The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
16 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, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and
worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned
into blood like that of a dead person, 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, O Holy One,
you who are and who were;
6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your
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.”
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was
allowed 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 its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People 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 impure 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 demonic spirits that perform 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 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake
and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in
Hebrew is called Armageddon.
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 mankind 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, each weighing about a hundred pounds, [Or about 45 kilograms] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail because the plague was so terrible.
NOTES:
16:1–21 These seven bowls, like the seven seals (Rev 6:1–17;
8:1) and the seven trumpets (Rev 8:2–9:21; 11:15–19), bring on a succession of
disasters modeled in part on the plagues of Egypt (Ex 7–12). See note on Rev
6:12–14.
16:2 Like the sixth Egyptian plague (Ex 9:8–11).
16:3–4 Like the first Egyptian plague (Ex 7:20–21). The same
woe followed the blowing of the second trumpet (Rev 8:8–9).
16:10 The throne of the beast: symbol of the forces of evil.
Darkness: like the ninth Egyptian plague (Ex 10:21–23); cf. Rev 9:2.
16:12 The kings of the East: Parthians; see notes on Rev 6:2
and Rev 17:12–13. East: literally, “rising of the sun,” as in Rev 7:2.
16:13 Frogs: possibly an allusion to the second Egyptian
plague (Ex 7:26–8:11). The false prophet: identified with the two-horned second
beast (Rev 13:11–18 and the note there).
16:15 Like a thief: as in Rev 3:3 (cf. Mt 24:42–44; 1 Thes
5:2). Blessed: see note on Rev 1:3.
16:16 Armageddon: in Hebrew, this means “Mountain of
Megiddo.” Since Megiddo was the scene of many decisive battles in antiquity
(Jgs 5:19–20; 2 Kgs 9:27; 2 Chr 35:20–24), the town became the symbol of the
final disastrous rout of the forces of evil.
16:19 The great city: Rome and the empire.
16:20–21 See note on Rev 6:12–14. Hailstones: as in the
seventh Egyptian plague (Ex 9:23–24); cf. Rev 8:7. Like huge weights:
literally, “weighing a talent,” about one hundred pounds.
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