John starts his encounter with seven new angels whose responsibility is to
dispense the seven bowl judgments (or the seven last plagues).
Chapter 15 is an interlude to introduce pouring out of the seven bowls.
The chapter has two divisions:
- Rejoicing over the seven last 7 plagues (1-4) and
- Preparation for the seven last 7 plagues (5-8).
15:1And I saw another sign in heaven, a great and marvelous one, seven
angels having seven plagues, the last ones, because in them the anger of God
was completed.
- Then:
It serves as an introduction to what is going to happen, especially in chapter
16.
- Another sign:
It is a song after the one in 12:1 and 12:3 referring to the woman (Israel) and
the dragon (Satan).
The sign of the woman was great; here it is great and marvelous.
The combination is used in revelation only here and also in 15:3.
This normally refers to God and His works.
It is a divine awe.
The completion of the wrath of God is a great and awesome thing.
The plagues are great and should create fear considering its impact on nature,
mankind, and the unholy triad.
- Seven plagues:
These angels have the duty of inflicting these plagues.
Plagues are used in eschatological sense in this book and outside this book it
refers to wounds.
Angels normally are the agents of God in accomplishing His purposes
(Peas. 103:20-21Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who
do His word, Heeding the voice of His word 21 Bless the Lord, all you His
hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure).
Note that some of the plagues resembles the plagues mentioned in Exodus 7-10.
Further, crossing of the sea (16:12), the song of Moses (15:3), smoke of Sinai
(15:8), and the erection of the tabernacle (15:5) also resembles OT events in
Exodus.
These similarities points to the similar purpose; that is to punish the world
and deliver the faithful to promised land.
These plagues are final.
Note also that the seals and trumpets were also plagues (9:20).
However, they serve as warning about the final judgments.
- Anger is completed: This is a better translation and indicated
the prophetic certainty of the future task from human perspective, but to God
it is completed.
Wrath is the anger of God shown towards sin.
15:2And I saw [something] like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and [I
saw] those who overcame from the beast and from his image and from the number
of his name, standing upon the sea of glass, having harps of God,
- And I saw: Contrasting the fate of the beast worshipers, the
blessedness of the faithful is showing here.
It is a scene of victory, peace, tranquility.
The response of the faithful is reverent worship unlike the blasphemy of the
worldly people (16:9, 11).
Similar jubilant worship is seen earlier also in 11:15-18 and 14:1-5.
- Sea of Glass: This is an emblem of the splendor and majesty of God.
God is holy and is on the throne, and He is separated from all His creation
(Rev.!4:6Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal
...).
- Mingled with fire:
Unlike the calmness of 4:6 (like crystal), fire points to the punishment of God
which is about to come.
- Those who have victory:
Earlier the beast had victory over the faithful 13:7, and the saints remained
faithful in spite of all the efforts of the beast.
Now, they are victorious.
- Over beast ...image ...number:
All these words refers to the secret efforts of the false prophet to drive the
faithful to the beast worship.
But the saints prevailed in the midst of this severe persecution.
- Standing on the sea:
This is a picture of their standing before the throne of God.
- Harps:
Harps are found earlier with the heavenly being is now found with victors (5:8;
14:2).
The only musical instruments found in the book of Revelation are the harps and
trumpets.
The refers to the dedication to the service of God
(I Chr. 16:42and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets
and cymbals and the musical instruments of God ...).
15:3and they sang the song of Moses the slave of God and the song of the
Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty; righteous
and true are Your ways, King of the nations.
- Song of Moses:
Moses wrote and sang a song in Duet. 32 and this song has many similarities with
it.
However, the song of Moses in Exo. 15 is more close to the current situation.
Here the faithful are victorious (Rev 15:4; Exo 15:11).
- Song of the Lamb:
The article the distinguishes the song of the Lamb from the song of
Moses.
John expect the reader to recall the song of Moses.
The song of Moses points to the historic deliverance of Israel from the
Pharaoh.
The song of the Lamb refers to the historical and ultimate spiritual victory
the Lamb had on the dragon.
- Great and marvelous works:
Just like the Egyptians were punished, the current actions of the Lamb who
brings punishment on His enemies and victory to the saints is really a great and
marvelous work.
- Lord God Almighty:
Similar to 4:8 and 11:17 this refers to the omnipotence of God.
This is all the more true in this context where He not only brings to nothing
the works of the dragon; but also brings great plagues on them.
- Righteous and True:
The judgment of God is [perfectly grounded on justice and completely in
accordance with truth (16:6; 19:2; Deut 32:4). God is true in keeping His
promise of judging the rebellious humanity.
- King of the nations:
It is an assertion of the Lordship of Jesus over the nations
(Psa. 22:28For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the
nations.;
Psa. 47:2For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over
all the earth.;
Psa. 82:8Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all
nations.).
15:4Who will not fear [You], Lord, and glorify Your name? because [You]
only [are] holy, because all the nations will come and worship before You,
because Your righteous acts have been manifest."
- Who shall not fear you?:
The implied answer is that no one.
Those who survived the plagues will all fear God.
Contrast this with 13:4 and other references stating that all the nations will
fear Him and worship Him
(Rev. 13:4So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the
beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is
able to make war with him?”;
Psa. 86:8-10Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; ...9 All
nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord ...;
Jer. 10:7Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? ...For
among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none
like You.;
Phil. 2:9-11Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him
the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the
earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.).
- Glorify Your name:
Name indicate a total revelation of God; who He is, what He did, and what He
will do.
- For You alone are Holy:
The first reason for worshiping the Lord is His holiness. The word holy here
and 16:5 indicate that He is sacred, and undefined with sin.
He is holy because of His unapproachable majesty.
- For all nations:
The second reason to worship His is because all the nations to come before Him.
Note that this will happen only when Christ come and confirms our understanding
of revelation that the event of 4-22 are futuristic.
It is consistent with OT prophecies(Psa. 2:8-9Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your
inheritance ...;
Isa. 2:2-4Now it shall come to pass ...that ...the Lord’s house
Shall be established ...And all nations shall flow to it.;
Dan. 7:14Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That
all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him ...And His kingdom the
one, Which shall not be destroyed.).
- For Your judgments:
The third reason why all will worship Jesus is the manifestation of His
judgments or righteous acts.
He purged earth for the hand of the dragon.
Note that the over-comer do not sing about their own victory over the beast,
but about the sovereignty, justice and glory of God.
15:1-4. Applications
1God's wrath: grace when rejected
2Sing the songs of the Lamb
3Reason 1 to worship him: manifestation of his holiness
4Reason 2 to worship him: kingship over nations
5Reason 3 to worship him: manifestation of his judgment
This section shows the immediate preparation for the last seven
plagues and the key actors, the seven angels, are already introduced in 15:1.
15:5And after these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of
testimony was opened in heaven,
- And after these things I looked: This phase in the book of
revelation is an indication of the start of a new vision and the subject of the
vision is something important. Here, the bowl judgment is in view.
- Temple of the tabernacle of testimony: This temple is neither the church nor the physical
temple at Jerusalem. This temple is in heaven. However, the pattern John
witnessed in heaven was similar to the earthly tabernacle
(Exo. 25:16,21And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you;
Heb. 8:5who [high priests] serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain”).
- Testimony: The tabernacle is an evidence of God's
faithfulness in keeping His covenant. The testimony refers to the written law
of God which testified against sin. God is about to enforce these laws on the
rebellious humanity.
- Application: Today the church is the shadow of the heavenly tabernacle and is an evidence of God's covenant and testimony against sinful world.
15:6And the seven angels having the seven plagues went out of the
temple, clothed in clean bright linen and girded about the breasts with golden
girdles.
- And the seven angels: These are the same angles seen in verse one and five of
this chapter.
- Having the seven plagues: These angles are the one executing the
last seven bowls.
- Went out of the temple: The temple here refers to heaven as we saw
in the previous verse. It shows the divine authority they have in executing the judgment of God.
- Clothed ...girded: These words are the same as the those used in
connection with Jesus
(Rev. 1:13and in the midst of the seven lamp stands One like the Son of
Man, clothed with a garment ...and girded ...with a golden band).
- Clothed in pure bright linen: The linen dress worn by the angels
represent righteousness in action as it does with the bride of Lamb. Pure and
bright denote the noble and sacred nature of their office
(Ezek 9:2...One man among them was clothed with linen ...;
Dan 10:5I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed
in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!).
- Clean and bright: These describe the inner purity of the angels and
is the moral authority they had to execute the judgment of God.
- Golden girdles: This was also referred in connection with the
revelation of Christ in 1:13 and symbolizes their mission to judge which is
royal and priestly functions
- The Seven angels (i) come from the presence of God, (ii) are arrayed as priests, and (iii) will now receive their bowls.
15:7And one of the four living beings gave to the seven angels seven
golden bowls filled with the anger of God who lives forever and ever.
- And: After leaving the temple the angels are now ready to
receive the seven bowls of divine wrath from the four living beings.
- One of the living being gave ...seven golden bowls (phialas): Recall the role played by the four living
being in the first four seals (6:1-8). They also had golden bowls (5:8).
However, there it was full of incense connected with the prayers of the saints
for vindication (8:3-5). They exhale the smoke of gratefulness to God. Here,
the bowls are full of the wrath of God. They are full of poisonous, hot, bitter
wine, from which emanates the divine majesty whose intense holiness breaks
forth in judgment against human sin.
- Since the mention of the golden bowls in Revelation is limited to these
two contexts, John may be calling our attention to the relationship between
prayer and divine judgment.
- The heavenly temple is the source of these bowls that the living being
gives to the seven angels. This may allude to the cups in Isaiah
(Isa. 51:17Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at
the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup
of trembling, And drained it out).
- Filled with the anger of God: The bowls are full to the brim with
the hot anger of God. The coming divine judgment is devastating and going to be
the final one (1 The.1:7-9...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from
heaven ...taking vengeance on those who do not know God ...shall be
punished with everlasting destruction ...; Heb. 10:31It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God).
- Lives for ever and ever: This contrast God from the beast and all
other lifeless idols. Only a God who lives for ever could inflict wrath for
ever to the rebellious creation.
15:8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from
His power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the
seven angels were finished.
- With the bowls in the hands of these angels, the heavenly temple undergoes
a spectacular transformation into a place accessible only to God
- Temple was filled with smoke: It recalls the Shekinah that first
filled the tabernacle and later the temple. Smoke is a symbol of God's
presence especially highlighting His role as the initiator of judgments to come
(Exo 19:18; 40:34; 1 Kin. 8:10-11; 2 Chr. 5:11-14; 7:1-3; Isa. 6:4; Ezk. 11:23; 44:4).
- No one could enter the temple: The smoke from the glory and power of
God is so intense that no one could enter the temple. Here, God is
unapproachable when He is physically near and executing His wrath. There is a
time for intercession, but now it is over. God is fully into the act of
sovereign judgment and nothing can stop Hi. He no longer knocks at the door
pleading to open (3:20).
- Until the seven plagues ...were finished: God is unapproachable
only until the completion of the seven plagues. This is connection with the
replacing of the old order with the New Jerusalem (21:1–2) and then a new
heaven and new earth replace the old ones which have passed away (20:11).
- Thus the stage is set (Rev. 11-15) for the seventh trumpet, which is the
seven bowls, which is also the last seven plagues. Even the judgment of God
is not a reckless act: it is connection with his redemptive plan, and based on
his character of just and true.
- 1-4: The victorious people of Christ will praise him immediately after
the Second coming by singing The Song of the Lamb.
- 5-8: The seven angels who will pour out the last plagues come out of the
heavenly temple, where the holiness of God is expressed with awesome power.
15:5-8. Applications
1Worship God for his power and glory demonstrated in Judgment
2Today is the time to repent - tomorrow door closes!
3Close connection between our prayer and act of God
4Live a life of an overcomer like the ones during this period
5Church is the shadow of the heavenly temple of the testimony
16:1And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,
"Depart and pour out the seven bowls of the anger of God into the earth."
- And I heard:
This phrase introduces a chapter in which the seven angels with the seven bowls
receive and implement their instructions to dispense the contents of their
bowls.
The bowls occur in rapid succession, pausing only briefly between the third and
fourth for a dialogue between the angel of the waters and the altar.
- A loud voice from the temple:
It is the voice of God. It also tells of a voice from the temple initiating
vengeance to the Lord's enemies
(Rev. 15:8The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and
from His power ...;
Mat. 3:17And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”;
Mat. 17:5While he was still speaking ...suddenly a voice came out
of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear
Him!”;
John 12:28Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,
saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”;
2 Pet. 1:17-18For He received from God the Father honor and glory when
such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when
we were with Him on the holy mountain;
Isa. 66:6The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord, Who fully repays His enemies!
- Loud (megas) or great:
This is a frequent word in this chapter (1, 9, 12, 14, 18, 19, 19, 21, 21) and
later we see in chapter 18 also.
The word indicated the awesomeness of all these events culminating to the great
and terrible Day of the Lord.
- Saying to the seven angels "Depart:
It is a command to the seven angels to go their way and accomplish their task.
The word also indicates the urgency of the action.
The plagues pile upon one another until the end.
- Pour out (ekcheo) the seven bowls:
This word repeatedly occurs in this chapter, but not elsewhere in Revelation.
It is a bit of irony that the same verb tells of the pouring out of God's
Spirit on His servants from the Day of Pentecost and in the last days in
conjunction with Christ's second advent
(Joel 2:28-29“And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh ...29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
Acts 2:17-18And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh ...18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days ...;
Acts 2:33...having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear;
Titus 3:5-6not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,).
- Seven bowls of the anger of God into the earth:
The contents of the seven bowls bear some resemblances to the earlier series of
seals and trumpets, but scrutiny and comparison reflect numerous differences,
particularly in the degree of finality of the Bowl series.
The bowls are universal and far more intense, showing beyond reasonable doubt
that this whole series deals with the time of the end.
16:2And the first went away and poured out his bowl into the earth, and
a bad and malignant sore came upon men who had the mark of the beast and who
worshiped his image.
- And the first went away:
After each angel discharges his duty, he vanishes rather than returning to his
place in the procession.
- Poured out his bowl:
It is better to arrange these plagues into groups of the first four and the
last three.
The first four affect individuals directly either through personal affliction
through objects of nature. The last three are on more of an international
scale, leading the way to a final major confrontation.
- The earth:
The destination of the first bowl is the earth.
The earth is the first of the four divisions of nature hit by the first four
plagues.
The other three are the sea, the rivers, and the sky.
The four become the media used to torture humanity.
(Deut. 28:35The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs
with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the
top of your head;
Exo. 9:9-11And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt,
and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all
the land of Egypt ...And the magicians could not stand
before Moses because of the boils ...;
Lev. 13:18-27“If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is
healed ...;
Job 2:7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck
Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head).
This bowl recalls the sixth Egyptian plague where the Egyptian Magicians were
the victims.
Here, the followers of the beast receive the harm.
Job responded positively and repented when similarly afflicted (Job 42:1-6),
but not these worshipers of the false Christ
(Rev. 16:9, 11, 21And 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
11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
21 ...Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great).
The first three bowls are literal just as the Egyptian plagues were also literal.
Hence, this 'sore' is also literal.
- Men who had the mark:
Since the beast worshipers were universal, so also the plague would be.
Followers of the Lamb would not be receiving the wrath.
16:3And the second poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood
like [that of] a dead person, and every living soul which lives in the sea
died.
- And the second:
This plague reminds of the first Egyptian plague, except that it affects sea
rather than the fresh water
(Exo. 7:19-21Then the Lord spoke to Moses ...take your rod and
stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt ...over all their pools of
water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the
land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone ...all the
waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in
the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of
the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt).
The text points to the universal nature of the plague.
Further, the literal nature of the Egyptian plague which also leads to
the literal meaning here.
Note also the literal usage of the word sea elsewhere
(Rev 14:7...worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water).
- Blood like that of a dead person:
The third trumpet brought bitterness to the water, causing the deaths of many,
but here the change to coagulated blood or blood like substance similar to it.
This material will be decayed and have a foul odor, that makes it loathsome
- Every living soul:
In the first Egyptian plague, all the fish in the Nile died (Exo. 7:21).
Here, death will come to every living soul in the sea.
This bowl is a complete destruction of all marine life, not a partial one as
under the second trumpet.
16:4And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains
of waters; and they became blood.
- And the third:
The contamination of the fresh waters follows that of the sea as was the
sequence with the second and third trumpets (8:8-10).
The first Egyptian plague affected the River Nile principally, but this third
bowl will affect all the rivers, and to keep the earth dwellers from doing the
same thing as the Egyptians did find drinking water (Ex 7:24; Psa. 78:43-44),
it will tum the fountains or springs into blood too.
It affects all sources of fresh water.
- The fountains of waters:
A literal meaning can be adopted after 14:7.
Similarly, the blood is as literal as that of the blood of the saints.
The havoc caused by the absence of drinking water is unimaginable and is the
price the people have to pay for their allegiance to the beast.
16:5And I heard the angel of the waters, saying, "You are righteous, who
is and who was, the holy one, because You have judged these things,
- Angel of the water:
The singer here is the angel who controls the sea and the freshwater bodies.
Note various roles of angles else where (7:1; 9:11; 14:18; Heb 1:7; Psa 104:4).
- Righteous:
This angel's song is somewhat of an echo of the one sung by the overcomers in
15:3-4.
The righteousness of God is evident in all these bowl judgments.
Rather than to complain to God, this angle confirms the justice of God.
- Who is and who was:
Indicates God's eternal nature (1:4; 1:8; 4:8; 11:7; Ex 3:14).
God used Moses to apply the principle of lex talionis in delivering His
people from Egypt.
The bowls are in the process of applying the same principle in a more far
reaching and ultimate situation.
- Holy One:
The sacred one here maintains His sacredness by sending judgment on all
those who trample on His sacred things.
16:6because they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and
You have given them blood to drink; they are worthy."
- Because:
Here we see a cause and effect.
God's judging these things is defined as God's giving the persecutors blood to
drink in response to their pouring out the blood of the saints and prophets.
The double appearance of blood as direct objects in the emphatic forward
positions highlights the correspondence between the crime and its punishment
(Isa 49:26).
This illustrates the principle of lex talionis according to which God
deals with the enemies of His people.
- Saints and prophets:
Saints are Christians in general, and prophets are a subset of saints.
Babylon is guilty of their blood (17:6).
- Pours out:
God pours out the third bowl in response to their pouring out of
the blood of His people.
His action deprives them of drinking water and gives them instead to the very
element they have been guilty of shedding (Gen 4:10-11; 9:6).
Here is the correlation between sin and sin's punishment (18:7).
- They are worthy:
Those loyal to the beast deserve exactly what they receive.
This is the principle that goes by other names besides lex talionis.
It is the inexorable law of retribution, the law of retaliation, eye for eye,
reaping what you sow, being paid in one's coin, falling in the ditch you dig
for another, hanging on Haman's gallows and the punishment fitting the crime
- They are:
not the saints and the prophets but, those guilty of taking the lives of saints
and prophets.
16:7And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God Almighty, Your
judgments are true and righteous."
- Alter saying:
Alter throughout Revelation related to judgment, and here it is personified and
speaks agreeing to the song of the angel. Such personification can be seen in
9:13; Gen 4:10; Luk 19:40; Heb 12:24.
- Lord God Almighty:
The alter addresses God by His title and is similar to 15:3-4.
- True and Righteous:
They are never vengeful or erratic (capricious) like those of pagan deities.
They agree with His just nature (Psa 119:137; Psa. 19:9).
16:8And the fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun; and [power] was
given to it to burn the men with fire.
- And the fourth:
The role of the fourth angel was to direct his bowl upon the sun.
The fourth trumpet also had the sun as its object of judgment, but that former
affliction was a darkening.
This, by contrast, increases rather than decreases the sun's intensity.
- Was given:
It shows God's sovereign power to be behind the widespread scorching men
received.
He overruled the processes of nature to bring this torment upon them.
They fully knew who was responsible as evidenced by their blasphemous response
to the heat (9).
- The men:
16:9 shows the likelihood that it refers to a previous mention of the
men, the one in 16:2.
The sufferers under this bowl are those who have received the mark of the beast
and worshiped his image.
The faithful are exempt from this type of affliction as the promise of an
opposite future for them in 7:16 shows.
16:9And the men were burned with great heat, and they blasphemed the
name of God who had the authority over these plagues, and they did not repent
to give Him glory.
- Burned with great heat: Shows by various means the increased
intensity of the heat.
- Blasphemed the name of God:
The human response is blasphemy against the God who is directly responsible for
all this human misery.
The Same response is seen in 16:11, 21.
This is the only chapter in the visional portion of the book that speaks of
widespread human blasphemy, the other references being to blasphemy from the
beast (13:1, 5-6; 17:3).
They blame God for the first four plagues, rather than blaming their
sinfulness.
God is sovereign and in control of everything that happens, but their
unwillingness to honor Him as sovereign is the typical heathen spirit
(Rom 1:28; Rom 2:24; 1 Tim. 6:1; James 2:7).
- They did not repent:
The severity (Rom 11:22) of Gold not less than His kindness
(Rom 2:4) which calls people to repentance, but earth's inhabitants, like
Pharaoh, harden their hearts in the face of God's judgments.
- Give Him glory:
tells what the result would have been had they repented.
Giving God glory is a goal in 11:13; 14:7; 19:7 also.
16:10And the fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and
his kingdom became darkened, and they gnawed their tongues because of the
pain,
- And the fifth:
God not only punishes man by land, sea, water, and fire, but through bowl five
He throws the entire human system into disarray.
This bowl along with the sixth and seventh have more of a political orientation
than any plague encountered heretofore.
- The throne:
The destination of this bowl is the throne of the beast, i.e., the one spot
where his power and presence reside or the seat of his rule, authority, and
dominion.
So long untouched, that throne through which the dragon has perverted all of
the human society into a demonic civilization is now the focal point of God's
anger.3 The beast will be just as helpless against this plague as Pharaoh was
in the comparable ninth plague against Egypt (Ex 10:21-23).
- His Kingdom:
It obviously refers to a concrete kingdom with geographical extent, not to an
abstract ruler ship of the beast.
The plague puts the realm in a permanent condition of darkness.
This is like the ninth Egyptian plague (Ex 10:21-22), but worse because it
aggravates the continuing effects of the previous plagues.
- They gnawed:
This expresses a most agonizing and excruciating kind of pain.
- The pain:
The singular word implies that the particular distress is caused by the
darkness.
Perhaps the difficulty in explaining the source of pain relates to the fact
that the world has never experienced such a widespread and extended darkness.
Conceivably, this will create all sorts of physical havoc.
16:11and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and
because of their sores and they did not repent of their works.
- They blasphemed:
In token of their continuing allegiance to the beast, his subjects once again
opt to blaspheme God (13:6).
Their reaction once again refutes the notion that wicked men will repent when
faced with catastrophic conditions.
Instead of repenting, they plunge more deeply into blasphemy (9).
- The God of heaven:
This title for God recalls the pride of Nebuchadnezzar and the rulers after him
(Dan 2:44And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand forever; 11:13).
- Pains: The plural word this time indicates, the blasphemy
stems from the cumulative effect of the first four plagues.
The plagues come so fast that each one finds its victims still suffering from
all that has preceded.
This differs from the seal and trumpet series, in which each plague concluded
before the next one began.
- They did not repent:
Once again, earth's inhabitants refuse to repent of their works, as noted
already at the conclusion of the fifth trumpet (9:20-21).
They choose to cling to their idolatries and their immoralities.
16:12And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates;
and its water was dried up, that the way of the kings who were from the rising
of the sun might be prepared.
- The sixth:
Like the fifth seal, this has no immediate impact on humanity.
It simply looks forward and prepares for a coming battle.
The destination of this bowl's contents is the great river Euphrates.
- Great river Euphrates:
One of the great rivers of the world.
It formed the eastern boundary of both the ancient Roman Empire and the land
God promised to the seed of Abraham
(Gen 15:18On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the
great river, the River Euphrates;
Deut 1:7Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the
Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in
the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites
and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates;
Deut 11:24Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be
yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates,
even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory;
Josh 1:4From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river,
the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward
the going down of the sun, shall be your territory).
The city of Babylon was also beside this river.
The first mention up of this river in the Bible is in
Gen 2:14The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes
toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
The last mention of this word is in this verse.
Also, the river is connected with the sixth trumpet (9:14).
The name Euphrates is not symbolic but literal, for several reasons:
[1] if the battle in 19:18-21 is literal, then drying up of this river is also
literal,
[2] everything else in chapter 16 is literal,
[3] OT prophesies about the drying up of the Euphrates
(Isa 11:15-16The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of
Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, And strike
it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dry-shod.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from
Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of
Egypt),
[4] precedence in OT which includes
[a] drying of Jordan
(Jos 3:13And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of
the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest
in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off,
the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap”;
Jos 4:23for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before
you until you had crossed over, as the Lord, your God, did to the Red Sea,
which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,),
[b] Elijah parting the waters of the Jordan
(2Ki 2:8Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water;
and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on
dry ground),
[5] the miracle at the Red Sea is very similar to this sixth bowl
(Exo 14:21-22Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord
caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the
sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground,
and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left),
and [6] According to Herodotus, Cyrus walked across the drained bed of the
Euphrates in his conquest of Babylon, a conquest in fulfillment of prophecy
(Jer 50:38A drought is against her [Babylon] waters, and they will be
dried up.
For it is the land of carved images, And they are insane with their idols;
Jer 51:36Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will plead your case
and take vengeance for you.
I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry).
- Way of the kings:
This bowl looks to the future and the last conflict of the nations against
Messiah
(Joel 3:2I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the
Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On
account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the
nations; They have also divided up My land;
Zeph 3:8“Therefore wait for Me,” says the Lord, “Until the day I rise up
for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of
kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All My fierce anger; All the earth
shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy).
Arrival of this program is anticipated in 17:12-14.
These kings join the forces of the beast against Christ.
The beast has his headquarters in Babylon on the Euphrates and can participate
with other in this invasion.
16:13And I saw [coming] from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth
of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like
frogs
- And I saw:
V 13-16 is a commentary of v12.
It shows that the kings of the whole earth will join the kings from the east in
the final great conflict.
Verse 13 begins the explanation of the means used to muster such a large
fighting force.
- From the mouth:
Triple use of this word is indicative of a propaganda campaign through which
the unholy trinity will lead most to an unconditional commitment to evil in the
last day.
A primary tool used by them was their mouth (12:15; 13:6, 12-15) which God also
used (1:16; 2:16; 11:5; 19:15, 21;
Isa 11:4But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with
equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His
mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked).
The dragon has been behind the scenes empowering the beast all along (13:2).
The beast is the instigator of the evil activities (11:7; 13:1).
- False prophet:
Used first time here and referred to the beast from the earth (13:11; 19:20;
20:10).
It represents his deceptiveness as the lying prophet who is in league with
Satan;s political front man (13:14).
NT warns continually about avoiding false prophets
(Mt 7:15Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves;
Mk 13:22For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect;
Ac 13:6Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a
certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus;
2Pe 2:1But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there
will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift
destruction;
1Jh 2:22Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is
Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son;
1Jh 4:1,3Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits,
whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the
world.
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is not of God.
And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and
is now already in the world;
2Jh 7For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess
Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an Antichrist.).
- Three unclean spirits: refers to fallen angels or demons
(Matt 10:1; Mark 1:23-24; 3:11; 5:2, 13; Acts 5:16; 8:7).
Note that the ministry of Jesus was freeing people from unclean spirits whereas
the beast uses them to destroy the very people who are his followers by luring
them to the battle against the Lamb.
- Frogs:
They are unclean animals
(Lev 11:10-11But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins
and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the
water, they are an abomination to you.
11 They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you
shall regard their carcasses as an abomination).
Frogs were also associated with the second plague in Egypt
Ex 8:5Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand
with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause
frogs to come up on the land of Egypt).
16:14-for they are spirits of demons performing signs- which go out to
the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them to the battle of the
great day of God Almighty.
- For...signs:
The power and mission of the unclean spirits are performing signs.
As unclean spirits, they have the same miraculous powers that the second beast
had in deceiving people into worshiping the beast (13:13-14;
2Th 2:9-10The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of
Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved).
Their deceptive work with the kings is reminiscent of the deceiving spirit that
lured Ahab into battle in
1Ki 22:19-22Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I
saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on
His right hand and on His left.
20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at
Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will
persuade him.’
22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a
lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall
persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.
The immediate agents of persuasion are the three demons, but the ultimate
disposition of the kings to give their authority to the beast comes from God
(17:17)
- Go out to the kings:
The mission of the three unclean spirits is to contact the world's kings and
assemble them for a major world war.
- The whole inhabited world:
The word appeared in 3:10 and 12:9 also.
Combined with the kings from the east, this will be a worldwide fighting force
allied with the beast for a great battle.
It is not just the empire, but the whole planet.
According to 17:12-14, ten kings will lend their resources to this battle.
- To gather:
Under this bowl, only gathering happens.
Whether it will be a series of conflicts or one major confrontation, depends on
how one views the events of the seventh bowl in 19:19-21 (14:16, 18-20; 17:14).
For now, however, this is only the preparation.
This gathering of world forces is in line with OT teaching that Israel's
enemies would gather against her in the last days
(Joel 2:11The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very
great; For strong is the One who executes His word.
For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?;
Joel 3:2I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley
of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My
people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They
have also divided up My land;
Zec 14:2-3For I will gather all the nations to the battle against
Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished.
Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall
not be cut off from the city.
3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in
the day of battle).
This is the ultimate battle predicted in
Ps 2:1-3Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.
- The battle of the great day of God Almighty:
It is not man's or the false Christ's day, but that of the Lamb's.
The word Almighty shows that God's power is supreme.
His omnipotence and sovereignty will fully demonstrate itself on this occasion.
This is the day of the Lord's coming to do battle with the beast, the climax of
human history when God assumes His great power and begins to reign (11:17).
It is the great and terrible day of the LORD
(Joel 2:31The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord),
the time of Christ's return within the larger period including also the
seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy before His return (6:17).
This is God's final reckoning with them on the field of conflict.
16:15("Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and
keeps his garments, that he not walk naked and they see his shame.")
- Behold:
This an abrupt interruption which is, by the way, a characteristic of this book
(1:8; 8:13; 9:12; 11:14; 13:9 10, 18; 14:12-13; 16:5, 7; 18:20; 20:6).
The saying closely resembles the earlier saying and hence it certain that it is
the voice of Son of Man.
The words are a reiteration of those by Christ to the church of Sardis in 3:3
and to the church of Laodicea in 3:18.
The question of to whom this was addressed is important.
The close similarity to 3:3, 18 and the parenthetical nature of the
announcement indicates that it is for the church.
Therefore this announcement is a repetition of excerpts from the two earlier
messages to Sardis and Laodicea; it is a call to genuineness of faith.
- Blessed:
After re-announcing His coming as a thief, Jesus pronounces the third of seven
beatitudes in the book (1:3; 14:13; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).
- One who watches...garments:
This is the essence of the warning to Laodicea in 3:18, to guard against
spiritual nakedness when the moment of truth arrives.
avoid walking naked and the consequent shame of having one's disgraceful sin
exposed to the eyes of all
(Is 47:3Your nakedness shall be uncovered, Yes, your shame will be seen;
I will take vengeance, And I will not arbitrate with a man;
Ezk 16:37Surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you
took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them
from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they
may see all your nakedness;
Hos 2:10Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, And
no one shall deliver her from My hand;
Nah 3:5“Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts; “I will lift
your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, And the
kingdoms your shame.).
- Shame:
The use of this word in LXX most likely points to private parts
(Ex 20:26Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness
may not be exposed on it;
Le 18:6one of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to
uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord).
16:16And they gathered them into the place which is called in Hebrew
Harmagedon.
- And:
This verse connects with v 14 naturally and indicates that v 15 is
parenthetical.
- They gathered:
The Greek construct shows they refer to the demons.
- In Hebrew:
For most of Revelation's immediate readers who were Gentiles in Asia Minor, a
Hebrew word had to be translated or transliterated.
- Armageddon or The Mount of Megiddo:
A literal and geographical understanding of Harmagedon is certainly preferable
if it does not face insuperable obstacles.
The Hebrew word (har) can mean hill-country, so Har Megidon can refer to
the hill-country of Megiddo.
Megiddon is the name of a Canaanite fortress in the Plain of Jezreel that
the Israelites under Deborah and Barak captured later (Josh 12:21; Judg 5:19).
It was the scene of Josiah's defeat (2 Chron 35:22).
Zechariah mentions the sadness connected with Megiddo in the same context as
that cited by John in the theme verse of the Apocalypse
(Ze 12:10-11And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants
of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me
whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only
son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning
at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo; Rev 1:7).
From OT times this was a renowned battleground and is a fit location for
Christ's final victory.
Armies from the east would have to cross the Euphrates to get here, as 16:12
indicates.
The main obstacle to this identification is that nowhere else is an explicit
reference to such a place found.
A tell or small mound covering earlier ruins are there, but no mountain.
But the writer may have in mind the mountains of Israel that are so
prominent in Ezekiel's prophecy alluded to in Rev 19:17-21 (Ezek 38:8, 21;
39:2, 4) and may have connected; them with the name Megiddo that is so
famous in Israel's history.
The plain of Megiddo is admittedly not large enough to contain armies from all
over the world, so this must be the assembly area for a much larger deployment
that covers a two hundred mile distance from north to south and the width of
Palestine from east to west (14:20).
Some decisive battles against this massive force will probably occur around
Jerusalem
(Ze 14:1-3Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be
divided in your midst.
2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall
be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go
into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the
city.
3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in
the day of battle).
The preparations of the sixth bowl look forward toward the battle of 19:11-21,
and Harmagedon is the place where the kings and their armies will meet
the returning Warrior-King and His armies.
Behold, I am coming like a thief. This is a word of comfort from the Lord Jesus
Christ (3:3, 11; 22:7, 12, 20) . Similar waning given earlier by Jesus (Matt.
24:42-43), Paul (1 Thess. 5:2), and Peter (2 Pet. 3:10). Jesus' sudden,
unexpected return will bring fear and dismay to His enemies, but hope and
comfort to His people. Har-Magedon is a Hebrew word meaning Mount
Megiddo. Since there is no specific mountain by that name, and Har can refer
to hill country, it is probably a reference to the hill country surrounding the
Plain of Megiddo, some sixty miles north of Jerusalem. More than two hundred
battles have been fought in that region, including Barak's defeat of the
Canaanites (Judg. 4:5; Judg. 5:19), Gideon's victory over the Midianites
(Judg. 7; Judg. 6:33; the valley of Jezreel is another name for the
Plain of Esdraelon), and Josiah's defeat at the hands of Pharaoh Neco (2 Chron.
35:22). The Plain of Megiddo and the nearby Plain of Esdraelon will be the
focal point for the Battle of Armageddon, which will rage the entire length of
Israel as far south as the Edomite city of Bozrah (Isa. 63:1). Other battles
will also occur in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-3).
16:17And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and a loud voice
went forth out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done."
- And the seventh:
Events associated with this bowl is vast and is the last in the series of
seven.
Verses 17-21 is essentially a summary of this bowl, and the details start from
17:1 and goes all the way up to 18:24 or even upto 22:5.
The seventh bowl sweeps away time and history; and has greater significance
than the mere physical events.
- Air:
The recipient of this bowl is air and is the most pervasive of all the
bowls.
Earlier recipients are the earth (2), the sea (3), fresh water (4), and the sun
(8).
Air is what people breath and hence this plague has a wider impact.
- Loud voice:
Similar to v 1, God who sits on the throne is the source of this voice.
He is the author of this bowl.
- It is done:
This refers to the divine decree that initiated the last plague.
The grammar indicates what has been developing over a long period in the past
has now occurred in the final outpouring.
The culmination of it is declared in 21:6 which looks backs and decreed they are done.
16:18And [flashes of] lightning and voices and [peals of] thunder came,
and a great earthquake such as has not happened since man came upon the earth,
so mighty an earthquake so great, came.
- Lightning and thunder: This is theophany, the manifestation of
God to mankind.
Rev 4:5; 8:3-5; and 11:19 portrays earlier such occasions.
The setting is the temple in heaven.
- Great earthquake:
It is punishment of God
(Is 29:6You will be punished by the Lord of hosts With thunder and
earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring
fire).
Its magnitude is greater than earlier ones (6:12; 11:13).
These events signal that the end has arrived, not just the end of the bowl
series, but also the end of the seal and trumpet series too.
- Mighty earthquake:
This will be a calamity unprecedented in human history.
This will also be the final great shaking predicted
(Hag 2:6For thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and
dry land;
Heb 12:26whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised,
saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”
27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are
being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be
shaken may remain).
16:19And the great city became three parts, and the cities of the
Gentiles fell.
And Babylon the great was remembered before God to give to her the cup of the
wine of the anger of His wrath.
- And:
The result of the earthquake was instantaneous
- The great city:
Several reasons to identify the city as Jerusalem includes:
(i) Reference to 11:8,
(ii) this verse separates from the cities of the nations (or gentiles),
(iii) do justice to the context,
(iv) Jerusalem experienced a less severe earthquake earlier (11:13),
and (v) OT prophecies
(Zec 14:4And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very
large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it
toward the south).
The cities of the Gentiles will receive greater damage than Jerusalem, however.
The earthquake will be worldwide and wreak devastation in all the major
population centers.
In particular, the headquarters city of the beast (14:8), Babylon the great,
will come under siege.
Further, chapters 17-18 will reflect the influence of this city on world
affairs, even to the extent that it represents a vast political, religious, and
commercial system controlling the lives of men and nations.
The final bowl will not overlook this city and system.
- Was remembered:
God remembered the action of this city just like He remembered His people
(Ac 10:31and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms
are remembered in the sight of God).
- Wine, anger, wrath:
Each word intensifies the other (14:8, 10) indicating the extreme punishment
reserved for Babylon.
Stages in Babylon's downfall come in 17:16 and 18:8, but her ultimate collapse
is in 19:18-21.
16:20And every island fled, and the mountains were not found.
- Fled ...not found: Similar usage is found in 20:11.
Islands often sink to the sea during earthquakes.
Topographical changes signal the disappearance of the old creation.
These descriptions foreshadows the recreations in 20:11 and 21:1-2.
These words speak of literal topographical changes and not merely political
turmoil.
16:21And great hail about a talent's weight descended from heaven upon
men.
And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail because the distress
was exceedingly great.
- Great hail:
The final element in the preliminary overview of the seventh bowl is a storm of
huge hail storms.
Hails reminds of the Egyptian plague
(Ex 9:23-24And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord
sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground.
And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there
was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation)
and the first trumpet judgment (8:7).
- A talent weight: This is about 50-70 kg and is heavy enough to
kill anyone on whom it falls.
Hailstones are indicative of divine judgments
(Jos 10:11And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the
descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on
them as far as Azekah, and they died.
There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed
with the sword;
Job 38:22Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the
treasury of hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day
of battle and war?;
Ez 13:11say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will
fall.
There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a
stormy wind shall tear it down.
12 Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the
mortar with which you plastered it?’”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth
in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great
hailstones in fury to consume it
Ez 38:22And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I
will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him,
flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the
eyes of many nations.
Then they shall know that I am the Lord).
- Blasphemed God:
Hailstone did not kill all of them since some of them were left to blaspheme
against God.
Greek construct shows that this defiance was already in progress at least since
the fourth and fifth bowl (16:9, 11).
They blasphemed God because of the plagues, and this indicates that they knew
clearly, the source of the plagues is God.
This hailstorm and its response obviously do not mark the end of the seventh
bowl.
Chronological sequence resumes in 19:11, after an insertion (17:1-19:10)
expanding upon Babylon, her history, and what has made her what she is up to
this point in history.
Compiled by tfrdn7@gmail.com on 2026-04-01 17:59 for the glory of the Lord