Jeanie C. Crain http://crain.english.missouriwestern.edu

Revelation 15–22.

Seven bowls of God’s final wrath

Chapter sixteen moves quickly and unmercifully; seven plagues are poured out upon the earth in succession: 

1. "a foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped its image" (2).

2. the sea "became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in it died" (3).

3. "the rivers and the springs of water...became blood" (4).

4. the sun "was allowed to scorch people with fire; they were scorched by the fierce heat" (9).

5. the kingdom of the beast "was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony" (10).

6. the Euphrates dries up (12-16); three foul spirits come from the mouths of the dragon and the two beasts; these demonic spirits battle the kings of the earth in Harmagedon (Armagedon).

7. Babylon is given the wine-cup of the fury of God's wrath (19); there is an earthquake and hail.

Of the seven plagues, readers will see a similarity to the plagues inflicted upon Egypt (Exodus chs. 7-12). In addition to that similarity, F.F. Bruce points out a parallelism between the seven plagues and the seven trumpets:

There is a remarkable parallelism between most of the seven trumpet judgments of chapters 8-11 and the last plagues of chapter 16.  In the first form of each series the earth, sea, fresh water, and sun are respectively affected; but the present judgments are more severe than their 'trumpet' counterparts; where the former judgments affected one-third of the area in question, these affect the whole.  The sixth plague in the present series, like the sixth trumpet-judgment, affects the Euphrates; and the emptying of the seventh bowl, like the blowing of the last trumpet, is followed by a proclamation from heaven.  We may also be struck by the resemblances between these 'last plagues' and the plagues of Egypt. (International Commentary)

Those afflicted with these plagues, much like Pharaoh, demonstrate a hardening of heart: after the fourth plague of heat, earthly inhabitants continue to curse the name of God and will not repent or give Him glory; and plunged into darkness, even amidst gnawing their own tongues, people curse God and do not repent. After the third plague, a theological question has been asked: the people have been given blood to drink; "It is what they deserve?" is answered definitively: "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just" (7). One recalls Paul's argument in Romans three: 5: But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6: God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? 

After much delay, the merciful God acts quickly: "The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" (17).  This pouring of the seventh bowl, with the interval between six and seven remarkably absent, is immediately followed by the climatic "And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunders, and a violent earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were upon the earth" (18).  Even still, with the destruction of Babylon evident, people still curse God (21).

[ Home ] [ Up ]

Send mail to crain@mwsc.edu with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 Jeanie C. Crain
Last modified: October 27, 2005