SEVEN LAST PLAGUES (REVELATION 16)
One of my favorite TV shows through the COVID crisis was the Chinese movie and TV series “Judge Dee” or “Detective Dee, as first popularized by Andy Lau many years ago in a 2010 movie directed by Tsui Hark. The first movie, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, was set in the seventh-century. The film won six awards at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Director and Best Actress for Carina Lau.
Detective Dee was imprisoned previously by the unpopular Empress Wu for his opposition to her rule, but was released to solve a crime and to save her kingdom. After cracking the case, Dee called on the controversial and cruel queen to be kind to the people under her rule.
According to Wikipedia, “Judge Dee acts according to very strict ethics, regarding himself as duty bound to enforce justice, seek out, and severely punish all wrong-doers, high or low… Dee's colleagues might have been more lenient with a suspected murderer when he was a member of a rich family and an outstanding student of literature; or would not have exerted themselves to catch the murderer of a "small" shop-keeper in a minor provincial town; or would have thought more of lining their own pockets than of seeing justice done. … Sometimes, however, Judge Dee finds it expedient to go out incognito and carry out an investigation in disguise. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrated_Cases_of_Judge_Dee
The judgment of God is slow, speculative and even spotty, but when it comes it will be sensational, supernatural and stunning! The verb “break out/became” (ginomai) became occurs ten times (vv 2, 3, 4, 10, 17, 18 four times, 19), more than any chapter in the book.
How will God punish Satan, sinners, sceptics and scoffers? How are we to prepare ourselves come hard times, high water or heavenly or otherwise?
Trust God’s Outrage Will Be Outpoured
1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; 6 for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve." 7 And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments."
It’s been said:
There is no pain greater than the pain of rejection. Irish Proverb.
There is no pain greater than to be helpless in the face of a loved one's suffering."
There is no pain greater than the loss of your child.
There is no pain greater than that of a broken heart.
There is no pain greater than feelings of unrelieved abandonment.
There is no pain greater than going blind.
There is no pain greater than the pain from death.
After two chapters (Rev 14:10) of warning, the wrath of God is finally poured out, powered by the only two imperatives in the chapter – Go and pour out (v 1), and not just one bowl or vial in KJV, but seven bowls. The most obvious example how the verb is used for the Spirit’s (Acts 2:17-18) outpouring, onrushing and overflowing. Seven is complete, comprehensive and continual –thick and torturous. It stands for perfect, plentiful and potent. Pour out (ekecho) occurs 27 times in the Bible, of which nine times is in Revelation, all in this chapter, but it is in the imperative for the only time in the Bible, so the outpour is prompt, profuse and pungent - heavy and hurtful. The outpour couldn’t be any faster, forceful or frenetic. The adjective “painful/grievous” (v 2) occurs the first time and the only time in the book.
Angel Aftermath Articulation
2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land
2 and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark Boils
3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, 3 and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.
Now “every living thing in the sea died” (v 3).
Blood by the Bay
4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, 4 and they became blood.
5 "You are just in these judgments, … 6 for they have shed the blood of your saints Blood at the Beach
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, 9 they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. Proves God is just in judgments Burns
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, 10 Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven
Blackout
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, 12 and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 15 "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake Battle
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, 17 and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, 17 "It is done!" Breakup
Previously, one third of the sea was destroyed at the sound of the second angel’s trumpet: “A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Rev 8:8-9) Now “every living thing in the sea died” (v 3).
Trust God’s Objectors Will Be Offended
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." 16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
What is the hottest place on Earth? The answer is Death Valley in the California desert, where we have been to, 200 miles northeast of Los Angeles near to the Las Vegas border, is known for having "the highest air temperature on the planet," according to science.org. On average, summer temperatures in Death Valley often exceed 113 degrees Fahrenheit, or 45 degrees Celsius.
According to Guinness World Records, Death Valley still holds the record for the highest recorded temperature on Earth. The official highest recorded temperature is 134 degrees Fahrenheit, or 56.7 degrees Celsius, measured on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley. The ground temperature of Death Valley has measured even hotter. On July 15, 1972, the surface temperature reached 201 degrees Fahrenheit; "just 11 degrees away from the boiling point of water," says Guinness World Records.
According to a 2010 study, the temperature humans can experience until it is considered too hot is 35 degrees Celsius, which is equal to 95 degrees Fahrenheit at 100% humidity or 115 degrees Fahrenheit at 50% humidity. This is considered the "upper limit of safety, beyond which the human body can no longer cool itself by evaporating sweat from the surface of the body to maintain a stable body core temperature," says scientificamerican.com. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2022/10/26/what-hottest-place-earth-highest-temperature-recorded/10264671002/
The second bowl cycle, after the first discourse in verses 1-6, is a direct judgment on all people, not just on people who belong to the beast (vv 1-2), and places such as the sea, river and fountains of water (vv 3-4). Scorch (vv 8, 9) occurs the only time in the book, twice in the chapter. Scorch is to blaze, burn and barbeque with extreme heat and hotness. It’s more than just heat, but “intense/great heat” (v 9) in Greek – most fierce, flaming and fearsome. This “heat” is from the sun and it occurs only twice in the Bible, all in Revelation (Rev 7:16, 16:9). All forms of life will feel the dryness, drain and dehydration. Everything on earth will be smoked, singed and seared.
Agony or pain in Greek occurs for the first time in the book, twice for emphasis (vv 10, 11). Gnaw (v 10) means bite, chew, crush or chomp on your own tongue, or squeeze, fog or scourged. Your tongue will be sore and swollen, painful and puffy, bloodied and bruised. Pains and sores (v 11) are plural – meaning many, multiple, major and maximum.
You would think earthlings would repent, but the opposite is true. This chapter, along with 2 Peter 2 has the most “blaspheme” word in the Bible. To blaspheme is to report slanderously (Rom 3:8) or speak evil (Titus 3:2). In religious matters, it refers to blaspheme God (v 21), the name of God and his doctrine (1 Tim 6:1) or the word of God
(Titus 2:5). It is to rail against God, to renounce, rebuke and reproach Him; to disparage, deny and defame Him.
The verb repent occurs 12 times in Revelation – six of the 12 times are in the imperative mood “repent” (Rev 2:5 twice, 16, 3:3, 19) or in the context of an imperative mood (Rev 2:22), and six times “repent not (Rev 2:21 twice, 9:20, 21, 16:9, 11):
“not repent of the WORK OF THEIR HANDS” (Rev 9:20)
“Nor did they repent of their MURDERS, their MAGIC ARTS, their SEXUAL IMMORALITY or their THEFTS.” (Rev 9:21)
“they refused to repent and GLORIFY him” (Rev 16:9)
“they refused to repent of WHAT THEY HAD DONE” (Rev 16:11).
The last four times the verb “repent” in Revelation is the sinful, stubborn and strong-willed “not repent.” They are primed for judgment because of their unremorseful unapologetic and unbending heart.
The sixth angel is the “mini-climax” - at the battle of the Armageddon, where the kings of the east (v 12), the dragon, the beast, false prophet (v 13), the spirits of devils, the kings of the earth and of the whole world (v 14) gathered to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. The focus is the purpose clause - that he (the believer) may not go naked and be shamefully exposed, or “lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (v 15, KJV). Naked is for the clothing and the cover, and shame is for the condemnation and the curse. Naked is the dress, and shame is for the disgrace; naked is to be exposed and shame is to be excluded from His presence.
Naked Shame
Clothing and cover Condemnation and curse
Dress Disgrace
To be exposed To be excluded
Trust God’s Onslaught Will Be Overpowering
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Here are the world’s deadliest earthquakes, according to a website:
Ranking Location Year Estimated death toll Earthquake magnitude
1 Shaanxi, China 1556 830,000 8
2 Port-au-Prince, Haiti 2010 316,000 7
3 Antakya, Turkey 115 260,000 7.5
4 Antakya, Turkey 525 250,000 7
5 Tangshan, China 1976 242,769 7.5
6 Gyzndzha, Azerbaijan 1139 230,000 Unknown
7 Sumatra, Indonesia 2004 227,899 9.1
8 Damghan, Iran
Gansu, China 856
1920 200,000
200,000 7.9
8.3
*https://ourworldindata.org/the-worlds-deadliest-earthquakes
There are five declarations in the text. The first statement is from a loud voice from the temple (v 1), the second is from the angel of the waters (v 5), the third is from another angel out of the altar (v 7), the fourth is from an unknown voice (v 15) and now the last, the interchange with the first in verse 1, is a return to “great voice” from the temple of heaven, from the throne (v 17).
The adjective “great” occurs an astonishing 11 times in the chapter, more than any chapter in the Bible. Not only that, it occurs twice in verse 18, 19 and 21, a feat not repeated in the Bible, twice referring to the great earthquake (v 18 great earthquake, Rev 16:18
so mighty an earthquake, and so great, KJV). The phenomena described as great in the chapter are a great voice (v 1, 17), great heat (v 9), the great river (v 12), the great day of God Almighty (v 14), great earthquake (v 18), great city and great Babylon (v 19), a great hail and the great plague (v 21 exceeding great, KJV). The progression is from “great” (vv 1, 9, 12, 14, 17, 19) to “so mighty an earthquake, and so great” (v 18) to “exceeding great” (v 21). Earthquake is the “sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves through Earth’s rocks.” (Britannica.com)
The first great earthquake in the Bible was the occasion of Jesus’ resurrection, when
the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door ( Matt 28:2). In the second great earthquake recorded in the Bible, the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood (Rev 6:12). In the third great earthquake, the tenth part of the city fell, and seven thousand men were killed (Rev 11:13). In this last recorded great earthquake in the Bible, the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell (v 19). Babylon has often been described as fallen (Rev 14:8, 16:19, 18:2).
The climax is “gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath” (v 19). The phrase “the fury/fierceness of his wrath” occurs the first of two times in the Bible (v 19, Rev 19:15). Fury means its vehemence and violence, its passion and potency, its intensity, immensity and implacability.
Conclusion:
The Lord Defends the Humble and the Meek
The Lord Dignifies the Honorable and the Maligned
The Lord Dooms the High and the Mighty
Time, ironically and importantly, is our friend, and not our enemies. In the meantime, we have to exercise discretion, judgment and patience. When He comes, He will eliminate, exterminate, eradicate, extinguish and execute His enemies. Would you be on His side or the opposite side, on the right side or the wrong side, on the winning side or the losing side?
