Bible Commentaries
Revelation 16

John Brown

Revelation 16

The Bowl Judgments

At a children's missions conference I asked, "Where is the safest place in the world?" Matthew age 7, answered in all seriousness, "I think it’s where God wants you to be!"

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Last week we took a look at the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. In Rev_15:6

1. If you will remember,. . . .one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. Rev_15:7 (NKJV)

2. That was the scene where we left off.

a) One of the 4 living creatures that surrounds the throne of the Lord, handed the 7 bowls to the angels.

b) These are the last of the final judgments of God and they are the greatest.

c) We must remember that they are for those who have purposefully and willfullyrejected the Lord.

(1) 2Pe_3:9 tells us that The Lord is . . . . not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (NKJV)

(2) But many will not repent. Instead of choosing life, they would rather continue in their sins and face the consequences!

(3) It is for them that these bowls of judgment are intended!

(4) Let’s pray and begin our study.

II. TEXT

A. Rev_16:1-2 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."

2 So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. (NKJV)

1. The marching orders are given by a voice "from the temple", probably the Glorified Lord Himself!

a) Please remember, that at this time in the tribulation, the Lord’s wrath is in full force! No more "mister nice guy" to those whom have rejected the Savior.

2. Notice also that this first bowl does not affect those who have refused to accept the mark of the beast!

a) As we discussed in earlier chapters, these "foul and loathsome sores" could be a result of the angel simultaneously "popping" the lithium batteries that power the "womb-to-tomb" microchips implanted under the skin of all those "marked" by the beast!!!

B. Rev_16:3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died. (NKJV)

1. Under the judgment of the 2nd trumpet, 1/3 of the sea became as blood!

a) Now, however, all of the sea will "become blood as of a dead man." And everythingin the seas will perish!!

2. Chemically, the composition of sea water is almost identical to that of blood!

a) It would be very easily for this divine messenger to "remix" the chemicals to give the water the blood red appearance.

(1) There is at least one vital difference howeverbetween real blood and what will be in the seas. Real blood carries life, this "blood" will be "as the blood of a dead man".

(a) There will be not life, but death!

C. Rev_16:4-7 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due."

7 And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." (NKJV)

1. Our oceans are the standing results of rivers and streams, as well as melting ice caps.

a) The second bowl turned the standing bodies of water into blood, but not their sources!

b) This judgment bowl is aimed at the rivers and springs that supply the water!

2. Notice the angel is not crying, "I can’t believe that God would do such an awful thing."

a) In fact, he proclaims His righteousness for what HE is doing! Because He is judging sin!

b) He tells us in verse 6 why it is deserved.

(1) 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.

(2) Yet another angel speaks from the altar (verse7) confirming the Lord’s righteousness!!

(3) You see Heb_10:26 tells us that if men continue to mock the sacrificial blood of Christ even after they know the testimony of the cross . . . there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

D. Rev_16:8-9 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. (NKJV)

1. This 4th bowl affects the sun! It’s intensity is magnified to the point that men across the globe, (not just Phoenix) are actually "scorched"!

2. Can you imagine, nighttime will be as hot as a mid-summers day in Gila Bend, and the daytime sun will be 7 times as hot as it is now!?!?!?

a) Isa_30:26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun will be sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people And heals the stroke of their wound. (NKJV)

b) A side affect of all this will be a melting of all the polar ice caps resulting in a rise of the oceans some 200 feet higher than they are normally!

c) That means many of the great tourist towns and seaport cities would be under water!

(1) Cities such as New York, Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Rio, Rome, Singapore, and many others!

(2) I wonder if that’s what some of the Prophets had in mind?

(a) Mal_4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. (NKJV)

(b) Amo_9:5-6 The Lord GOD of hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, And all who dwell there mourn; All of it shall swell like the River, And subside like the River of Egypt.

6 He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth -- The LORD is His name. (NKJV)

(c) No doubt the result will maddening, but men and women will still not repent!

E. Rev_16:10-11 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.

11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds. (NKJV)

1. This 5th bowl of judgment is directed specifically at the beast and his throne!

a) No doubt, his capitol city of Babylon will have the finest medical personnel, the best food and water still available, and air-conditioned comfort from the scorching heat!

(1) By the way, Babylon (the beast’s capitol city) and Jerusalem (where he will set up his image), are of sufficient elevation to not be affected by the rise in sea level!

b) In characteristic style of this battle between Light and darkness, in this 5th bowl judgment, the beast’s kingdom is plagued with a thick blackness!

(1) Perhaps buried in his subterranean palace where he and his people think they are safe, the Lord simply cuts off the lights!

(a) Already suffering from the "grievous" sores, the darkness only makes it worse.

(b) Notice, they still do not repent!

F. Rev_16:12-16 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

13 And I saw three unclean spirits 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.

14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (NKJV)

1. The Euphrates is not only the site of the ancient Babel, it was the site of Nebucadnezzer’s Babylon.

2. It will also be the water supply for the modern Babylon!

a) America as well as the British have (over the last 20-30 years) helped develop extensive water supply, flood control, and hydro-electric power stations on the Euphrates!

b) It must be dried up in order to shut off the beast’s lights and water!

3. It is also interesting to note that Mt. Ararat which stands at an elevation of 17,000 ft., is the chief supply of the water for the Euphrates!

a) It is at about 15,000 ft. that explorers claim to have sighted the prow of the Ark protruding from the ice cap!

b) They have never been able to document this discovery scientifically because the summers that they have returned were not warm enough to melt the ice for another look!

(1) Maybe the Lord is waiting for this tribulation intense sun to use it as another testimony of the TRUTH!

(2) Whatever the reason, the Euphrates is dried up to make room for a flood of people that will invade Jerusalem!

4. Satan releases demons to perform signs and wonders in order to bring all these people together to battle the Lord!

a) Remember the time is short and he must convince the world that he can win the battle against the Lord at Armegeddon!

b) The Lord pauses in verse 15 to give the remaining saints the assurance that he is coming back to reward them!

G. Rev_16:17-21 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.

19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great. (NKJV)

1. The final bowl is for the air, or "atmosphere" if you will.

2. The result is thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake like no other!

3. The effect on the earth was catastrophic!

a) Mountains were leveled. Islands were either removed or became a part of the earth’s land mass!

b) Even Jerusalem was divided into three parts while every other great nation is destroyed!!

c) Babylon, the city of the beast and the false prophet come before the Lord for judgment, and much blood is shed in the final battle!

d) During this same time period, men and women are being pelted by stones falling from the sky with the weight of approximately 100 pounds!!!!

e) But I want you to notice the hardness of men’s hearts: They cursed God instead of repenting!!

When Teresa was thrown from her mule into the mud and someone reminded her that God "chastens those whom He loves," she replied by commenting that this was one reason He has so few friends!