Revelation chapter 16 describes the final seven vials of

the wrath of God, representing God's punishment of

sinners during the Tribulation period. The judgments are

somewhat parallel to the ten plaques of Egypt and to the

trumpet judgments of Revelation chapters 8 and 9.

1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to

the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the

vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

2a And the first went, and poured

out his vial upon the earth;

2b and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the

men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them

which worshipped his image.

Only those who have received the mark of the beast –

666, will be afflicted with these ulcerated sores!

By rejecting Christ and accepting the Antichrist, these

sinners will now display the mark of God – ulcers, that

will most likely cover the number of the beast.

• “Sore” means an ulcer

like an oozing boil.

• “Noisome” means of a

bad nature,

troublesome,

injurious.

• “Grievous” means

something that is

annoying, painful, or

bad.

These sores will be extremely painful, festering and

incurable. Nothing will bring relief to the lost sinners

suffering from these boils that destroy their health.

This reminds us of

the sixth plague of

Egypt in the days

of Moses, when

God allowed the

people to suffer

from incurable,

painful boils all

over their bodies.

~Exodus 9: 8-12

These festering boils are more than likely the same

physical problem that Job suffered. ~Job 2:7

3a And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea;

3b and it became as the blood of a dead man:

3c and every living soul died in the sea.

And there went out

another horse that

was red: and power

was given to him that

sat thereon to take

peace from the earth,

and that they should

kill one another: and

there was given unto

him a great sword.

In the second seal judgment, great bloodshed was

brought upon the earth.

In the second trumpet judgment, God caused a third part

of the sea to become blood. ~Revelation 8:8.

However, this second bowl judgment includes the entire

oceans of the world that covers 70% of the surface of

this planet.

We have seen a glimpse of this plague with the recent

red tides off the coast of Florida. Red algae in the water,

produces a toxin that paralyzes the central nervous

system of marine life, causing death. This can also

cause death to people who have eaten fish that have

been contaminated with the red tide toxin.

Every creature in the sea will perish when the water is

turned to blood. Beaches will no longer attract sun

worshippers and pleasure seekers, but will reek with the

unbearable stench of death throughout the world that carries

the potential for disease as these organisms die and decay.

The impact of this judgment will be devastating.

Millions will face starvation as the food supply from the

oceans is drastically reduced.

Drought of worldwide proportion will occur as the rainfall

on the earth is greatly diminished because most of the

rain water comes from moisture that evaporates from

the oceans of the world.

This judgment will also interfere with commerce and

shipping. The fish industry will be destroyed and people

will constantly be searching for an adequate source of

water to no avail.

4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers

and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

A similar occurrence was experienced in the first plaque of

Egypt when God instructed Moses to take his rod, and stretch

out his hand upon the waters of Egypt that they may become

blood ~Exodus 7: 19 – 21. Men searched in vain for water to

quench their thirst.

In Revelation 8:10-11, a

third of the rivers

became wormwood and

many died because of

the bitterness. The

comet, meteor, or some

other heavenly body that

fell into the waters,

poisoned one-third of the

world’s fresh water

supply.

In Revelation 16:4, the

third vial extends the

destruction to all

bodies of fresh water

internationally. Every

source of fresh water

in the universe is

turned to blood.

There will be no fresh

water to drink, only

blood.

Our bodies can

survive several

weeks without food,

but only about three

days without water.

No doubt death

from disease and

thirst will skyrocket

during these

horrible, evil days.

But whosoever

drinketh of the

water that I shall

give him shall

never thirst; but

the water that I

shall give him

shall be in him a

well of water

springing up into

everlasting life.

~John 4:14

5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art

righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be,

because thou hast judged thus.

The angel of the waters was in perfect

agreement with God’s divine judgment.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and

thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

The angel justifies

God’s act with these

words that explain

why those who have

opposed God and His

people throughout the

ages, deserve this

punishment.

It seems that blood in

the water supply is

punishment for the

shed blood of the

saints and prophets.

7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord

God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The angels praise God for

His wisdom in sending this

judgment. The world is

merely reaping what it has

sown for denying Him and

defiling His creation.

The angels are saying,

“Amen! Lord God Almighty,

you are right! Let them drink

blood. They shed the Blood

of the saints; give them blood

to drink! They are worthy,

they deserve it!”

Blood has always symbolized life and salvation.

“The life of the flesh is in the blood.” ~Leviticus 17:1

“The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.”

~1 John 1:7.

How ironic! It was blood that

could have saved these

people, and now it is blood

that will kill all living creatures

in the seas and rivers and

probably many people. Blood

now, becomes a symbol of

condemnation and death.

8a And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun;

8b and power

was given

unto him to

scorch men

with fire.

The power of the sun is increased until the terrific

heat and blazes of fire from the sun scorch and burn

the backs of men, roasting them with a great heat

wave. These unrepentant men, whose mouths have

already been parched from lack of water suffer even

more intense thirst from the great heat.

This type of "heat" would also burn up all crops, cause

droughts, and probably even melt all of the polar ice region.

The sun is

some 93 million

miles away

from the earth.

If the sun were

any closer, we

would be

burned up. If

the sun were

any farther

away, we would

freeze to death.

God placed it

exactly where it

needs to be.

The sun is so large that 1.3 million

of our earths could fit inside of it.

The sun is a giant nuclear reactor.

The surface of the sun is nearly 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Surrounding the earth is a band of radiation called the

magnetosphere. This radiation band filters out the UV

rays of the sun, allowing exactly the right amount of

heat and light to enter earth’s atmosphere.

Environmentalists and

scientists tell us that

people are slowly

destroying the Ozone

layer above the earth. If

destroyed, people would

die by the thousands from

harmful UV rays from the

sun that had not been

filtered to make them safe.

Like the ozone layer, it

takes just a very thin coat

of the shed blood of Jesus

to protect us from the

enemies of God.

9 And men were scorched with great heat, and

blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over

these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

One day mankind will awaken to a sun that will blaze

down in flaming heat, scorching their bodies. This will be

nothing compared to the pain they will feel when they are

cast into Hell’s fire. This is just a warning of something far

more terrible to come that will be final and eternal!

This terrible plague is

vented at the beast

and its followers.

These people

understand that God is

behind these plagues.

Instead of repeating in

the face of His wrath,

they stand in

continued defiance to

Him and His will,

blaspheming the name

of God.

Like the Pharaoh

in Egypt, the

people’s hearts

have been

hardened and

they have no

desire to give

God the glory.

10a And the fifth angel poured out his

vial upon the seat of the beast;

When this fifth bowl is

poured out, this

plague begins at the

very throne room of

the Antichrist and then

spreads to cover his

entire kingdom. Some

scholars believe this to

be Babylon, but most

agree that this plague

will be worldwide.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:22:

God’s period for the Tribulation totals seven years,

or eighty-four months, or exactly 2,520 days.

Since God’s plan has been prophesied and cannot

be changed, how are the days of intensified heat

from the sun shortened for those with God’s seal in

their foreheads, the elect?

When the fifth bowl

judgment is unleashed

upon the world, the world

is suddenly engulfed in

inky black darkness. This

darkness will be so

severe and complete

that nothing can

penetrate it. This

darkness represents a

change in the way light

reaches the planet and

suggests that the power

grids that we use to light

the earth will be done

away with.

10b and his kingdom was

full of darkness;

This same phenomenon occurred in Egypt during the

ninth plague as described in Exodus 10: 21-23. The

whole land was consumed in darkness so oppressive

that Moses said you could actually feel it. That's the

sort of thing that will come upon the kingdom of the

Antichrist at this time.

The Antichrist may be a powerful political ruler, energized

and supported by Satan, but he, like pharaoh,is also

helpless to defend himself against the judgment of God.

This divine judgment will give a physical illustration of

their spiritual darkness. This "darkness" here was not just

physical darkness, which is bad enough; but this

"darkness" is of the spirit, as well, bringing depression,

attempted suicide, and all sorts of evil attacks on the

mind. Man will no longer be able to produce electricity

from the rivers and bodies of water, due to the

contamination from the 2nd and 3rd vial judgments.

This supernaturally imposed

darkness is also representative of

the darkness that has already

engulfed the world. The world has

already rejected the Light of the

World, the Lord Jesus, because

they loved darkness rather than

light, John 3:19. This world chose

moral, spiritual, intellectual, and

emotional darkness over the light

that was available in the person of

Jesus Christ and in the Word of

God. They favored darkness over

light and God gives them more

darkness than they ever

bargained for!

10c and they

gnawed their

tongues for pain,

We are also told that when this darkness

descends, men will literally chew their tongues

because their pain is so great. The combined

misery of the sores in their bodies; starvation

from the ruined oceans; the lack of drinkable

water and terrible burns they have suffered from

the intense heat of the sun, all combine to cause

the inhabitants of the earth to writhe in pain.

What we see here is a tiny glimpse of Hell. God is letting

the Antichrist and his followers know what is waiting on

them because they have rejected Jesus. Once, when

speaking of Hell, Jesus said this, “And cast ye the

unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be

weeping and gnashing of teeth,” Matt. 25:30.

The last time the entire earth was totally blacked out was

when Jesus hung on the cross. He was paying the sin-

debt. He took the sinner’s place . . . outer darkness

forever. Jesus suffered all the agony, pain and misery of

an eternal hell for you and me, even the darkness.

11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their

pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

These judgments are so clearly

supernatural that everyone will

know that they descend from the

God of heaven. But instead of

falling down before Him to

become the recipients of His

mercy, they curse God and

blaspheme His name. They do

not repent, but refuse to change

their ways. Those who reject the

Lord do so, not because of doubts or

unexplained answers to unanswered

questions, but as a result of

hardness of heart and love for sin.

12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial

upon the great river Euphrates;

and the water thereof was dried up,

that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The sixth trumpet judgment found in Revelation 9:13-19,

and the Sixth Bowl Judgment are very similar. In the

trumpet judgment, the four angels that were bound in the

great river Euphrates, were loosed.

These angels were

commanded by God

to execute their

judgment in the

area of the

Euphrates River

where God planted

the Garden of Eden.

It is here that God also made His unconditional covenant

with Abraham and established the Euphrates River as the

eastern boundary of the Promised Land. (Genesis 15:18)

Today, this area is located in present-day Iran,

Iraq, and Syria. previously known as Persia.

The Euphrates

begins in Turkey at

Mount Ararat and

flows south, through

Iraq, and into the

Persian Gulf. This

river, which is over

1,800 miles long, has

been for centuries,

the dividing line

between the east and

the west.

It forms a natural

barrier against

advancing armies.

In Revelation 16:12, one witnesses a miraculous drying

up of the Euphrates River in order that the kings of the

east might cross over unhindered, leading an army of

two hundred million.

The Euphrates River possibly dries up because of the

building of dams along the waterway and problems

caused by some of the past bowl judgments. When the

oceans and fresh waters are turned to blood, the

amount of rainfall is reduced. This will bring drought

that will allow these armies from the east to come into

Israel on dry land.

This fearful army of 200 million will cross the Euphrates

River to participate in the greatest Mideast confrontation

ever – the battle of Armageddon, the conflict fight against

the Lord and His hosts that will be detailed in Revelation

19: 11-16.

Several countries today have the ability to build an army

of 200 million. This includes China and the Muslim world.

Following World War II, the United Nations took

Palestinian lands and gave it to the displaced Jews that

survived the Holocaust as a home.

Ever since, there has been conflict in that region

between the Arab nations that surround Israel as they

repeatedly try to oust the Jews from Palestine, failing in

every attempt.

This great hostility could cause a Muslim army to possibly

declare Islamic jihad (meaning Holy War) against

countries supporting Israel.

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of

the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the

beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Verse 13 reveals three unclean spirits like frogs

coming out of the mouths of the unholy trinity,

controlled by the power of evil spirits:

1. The dragon (Satan)

2. The beast (Antichrist)

3. The false Prophet (head of the world church)

The symbolism of “like frogs” speaks of

uncleanness, just as the plague of frogs in Egypt

produced a stench that filled the land with

indescribable odors and filth (Exodus 8:14)

14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles,

which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the

whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great

day of God Almighty.

These "spirits of

devils" will have

power to perform

supernatural

miracles as part of

their deception, just

like the Egyptian

magicians copied

some of Moses'

miracles.

These evil spirits are so deceiving, that they convince

these armies to come against Israel. They willingly come

to the battle against God Himself, believing they will win.

15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth,

and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and

they see his shame.

We see here that Jesus comes unexpectedly. He tells

the surviving Tribulation believers to be watchful and

alert for His Coming.

In Christ’s day, it was

custom to wear a one-

piece garment during

the day and remove it

at bedtime. The

warning is to be

prepared, both

physically and

spiritually, to avoid

being found naked and

ashamed.

16 And he gathered them together into a place called in

the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Satan may think that he is in control of these

events, but the real Ringmaster is God Himself. He

gathers the nations of the world in the valley of

Megiddo so that He might engage them and

destroy them in one moment of time.

Verse 16 identifies the

place of the final battle

as Armageddon, from

the Hebrew Har

Megiddon (the Hill of

Megiddo). The hill

country of Megiddo and

the adjacent valley of

Esdraelon. Armageddon

runs through the middle

of the Holy Land from

the Mediterranean Sea

to the Jordan River. It is

approximately two

hundred miles long and

ten miles wide.

Armageddon has been a place of slaughter down

through the ages and was the great battlefield of the

Old Testament. Armageddon means “to cut off,” and

that is exactly what God will do in that great hour!

17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air;

and there came a great voice out of the temple of

heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

Satan is the “the prince of the power of the air”

(Ephesians 2:2). This is why “we wrestle . . . against

spiritual wickedness in high place.” (Ephesians 6:12)

The seventh angel, in pouring out his bowl “into the

air,” destroys the last traces of Satan’s abiding place.

The battle of Armageddon also destroys every nook

and cranny where Satan has had a resting place.

When Christ bore the judgment for sin on the cross,

He cried, “It is finished.” Now, mankind will pay the

price for not repenting and allowing Christ to bear

their burdens. A voice from heaven again cries, “It is

done.” This 21st judgment will be the final judgment.

18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings;

and there was a great earthquake, such as was not

since men were upon the earth, so mighty an

earthquake, and so great.

The seventh outpoured bowl produces thunders,

lightnings, and the most devastating earthquake

ever to occur upon earth, as predicted by the

prophet Haggai. (Haggai 2: 6-7)

This final bowl

judgment does not

bring about the

end of the world.

Instead, Jesus will

return to establish

His earthly

kingdom, and rule

for one thousand

years. However,

this will be the end

of civilization as

we know it today.

19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the

cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in

remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of

the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

This destruction divides the great city Jerusalem into three

parts and causes every major city in all nations to fall.

The worst judgment is reserved for Babylon, which

receives the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His

wrath. Details of Babylon’s demise will be studied in

Revelation 18.

20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were

not found.

In addition to the destruction, every island flees

away and mountains become dislocated, even to the

point of disappearing into the oceans.

21a And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven,

every stone about the weight of a talent:

The judgment climaxes with the raining down from

heaven of hailstones weighing from 86 to 120

pounds.

The Greek talent weighed 86 pounds, the Troy talent

96 pounds, and the Jewish talent 120 pounds.

Whatever measurement is used, this hailstorm will

literally pulverize everything in sight.

21b and men blasphemed God because of the plague of

the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

In spite of this plague, the inhabitants of earth

continue to blaspheme God. Stoning was the Old

Testament punishment for one who committed

blasphemy! (Leviticus 24: 16) God’s judgment of hail

was fair and just for these unrepenting people.