back at the Revelation summary sheet.* (1/4 of the earth’s population killed in Revelation 6 with the fourth seal, then another 1/3 killed in Revelation 9 with the sixth trumpet)

Each time, Pharaoh promises to free the Israelites, but reverses his decision when the plague is lifted — until the last one. The plagues are: water turning to blood, frogs, gnats or lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of firstborn children.

*But before the plagues even began, what was Pharaoh’s last warning, delivered as a sign?

Exodus 7:8-13

8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may turn into a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12 For each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

*Anyone remember the names of these magicians? Not given in this text, but in 2 Timothy 3:8-9 we see them mentioned.

 (8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress; for their foolishness will be obvious to all, just as was that also of Jannes and Jambres.)

 

The last gentle warning to Pharaoh was that Aaron’s staff swallowed the magician’s staffs – that should have been a sign to Pharaoh.

*Doesn’t God give us warnings too? Isn’t He patient and gracious to give us little warnings before we get in real trouble? People think the God of the OT was ruthless, angry and vengeful, but they haven’t really read the OT. He demonstrates grace and patience at every turn, just like with us today. But during the Tribulation, His wrath is poured out unfettered on the kingdom of the AC.

*But isn’t that what we saw in the trumpet judgements (judgements of the thirds)? Revelation chapters 8 and 9? Compare the second trumpet judgement in Revelation 8:8-9 with the second and third bowls in Revelation 16:3-4. What’s the difference? Isn’t a third of a punishment gentler than a full punishment? Ask any inmate if they’d prefer a 15-year term or a five-year term.

The flavor seems to be God giving the people a taste of His wrath during the trumpet judgments with a chance to repent before He pours out His final wrath with the bowls.

*During the GWT judgement, they can’t say they weren’t given fair warning and opportunity to change their ways.

[Revelation 8:8

8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.]

So for this first bowl, it recalls God’s sixth plague on Egypt in Exodus 9:8-12

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal. 11 The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

*It and the fifth bowl also recall God’s promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 28:15, 27-20

15 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to be careful to follow all His commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

27 “The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, the festering rash, and with scabies, from which you cannot be healed. 28 The Lord will strike you with insanity, blindness, and with confusion of mind; 29 and you will be groping about at noon, just as a person who is blind gropes in the darkness, and you will not be successful in your ways; but you will only be oppressed and robbed all the time, with no one to save you.

And of course God IS dealing with Israel here.

[Revelation 16:3-7]

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

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; 6 for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”]

*This of course recalls the first plague of Egypt in Exodus 7:14-25

Water Turned into Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning just as he is going out to the water, and position yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened up to now.” 17 This is what the Lord says: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I am going to strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood. 18 Then the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.”’” 19 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, so that they may become blood; and there will be blood through all the land of Egypt, both in containers of wood and in containers of stone.’”

20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and all the water that was in the Nile was turned into blood. 21 Then the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. 22 But the soothsayer priests of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink from the water of the Nile. 25 Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

**Do you think by now that the Jews during the Tribulation are recalling their lessons from the Torah? Maybe not as many are secular.

[Revelation 16:8-9

8 And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 And the people were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.]

In Revelation 8:12 the fourth trumpet dimmed the sun by 1/3, so now it’s at full strength again.

Sun worship was the original pagan idolatry. We will talk about Nimrod again in chapter 17 and his founding of Babel which became Babylon, in which paganism can be traced back to.

[Revelation 16:10-11

10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.]

*Do you recall a question that was asked by all the world back in Revelation 13:4?

4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” 

That question is being answered now. GOD is able to make war with the beast, and prevail.

Make a note in the margin of your Bible here by verse 10 – make a notation that this is a summary / foretelling of Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened – foretaste of chapters 17 and 18.

 

[Revelation 16:12

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.]

Please don’t confuse this with what happened in Revelation 9:13-19

The Sixth Trumpet: Army from the East

13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

The kings from the east referenced in Revelation 6:12 is likely a human army marching to the plain of Megiddo to attack Jerusalem. Likely China, the Koreas, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Japan, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, etc.

As we discussed back in chapter 9, this is describing a supernatural, demonic hoard…

…two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone.

**I emphasize this because many people conflate the drying up of the Euphrates for the kings of the east in chapter 16 with the arrival of the demonic army from the east from chapter 9.

 

They appear to be two separate events.

Revelation 16:13-21

Har-Magedon (Armageddon)

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 spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”) 16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon 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 and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled, and no mountains were found. 21 And huge hailstones, weighing about a talent each, *came down from heaven upon people; and people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because the hailstone plague *was extremely severe.

Breakdown:

Rev. 16:13-14

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 spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty

Frogs – one of the plagues of Egypt (see list from last week)

 

[[What were the ten plagues God used to punish Egypt?

  1. Nile to blood (cf Rev 16:3-7)
  2. Frogs (cf Rev 16:13-14)
  3. Gnats or Lice – magicians could not copy this
  4. Flies
  5. Egyptian (only) Livestock die
  6. Boils (cf Rev 16:2)
  7. Hail (cf Rev 16:21)
  8. Locusts (cf Rev 9:1-11)
  9. Darkness (cf Rev 16:10)
  10. Death of first born – there is much human death throughout Revelation – not just the martyrs, but look back at the Revelation summary sheet.* (1/4 of the earth’s population killed in Revelation 6 with the fourth seal, then another 1/3 killed in Revelation 9 with the sixth trumpet)]]

 

Dr. Missler notes that one of the three types of aliens commonly reported are ‘the reptilians’ (though frogs are amphibians)

**v. 14 Recalls Psalm 2:1- 6

2 Why are the nations restless
And the peoples plotting in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers conspire together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let’s tear their shackles apart
And throw their ropes away from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”


**This passage in Psalm 2 also describes the first Gog and Magog war in Ezekiel 38 and 39, Armageddon here, and the second Gog and Magog war described in Revelation 20:7-9.

Rev. 16:15

15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”)

This recalls Luke 21:34 where Christ warns the Jews about his Second Coming in the last days.

“But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap;

Other versions say ‘catch you unawares’. This is directed to the Jews during the Tribulation, not the Church.

Nowhere does the Bible ever say He comes like a thief for the Rapture. See pages 59 – 62  in the big notes for an article by Jack Kelley that explains this.

In fact Paul tells the Church the rapture will not surprise us like a thief…

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

5 Now as to the periods and times, brothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief;  

…‘Stays awake’… (recalls parable of virgins in Matthew 25:1-12 (remember that ALL of the bridesmaids fell asleep but those who had a supply of oil (the HS) were allowed in) possibly indicates again that people must be faithful until the end.

Rev 16:16

16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

*All the great battles that have been fought at the plain of Megiddo. *But Armageddon will NOT be fought there. Armageddon is just the staging ground, like England was before the Normandy invasion. The battle is at Jerusalem.

List of Battles fought at Megiddo

Approximately 34 battles have been fought in the Jezreel Valley (the valley of Armageddon) at the base of Tel Megiddo. Napoleon Bonaparte declared it as “the most natural battleground of the whole earth.” Here are some of the most important ones: Thutmose III vs. the Canaanites in ca. 1472 BC; Deborah & Barak vs. Sisera (Judges 5); Saul vs. the Philistines (1 Sam 31) Solomon vs. Pharaoh Shishak (2 Chr. 12:3-4); Josiah vs. Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29); Four separate battles between Saladin and the Crusaders in the 12th century; Egyptian Mamlouks vs. Mongols in 14th century; Napoleon Bonaparte vs. Ottomans in 1799; General George Allenby vs. Ottoman Turks in 1918; Kibbutz Mishmar Ha�emek vs. Arab Liberation Army in 1948

Image Credit: Samson Tours

**(Illustrations did not transfer from notes to webpage)

 

 

*The last battle fought there will be the second Gog and Magog war of Revelation 20:7-9

7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 

 

 

Rev. 16:17

17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”

Who is the prince of the power of the air?

 

Ephesians 2:1-2

2 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 

Rev. 16:18-20

18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled, and no mountains were found

Compare earthquakes in Rev summary sheet – There are at least FIVE earthquakes in Revelation, 1. occurring in chapter 6 at the sixth seal judgement, 2. in chapter 8 at the seventh seal, 3. in chapter 11 when the two witnesses are killed (7000 other people also killed), 4. also in chapter 11 at the seventh trumpet judgement, 5. The last one, the most powerful one, at the seventh bowl here in chapter 16.

The world is being remodeled for the Millennial Kingdom

*1000 years later, after the Millennium and the GWT judgement, what happens? 2 Peter 3:10-13

A New Heaven and Earth

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be discovered.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

*So this implies that righteousness did not dwell during the Millennium, at least not consistently or permanently. People still die, Satan is set lose, sin occurs. The Millennium is not heaven!

Rev 16:21

21 And huge hailstones, weighing about a talent each, *came down from heaven upon people; and people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because the hailstone plague *was extremely severe.

 

Recalls Joshua 10:11

11 And as they fled from Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord hurled large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.


Some say these are not made of ice but are meteorites. Think about that for a second. If true, God would have had to set these stones on a path to earth in space years before they were needed for His punishment and to land exactly when they were needed. Impeccable timing. Miraculous. Or He could have spontaneously made them at the time.

And again, here in Revelation these may be stones or ice, but they weigh about a talent each. It’s debated, but the range of estimates is anywhere from 60 to 120 pounds. ‘That’ll leave an impression.’

Job 38:22-23

22 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
And have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved for a time of distress,
For a day of war and battle?


Exodus 9:23-24

23 So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.


Isaiah 30:30

30 And the Lord will cause His voice of authority to be heard,
And the descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.

 

Ezekiel 13:10-11

10 It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; 11 so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, hailstones, will fall, and a violent wind will break out.

Ezekiel 38:21-22

21 And I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With plague and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

 

*What was the punishment for blasphemy?

Leviticus 24:16

16 Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The stranger as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

And what does it say in Revelation 16:21 that the people were doing?

They still refused to submit to God and blasphemed Him.