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Scripture Reading: Rev. 11:18a, 18e; 14:6-11; 17:1-6, 11-16; 19:11-21; 18:1—19:5; 20:1-3; Matt. 25:31-33, 41-46a; Rev. 20:7-10, 12-15; 15:7—16:21; 14:17-20; Isa. 63:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:52
In the first three chapters on the prophecy of the four “sevens” in the Bible, we have seen the first three “sevens.” We have fellowshipped concerning the seven years of the last week of the seventy weeks, the seven seals, and the seven trumpets. In this chapter we come to the prophecy of the fourth “seven”—of the seven bowls. We have seen that the seven trumpets are the contents of the seventh seal. In this chapter we want to see the seven bowls, which are the main part of the negative contents of the seventh trumpet.
Seven is the number of completion in God’s operation, such as seven days for God’s creation, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls for God’s move on the earth. The seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls are divided into four and three. Among the seven seals, the first four seals form a group. As we have seen, these first four seals are four horses with their riders, running in a four-horse race. The four riders of the four horses signify the gospel, war, famine, and death. They begin from Christ’s ascension and continue through the entire age of the church to Christ’s coming back. The fifth seal is the cry of the martyred saints, the sixth seal is the shaking of the earth and heaven, and the seventh seal is the entire contents of the seven trumpets.
The first four trumpets also form one group like the first four seals. The first trumpet is the judgment on the earth, the second trumpet is the judgment on the sea, the third trumpet is the judgment on the rivers, and the fourth trumpet is the judgment on the sun, moon, and stars. The last three trumpets are the three woes, the woes of the great tribulation. The fifth trumpet is the first woe as judgment on men (Satan and Antichrist collaborating to torment men). The sixth trumpet is the second woe as further judgment on men (two hundred million horsemen killing the third part of men). The seventh trumpet is the conclusion of the eternal economy of the processed Triune God. Before the seven trumpets there was already a judgment on the earth and on the hosts of heaven at the sixth seal. The extent of the damage of that judgment was not so definite as the damage of the first four trumpets.
At the seventh trumpet there will be further judgments on the earth, the sea, the rivers, and the sun through the seven bowls (Rev. 16:1-21). Those will be the most severe judgments of God on the earth and heaven. Just as the seven seals and the seven trumpets, the seven bowls are also divided into four and three. The first four bowls are the most severe supernatural calamities. Therefore, the supernatural calamities in this universe will be repeated three times. The first time is in the sixth seal, the second time is with the first four trumpets, and the third time is with the first four bowls.
The seventh trumpet has both positive and negative contents. The positive contents are the finishing of the mystery of God, as God announced the good news to His own slaves the prophets (10:7), the coming of the eternal kingdom of God and of Christ, in which He will reign forever and ever (11:15-17), the giving of the reward to the prophets, to the saints, and to the God-fearing people at the judgment seat of Christ (v. 18), the marriage of the Lamb (19:7-9), the kingdom of a thousand years (20:4-6), and the new heaven and the new earth with the New Jerusalem (21:1—22:5). Now we want to see the negative contents of the seventh trumpet.
The seventh trumpet as the third woe includes the seven bowls. The negative contents of the seventh trumpet are the coming of God’s wrath because the nations became angry (11:18a).
The negative contents of the seventh trumpet also include the destruction of those who destroy the earth (v. 18e).
The destruction of those who destroy the earth includes the destruction of Antichrist, his false prophet, the ten kings, and their armies at the war of Armageddon. After mentioning the fall of religious Babylon, Revelation 14 speaks of the warning against the worship of Antichrist in the great tribulation (vv. 9-12), the blessing of the martyrs in the great tribulation (v. 13), the harvest of believers close to the end of the great tribulation (vv. 14-16), and the gathering of the grapes (the evildoers) at the end of the great tribulation (vv. 17-20). This will be the great winepress, the war at Armageddon, where Antichrist, the false prophet, the ten kings, and their armies will be destroyed (16:13-16; 17:11-14; 19:11-21). These ones are all the destroyers of the earth. At the war of Armageddon they will be destroyed by Christ.
The destruction of physical Babylon the Great—the city of Rome—will be at the end of the great tribulation (16:19b; 18:1—19:5). This destruction will take place at the seventh bowl. Revelation 16:19 says, “The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the Great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.” Due to the great earthquake of the seventh bowl, the great city Jerusalem will be divided into three parts. Furthermore, the city of Rome will be remembered before God to be utterly destroyed.
The destruction of those who destroy the earth includes the binding and imprisoning of Satan in the abyss for one thousand years (20:1-3). This will take place after Antichrist and the false prophet are defeated and cast into the lake of fire (19:19-21).
There will also be the casting of the “goats,” those who worship Antichrist and who do not receive the eternal gospel, into the lake of fire (14:6-7, 9-11; Matt. 25:31-33, 41-46a). After the destruction of Antichrist and the imprisoning of Satan, the nations who are left on earth will be judged at Christ’s throne of glory. Christ will judge them not according to the law of Moses or the gospel of Christ but according to the eternal gospel. The eternal gospel consists of fearing and worshipping God and not following Antichrist. The nations who receive this gospel and who treat God’s people well during the time of the great tribulation will be considered as “sheep.” They will enter into the thousand-year kingdom to be its citizens. Those who follow and worship Antichrist and who do not treat God’s people well during the time of the great tribulation will be considered as “goats.” Christ will cast these ones into the lake of fire. They are also considered as the destroyers of the earth.
The destruction of those who destroy the earth also includes the burning of those who join the last rebellion of mankind (Rev. 20:7-9). The last rebellion of mankind will be instigated by Satan, God’s enemy, after the millennium. Fire will come down out of heaven and devour these rebellious ones.
Then there will be the casting of Satan into the lake of fire (v. 10). Satan was bound and imprisoned in the abyss for one thousand years. Then after the one thousand years he will be released from his prison (v. 7) to deceive the nations to rebel against God. These rebellious ones will be judged, and Satan will then be cast into the lake of fire to join Antichrist and the false prophet, who were cast into it a thousand years earlier (19:20).
Finally, there is the casting of the unbelievers and the demons into the lake of fire (20:12-15). God’s judgment with all the plagues and calamities is used by Him to sweep, to clean, the dirtied universe. All the dirt, the unclean things, will go into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the “trash can” for the entire universe. After the unbelievers and demons are cast into the lake of fire, death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire (v. 14). Then the old heaven and old earth will pass away, and there will be a new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem.
The seven bowls are the third woe (11:14), the last seven plagues to finish the fury of God (15:1), as the most severe judgment on men (v. 7—16:1).
The seven bowls are the main part of the negative contents of the seventh trumpet.
First, the supernatural calamities take place in the sixth seal. Then the intensified supernatural calamities take place in the first four trumpets. Finally, the most severe supernatural calamities will take place in the first four bowls (vv. 2-9).
The first bowl will be a sore upon the worshippers of Antichrist. Revelation 16:2 says, “The first went and poured out his bowl into the earth; and there came to be an evil and malignant sore upon the men who have the mark of the beast and worship his image.” In His last fury God will mark the rebellious ones with a sore on their skin because they bear the mark of the beast.
With the second bowl, the sea will become blood, and every living soul in the sea will die. Revelation 16:3 says, “The second poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living soul that was in the sea died.”
When the third bowl is poured out, the rivers and springs will become blood, and people will drink the blood-water (vv. 4-7).
When the fourth bowl is poured out, the sun will burn men with fire, and men will be burned with great heat and blaspheme the name of God (vv. 8-9).
The fifth bowl will be poured out on the kingdom of Antichrist. His kingdom will become darkened, and they will gnaw their tongues for pain and blaspheme God for their pains and for their sores (vv. 10-11).
The plague of the sixth bowl is poured out upon the great river Euphrates, which is dried up so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared (v. 12).
The vision inserted between the sixth and seventh bowls is the gathering for the war at Armageddon (vv. 13-16).
The gathering at Armageddon takes place by the three unclean spirits out of the mouths of Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet, the satanic trinity, going forth to stir up the kings of the whole inhabited earth (vv. 13-14). The three unclean spirits go forth to stir up these kings before the sixth bowl. The sixth bowl will dry up the Euphrates to prepare the way of the kings. These kings have to travel to reach the Euphrates, so the three unclean spirits stir them up to come.
Antichrist and his armies will fight against Christ and His army (v. 16; 17:12-14; 19:11-19). Christ and His chosen overcomers, His army, will defeat them. This will be the destruction of the destroyers of the earth.
The gathering of Antichrist, the false prophet, and the ten kings with their armies is the collecting of the “grapes” into the winepress. The war at Armageddon is the treading of the great winepress of the fury of God (14:17-20; Isa. 63:1-6).
Revelation 16:15 speaks of the Lord’s reminding of His remaining believers concerning His coming as a thief. This warning should be before the seventh trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52).
The pouring out of the seventh bowl brings in the greatest earthquake ever and the great hail of the exceedingly great plague (Rev. 16:17-21).
The great earthquake causes the city of Jerusalem to be divided into three parts and the cities of the nations to fall (v. 19a).
The physical Babylon the Great, the city of Rome, will be given the cup of the wine of the fury of God’s wrath (v. 19b). Rome has given the wine of the fury of her fornication to the faithful saints among the nations (18:3). Then God in vengeance will give her the wine of the fury of His wrath.
After the seventh bowl is poured out with the greatest earthquake, Revelation 16:20 says, “Every island fled, and the mountains were not found.”
Revelation 16:21 says that great hail comes down out of heaven upon men. The weight of every hailstone is a talent, about one hundred pounds, and men blaspheme God because the plague is exceedingly great. In the midst of the downpour of this great hail, those in the empire of Antichrist will continue to blaspheme God. This proves that they have no intention to repent. Rather, they will fight against God to the end.
