FRIDAY
Finally we come to the seven bowls. This is the last set of three depictions of God’s judgment. This is a lot of judgment and wrath to consume in one week. This is why John broke it up with all of the interludes.
These first five bowls, again, hyperlink us back to the Exodus account.
Revelation 16:1–21 (ESV)
The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.
4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,
“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”
7 And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
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 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Armageddon in Hebrew means “Mount Megiddo.” Megiddo was a place that saw frequent battles in Israel’s history. It is a fertile region that led many kings to desire it. Some take this to be a literal battle in the end times and some take it to be a figurative symbol of God’s final judgment of evil. Interestingly, there is no mountain in Megiddo and it is too small an area to host a massive battle. Many theories have been put forward as to why John references a mountain. The most convincing, I think, is that he is making it clear to his audience that this is meant to be taken symbolically. These battles will take place on a mountain, between the gods so to speak. Armageddon represents the entire world, driven by Satan, waging war against God and his people and ultimately being defeated by God. This same battle is also described in chapter 19, so it’s more likely that this meant to be taken symbolically.
The Seventh Bowl
17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
Pouring the bowl into the air concludes God’s judgment on the four elements: earth (16:1-2), water (16:3-4), fire (16:8), and air (16:17). The declaration “It is done!” signifies the end of history. The final judgment, the Day of the Lord, has arrived. This reminds us of Jesus’ statement on the cross “It is finished.” That began a new era in God’s redemption plan. This does as well.
By way of application, notice again the praise to God for his holy judgments. God is finally removing evil from his good creation. His judgment is right and true. His justice is perfect.
Also notice the response to God’s judgments. Like Egypt in the Exodus, the wicked curse God and still fail to repent and give him glory. In spite of these awe-inspiring signs, the wicked harden their hearts and remain in their stubborn rebellion. John is setting us up here for a point that we will make next week. But for now notice that it is not the judgment of God that leads people to repent. Next week we will see what it is that leads people to repent.
Reflection
We have all experienced evil in ourselves and in the world. We are all weary of it. Spend some time in prayer today expressing to God your weariness with evil. Then express to him your longing and your desire for him to judge creation and remove evil from the earth. Thank him that you have white robes in Christ. You are made righteous before God. Jesus has taken the judgment of God for your evil upon himself so that you might escape the wrath of God against evil.