Commentary on Revelation

Chapter 16

The first bowl: sores on men

Rev. 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 his bowl on the earth, and foul and evil sores came upon the men who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

As we saw in Chapter 15, the seven angels came out from the temple dressed in priestly garments. This indicated that their mission was of divine origin; that is, the judgment of Rome was a divine judgment from God. Since 15:8 indicates that no one could enter the temple until the judgment had ended, the voice in 16:1 is probably the voice of God. The seven bowls were foreshadowed in Rev. 14:9-10 -

"And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger."

The first bowl contains the first portion of this wrath. In particular, it contains painful sores which afflict those who worship the image of the beast. Recall our earlier comments regarding the identity of this beast and its followers. This bowl parallels the sixth plague against Egypt (Exodus 9:11), a previous judgment of God against another persecutor of his people. Were the Romans literally afflicted with these sores? No. Like everything else we have seen in this vision these bowls are symbolic. If the sores in verse 2 are literal then what about the seven headed beast in verse 2? Is it literal, also? If they aren't literal then what is their purpose? What do these bowls depict? Recall 14:9-10; these bowls depict the wrath of God and the judgment of Rome. How does God describe this judgment? He uses symbols which remind us of his past judgments.

The second bowl: the sea becomes like blood

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

The second bowl turns the sea into blood. Again we are reminded of a past display of God's wrath against Egypt. Is this literal? Did all of the creatures in the sea literally die? No. Similar language was used in the Old Testament. Compare the description given in Zeph. 1:2-4 of a judgment against Judah.

"I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth," says the Lord. "I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will overthrow the wicked; I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth," says the Lord. "I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests."

Did this literally occur? Compare the description given in Jer. 4:23-28 of another judgment against Judah.

I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. For thus says the Lord, "The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented nor will I turn back."

Did this literally occur? Compare the description given in Isaiah 13 regarding the fall of Babylon.

19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 20 It will never be inhabited or dwelt in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. 21 But wild beasts will lie down there, and its houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there satyrs will dance. 22 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.

Did this literally occur? No. History tells us that Babylon fell without a shot. The priests opened the gates and let Cyrus in after Belshazzar was assassinated. Note that Isaiah said that Babylon would fall as Sodom fell, that no one would ever live there again, and that no one would ever pass through it again. None of this was literally fulfilled. Alexander the Great headquartered there and later died there. People live there today. What then is meant by this language? Babylon, the kingdom, will fall never to rise again. The language is designed to instill terror and describe the wrath and judgment of God against the ungodly. The language paints a picture. Finally, compare the judgment against Edom detailed in Isaiah 34:9-13 -

And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into brimstone; her land shall become burning pitch. Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up for ever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plummet of chaos over its nobles. They shall name it No Kingdom There, and all its princes shall be nothing. Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches.

Did this literally occur? Could it have literally occurred? (Could an ostrich live in burning pitch?) The prophecies in Revelation are modelled after those in the Old Testament. Those in the Old Testament often used vivid imagery and hyperbole that did not literally occur but were intended to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Similar language in Revelation is used for a similar purpose. One cannot properly interpret Revelation without studying the Old Testament.

The third bowl: rivers and fountains become blood

4 The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of water say, "Just art thou in these thy judgments, thou who art and wast, O Holy One. 6 For men have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. It is their due!" 7 And I heard the altar cry, "Yea, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are thy judgments!"

The second bowl turned the sea into blood. This bowl turns the fresh water into blood. Again, we are reminded of God's wrath against Egypt. (The first plague in Ex. 7:14-24 turned the Nile into blood.) God's wrath against Rome will exceed his wrath against Egypt. Here he turns all of the water into blood. Again, is this literal? No. See our comments above regarding the second bowl. Does anyone teach that these passages should be taken literally? Yes. Hal Lindsey, who has probably sold more books on this subject than every other author combined, has the following to say about this passage:

As if the bloodied sea wasn't enough, the third angel poured out his bowl of judgment into the rivers and springs of waters, and they became blood also. It gets pretty grim when there is no fresh water to drink anywhere on earth. There's going to be a big run on Coca-Cola, but even this will give out after a while!

Lindsey says that seven months later 200 million Chinese soldiers will march on Israel to meet the Antichrist in battle. That's a lot of Coca-Cola (and a lot of nonsense). Notice the sarcasm and irony in verse 6. The Romans were blood thirsty so God gave them blood to drink. He more than quenched their thirst for blood. In verse 7, the altar cries out to declare the justice of God. Recall Rev. 6:9-10 -

"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?"

The cry for justice which prompted this display of God's wrath came from the martyrs gathered under the altar and they voice their approval in verse 7. Read verse 7 and think of heavenly cheerleaders.

The fourth bowl: fierce heat of the sun

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

The fourth bowl causes the heat of the sun to intensify and scorch men with fire. Recall that Nero had used the burning bodies of Christians. Tacitus wrote that: "[The Christians] were covered with wild beasts' skins and torn to death by dogs; or they were fastened on crosses, and, when daylight failed were burned to serve as lamps by night."

The Romans wanted light and God gives it to them by turning up the heat of the sun. Also, recall the description of God's people given in Rev. 7:16-17 - "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

The condition of the ungodly is pictured as being opposite that of the godly. Those afflicted by this bowl curse God who has power over these plagues and they do not repent. Again we are told that this is a divine judgment; these plagues are from God just as the plagues against Egypt were. The response of those afflicted also parallels that of the Egyptians; that is, they do not repent.

The fifth bowl: darkness

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

The fifth bowl pours darkness on the throne of the beast and its kingdom. This plague parallels the ninth plague against Egypt. Recall Exodus 10:21. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.'" The darkness here can also be "felt"; it causes men to gnaw their tongues in anguish. This bowl may depict the moral darkness which we discussed in Chapter 9 where smoke from the bottomless pit darkened the sun and sky. There spiritual and moral blindness was depicted as a punishment from God. Compare 2 Thess. 2:11 where God sent people "a strong delusion to make them believe what is false" and in Matthew 11:25 Jesus thanked God that he had hidden certain things from the wise and understanding. Recall that Frances Schaeffer reminds us that Rome fell because it did not have a sufficient inner base. The lowering of moral standards and the resulting decadence contributed directly to the fall of Rome. Moral and spiritual blindness is a disease which destroys the heart of a person or a nation. This bowl afflicts Rome with this disease.

The sixth bowl: the foul spirits prepare for Armageddon

12 The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

The sixth bowl causes the water in the great river Euphrates to dry up to prepare the way for kings from the east. (If these bowls are describing literal plagues then where did this water come from?) Recall that the sixth trumpet also depicted warfare as an instrument of God's judgment. There we saw 200 million troops cross the Euphrates river to march against Rome. (See 9:13-19.) The war of the sixth trumpet was only a partial judgment - only a third were killed. How much worse must the war of the sixth bowl be - it will be a total and complete judgment. Recall from our discussion in Chapter 9 that "Crossing the Euphrates" is a vivid picture taken from the Old Testament to represent the threat of military power. The Assyrians and Babylonians crossed the Euphrates river to attack the Jews. Compare Isaiah 8:7-8 where the great river Euphrates is used to depict military might:

"Therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks; and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel."

The drying up of the waters is a common sign of the power of God. In Exodus 14 God showed his power by drying up the Red Sea. In Joshua 3 God showed his power by drying up the Jordan river. In Jer. 51:36 God threatens to destroy Babylon by drying up her sea. In Zech. 10:11 God threatens to destroy Egypt by drying up the Nile. Here in Rev. 16 we see God drying up the Euphrates river to allow his armies to advance upon Rome even more easily than they did in Chapter 9. This passage may also be recalling an event from history. In Revelation, Babylon (a past enemy of God's people) is used to depict Rome (a current enemy of God's people). When Cyrus the Persian captured Babylon he did so by drying up the Euphrates river which flowed right through the center of Babylon. Cyrus diverted the river into a lake and entered the city through the dry channel of the river. Just as the actual city of Babylon had fallen by a literal drying up of the Euphrates, the figurative Babylon (Rome) would fall by a figurative drying up of the Euphrates.

Who are the kings from the East?

  1. Some say that these are the allies of Rome who are pictured as rushing in to her aid. This however conflicts with the parallel passage of the sixth trumpet in Chapter 9 where the armies which cross the Euphrates do so to attack Rome. Further, the passage here indicates that God dries up the river to help the invading kings from the east. They are on His side.

  2. In Chapter 9 a huge army of 200 million horsemen crossed the Euphrates to attack Rome. The purpose of such a huge number of troops was clearly to inflict terror. (Recall how the horses were described in Chapter 9.) The description in chapter 16 serves the same purpose. William Barclay writes:

The greatest enemies of Rome, the one nation she could not subjugate, were the Parthians who lived beyond the Euphrates. Their calvary was the most dreaded force of fighting men in the world. For the cavalry of the Parthians to come sweeping across the Euphrates was a thought to strike terror in the bravest heart.

Did this literally occur? No. None of the previous bowls literally occurred and this bowl is no different. The purpose of the bowls is to paint a picture of compete and total destruction and judgment and that is exactly the picture which this bowl conveys.

13 And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul 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.

Who is assembled against the advancing armies of God? The dragon (Satan - the power behind Rome), the beast (the beast from the sea - the civil, military might of Rome), and the false prophet (the beast from the earth - the false religious side of Rome). These three form a hideous contrast to the Godhead - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From the mouth of each emerges a foul demonic spirit like a frog. These spirits perform signs and assemble the whole world for battle. This section may parallels 1 Kings 22:19-23 where we see lying spirits receive permission from God to deceive Ahab into battle against Ramoth-Gilead. Why are they compared to frogs?

  1. Frogs are connected to the plagues (Exodus 8:5-11). Psalm 78:45 says that God sent frogs to destroy the Egyptians and Psalm 105:30 says that their land swarmed with frogs even in the chambers of their kings.

  2. Frogs are famous for their empty and continuous croaking. The sound of a frog is a symbol for meaningless speech which characterized the speech of the dragon and the two beasts.

  3. In Zoroastrianism, the Persian religion, frogs are the bringer of plagues and an agent of the power of darkness. Hence, this symbol may have been attached to the symbol of the Kings from the East.

15 ("Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!")

Jesus is coming like a thief. To what does this refer? Similar language is used in Matt. 24:43-44 to describe the final coming of Jesus but to apply that to this passage would require us to ignore the time frame of this book and the context of this passage. (Remember: Similar language is often used to describe different events.) Whatever this coming is, it will be unexpected as would the coming of a thief. Only those who watch and are ready will spared. What is the context of verse 15? The verse is inserted in a passage describing a great judgment against Rome which Rev. 1:1; 1:3; 22:6; 22:10 tells us would occur shortly after the book was written. The book ends in 22:20 with Jesus saying that "Surely I am coming soon." Doesn't this describe the final coming of Jesus? The time frame of the book says no. The context of the book says no. Similar language is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe another past event. Recall Matthew 24:30, 34.

Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ... This generation will not pass away till all these things take place.

Also compare Matt. 16:28: "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." Matthew 24:30 describes the judgment of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as a coming of Christ. Revelation describes the judgment of Rome as a coming of Christ. Elsewhere in the New Testament, the final judgment of the world is described as a coming of Christ. (Remember, even though the phrase "the second coming" occurs in countless books about the Bible it actually occurs nowhere in the Bible. (Hebrews 9:28 does refer to Christ's second "appearance." As we have seen, however, passages such as Matthew 24:30-34 indicate that Jesus has already figuratively appeared again and has figuratively come again in judgment since his ascension. To be precise, the "second coming" of Christ should instead be referred to as the "second literal appearance" of Christ which will occur as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17.)

16 And they assembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon.

The armies assemble at Armageddon; that is, at Har-Magedon meaning the Mount or City of Megiddo. What is Armageddon? Barclay writes:

Megiddo is in the Plain of Esdraelon which was part of the great highway from Egypt to Damascus. From the most ancient times to the time of Napoleon it was one of the great battle-grounds of the world. This was the plain where Barak and Deborah overthrew Sisera and his chariots in Judges 5. This is where Ahaziah died by the arrows of Jehu in 2 Kings 9. This is where Josiah perished in battle with Pharaoh Necho in 2 Kings 23; a tragedy which burned itself into the Jewish mind and which the Jews never forgot (see Zech. 12:11). Armageddon would mean the city of Megiddo; Harmagedon would be the mountain of Megiddo. ... By far the most likely view is that the word is Harmagedon, and that is describes the region near Megiddo in the Plain of Esdraelon which was perhaps the most storied of all battle-grounds in Jewish history.

Thus, God chose a famous battlefield to depict the complete judgment and utter destruction of Rome. Literal? No. A vivid image? Definitely. Armageddon is the perfect setting for the figurative battle between the Lamb and the dragon. Napoleon once remarked that all of the armies of the world could make battle there.

The seventh bowl: the earthquake

17 The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

This is the culmination of the judgment of Rome. At this point Rome's fate was sealed and its fall became inevitable. The verdicts of historians notwithstanding, the book of Revelation makes it clear that Rome fell because they persecuted Christians. Rome's fall was a divine judgment from God. The most powerful empire the earth had ever seen went up against the Church and lost. With the seventh bowl, God declares that "It is done!"; his judgment is complete. Does this then speak of the actual end of Rome (usually placed around A.D. 476)? Not necessarily. Rome's fate was certain long before it actually fell. As a comparison, note that Christ defeated death at the cross yet death still occurs. Death was conquered at the cross: 2 Timothy 1:10 says that Jesus "abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Hebrews 2:14 says that Jesus "likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." Yet death will continue to exist until the end of the world:

  1. 1 Cor. 15:24-26 "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

  2. 1 Cor. 15:54 "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"

Death's fate was sealed at the cross yet it continued to operate. Similarly, Rome's fate was sealed during John's day yet it continued to operate for awhile even though it had been judged and sentenced by God. Note that this bowl is poured into the air. The fall of Rome was a great defeat for Satan. He had tried to kill Jesus in his infancy through Herod (and indirectly through Rome) and had failed. He then tried to kill the Church in its infancy directly through Rome and had failed again. Satan was the power behind Rome and complete defeat with regard to Rome is described in detail in Chapter 20. Recall from Eph. 2:2 that Satan is the prince of the power of the air.

18 And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were 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 great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; 21 and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.

As usual, a great judgment of God is pictured as being accompanied by lightning, thunder, and earthquakes. The purpose is dramatic effect and we have seen it many times before. This earthquake was "such as had never been since men were on the earth." This indicates that this judgment is different from the previous judgments we have seen in this book. The judgment of the seventh bowl is God's final word with regard to Rome. This judgment is total and complete. Doesn't such language imply that this bowl must correspond to the final judgment at the end of the world? No. Similar language is used elsewhere to describe other past judgments. Compare the following passage from Ezekiel which describes a judgment against Judah at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar:

Ezekiel 5:8,9 - "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nations. And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again."

Also, compare the following description of God's judgment against Jerusalem which occurred in A.D. 70: Matt. 24:21 - 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.

The great city which is split into three pieces by the earthquake is Rome. The cities of the nations which fall with her may be her allies; that is, the client kings and federates which we first saw in Chapter 13. The division of the city into three pieces further emphasizes the totality and completeness of this judgment. In Ezekiel 5, God speaks of the complete destruction of his people by dividing them into three pieces. Compare:

  1. Ezekiel 5:2 "A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed; and a third part you shall take and strike with the sword round about the city; and a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them."

  2. Ezekiel 5:12 "A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in the midst of you; a third part shall fall by the sword round about you; and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them."

The islands flee and the mountains cannot be found. Huge 100 pound hailstones fall from heaven. This language also commonly accompanies judgments in the Old Testament. Compare:

  1. Micah 1:3-4 "For behold, the Lord is coming forth out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will be cleft, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place."

  2. Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake before him, the hills melt; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all that dwell therein.

  3. Ps. 97:4 His lightnings lighten the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.

  4. Ezekiel 26:18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall.

  5. Ps. 18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire. 13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. 14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

With the seventh bowl God's judgment against Rome and her allies is completed. The fall of the city will be described in more detail in Chapters 17 and 18. The battle at Armageddon will be described in more detail in Chapter 19. The defeat of Satan will be described in more detail in Chapter 20.