Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. “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.’”
God is patient, kind and merciful, but for the
most part we do not understand His kindly nature, which is clearly
expressed in the Remedy He has offered for the sins of this world. He
judged sin in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price
in His blood for your sins and mine. But there will come a time when
people will no longer be willing to place their faith in the Son of
God. When that happens, “the seven bowls of
the wrath of God” will be poured out on this earth.
This Chapter is a reminder of the “seven
trumpets” which emerged from the “seventh
seal” of Revelation Chapter 8. At that time, God was
presenting evidence to us all that it IS possible to trust the Lord
and be changed by Him. This was seen in the “altar”
of “incense” which contains the many
prayers of those “saints” who do trust
in the Lord. Those prayers were flung by an angel at the earth; into
the faces of those who refuse to have faith in the Lord. An “earthquake”
resulted (Revelation 8:1-5). Much worse is to come from the “seven
bowls.”
Verse 2. “So the first
angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a
loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the
beast and who worshiped his image.”
Before the fall of mankind, there was no
sickness, unhappiness or death anywhere on earth. All the sorrows we
have experienced since our fall are the result of God’s corrective
hand upon this world. He views us not only as individuals, but also
corporately and when one sins, all should all be ashamed. Humanity
lived in the paradise of God, with little to distract its people, and
yet we fell. God’s judgments are progressive and He will keep
allowing greater problems until at last we will trust in the Lord (or
judgment will come).
This “loathsome and
malignant sore” sounds very much like skin cancer, and the
stage is set for the fulfillment of this verse. We are destroying the
protective ozone layer of this planet ourselves. Every terrible thing
that happens to this place may actually be self-inflicted by
humanity. Often innocent people are harmed by the sins of others: The
murder victim, the AIDS patient, the one cheated out of money, etc.
Except that none of us are innocent before God, because we are all
guilty of unbelief. God is the innocent victim. All sufferers who
trust in the Lord receive His new birth, His gift of renewed
innocence, and go to be with Him – Forever. Those who remain in
unbelief will receive the bowls of God’s wrath.
Verse 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.”
This second “bowl”
is like the second “trumpet” of
Revelation 8:8-9. In those earlier verses, something “like
a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a
THIRD of the sea became blood.” In this verse, “EVERY
living thing in the sea died.” The earlier judgment of
Revelation 8 was like a warning – Wake up, people of earth! But
humanity, with the exception of a few who have turned to the Lord,
will not wake up – Instead of just a third, ALL will now be destroyed!
At the time when I was a boy, it was thought and
taught that the oceans were too vast for any permanent damage to
occur, and so we, as a race, have continued dumping filth into our
waters. A newspaper article of a few weeks ago, spoke of bacteria in
the water that is making surfers sick along the California coast.
Again, the horrors of these verses may well be something we are doing
to ourselves. The “angel” will pour
his “bowl,” but sin is the ultimate
cause, and we can only blame ourselves for what will shortly happen.
Verse 4. “Then the
third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of
waters; and they became blood.”
Is this literal “blood,”
or is it pollution gone mad? The words of this verse COULD be
symbolic of some kind of massive polluting of the fresh water systems
of this world, or it may be that our drinking water will literally be
turned into – blood! The Greek phrase used here is literally “blood
as of a dead man,” signifying that the water will literally BE
the substance (blood) that comes out of a person who experiences a
sudden, catastrophic end to life.
If God turned the waters of Egypt to blood
(Exodus 7:20), and He indeed did just that, then He certainly can
change all the water on earth into whatever He wants. He celebrated
marriage (the union that is intended to bring LIFE into this world) by
changing water into wine (John 2:1-10), and He will demonstrate His
displeasure at sin, by turning water into blood (a symbol of death).
God created the physical laws of this universe, but He is not subject
to them – He can do anything He wants.
Verse 5. “And I heard
the angel of the waters saying, ‘Righteous are You, who
are and who were, O Holy One, because You
judged these things;’”
Note that all the beings in this Book of
Revelation are portrayed as having work to do in eternity. We will
work also, but in our “work,” unlike now, we will know His peace.
This “angel of the
waters” from the preceding verse, has
the important function of testifying that God is utterly righteous in
judgment. The Lord is pure and holy, and He has every right to judge
the creation that has spurned its Creator. Revelation is a Book of
evidence, law and judgment, and this angel, a witness of God,
testifies that He is utterly just and righteous in judging this earth.
A LOT of people have accused God of being unjust
by shouting questions such as: “How could God ALLOW this to happen to
ME?” They assert that He is wrong to allow suffering, trouble and
pain. Others state He is somehow UNABLE to stop the problems in this
world, which actually says He isn’t God, because all would not be
under His control. They do not understand that our troubles are
carefully allowed – Needs that are not met, DRIVE us to God and to
faith in His Son. We were created for faith and we will never rest
until our hearts belong to Him.
Verse 6. “for they
poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them
blood to drink. They deserve it.’”
The Book of Revelation, like the rest of the
Bible, was given to warn the world of the trouble that is to come and
to tell us how we should live. The Bible is like a signpost
containing helpful information that can be summed up by the words, “Go
this way!” or “Don’t go that way!”
and “Trust in the Lord for He will lead you!”
Prophesies about the Messiah in the Old Testament are incredible
because they point utterly to Jesus Christ. Yet when the religious
leaders thought they might lose their power because the Messiah had
come, they took the Lord and killed Him, just as many of the prophets
were killed.
Down through the centuries, MANY have been
murdered because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Blood is on the
hands of humanity and we should all be ashamed because of the guilt of
this race. In the Great Tribulation, another warning will be given
through the third trumpet – One third of the fresh water supplies of
this planet will be destroyed (Revelation 8:10-11). Humanity should
and trust in Him then, for not long after, the remaining fresh water
supplies of mankind will be turned to blood and ruined (Revelation
16:4). The angel’s comment: “They deserve it!”
And we do, for “all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Verse 7. “And I heard
the altar saying, ‘Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous
are Your judgments.’”
Those who are in eternity KNOW the Lord. They
see Him Face-to-face and can speak with certainty about His character,
His heart of love. Here is a voice from the altar at the throne of
God, stating that Almighty God’s judgments are “true
and righteous” in every way. Is this an angel’s voice? The
altar itself? It could be either one. Jesus said that if His
disciples did not praise Him, “the stones
(themselves) would immediately cry out”
(Luke 19:40).
A necessary part of faith is a realization that
God is wholesome in character. We know that He is GOOD! Many presume
that when a child is born deformed, God should have prevented it, and
therefore, they decide, there is no God (or He is not good).
Certainly, the child and its parents will know pain as a result of
what has happened. I spent years in a wheelchair as a child – It
troubled me and it changed my life! What would I have become, had
this not occurred? I do not know – But God DOES know, and I trust in
Him.
Verse 8. “The fourth
angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to
scorch men with fire.”
When the fourth trumpet sounded (Revelation
8:12), the “sun was struck” along with
the moon and the stars, suggesting that something will happen to the
atmosphere, reducing visible light by one third. The trumpet was a
warning that more would follow. Bibles will likely exist then as they
do now, and when the effects of those trumpets begin to effect the
earth, EVERYONE should look into this Book and turn to the Lord. But
they will not, and now something else will be done to the atmosphere
and/or the sun itself and people will suffer, as seen in the following
verse.
It may well be that the final destruction of the
ozone layer over the earth is being portrayed here. Through our
ignorant, destructive practices, we have already managed to destroy
this protective layer in relation to the South Polar regions. It is
ironic to think that the judgment of God is that we are to destroy
ourselves. It would be very much like the unruly child who will not
stay out of the street. Eventually he runs out one time too many.
Verse 9. “Men 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.”
People are to be deliberately squeezed through
difficult circumstances to see if, at last, faith in the Lord will
come out of them. We see in these verses that the end has indeed come
– No more faith can be brought from these people. If faith is
compared to “fruit” on a tree, we would say that the “tree” has become
barren. This is much like Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus – He should
have repented of his sins, but instead he hardened his heart and
brought ruin to himself and Egypt.
Incredibly, those at the time of these verses “blasphemed
the name of God” and “did not repent
so as to give Him glory.” That’s precisely what many do today,
when “bad” circumstances come to their lives. Years ago, a terrible
airplane crash occurred at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. A
Christian survivor wrote a book about his experience, stating that
some on the plane cried out to God as they died, but others CURSED God
and blasphemed. Extreme trouble reveals who we really are.
Verse 10. “Then 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,”
Satan, in his disguises, pretends to bring –
Light! The “New Age” movement is
only one of many religious systems that pretend to give understanding
(light, illumination), but they actually draw adherents to ultimate
darkness (incomprehension). The Lord will make it clear to all people
at the time of this verse that no “light”
comes from the “beast,” by bringing
darkness to his place of power. The message will be understood, just
as it was in ancient Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23) and the people will be
very upset. It is painful to believe in a lie.
The word “angel”
is omitted in nearly all the ancient Greek manuscripts, but it is
implied, as was the case in 16:8. At the time of this verse, the
people of earth have been suffering. The fifth trumpet of Revelation
9:5-6 (and context) was especially bad for those who will not trust in
the Lord. They’ll actually want to die, but it will not happen for
them. It’s amazing to reject the Lord who is the source of all light,
and then receive a lie like those at the time of the end, but many are
doing exactly that right now.
Verse 11. “and they
blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores;
and they did not repent of their deeds.”
The “pains” and “sores”
of this verse may well represent the lingering effects of the “fifth
trumpet,” seen in Revelation 9:1-11, and that pain has now been
intensified by the additional “sores”
of Revelation 16:2. The trouble that comes to humanity is intended to
be curative in nature. You may trust in God easily with a heart full
of love, but for those who resist the Lord, the circumstances are
difficult, as it was for Paul the Apostle (Acts 9:1 & forward).
It is for those who might yet turn to the Lord
that these “sores” are allowed upon
mankind. God has no pleasure in your pain or sorrow, except as it
causes you to reach out to Him who is your true need in life and
eternity. But note the response of most in this world: They “blasphemed
the God of heaven” and “did not repent
of their deeds.” This type of response is already widespread –
The end of history as we know it, is very near.
Verse 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.”
The “sixth… bowl” of these verses reminds us of
the “sixth trumpet,” which sounded in
Revelation 9:13. At that time, four angels were released who had been
“bound at the great river Euphrates,”
and an army of two hundred million was formed, riding on “horses
with heads like heads of lions.” And “out
of their mouths came fire, smoke and brimstone.” A third of
mankind will be killed by them. In 9:13, we see supernatural events
that prepare the way for earthly armies to march.
Israel is the focal point on earth of these
verses, and the throne of God is central to the heavenly part of these
visions. Many of Israel’s enemies have come from the east, from the
area of the Euphrates. At the time of these verses, the countries
around the Euphrates region (such as Iraq), will be politically and
militarily weak enough so that a great army from the east (likely a
coalition of Asian countries) can roll through toward Israel. Outward
events conceal much that is behind the scenes (supernatural causes) –
That is why so few have understood history. There is much happening
that people cannot see.
Verse 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;”
In the preceding verse, the “kings
from the east” were presented, and John, the viewer of these
yet future events, looked to the east and saw “three
unclean spirits” which were something like the “frogs”
most of us have seen in this world. But these creatures are not of
this world. They are supernatural beings that surround us and effect
us, but for the most part we do not see them. John saw them and
witnessed where they came from.
They are ultimately from the “dragon,”
Satan, who has in mind the destruction of everyone on earth. He is
like the bully who wants to tease his prey before eliminating him, and
he has been at this sort of thing for thousands of years. The “beast”
and the “false prophet” represent both
a political / religious system and a powerful man (it’s presumed “he”
will be male), who will fool the world during the Tribulation period
at the end of this age.
Verse 14. “for they are
spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the
whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of
God, the Almighty.”
One of the aspects of the supernatural “world”
is agency. When we see these creatures, we find that they are
assigning tasks to underlings, who, in this case, are kings in the
visible world. We look up to our leaders and we should, for we are
taught to respect them (Romans 13). However, “absolute” rulers, who
seem to be admirable in their own independence from authority, are
often simply dupes of one supernatural being or another – in this case
the enemy Himself.
We look and see the head of a country or the
president of a corporation, and we conclude they’re in charge! But
it’s not really the case. Behind every person who directs others,
there is a whole chain of supernatural entities who really are the
ones behind his or her authority. In this verse, we find that the
leaders of countries will be drawn into a war that will be fought in
Israel, and we see that the madness of war is ultimately caused by
something more than people.
Verse 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 men will
not see his shame.”)
This is a wonderful verse and it should encourage
us all, for it SHOUTS that God WILL rescue His people. It really is a
parenthetical statement in the midst of a description of the real
cause behind a future war. It’s like an “aside” in a Broadway play,
in which one of the actors leaves the action on stage for a few
moments and speaks directly to the audience. The Lord Jesus is
speaking here, not only so that John will hear, but so that you and I
and all history will hear Him as well.
These are similar to the words Jesus spoke to the
church at Sardis, a place He called “dead”
to the Lord (Revelation 3:1). He warned them: “I
will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will
come upon you” (Revelation 3:2). Paul spoke of the “day
of the Lord,” in which Jesus will come “as
a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Life is not a
casual thing – We are to watch for Him with expectancy and remain
clothed in HIS righteousness as we look for His soon return.
Verse 16. And they
gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called
Har-Magedon.
Har-Magedon
(Armageddon) is properly the Mountain of
Megiddo, within the plain (valley) of Megiddo (Esdraelon), a
broad valley which has been well known for many centuries as an ideal
place for war. Many large armies can be contained within this valley
of decision as it was described by the prophet Joel, long ago
(Joel 3:14). That verse in Joel also contains these words: The
day of the Lord is near.
Its interesting the plain of Esdraelon is one of
the most fertile places in the world. It is and has been a place of
food for many people, but humanity tends to destroy the places (and
people) it needs. The Assyrians fought there, as did Napoleon, the
Christian crusaders, along with warriors from many nations. Kings
from the east are on their way to
fight (Revelation 16:12) at the moment of this verse, and it may well
be that most of the countries in the world will be represented in this
last great battle at the end of the age.
Verse 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.
Many have delayed their decision in relation to
the Lord Jesus. Not right now, is
a common phrase. Yet there will come a time when it is too late.
Many, at the time of this verse have made an economic decision to take
the mark
of the beast, which is a much
greater choice than they thought. The Lord is not pleased when we
place economic or other gain ahead of our love for Him.
I was with a man just the other day who has
terrible injuries from a traffic accident of some years ago. He
sought me out because he had questions
about the Lord. I answered them, but he said there were more
and he would decide about the Lord later.
Sometimes there is no later. God
gives us great latitude in our lives to either accept Him or not, but
at some point the phrase It is done
(Greek tetelestia) marks the end
of that opportunity. In this verse, It is
done will mark the end of human history as we know it.
Verse 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 man came to
be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
The angel in the previous verse had now poured
out his bowl upon the air of this
planet the atmospheric events and other phenomena of this and the
next verses are the result of this bowl
of Gods wrath. To be outside in a thunderstorm can be very
frightening. We were recently twice caught in large thunderstorms as
we drove east through Arkansas, in the United States. We could not
see through the windshield and had to pull off the highway.
My aunt told us that she moved away from the Los
Angeles area, a place she loves, because of an earthquake. The
building in which she lived shook so much that she left her wonderful
job, her apartment with the beautiful view; essentially her LIFE and
moved to another part of the state. The thunderstorm of this verse
will be enormous and the quake which will occur at the same time will
be the greatest ever on earth. The combined effect will be TERRIFYING
for all who live on this planet.
Verse 19. The great
city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of
the wine of His fierce wrath.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee confidently asserted that the
great city is Jerusalem. Others
have been just as sure that it is Babylon,
because that placed is named in this verse. Still others have written
that the great city is Rome, capitol
of the rebuilt Roman Empire, in existence during the time of Tribulation
that is to come upon this world. In much of Scripture and especially
in the Book of Revelation the focal point on earth is Jerusalem, and
it is possible that Dr. McGee was correct when he wrote: The great
city is Jerusalem.
Babylon in
these verses, however, may be more: It may refer to a world
socio-economic-political system that will be ruined at the end of this
age by the wrath of God. It could indeed be a literal rebuilt city of
Babylon in the country of Iraq, or it may be Rome, emerging as the
leader of the European Economic Community. But what is important is
this: The power structure(s) of this world will not last. Soon, the
only power, glory and might we will honor is that of the Lord God,
maker of heaven and earth. We will either be part of His kingdom
through faith in His Son, or we will drink of His fierce
wrath and become Nothing at all!
Verse 20. And every
island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
The earthquake
mentioned in verse 18 will not be simply a local phenomenon. It will
affect the whole earth. The war-weary people of this planet will
experience yet another blow, as the judgment of the preceding verses
radiates out to encompass all the lands of this world. It will be a
literal earthquake, but there is more. Something non-physical will be
occurring as well.
Do you remember the words of Isaiah, as he
prophesied about the one who would prepare the way for the Lord
Jesus? He referred to the then-future John the Baptist as the
voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord
(Isaiah 40:3). He continued,
Every valley
shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low
(Isaiah 40:4). John the Baptist called for the high minded to repent
(Matthew 3:2), to be brought low before the Lord. The high-minded
were brought low and lowly people were lifted up. One thing about the
events in the Book of Revelation is certain: The pride of man will be
brought low.
Verse 21. And huge
hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon
men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because
its plague was extremely severe.
Hail
is often mentioned in Scripture as a judgment from God. In Exodus
9:22 & context, it is reported that God caused hail
to fall on Egypt. In Joshua 10:11 & context, the
lord cast down large hailstones that killed Israels enemies.
Asaph, in Psalm 78:47 says of God, He
destroyed their vines with hail. Gods words are reported in
Haggai 2:17 I struck you with blight and
mildew and hail. There are a number of similar instances in
Scripture.
This hailstorm is
significant because of the sheer SIZE of each hailstone A talent!
The Greek talent was 56 pounds and the Jewish talent, which is
probably the one referred to here, was 114 pounds. Cars, homes and
people will be destroyed by this hail. Airplanes will be knocked out
of the sky. Worst of all, men will curse God for this judgment on sin
and they will not repent of what they have done. Faith at this time
will be essentially gone from the world No one will be turning to
the Lord. This hailstorm is especially important because it marks the
end of the time referred to as the Great Tribulation.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
