The seven angels have seven golden bowls “full of the fury of God” which are now to be poured upon the earth. These judgments are final and the most severe of three divisions—seals, trumpets and bowls. Interesting to note also that the judgments under the seals and trumpets are interrupted by the introduction of subjects in parenthesis, but not so with the last series—the judgments of the golden bowls. These run consecutively, and when the seventh and last bowl is poured out “there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (v. 17).
The First Bowl—Verse 2
Let us visualize the mass of men in the West engraved, either forehead or hand with the mark of the Beast. How especially offensive to God this will surely be. It is a mark signifying that men have not only thrown over all acknowledgment of the true God of the heavens, but have enthroned in His stead a mere man like themselves, a corrupt and corruptible creature, whose breath is in his nostrils. In times past God had made Himself known to the heathen, by means of His works in creation—they gave Him not the glory, and He gave them up. Here they have refused the gospel of the grace of God, during the days of the church on the earth, and “they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not” (Isa. 3:99The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. (Isaiah 3:9)). God has seen it, and He also will give them a mark of his sore displeasure—“an evil and grievous sore”! It will be just what it says—an affliction to those upon whom it falls. They will know who sent it, as we learn from the ninth verse—they “blasphemed the Name of God, who hath power over these plagues.” Those who fall under this judgment in their lifetime will have a more sorrowful and eternal retribution awaiting them, as we see from Revelation 14:9-119And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9‑11)—on which comment has already been made. The Everlasting Gospel which is to be preached to all nations before the end comes has also been mentioned. “All nations” says the Scripture, which cannot be broken, and this will include those nations which will receive the mark of the Beast. They will refuse this testimony, since “God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie.” Undoubtedly they will be found among the goats on the left hand of the Son of Man when He sets up His earthly throne for the judgment of the living nations before He establishes His kingdom. It is also written—“the Son Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend; and them which do iniquity” (Matt. 13:4141The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (Matthew 13:41)). The goats of the left hand “shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matt. 25:4646And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)).
The Second Bowl—Verse 3
Moral death—stagnation—is indicated here—“every living soul died in the sea.” If it were actual death this would be the end of man’s life on earth, which manifestly is not supposed. But men had not only abandoned, but insulted God, and He in consequence has given them up. They were God forsaken! It is hardly possible for us to contemplate such a condition of life. Tortured as they are we can well understand their turning their backs on every vestige of the knowledge of God or mention of His Name. They harden their hearts against God as the judgments are poured out instead of repenting. Moral death on the masses of men everywhere results—“they died in the sea.” No thought of God, no remembrance of Him, all idea of responsibility to Him—all is gone in this picture of moral death.
The Third Bowl—Verse 4
The remarks on the second bowl apply here also, only instead of the masses of men we have in the third bowl those who are elevated somewhat above their fellows. These are the classes which should guide or govern, but which have now come to the end of their resources and are powerless to function.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh verses, indicate that men, and their rulers of the second and third verses, were the instruments of putting to death God’s faithful witnesses, and for so doing God recompenses them with these sore judgments. Now read the seventh verse as it should be translated—“I heard the altar say.” The altar is the place of sacrifice. We have already seen “under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held” (Rev. 6:99And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: (Revelation 6:9)). These are the ones who acknowledge the righteous retributive hand of their God.
The Fourth Bowl—Verse 8
The supreme authority—the Roman Beast, I apprehend—whose despotic, tyrannical rule, from which there is no escape, makes the lives of men unbearable. He scorches them. An apt analogy. Still they prefer these unbearable conditions to “repentance toward God” and contrariwise they blaspheme His Name.
The Fifth Bowl—Verses 10 and 11
The throne of the Roman Beast, which Satan gave him, and also his kingdom are enveloped in a darkness which is felt to the extent of producing such anguish to men that, in the figure, “they gnawed their tongues for pain.” A few pregnant words of Scripture here depict a scene beyond the wildest stretch of our imagination.
This is the end of the broad way that leadeth to destruction, and the many there be which go in there at (Matt. 7:1313Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: (Matthew 7:13)). This is the end of the trail for evolution, the ascent of man—the wrong man—human achievement, progress and civilization so called! Should the Lord Jesus come for His church, and we momentarily expect Him, the conditions described here will follow in only a few years. Christian beware! “Love not the world” (1 John 2:1515Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)). Instead “if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above; where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth—for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:1-41If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1‑4)).
“That way is upward still,
Where life and glory are;
Our rest’s above, in perfect love
The glory we shall share.”
The Sixth Bowl—Verses 12-16
Here is seen a concentration of the powers of darkness, Satan, Roman Beast, and False Prophet (together with those angels which were cast out of heaven with Satan) mustering their forces for the approaching conflict at Armageddon. On one side man and his hosts—on the other our Lord Jesus, and the armies which follow Him from heaven. The battle, and its issue, is described for us in Revelation 19:11-21,11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:11‑21) on which I will comment later. The allusion to the Lord coming as a thief shows that the day of the Lord is near at hand. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian saints—“yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:22For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)).
This sixth bowl poured out on the great river Euphrates, drying it up “that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared,” is the symbol of a tremendous military movement of which we have little conception. These powers may be China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and others. They come, no doubt, to oppose the Roman Beast and the power of Europe—the West—but evidently do a “right about face” and join the opposing armies in a united confrontation of the Lord, when He appears. They will compose but a remnant of those who will be “slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse” (Rev. 19:2121And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:21)).
Armageddon has been famous as a battle ground in the land of Israel since the days of the Judges, when the kings of Canaan fought against Israel “by the waters of Megiddo.” Its history, sacred and profane, is very interesting to the student of the Bible. The name means “mountain of slaughter.” The name, too, is not unfamiliar to the world’s rulers even of the present day, who have an inbred fear of a world catastrophe lying ahead. Well may they tremble at the prospect—“multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision—for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:1414Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. (Joel 3:14)).
The Seventh Bowl—Verses 17-21
This bowl is poured out into the air. Without air to breathe man is finished, which quite agrees with the great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying ‘it is done.’ The awesome signs of God’s power, voices, thunders, and lightnings precede the mightiest upheaval among men which the world has hitherto witnessed. There is now, at last, no government of man on earth. God breaks up the kingdom or the Beast, significantly, into three parts. It is as though God observed the false trinity and meted out these three sets of judgments to end in a three part division of its three part unity. “And the cities of the nations fell”—the disappearance of every vestige of government from among men is universal—world-wide, and final. It had happened under the seals but that was confined to Europe. Then too the powers that had been ordained by God broke down and were replaced by a government Satanic in form. Now nothing is left. It is the day of vengeance of our God—not an island or a mountain to afford a refuge.
The destruction of political Babylon brings back to the mind of God the destruction of religious Babylon—the Romish church—an act which in point of time preceded the worship of the Beast and in fact paved the way for it. But the details are reserved until now. For fifteen hundred years she held sway over kings and commoners. At the time of writing she boasts of half a billion enslaved souls of men. The blood of saints was found in her. Her day is come—God remembers her and her wicked deeds, and she will righteously drink the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. “She shall be utterly burned with fire” (Rev. 18:88Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. (Revelation 18:8)).
The final judgment of God upon men under this last bowl is the plague of hail from heaven which falls upon them. In Job 38:22-2322Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, 23Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22‑23) we read “hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” The writer once witnessed a hail storm in Alberta, Canada. Scarcely anything equals the sudden destruction wrought by a hail storm. In a moment or two it takes the lives of man and beast, destroying also crops and property. The size of the hailstones given in our chapter—“every stone about the weight of a talent” indicates a fierce judgment directly from heaven from God—“the plague thereof was exceeding great.” “Men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail.” We are reminded of God’s word to Pharaoh, who refused to bow to God’s judgments in his day—“How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me?” (Ex. 10:33And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. (Exodus 10:3)).