Revelation 16
The Bowls of God’s Wrath
16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.”
John heard a loud voice from the Shekinah Glory. The Shekinah Glory will command the seven angels to pour out the bowl judgments upon the earth. The bowl judgments will contain the wrath of God.
16:2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then ugly and painful sores appeared on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
The first angel will pour out the first bowl judgment. Ugly and painful sores will appear on the people who will take the mark of the beast. The Greek word for "painful sores" is ἕλκος (eklos), meaning a sore that is infected and is causing pus to ooze out of the sore.
16:3 Next, the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died.
The second angel will pour out the second bowl judgment. During the second trumpet judgment, only 1/3 of the salt water will turn to blood. In this second bowl judgment, all of the rest of the saltwater on the earth will turn to blood. Every sea creature in the ocean will die, causing more famine.
16:4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 16:5 Now I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are just – the one who is and who was, the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments,
The third angel will pour out the third bowl judgment. During the third trumpet judgment, 1/3 of the fresh water will turn to blood. In this third bowl judgment, all the rest of the fresh water will turn to blood.
16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets, so you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!”
The unbelievers will kill the saints, so the divine attribution is that they will have to drink literal blood.
16:7 Then I heard the altar reply, “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, your judgments are true and just!”
Everyone in heaven will agree that the Lord God will give the unbelievers what they will deserve.
16:8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people with fire.
The fourth angel will pour out the fourth bowl of judgment. During the fourth trumpet judgment, one third of the light sources will be dimmed, causing 16 hour days. In this fourth bowl judgment, the sun will be heated up, causing it to scorch the unbelievers with fire from the sun.
16:9 Thus people were scorched by the terrible heat, yet they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.
The unbelievers will refuse to turn to God. Instead, they will blaspheme His name. They will refuse to change their attitude about God. They will refuse to give Him glory.
16:10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that darkness covered his kingdom, and people began to bite their tongues because of their pain.
The fifth angel will pour out the fifth bowl judgment. This judgment will cause the fourth of the five blackouts. The Antichrist will be ruling a kingdom in total darkness. This darkness will cover the entire surface of the earth, except for three places. According to Daniel 11, this fourth blackout will not affect Edom, Moab, or Ammon. All three of these ancient nations are modern Jordan today. Modern Jordan is the location of Petra. The Jews who escaped Jerusalem will be hiding and protected supernaturally in Petra. This will be the only area on the earth where the Antichrist does not have control. Just as the Israelites were not affected by the plague of darkness under Pharaoh, neither will the Jews hiding in Petra be affected.
16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings and because of their sores, but nevertheless they still refused to repent of their deeds.
The unbelievers will refuse to repent of their evil deeds. Their evil deeds was rejecting Christ, worshipping the Antichrist, and killing the saints in a violent manner.
16:12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
The sixth angel will pour out the sixth bowl. The Euphrates River will dry up and lose all of its water. This will cause the kings of the east to prepare to attack. The kings of the east are not the Chinese, but they are the Mesopotamians who live in current Iran and Iraq. Babylon, the Great Tribulation capital of the Antichrist's kingdom, will be erected in this region. The kings of the east will be preparing to rebel and fight either against the Antichrist. or they will be preparing to wipe out the Jews at Petra. Either way, the Euphrates will be dried up so that all of these eastern kings can assemble at Armageddon to be slaughtered.
16:13 Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
The counterfeit trinity will send out three demons that look like frogs into their kingdom as ambassadors for the Antichrist.
16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful.
These three demons will be sent out to find allies for the Antichrist. They will persuade all of the kings of the world to assemble an army to exterminate the Jews at Petra. The battle will not be at Armageddon, but this will be the place where the armies first assemble. Many commentators falsely call this "the Battle of Armageddon," thinking that the battle will take place in this location. However, this is only where the armies assemble. They will travel to Petra to exterminate the Jews. The Lord Jesus Christ will meet this army at Petra. The Biblical name for the battle is "the War of the Great Day of God, the Almighty."
16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition be seen.)
This is a message to the saints who will be living during the time of this battle. Once these believers hear that the Antichrist is gathering an army at Armageddon, the believers are to be encouraged, because the Second Coming of Christ is about to occur.
16:16 Now the spirits gathered the kings and their armies to the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew.
There will be eight stages of the Battle of Armageddon, or biblically, "the War of the Great Day of God, the Almighty:"
1. The Antichrist will gather armies from all over the world in the Valley of Armageddon. (Revelation 16)
2. The city of Babylon will be supernaturally destroyed. (Isaiah 13-14, Jeremiah 50-51, Revelation 18)
3. The Antichrist will attack and take Jerusalem. (Zech 12, 14)
4. The forces of the Antichrist will travel to Petra to exterminate the Jews. (Jeremiah 49)
5. There will be a national regeneration of Israel. (Zechariah 12-13, Psalm 79-80)
6. The Lord Jesus Christ will return at Petra. (Habakuk 3, Isaiah 34, Isaiah 63)
7. The battle between Christ and the Antichrist will occur at Jehoshaphat. (Joel 3)
8. There will be a victory ascent at the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 5)
16:17 Finally 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 angel will pour out the seventh and final bowl. A loud voice will come out of the temple in heaven and declare that the judgments of the Great Tribulation are completed.
16:18 Then there were flashes of lightning, roaring, and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake.
Many convulsions of nature will accompany the seventh bowl. There will be flashes of lightning. There will be roaring and crashes of thunder. There will be the worst earthquake in the history of the earth. This earthquake will affect the entire earth.
16:19 The great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations collapsed. So Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath.
The earthquake will split Jerusalem into three different parts. Many of the cities of the nations will collapse.
16:20 Every island fled away and no mountains could be found.
There will be changes in the geography of the earth. All of the islands will flee away, All of the mountains will be leveled.
16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people, but they blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it was so horrendous.
God will purge the earth of all sinners who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. All who possess the mark of the beast who are still alive at the Second Coming will be killed by hailstones weighing about 100 pounds. This is the judgment of the "gentle Jesus."