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Revelation is a book of prophecy (1:3; 22:7). Most of its content refers to things to come. In this lesson we will see the visions of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls in the book of Revelation, as well as the prophecies concerning them.
The first four seals cover the history of the world from Christ’s ascension to the end of this age (6:1-8). With the opening of these seals there are four horses with their riders, signifying the gospel, war, famine, and death respectively. This has been the situation of the history of the world during the past twenty centuries. Since Christ’s ascension, the gospel has been preached. Throughout the centuries, along with the preaching of the gospel, there has been war. War brings in famine, and famine brings in death. With the fifth seal there is the cry of the martyred saints (vv. 9-11). As a result of the preaching of the gospel throughout the centuries, many saints have been martyred. Close to the end of this age these martyred saints will cry to God for vengeance. The sixth seal, which takes place close to the beginning of the great tribulation, involves the shaking of the earth and heaven (vv. 12-17) and will be a warning to earth’s dwellers, reminding them that there is a God in the universe. At that time, the earth will no longer be a suitable place for evil men to live boastfully. The seventh seal includes the seven trumpets and will last for eternity.
The seven trumpets are the contents of the seventh seal. The first four trumpets are the judgments on the earth, the sea, the rivers, the sun, the moon, and the stars (8:7-12). As a result of the judgments in the first four trumpets, the earth will no longer be a suitable place for people to live. The fifth trumpet, which is the first woe as a judgment on men, will be the beginning of the serious woes of the great tribulation (8:13—9:11). The sixth trumpet, which is the second woe and a further judgment on men, is also a part of the great tribulation (vv. 12-21). The seventh trumpet consists of the eternal kingdom of Christ; the third woe comprising the seven bowls; the judgment of the dead; the rewarding of the prophets, the saints, and the God-fearing people; and the destruction of the destroyers of the earth (11:14-18). The third woe will be the closing of the great tribulation. After this there will be the rewarding of the prophets, the saints, and those who fear God’s name. These three categories of people have been produced throughout the generations. The prophets are mainly from the Old Testament, the saints from the New Testament, and those who fear the name of God will be produced during the great tribulation. The seventh trumpet also contains the judgment of the dead, and the destruction of Satan, Antichrist, the false prophet, and all their followers. Hence, the seventh trumpet includes everything from the end of the great tribulation to eternity.
The seven bowls, which are a part of the negative contents of the seventh trumpet as the last plagues of God’s wrath on men, will be the end of the great tribulation (15:1, 6-8; 16:1-21).
In Revelation 4 John saw the scene in heaven after Christ’s ascension. He saw the throne of God as the center and God sitting on the throne ready to execute His universal administration for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose. John “saw on the right hand of Him who sits upon the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed up with seven seals” (5:1). These seven seals are the contents of the scroll and the contents of the book of Revelation. They are a record of God’s thought concerning the church, Israel, the world, and the universe.
John also saw that no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it; hence, he wept much (vv. 2-4). While John was weeping, one of the elders said to him, “Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). Christ’s overcoming qualifies Him to open the scroll and its seven seals.
John then saw “a Lamb standing as having just been slain” (v. 6). Having just been slain indicates that the Lamb was recently slain. This indicates that the scene in heaven depicted by John in these verses is immediately after Christ’s ascension into heaven. Having passed through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Christ in ascension is qualified to open the mystery of God’s economy contained in the seven seals.
The first four seals consist of four horses with their riders (6:1-8). All four riders are personified. The rider of the first horse, the white horse, is the gospel (v. 2); the rider of the second horse, the red horse, is war (v. 4); the rider of the third horse, the black horse, is famine (v. 5); and the rider of the fourth horse, the pale horse, is death (v. 8). Immediately after Christ’s ascension, beginning from the first century the gospel has been spreading for twenty centuries, and war has been proceeding simultaneously. War always causes famine, and famine issues in death. These four things will continue to run until the end of this age.
The rider of the white horse is the preaching of the gospel. White signifies clean, pure, just, and approvable. The white horse is a symbol of the preaching of the gospel, which is clean, pure, just, and approvable both by men and by God. John saw “a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer” (v. 2). The rider had a bow without an arrow. This indicates that the arrow has already been shot to destroy the enemy, and the victory has been won for the constitution of the gospel of peace. The fighting is over, and the gospel of peace is proclaimed in a peaceful way. Throughout all the centuries, wherever the gospel is proclaimed, it has conquered and has overcome all kinds of opposition and attack. The gospel is still conquering today.
Verses 3 and 4 say, “When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, another horse, a red one, went forth; and to him who sits on it, to him authority was given to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and to him a great sword was given.” In this verse red signifies the shedding of blood. Thus, the red horse is a symbol of the raging of war, which is altogether a matter of shedding blood. To take peace from the earth, that men should slay one another, and to him a great sword was given clearly indicate war. These are prophecies. Since Christ’s ascension, the preaching of the gospel has been followed by war.
Verses 5 and 6 say, “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he who sits on it had a balance in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying: A choenix of wheat for a denarius and three choenixes of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” Black, indicating dearth (Jer. 14:1-4), signifies the color of the visage of famished people (Lam. 4:8-9; 5:9-10). The black horse is a symbol of the spreading of famine, which causes a black visage. A balance is a scale used to weigh precious things. However, in Revelation 6:5-6 it is used to weigh food, showing the scarcity of food (Lev. 26:26; Ezek. 4:16). During times of famine, oil and wine are always short and become precious. Famine always follows war, and war causes food to be scarce.
Revelation 6:7-8 say, “When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and he who sits upon it, his name is Death; and Hades followed with him. And authority was given to them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with death and by the beasts of the earth.” Pale, or pale green, signifies the color of the appearance of those stricken with the plague. Thus, the pale horse is a symbol of the killing of death, causing a pale appearance. In these verses Hades follows death in order to receive those whom death kills.
Revelation, which was written at the end of the first century, is a prophecy of things to come. These four seals are prophecies, signifying that after the ascension of Christ, there would be the preaching of the gospel, war, famine, and death. Everything that has transpired during the past twenty centuries can be included in these four things. Immediately after Christ ascended to the heavens, the preaching of the gospel began. The white horse began to run the race, and the rider of this horse was the gospel of the glory of Christ. In A.D. 70 Titus, the prince of Rome, destroyed Jerusalem with his armies. Since then, throughout the centuries, there has been one war after another. War brings in famine, and famine causes disease and death. Hence, the history of the past two thousand years has been nothing except the preaching of the gospel, war, famine, and death.
The fifth seal discloses Christian martyrdom from the first century to the time near the end of this age. It may include the martyrdom of the Old Testament saints (Matt. 23:34-36). While the gospel is being preached, as indicated by the first seal, there is always the martyrdom of the faithful saints because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Stephen, Peter, and nearly all the other apostles were martyred. The apostle John was exiled, and Paul was imprisoned and later sentenced to death. Throughout the centuries, wherever the gospel has been preached, there have been martyrs.
When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, John saw “underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Master, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:9-10). The souls of the martyred saints being under the altar indicates that, in the eyes of God, they have been offered to God as sacrifices on the altar, and their blood, their life, was shed there. Now their position is under the altar, that is, in the Paradise underneath the earth (cf. Luke 23:43; Matt. 12:40; Acts 2:27; Luke 16:22-26). After having waited for a long time, near the end of this age the martyred saints will cry out for revenge, urging the Lord to judge and avenge their blood “on those who dwell on the earth.”
The martyrs cried with a loud voice, and “to each of them was given a white robe; and it was said to them that they should rest yet a little while, until also the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed, even as they were, is completed” (Rev. 6:11). The white robe signifies that their martyrdom has been approved by God. Those “who were about to be killed, even as they were” is a prophecy that refers to those who will be martyred during the great tribulation (20:4). According to the words yet a little while, until also the number...is completed, this cry of the martyred saints should transpire near the end of this age. Today we are still in the first four seals. The fifth seal has not yet come; however, we are close to the time of the fifth seal.
The sixth seal (6:12-17) is the beginning of supernatural calamities and is God’s answer to the cry of the martyred saints in the fifth seal. After the opening of the sixth seal, the Lord comes in to shake the earth and the hosts of the heavens. There will be a great earthquake, the sun will become black as sackcloth made of hair, the moon will become as blood, the stars of heaven will fall to the earth as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind, heaven will recoil like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island will move out of its place (vv. 12-14). This great shaking will warn the dwellers on the earth to repent and turn to God. Some people have blasphemously said that they are God. The Lord will shake the earth and heaven to remind them that He is God.
According to the prophecy in Joel 2:30-31, there will not be much time between the sixth seal and the first five trumpets in Revelation 8:6—9:11. Joel 2:30-31 first records the blood of the first and second trumpets, the fire of the first, second, and third trumpets (Rev. 8:7-10), and the smoke of the fifth trumpet (9:1-3), and then the changes of the sun and the moon of the sixth seal. According to Revelation 9:4 and 7:3, the fifth trumpet is very close in time to the sixth seal.
There will be two calamities in the shakings and changes of the earth and of the hosts in heaven. The first will occur before the great tribulation (Joel 2:30-31), and the second will occur after the great tribulation (3:11-16; Matt. 24:29-30; Luke 21:25-26). What is covered in the sixth seal is the first supernatural calamity, which is close to the beginning of the coming great tribulation. Following the sixth seal, at the opening of the seventh seal, are the first four trumpets (Rev. 8:1-2, 6-12). Then the most serious woes of the great tribulation will be carried out in the last three trumpets (8:13—9:21; 11:14-19).
When the supernatural calamities begin, the earth’s dwellers—the kings of the earth, the great men, the generals, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free man—will hide “in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (6:15-17). Actually, this will not yet be the great day of God’s wrath; it will be only a foretaste and a warning to them to repent. The calamities are God’s answer to the cry of the martyred saints in the fifth seal. They reveal that God is soon to come in to avenge the blood of His dear saints and to vindicate Himself.
Following the sixth seal is the seventh seal (8:1). The opening of the seventh seal by the Lamb will bring in the seven trumpets, the last three of which constitute the most serious woes of the great tribulation. However, before the sixth seal transpires, God will do two things to preserve His people: He will seal the chosen remnant of Israel, and He will begin the rapture of the redeemed ones of the church.
God will first seal one hundred forty-four thousand out of the tribes of the sons of Israel, sealing twelve thousand out of each of the twelve tribes (7:4-8). These are the Israelites who will keep the commandments of God during the great tribulation (12:17; 14:12). These one hundred forty-four thousand faithful Israelites will be sealed on their foreheads in order to be preserved from the torment of God’s judgment in the fifth trumpet (9:4).
In addition to the chosen remnant of Israel God has another people—the redeemed saints of the church (7:9-17). The Israelites are God’s earthly people, and the Christians are God’s heavenly people. In order to preserve the faithful ones among His earthly people, God will seal them but still keep them on the earth. However, God’s way of preserving the overcomers among His redeemed saints is not to keep them on earth but to take them away from the earth to the heavens by means of rapture.
The overcomers, among the redeemed saints, whom God will rapture comprise the man-child in 12:5, the firstfruits in 14:1-5, and the other overcoming believers living in this age (3:10; Luke 21:36; Matt. 24:39-42). Their rapture is before the sixth seal, because the sixth seal will be the beginning of supernatural calamities executed by God as the trial that is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth (Rev. 3:10). At the end of the great tribulation, God will continue to rapture His redeemed saints. He will rapture the two witnesses in 11:12, the late overcomers in 15:2, and the harvest (the majority of the believers) in 14:14-16. These saints will pass through the great tribulation and will not be raptured until before the end of the great tribulation.
The seventh seal consists of the seven trumpets, for the seven trumpets are the content of the seventh seal, and the seventh trumpet consists, in part, of the seven bowls. Both the seventh seal and the seventh trumpet continue for eternity. The seventh trumpet will close this age and usher in the kingdom, the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem.
When the Lamb “opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (8:1). Silence in heaven indicates solemnity because the age is about to be changed. The period before the opening of the seventh seal is the age of God’s toleration. For the sake of His purpose of preaching the gospel to produce the churches to fulfill His eternal plan, God has been tolerating the sinful situation on earth. But with the opening of the seventh seal, the age of toleration will be terminated, and another age will be initiated—the age of God’s wrath. When the seventh seal is opened, God will come in to intervene in the rebellious and sinful situation on earth. Heaven will be silent because this occasion is so solemn.
In the midst of this solemn scene, Christ appears as another Angel (v. 3) to execute God’s administration over the earth in the way of ministering to God as the High Priest with the prayers of His saints. When He offers the prayers of His saints to God, He adds His incense to the prayers for them to be acceptable to God (v. 4).
“The Angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it to the earth; and there were thunders and voices and lightnings and an earthquake” (v. 5). This is God’s answer to the prayers of the saints, especially the prayer in the fifth seal (6:9-11) and the prayer in Luke 18:7-8. God’s answer to the saints’ prayers is the execution of His judgment upon the earth by the seven trumpets. At this moment John saw the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepare themselves to trumpet (Rev. 8:6).
“The first trumpeted, and there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was cast to the earth; and the third part of the earth was burned up, and the third part of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up” (v. 7). When the angels begin to trumpet, everything in the universe will be turned upside down. The first trumpet will damage the third part of the earth. Note that this verse does not say “a third part” but “the third part.” This means that a certain part of the earth, the third part, will be damaged. The whole earth is sinful, but some parts of the earth are particularly evil, satanic, and demonic. Those regions of the earth that are so sinful will be “the third part of the earth.” God’s judgment of the third part will be used to warn the rest of the rebellious world to repent.
“The second angel trumpeted, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood, and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died, and the third part of the ships were destroyed” (vv. 8-9). The second trumpet will damage “the third part of the sea.” In the same principle as the judgment upon the earth in the first trumpet, God will judge the third part of the sea. The part of the sea that is more defiled by evil against God will be damaged by God’s judgment. Verse 9 specifically mentions the destruction of the third part of the ships.
“The third angel trumpeted, and a great star fell out of heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the springs of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many of the men died from the waters because they were made bitter” (vv. 10-11). Here again the third part of the rivers and springs of waters will be damaged. Water is crucial to human life. The opposers of God and those who practice evil against Him still enjoy God’s creation. They partake of the water of God’s creation, and they continue to oppose God. One day God will cause wormwood to fall out of heaven into their water, and it will become bitter. However, God’s judgment has a limitation; it is limited to the third part of the rivers and springs.
The fourth trumpet is for the judgment on the heavenly hosts. “The fourth angel trumpeted, and the third part of the sun and the third part of the moon and the third part of the stars were smitten, so that the third part of them would be darkened and the day would not appear for the third part of it, and the night likewise” (v. 12). After the judgment of the earth, the sea, and the rivers, God’s judgment will smite the third part of the heavenly hosts, damaging the third part of the sun, the moon, and the stars. The part of the sun to be damaged will be the part that shines upon the evil nations. God knows this part, and it will be darkened.
At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, Satan will fall out of heaven to the earth. Verse 1 of chapter 9 says, “The fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star out of heaven fallen to the earth, and to him was given the key of the pit of the abyss.” The star in this verse refers to Satan, who will be cast down from heaven to earth. In the Bible the angels are likened to stars (Job 38:7; Rev. 12:4). As the archangel, Satan was the Daystar (Isa. 14:12). At the time of Luke 10:18 he had already been judged. However, in Revelation 9 and in 12:9-10 there is the execution of that judgment. After the man-child is raptured to heaven, he will fight against Satan and cast him down. According to chapter 12, Satan will fall from heaven at the beginning of the last three and a half years.
When Satan falls from heaven to earth, the key of the abyss will be given to him so that he may open the abyss to release the demon-possessed locusts that will torment men for five months. Verses 3 through 5 of chapter 9 say, “Out of the smoke came forth locusts to the earth, and to them power was given, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said to them that they should not harm the grass of the earth or any green thing or any tree, but men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.” These locusts must be demon-possessed, because they come out of the smoke which issues from the dwelling place of the demons (v. 2). Verses 7 and 9 are very similar to Joel 2:4-5, 25, and 1:6, which was spoken concerning Israel. This, along with the fact that the Israelites need to be sealed by God to escape the injury of the locusts (Rev. 7:3-8), may indicate that the woe of the fifth trumpet is especially upon the Israelites. At that time, only those Israelites who have the seal of God on their foreheads will not be injured by the demon-possessed locusts.
For those who are tormented, the torment will be so excruciating that “in those days men will seek death and shall by no means find it; and they will long to die, and death flees from them” (9:6). During those five months, those who are tormented by the dreadful, demon-possessed locusts would rather die than live, but they cannot find the means to die. Surely the shaking of the earth and the blackening of the sun are nothing compared to the severity of this woe. This is the first of the three woes announced by the eagle from mid-heaven in 8:13.
Verse 11 of chapter 9 says, “They have a king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon; and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” The angel of the abyss is the beast, Antichrist, who will also come out of the pit of the abyss (11:7; 17:8) to lord it over the locusts. In Hebrew the angel of the abyss is called Abaddon, which means “destruction.” In Greek he will have the name Apollyon, which means “destroyer.” Antichrist will do much destroying (Dan. 8:23-25).
Revelation 9:12 says, “The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are yet coming after these things.” At the fifth trumpet Satan will fall from heaven to earth in order to damage the earth and persecute the people of God for three and a half years (12:10, 12-17, 6). At the same time, Antichrist will come up out of the abyss and collaborate with Satan to torment people, persecute the saints, and blaspheme God (13:5-7; 11:7). It is also in the same three and a half years, forty-two months, that the holy city of Jerusalem will be given to the Gentiles for destruction (v. 2). Therefore, the woe of the fifth trumpet must be the beginning of the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21). The second woe of the sixth trumpet and the third woe of the seventh trumpet (Rev. 8:13; 9:12; 11:14) must be two parts of the most severe woes of the great tribulation. Hence, the damage caused by the sixth seal, the first four trumpets, and the three woes will be the “hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (3:10). The two woes spoken of in 9:12 are the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet (vv. 13-21; 11:14-15), which is the seven bowls (ch. 16).
Concerning the second woe, 9:13 and 14 say, “The sixth angel trumpeted, and I heard a voice out of the four horns of the golden altar which is before God saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” The four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates are four evil, fallen, and rebellious angels who followed Satan. “The four angels were released, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year that they might kill the third part of men” (v. 15). This means that the killing will last one hour, then one day, then one month, and then one year. The four angels will use two hundred million horsemen to kill the third part of men (v. 16). The riders on the horses will have “breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone” (v. 17). “The power of the horses is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they harm men” (v. 19). The sixth trumpet must be related to the pouring out of the sixth bowl upon the great river Euphrates to dry up its water so that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared (16:12). Hence, these troops will move from the east to the west, passing through the Euphrates, to come to the richest region on earth—the Middle East—and join the war at Armageddon (vv. 12-16; 19:17-21).
John also said, “I saw, 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 as frogs; for they are spirits of demons doing signs, which go forth to the kings of the whole inhabited earth to gather them to the war of the great day of God the Almighty” (16:13-14). “They gathered them to the place which in Hebrew is called, Armageddon” (v. 16). These two hundred million horsemen from the east and armies from the north and the west will be gathered together to seize the riches of the many nations that are in that area. At this moment, Christ will come to tread “the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (19:15). “The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress up to the bridles of the horses for a thousand six hundred stadia” (14:20). When Christ comes back to earth, He will destroy the evil armies.
The second woe of the sixth trumpet is a continuation of the serious woes of the great tribulation (11:14). However, verse 20 of chapter 9 says, “The rest of the men, who were not killed by these plagues, still did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship the demons and the idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.” God intends that through His judgment men would repent, but these verses show that they will not repent.
The seventh trumpet is the last trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52). Without the seventh trumpet, God’s economy and His move cannot be completed. Hence, in the days of the seventh trumpet the mystery of God will be finished (Rev. 10:7). When the seventh trumpet sounds, many things will happen (11:14-18). The seventh trumpet will sound for a period of time, and it will last for eternity, announcing and proclaiming God’s eternal plan.
The seventh trumpet has a negative aspect and a positive aspect. The negative aspect includes (1) the last plagues of the seven bowls, in which the wrath of God is finished (15:1; 16:1-21), as the last woe to those who dwell on the earth (8:13; 9:12; 11:14); and (2) the destruction of the destroyers of the earth immediately upon the Lord’s coming back to the earth (17:14; 18:1-2; 19:19—20:3). The positive aspect includes (1) the coming of the eternal kingdom of Christ, which is the kingdom in its manifestation (11:15, 17); (2) the judgment of the dead before the resurrection of the saints to know who should share in the resurrection of life before the millennium (1 Cor. 15:23; Rev. 20:4-6) and who should be left to the resurrection of condemnation after the millennium (vv. 11-12); and (3) the giving of the reward, at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), to the prophets and the saints after the resurrection and rapture of the saints (1 Cor. 15:23, 52; 1 Thes. 4:16-17) and the giving of the reward, at the throne of Christ’s glory (Matt. 25:31-34), to those who fear God’s name (Rev. 14:6-7). Hence, the seventh trumpet comprises all the events from the end of the great tribulation to eternity future, such as the last plagues of the seven bowls (ch. 16); the resurrection and rapture of the saints, including the two witnesses; the rewarding of the saints; the marriage of the Lamb (19:7-9); the coming back of Christ to the earth; the destruction of Antichrist, the false prophet, their followers, the material Babylon the Great, and Satan (18:1—19:4; 19:11—20:3); the reigning in the millennial kingdom (vv. 4-6); the final judgment upon the earth and Satan (vv. 7-10); the final judgment of the dead (vv. 11-15); and the ultimate consummation in the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem for eternity (21:1—22:5).
The seven bowls (ch. 16), as the third woe (11:14), are a part of the negative contents of the seventh trumpet. These seven bowls contain the last seven plagues (15:1).
John saw when “the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in clean bright linen and girded around the breasts with golden girdles. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the fury of God, who lives forever and ever” (vv. 6-7). Bowls, being small, signify limitation. Although the last seven plagues are the ultimate fury of God, His fury is nonetheless limited; otherwise, the entire earth and all its inhabitants would be destroyed. God is rich in mercy. For the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, God still exercises limitations in His ultimate fury in judgment upon the earth.
John heard “a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the seven bowls of the fury of God into the earth. And 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” (16:1-2). In His last fury, God will mark the rebellious ones with a sore on their skin because they bear the mark of the beast. This malignant sore will be on the citizens of the revived Roman Empire under Antichrist, because they bear the name of Antichrist or the number of his name.
“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” (v. 3). The sea in this verse should not include all the seas. Probably, it will mainly be the Mediterranean Sea, the sea enclosed by Antichrist’s empire.
“The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood” (v. 4). After this, an angel who has power over the waters will praise God, saying, “You are righteous, who is and who was, the Holy One, because You have judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink; they are worthy of it” (vv. 5-6). There will also be praise from the altar concerning God’s judgments being true in nature and righteous in principle (v. 7).
“The fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to burn men with fire. And men were burned with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has the authority over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory” (vv. 8-9). The men who are burned with great heat, who blaspheme the name of God, and who refuse to repent must be mainly the citizens of the Roman Empire who follow Antichrist to persecute God’s people and to rebel against God.
“The fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues for pain and blasphemed the God of heaven for their pains and for their sores; and they did not repent of their works” (vv. 10-11). The fifth bowl is poured on the throne of the beast. This indicates that the seven bowls are for judging the beast, his kingdom, and his territory, causing the kingdom of the beast to become darkened. Those in the kingdom of Antichrist will gnaw their tongues, blaspheme God, and still refuse to repent.
“The sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates; and its water was dried up that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared” (v. 12). Both the plague of the sixth bowl and the woe of the sixth trumpet (9:14) are related to the great river Euphrates. According to verses 14 and 15, when the sixth angel sounds the trumpet, the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates will be released. In verse 14 of chapter 16 the kings of the earth are stirred up to send their armies to gather at Armageddon. At the outpouring of the sixth bowl, the water of the Euphrates will be dried up so that these kings and their armies may pass over it.
When the seventh bowl is poured out upon the air, a loud voice will come “out of the temple from the throne, saying, It is done” (v. 17). This means that everything both for judgment and for God’s expression, His testimony, has been accomplished. Immediately after this word is spoken, there will be lightnings, voices, thunders, and the greatest earthquake that the world has ever seen (v. 18). This earthquake, the same as the one mentioned in verse 19 of chapter 11, will cause the great city, Jerusalem, to be divided into three parts and the cities of the nations to fall (16:19). Jerusalem will have become as evil as ancient Sodom; hence, God will judge it by means of this earthquake. “Babylon the Great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath” (v. 19). In verse 8 of chapter 14 the religious, mysterious Babylon is destroyed at the beginning of the great tribulation. Therefore, Babylon the Great in verse 19 of chapter 16, which will be destroyed after the war at Armageddon at the end of the great tribulation, must be the material Babylon, the city of Rome. Rome gave the wine of the fury of her fornication to the faithful saints among the nations (18:3); hence, God in vengeance will give her the wine of the fury of His wrath.
Finally, “great hail, every stone about the weight of a talent [approximately one hundred pounds], came down out of heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague of it is exceedingly great” (16:21). This hail will come down mainly upon the citizens of the empire of the beast. In the midst of the downpour of this great hail, those in the empire of Antichrist will continue to blaspheme God. They have no intention to repent. Rather, they will fight against God to the end.
After the seven bowls, the great tribulation will end, this age will close, the mystery of God will be completed (10:7), and the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (11:15). After the close of this age, another age, the age of the kingdom, the millennium, will begin. Then the Lord will reign in the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and the new earth with the New Jerusalem for eternity.
Revelation is a book of prophecy; most of its content refers to things to come. In the visions of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls, there are many important prophecies. The first four of the seven seals cover the history of the world from the ascension of Christ to the end of this age. These four seals signify the gospel, war, famine, and death. At the opening of the fifth seal, there is the cry of the martyred saints. At the opening of the sixth seal, there is a great earthquake to warn the dwellers on the earth, reminding them that there is a God in the universe. The seventh seal includes the seven trumpets and will last for eternity.
The seven trumpets are the contents of the seventh seal. The first four trumpets are for judgments on the earth, the sea, the rivers, and the sun, moon, and stars. As a result of the judgments in the first four trumpets, the earth will no longer be a suitable place for people to live. The fifth trumpet, the first woe of the judgment on men, will be the beginning of the great tribulation. The sixth trumpet, which is the second woe and a further judgment on men, is a part of the great tribulation. The seventh trumpet consists of the eternal kingdom of Christ; the third woe, comprising the seven bowls; the judgment of the dead; the rewarding of the prophets, the saints, and of the God-fearing people; and the destruction of the earth’s destroyers. The third woe will be the closing of the great tribulation. Then there will be the rewarding of the prophets, the saints, and those who fear God’s name. The seventh trumpet also comprises the judgment of the dead, the destruction of Satan, Antichrist, the false prophet, and all their followers. Hence, the seventh trumpet includes everything from the end of the great tribulation to eternity.
The seven bowls, as a part of the negative contents of the seven trumpets, are the last plagues of God’s wrath on men and will be the ending of the great tribulation. After the seven bowls, the great tribulation will end, and this age will close. Furthermore, the mystery of God will be completed, and the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Then another age, the kingdom age, the millennium, will begin. The Lord will reign in the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem for eternity.
