The Seven “Bowl” Judgments
15-16
The end has come and gone again. Any further talk of judgment must be a close-up, or review, of something already covered. That is where the bowls come in. Now, in the sixth seal and seventh trumpet days, in which the seven bowls are poured out, the intensity is raised even more. You will recall that the first four seals spoke of 25% and the first six trumpets spoke of 33%. But now, at the grand climax of it all, the figure is 100%.
The bowls are where the wrath of God finds its ultimate fulfillment. Reading through Revelation as though it were chronological would cause one to believe that the wrath falls at least three times, but in fact this is one event recorded in three places: 6:17, at the end of the 6th seal, “...the great day of His wrath has come.”; 11:18, during the days of the 7th trumpet, “...Your wrath has come”; and now, 15:1, “...the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”
Introduction to angels and saints (15:1-4). So, we are now talking of the period before the end of the seventh trumpet. Notice that believers who overcome are mentioned first. Such is the pattern in chapter 7:9-17. The overcomers of 15:2 are the same saints as those who “come out of great tribulation” in 7:14 during the sixth seal. They are identical also to the ones who “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb” mentioned just after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, 12:11. This is a continuing theme. Those who die in Jesus are welcomed home. There is a praise service when they arrive. But not all are yet present. In chapter 16, during the height of the bowl judgment, Jesus calls out to His own a warning, an encouragement to be faithful (16:15).
15:2, the sea of glass. Mention of this beautiful part of the Throne Room and the harps takes us all the way back to 4:6 . A Heavenly scene precedes the revealing of the Scroll in chapters 4 and 5. There is “Heaven” also before the trumpet soundings of 8:1-6. More Heaven comes at the proclamation of the three angels, 14:1-5. And now still more at this pre-wrath scene. One more view is to come: chapter 19:1-9 shows what is happening in Heaven just before Jesus comes! It is so important that readers of this book keep their eyes fixed on these Heavenly portraits, so as to understand the Holiness and power of Almighty God and His justice in doing what He does.
15:2, antichrist. Notice the tie-in to chapter 13’s discussion of the man of sin here at the end of verse 2. His person, his image, his mark, his number, are all defeated.
15:3-4, the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb. There are two songs of Moses recorded in Scripture. One is in Exodus 15:1-21, a song of deliverance from Egypt and victory. The introductory words call it “the song of Moses and the children of Israel”. It is probably the one meant here because a portion of the two passages are the same: Revelation 15:4a and Exodus 15:14. Another song , and this one is specifically belonging to Moses, called a prayer of his, is what we know of as Psalm 90. This is a song of the eternity of God, and the frailty of man. In my opinion this would also be an appropriate message here. In both cases, the phrase “song of Moses” means “the song composed and/or sung by Moses.”
But what of the “song of the Lamb” ? Except for the fact that all Scripture is God-breathed, and therefore “of the Lamb” , I am not aware of a song sung particularly by Jesus, or composed by Him for the church to sing. In the book of Revelation, we have already seen in 5:8-10, the “new song” sung by the living creatures and elders to the Lamb who has taken the Book and redeemed us to God and made us kings and priests to reign with Him on earth. And more to the point, that same group of praisers being discussed here in 15 is singing a song to the Lamb because of His salvation. Is this the “song of the Lamb”? Or is there coming to His people a song created and sung specifically by Jesus? That God sings, is more than suggested in Isaiah 5:1-6, and Hebrews 2:12.
15:5-16:1, the directive given. The mood changes in Heaven. The praise meeting is suspended, and from the inner sanctuary of the Temple, meaning perhaps the very presence of God as He really is, come seven most final angels (15:6). In passing, note the golden “belt” or “sash”. Jesus Himself wears this heavenly gold in 1:13, and, it would seem, in Daniel 15:6, speaking of “a certain man.” The dress of Heaven is both uniform and glorious.
There is tension in the air. An announcement is made that the Temple is to be off-limits until this business on Earth is settled (15:8). Smoke fills the Temple to emphasize the point. God’s mercy has waited long enough, and must now become, as far as the damned are concerned, a thing of the past. It is a Day of Judgment. Of order. God’s order shall now be brought to the planet. Forever we shall praise Him for His mercy, but the invitation to a grace-filled salvation is now closed.
15:5, The unusual joining of “temple”, “tabernacle”, and “testimony” needs to be considered. Where have we heard those three words before, and what do they mean now?
The Temple was always the place where the glory of God could be revealed. It was never meant to be a pattern for modern church buildings, either in name or structure. It is a model of the Spirit-filled church, the Body of Christ, and Christ Himself.
Yet even the word Temple does not say it all. The Jewish Temple had a very holy place, and twice in the Book of Revelation we are privileged to gaze inside, to ascertain what God might say to us from there. Did I say twice? See 11:19, at the very end of the Trumpet soundings, a verse sounding very much like the one before us, talks of an open Temple, wherein is seen the ark of the covenant. Presently (15:5) we see the “tabernacle of the Testimony.” It seems to me these two phrases are one, and this event is one. Where the trumpets have left off the bowls will now begin. Chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15:1-4 are merely close-ups and asides. The train of thought now continues, and 15:5 is the signal.
Why “testimony” ? This word is used in reference to Temple furnishings, but very rarely. Its first mention is Exodus 16:34. Most of the time after this it is used in connection with the ark. The ark of the testimony seems to be a synonym for the ark of the Covenant. In Exodus 25:16, coupled with 31:18, we see the ten commandments engraved on two tablets of stone being carefully placed in this wooden box. From that time on, this is the box of the Decalogue, the box of the Covenant, the “ark” of the “testimony”. Here in Revelation it could be that the other name for a portable “house”, tabernacle, is used for the box. Or, this is the “testimony” in the tent of worship.
Whichever understanding is meant, before God’s final judgment we see Heaven’s doors open, the Presence of God manifested, and the heart of God, His very Word, seen to be the driving force of all. Soon the Tabernacle of God, wherein is His Word, will be with man, forever (Revelation 21:5). This is a transition time, not only in the Book of Revelation, but concerning all history. God has loved this evil planet so much. When He made it, He knew He had made a good thing. Now He shall cleanse it of the evil, and begin the process of moving in. Hallelujah. A great day coming!
The seven bowls (16:2-21):
The first bowl (16:2). All who have received the antichrist mark receive also a mark from heaven: a foul loathsome sore. Or is this the outcome of the original mark of the beast? Does this morally poisonous identification with antichrist prove to be contaminating to the body also? Is the “chip” a technological carcinogen? The believers are of course exempt from this judgment, since they have not been appointed to wrath. And if we are on the right trail about the sore here, it is obvious why the believers do not manifest any health problems.
The second bowl (16:3). All sea creatures die! Whether this is a magnification of the second trumpet, a separate but similar judgment, or an altogether different phenomenon simply is not explained. All we know is we have jumped from 33% to 100% of sea creatures. All dead.
The third bowl (16:4). Rivers are fully contaminated. They become blood, in vengeance for the blood of holy men that has been shed. Now, I understand the significance of “water of life” in a spiritual sense. We taste of it regularly in the Lord. But I am equally convinced of the literalness of Revelation 22:1-2, connected with Old Testament prophecies such as Ezekiel’s (47:1-12), that speak of a healing water that shall fill the earth, the new earth God creates out of the horror of the old. The usable water supply, not overly abundant in many areas of the world as I write this, will one day become virtually nil. This , the pride of the blue planet, will be a knock-out punch to civilization. And for a literal earth to continue on into the Millennium, literally healed waters must be available.
Praise break (16:5-7). It is always time to praise the Lord. Oh, men will be cursing God by now, blaming and hating the people of God who remain (yes, they will still be here!). But in Heaven all is still well, and proper. God is just in all He does. He owes nothing to anyone but judgment. Those who did not want His mercy will now receive that judgment. Yes, the world shed the blood of Your precious people. Let them drink blood. It is proper. It is good. The spirit of David in the Psalms has returned for this hour. God’s enemies who continue to be God’s enemies deserve what they shall receive. Let us not sympathize with their evil. Their hearts were corrupt, they wanted nothing of God in those hearts. God now acknowledges their desires.
The fourth bowl (16:8-9). The earth’s people are scorched by the sun. If trumpet 4 (8:12) is an eclipse, what can we say about bowl 4? A supernova? Does the sun here finally give out altogether, explode? Is the result of that burst of heat the scorching of mankind? How do believers endure this? Are they in a portion of the world that is not immediately facing the sun when it happens?
The order of events given by Jesus regarding the sun (Matthew 24): (1) Tribulation on earth. (2) the darkening of the sun and resultant inability of the moon to give its light. (3) The Son of Man comes. So here, we are very close to Jesus’ coming.
Notice the Pharaoh-like reaction of men to the plagues: The light of the sun has gone out! But they do not repent! How cold and hard are men. Notice in 9:6, during the locust plague, the desire is to die, not to repent. And in 9:20, when one third of the world has been annihilated, people are still continuing in idolatry, murder, immorality. It seems that only the preaching of the two prophets and a killer earthquake (11:13) have any effect on this hardness. Even with the next plague, the gradual cooling, if not freezing, of the earth, no sign of tears.
The fifth bowl (16:10-11). The fifth bowl is the companion to the fourth. Damage to the sun is now translated into darkness, and extreme cold, causing the pain, it would seem, of frostbite, as people gnaw their tongues, trying to keep warm, still smarting from the scorch wounds of the supernova. All of the beast's kingdom is in darkness. Note how believers are spared many portions of the plagues, as were the Israelites in Canaan. This is another indication that God’s people are not appointed to wrath! God can spare His people through the trouble as well as from it! But though we say this, we understand that the beast’s kingdom is the entire world by now. Christians must be hiding in Spirit-directed areas to escape the ravages of God’s judgments on fallen man.
The sixth bowl (16:12-16). There is a blending now of trumpet six and bowl six. We are almost in exactly the same era of history, as all winds down to its final low. At the trumpet sound, the machinery of war begins. One third of mankind killed. But the war machine moves on, and Satan is not satisfied with world conquest, especially as He sees his dreaded Enemy taking power over nature. He must have all power himself, and summons the war mechanisms to a final theater in the Middle East.
As at the sixth trumpet (see there), the River Euphrates is involved. The trumpeting was merely the releasing of the Euphrates angels, so that the process could begin. Here is a closer look, behind the scenes, reminiscent of I Kings 22, where the man of God prophesies that lying spirits will convince God’s enemies to come to battle and be defeated. Here what started with the trumpet is finalized. Euphrates is dry, the Kings from the East may now go to Israel. And, is it 200,000,000 people behind them, marching? Or is it, as in 9:16, 200 million horsemen, their “animals” described, not as ordinary horses, but as modern implements of war?
And oh yes: Even in the darkness of the sixth seal, sixth trumpet, and sixth bowl, there is a church present! Jesus chooses this horrific moment in the narrative to speak to them and remind them (16:15) to keep their garments clean during this evil reign. For even as in our day there is much sinning in the middle of much suffering, so it will be then. But also, as in our day, there is a remnant church listening for and hearing the voice of God.
The evil spirits then lead the kings of earth to Armageddon. Is this a real place? The word is “har megiddo”, that is , the mountains of Megiddo. Megiddo itself means “rendezvous”. God indeed has a final meeting in mind, a last confrontation with the sons of men before Jesus comes, and even as He comes.
As to the town of Megiddo, it was one of the many conquered by Joshua (Joshua 12:21, 17:11), and was originally a part of western Manasseh. This is one of those towns where the Israelites did not drive out the Canaanites (Judges 1:27). It was a stronghold to be prized by either side. By Deborah’s day, the mountain stronghold oversaw a famous battle. Near the waters of Megiddo, General Barak routed the army of Sisera (Judges 5:19). We next hear of the town in connection with Solomon’s administration over it (I Kings 4:12) and his fortification of it (I Kings 9:15). King Ahaziah of Judah, a wicked man, is wounded in battle and flees to this city to die (II Kings 9:27). Josiah of Judah, a good man in a wicked cause, is killed by Pharaoh here (II Kings 23:29-30). Later, Zechariah (12:11) refers to this Josiah incident and says there will be a similar one of great mourning in Jerusalem. This is the only clue I found that links Megiddo with Jerusalem. I was searching for such a link since most of the prophecies of the end time horrors center around Jerusalem, not Megiddo.
Nevertheless this Megiddo location, overlooking the valley of Jezreel [aka plain of Esdraelon] could well be the site of the antichrist’s last stand. It is today in what is known as the “west bank” (a derogatory term to Israel, as it refers to Jordan’s old borders, not Israel’s) and could fit the description given in Daniel of the “willful” king’s frantic movements before he is given to the flames (Daniel 11:44-45). News from the east (a 200,000,000-”man” army) and from the north (Russia and company?) shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out (from Jerusalem?) and he shall plant the tents of his palace (portable throne, as in older days) between the seas (Mediterranean, Galilee, Dead) and the glorious holy mountain (Sinai?). That convergence of places could easily be Megiddo.
Notice in 16:14 they are all gathered at Armageddon prepared for the final battle against the Lord. It is demonic spirits that tell them to come and fight against the approaching Jesus. The sixth bowl, just before the end and His return, is the drying of the Euphrates so that they can easily gather here. The seventh bowl is the battle itself. So Armageddon is not just another world war (WWIII). Armageddon is the end.
The seventh bowl (16:17-21). With the seventh bowl we once more come to the final portion of history. I believe it is important for us to see here the overlapping of terms that describe not only this last bowl but the last seal and last trumpet. Thrice the Lord brings us to the end of all things. This ending is the same event, as a quick comparing of chapters 6, 11, and 16 will bear out:
At the last seal of chapter 6 are a great earthquake, a blackened sun, a blood-red moon, falling stars, a receding sky, the moving of mountains and islands, kings hiding in caves.
At the last trumpet of chapter 11, again there is an earthquake, the kingdoms are Christ's, God's wrath has come, there are lightnings, noises, hail.
And at the last bowl of chapter 16, again the earthquake, darkness, mountains and islands moved, a voice saying "It is done," mention of the wrath of God, noises, thunderings, lightnings, hail.
As part of that end-time climax just prior to Jesus’ coming , we encounter the following: 1. Nature in chaos (16:18, 6:12-14, 11:19). As at the sixth seal and seventh trumpet, there is a mighty storm, an unprecedented earthquake. Mountains are leveled, hail falls , the heavens are decimated by– it seems– the explosion of our star, the sun. Yet men will not turn from their wickedness, and they continue their blasphemies (16:21).
It is into just such chaos that Jesus said he would come (Matthew 24:21-22). Jesus here speaks of days of unprecedented tribulation. He says he will come just before all flesh is destroyed. As we read Revelation’s description of the upheavals of nature, the sun gone, skies unraveling, mountains flattening, how long indeed could the planet and its people survive without the special intervention of its Creator? Jesus’ promise to come for the sake of His chosen ones lets us know again that His own are being spared the ravages of judgment, and will not be punished with the world. Just as it seems the world will go up in one last pitiful puff of smoke, He comes, calls His own to Himself, and begins the restoration process.
Hail (16:21). Before we move to the next event, a word about hail in Revelation. Isaiah 28:17 speaks of a time when hail will sweep away the lies of Israel. A time when the Foundation Stone will be laid, when justice will rule the earth. Other Old Testament prophecies speak of hail. And hail was a part of the plaguing of Egypt (Exodus 9:13), mixed with fire. Pharoah came running to “repent”, unlike the men of the final generation. Hail will be evident during the first trumpet’s devastation of one third of earth’s vegetation (8:7), then here at the very end, in company with earthquakes, lightnings, thunderings, etc. (11:19). At this seventh bowl it is pointed out that the hail will be the weight of a “talent”. If, as Nelson (op cit) suggests, this Hebrew measure is the amount of material a man can carry, we can hardly imagine how brutal will be this storm!
2. Babylon Falls (16:19, 14:8, 18:1-24, 19:1-6). The fall of Babylon is first recorded in 14:8, in a series of angelic announcements that includes the worldwide spread of the Gospel, and warnings not to worship the Beast. Here in 16:19, the judgment of the city seems to be at the very end of all things, in connection with the final series of natural and military disasters signaling the return of Christ.
The great city (16:19) . There are two cities called “great” in Revelation. Jerusalem wears that title in 11:8, but only there. In 11:2, the same (old) Jerusalem is called “the holy city.” On the other hand, Babylon, even as it is falling, is called “that great city”. This phrase is repeated in 14:8, 17:18, 18:10, 16, 18, 19, and 21! We assume then that here in 16:19, since “Great Babylon” is identified later in the verse, that “the great city” at the beginning is Babylon. The division of the city is evidently a result of the unequaled earthquake of 16:18.
But look! When the great city meets its disastrous end, the cities of the nations fall also. Either the external judgments pounding away at the surface of the earth or some internal connection antichrist has devised to make the cities of earth one city are responsible. Whatever, Babylon is finally and fully given her cup of wrath. This introduction is followed in the following two chapters by close-ups of this incredible city. Chapter 17 is Babylon’s description, chapter 18, her decimation, related to John by two separate angels.
