Up to Revelation 11:1919And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19) we get, with the exception of a parenthesis or two, an orderly chronological order of events. Then this order is arrested, and we have a series of what we might call sectional views, all related to each other as parts of a whole, but looked at separately, and without reference to their connection with each other in order of chronology.
Revelation 12 gives us the sectional view of Israel from the birth of Christ till the great tribulation. Satan's power is manifest here.
Revelation 13 gives us the sectional view of the rise of the Roman Empire, leading up to the great tribulation as viewed from the Gentile side, under the leadership of the two beasts—the head of the revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist. Satan's instruments are thus prominent here.
Revelation 14 gives us a series of sectional views, which we have already briefly explained. They are seen in: (1) verses 1-5; (2) verses 6 and 7; (3) verse 8; (4) verses 9-12; (5) verse 13; (6) verses 14 and 16; (7) verses 17-20.
In Revelation 15 we get the resumption of what is more or less chronological. The seven angels with the seven golden vials are introduced to us. The vials are distinctly said to contain the seven last plagues.
In order to make plain our thoughts respecting the series of vial judgments, which we trust will commend themselves to the spiritual judgment of our readers, we have placed the trumpet judgments and vial judgments alongside one another for the purpose of easy comparison, for it is in the intelligent comparison of them that we shall be helped in the understanding of this Book.
Trumpet Judgments.
3. Rivers, fountains, affected — Great star, burning as it were a lamp, falls from heaven and falls upon a third part of rivers and fountains of waters. Star is named Wormwood. It embitters the third part of waters, and many die because of their bitterness (Rev. 8:10-1110And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. (Revelation 8:10‑11)).
5. Demoniacal Power let loose — A star falls from heaven. The key of bottomless pit was given to him, and he releases myriads of evil spirits under the symbol of locusts, who have power to hurt for five months (Rev. 9:1-111And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:1‑11)).
6. River Euphrates affected — Four angels bound in River Euphrates are loosed, and are prepared to slay the third part of men. The unslain remnant do not repent (Rev. 9:13-2113And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:13‑21)).
7. Lightnings, Thunderings, Earthquake, Hail — Great voices in heaven proclaiming the world-kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. Worship of the elders. Wrath of the nations. Temple of God opened. Ark of Testament seen. Lightnings, voices, thunderings, earthquake, and great hail (Rev. 10:1-111And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 5And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 8And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. 9And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (Revelation 10:1‑11)).
Vial Judgments.
3. Rivers, fountains, etc., affected — A vial poured upon rivers and fountains of waters, and they become blood (Rev. 16:4-74And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5And 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. 6For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. (Revelation 16:4‑7)).
6. River Euphrates affected — A vial poured upon the River Euphrates. The way of the kings of the East might be prepared. Myriads gathered to battle at Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-1612And 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. 13And 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. 14For 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. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12‑16)).
7. Lightings, Thunderings, Earthquake, Hail — A vial poured into the air. There were voices, thunders, lightnings, great earthquake. Babylon is judged. Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Hail of terrible nature falls (Rev 16:17-2117And 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. 18And 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. 19And 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. 20And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. (Revelation 16:17‑21)).
It will be seen that there exists between them an extraordinary parallelism. We have seen previously that the seventh seal was not so much a judgment in itself, as that which contained in it the seven trumpets, and was the signal of their sounding.
Are the seven vials in a like manner contained in the seventh trumpet?
A little examination will lead us to the conclusion that this is not so, for two reasons:
1. The seventh trumpet, or third woe, carries with it its own judgment, just like the preceding six. This is quite unlike the seventh seal.
2. We are distinctly told that when the days of the voice of the seventh angel arrived the mystery of God should be finished or completed (Rev. 10:77But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)). When the seventh trumpet sounds the voice is heard announcing the advent of the world-kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Evidently then the vials do not follow the seventh trumpet, seeing that the seventh trumpet brings us up to God's final dealings in the establishment of the Kingdom.
Are they, then, two descriptions of the same things?
A little reflection, spite of their extraordinary parallelism, will negative this question. Take the case of the third trumpet and of the third vial. In the one, the waters become bitter; in the other, blood—evidently two very different things. The fourth trumpet and fourth vial confirm the difference, and put the matter beyond dispute. In the one case the sun is darkened, in the other it scorches men with great heat—two very opposite things. In the one case the supreme authority (the sun) is affected adversely in the way of perplexity, not knowing what to do; in the other it oppresses men till they blaspheme. On these grounds we reject the theory that these series of judgments are identical.
We see then that whilst the first four trumpets and vials show great similarity, yet there is sufficient divergence to lead us to treat them separately.
But the last three trumpets and vials are so very parallel that we are forced to the conclusion that they may be at least contemporaneous.
But seeing the seventh trumpet finishes the mystery of God, and the vials are called the seven last plagues, there is only one conclusion possible, that the two sevenths coincide in point of time.
Indeed, the last three trumpets and vials afford such a close and striking parallelism that we are inclined to believe that they are contemporaneous, and it may be because of the horror of the last three vials being added to the last three trumpets that the latter are specially called woes. Further, and this is most important to our inquiry, Revelation 11 gives us the testimony of the two witnesses, that is, of a representative company in Israel, who will suffer martyrdom during the great tribulation, that is, during the second half of Daniel's seventieth week, which brings the time of judgment to a close, and this is said to occur in the period marked by the second woe (see verse 14). This conclusively proves that the seventh trumpet (third woe) and the seventh vial must occur simultaneously.
Taking what we have said as a whole, we come to the conclusion that probably the vials commence while the trumpets are already being sounded, the first four vials running on more quickly than the first four trumpets, thus enabling the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets and vials to take place simultaneously.
The word third is prominent in the trumpet judgments, thus signifying that these judgments affect the Roman earth. But no such limitation is given us in connection with the vials, save in the first and fifth. In the first vial all who come under the power of the beast are judged, and, doubtless, this extends beyond the third part. For this Revelation 13:77And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7) prepares us, as the power of the beast goes out there to “all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
In the fifth vial the seat of the beast is judged. It is not so much the third part, but rather a blow struck at the central power.
Then again, running one's eye over the two series one can only come to the conclusion that the vials are not only more extensive in their range of judgment, but also more intensive as to their severity.
Let us now look at things in detail in connection with Revelation 15. John sees a wonderful sign in heaven, seven angels having the last seven plagues which fill up and complete the wrath of God. As we have seen before, the redeemed engage John's vision first. He sees a sea of glass mingled with fire, and standing on it the martyred company, who have sealed their testimony with their blood, in connection with the persecution by the beast. The sea of glass speaks of fixed holiness, a wonderful thing to contemplate. “Mingled with fire” speaks of the fiery trial through which they arrived at this state of blessedness.
This company sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Moses sang of God's great deliverance of His people and judgment on their enemies. The song of the Lamb is evidently not the song of His redeeming love, but of His work of judgment, as is characteristic of the Book of Revelation. Verses 3 and 4 show this, as they give the substance of the song, ending with the words, “Thy judgments are made manifest.”
Then John sees the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven opened. Seven angels come therefrom bearing the seven last plagues. Clad in white linen, their breasts are girded with golden girdles, thus showing that in the work of judgment all affection is restrained. The temple is filled with smoke from the glory of God, and so great is the display of that glory, though it be connected with judgment in this case, that no man is able to stand in its presence.