Revelation 16:1
While one of the living creatures is employed to give the vials to the angels, the command for action proceeds out of the temple itself: “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth” (vs. 1). The attitude of the seven angels is to be remarked as a pattern of all true service. It is an attitude of perfect obedience. They come out from the presence of God, they receive the instruments of their service from one of the living creatures, and finally they do not move a step until they have a divine command; they “do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word” (Psa. 103:20).
Upon the vials themselves but few remarks will be necessary, because of their remarkable similarity to the seven trumpets. We shall therefore content ourselves with calling attention to the points of agreement and difference, and to their general significance. First of all it should be noted, that, inasmuch as the seventh trumpet reaches down to the close of God’s dealings with the earth and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom, the seven vials must, if comprised within a shorter period, be in part contemporaneous with the seven trumpets. If they begin after the commencement of the trumpets, they must still terminate at the same time. Secondly, there is no mention in the vial-judgments, as in the case of the trumpets, of a “third part” being specially affected. That is to say, the effects of God’s judicial dealing are not confined, as in the trumpets, to the Roman earth, but are more general in their character. Thirdly, the first four vial-plagues “have the same objects as the judgments of the first four trumpets—the whole circle of symbolic nature, but here directly as regards men— earth, sea, rivers, and sun” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:547). The fifth and sixth vials correspond with the fifth and sixth trumpets: both alike affect the kingdom of the beast and the Euphrates, while the last two in each series bring us to the close of God’s dealings with the earth preparatory to the introduction of the kingdom of Christ.
Revelation 16:2-4
Attention to the above comparison and contrast will aid in seizing the general meaning of these last seven plagues. The first vial is poured out upon “the earth,” (vs. 2) the scene of ordered government: “And there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image” (vs. 2). Satan may delude men and seduce them into apostasy and into the acceptance of the beast and the antichrist, but God will once more make it known, by causing His hand to fall upon His enemies as in Egypt in days of old, that He will not suffer His glory to be given to another. The next vial is poured out “upon the sea,” (vs. 3) the sea representing the masses of the peoples, viewed as unorganized; “and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea” (vs. 3). It may be difficult to state precisely what is intended here; but plainly some deadly influence goes forth in this plague among the peoples of the earth, resulting in general moral death. The third is somewhat similar, only the plague falls upon“the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood” (vs. 4). If rivers and fountains represent moral principles, which in their course should be the sources of life and refreshment to men, this will portend the corruption of these, the surrender of all such, so that what is offered in their stead becomes the means of death rather than life. It is so in this day, for example, when rationalism and infidelity flow out through the nation in the place of the Word of God.
Revelation 16:5-7
This plague evokes from “the angel of the waters” the cry, “Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, [Another reading gives, omitting “O Lord,” “Thou art righteous, who art and wast, the Holy One.”] because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy” (vss. 5-6). On the ground of righteousness this principle is evident. Men had put to death God’s witnesses, rejected His Word, and now they have judicially to “drink” that which causes death. So, for example, the Jews shed the blood of Stephen and others, and they, in this case of their own will, “drank,” in their blind hate against God and His truth, that which brought in spiritual death upon their souls. To the cry of the angel of the waters, “another out of the altar” is heard to respond, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments” (vs. 7).
Revelation 16:8-9
The fourth and fifth vials are easily comprehended. The fourth “poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him [it] to scorch men with fire” (vs. 8). The sun it will be recollected is the emblem of supreme authority; and this plague therefore points to some tyrannical exercise of it, some fearful despotism which causes immense trial and suffering to those trodden down under its heel. But so far from humbling themselves before God, while groaning under sufferings, men blaspheme His name, for in spite of their wickedness they will be made to recognize that He “hath power over these plagues.” Yet, such is the hardness of man’s heart, “they repented not to give Him glory” (vs. 9).
Revelation 16:10-14
“The fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat [throne] of the beast”; and again like Egypt of old, “his kingdom was full of darkness,” only this, we apprehend, would be moral in its character rather than actual. The consequence was what is really a foretaste of hell; for in the intensity of their distress and misery they “gnawed their tongues... and blasphemed the God of heaven,” to whom they also attribute “their pains and their sores.” But they “repented not of their deeds” (vss. 10-11). The reader cannot fail to be struck with the solemn repetition of the impenitence of those who are suffering under the judicial hand of God. They had despised and killed His witnesses, and now, though they cannot any longer conceal from themselves that there is a God who judges the earth, they refuse to acknowledge their sin. They “repented not” (vs. 11); their evil hearts still clung to the very deeds which had brought upon them their terrible sufferings. What a proof of the incurable evil of human nature, that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually!
“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” (vs. 12). The Euphrates, a river well known in Scripture, was and, as is plain from this scripture, will be the eastern boundary of the Roman empire. What is here symbolically described therefore as the drying up of its water will mean that this boundary is broken through and can no longer be maintained. (Whether these kings of the East come at first in antagonism to the beast cannot be known. In the end, it is certain they are his confederates.) Whatever the human instrumentality by which the removal of this boundary is effected, it is the consequence of the pouring out of the angelic vial. It is a “plague” from the hand of God through His providential agents. In connection with this, “three unclean spirits like frogs” proceed from the trinity of evil, “out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet,” and act upon “the kings of the whole habitable world” (vss. 13-14). (So it should read, and not, as in the English Version, “the kings of the earth and of the whole world.”) Just as Ahab was persuaded by “a lying spirit” (1 Kings 22:23; 2 Chron. 18:22) in the mouth of his prophets to go up to Ramoth-Gilead to battle to his own destruction, so these “spirits of devils, working miracles” (vs. 14) will influence these kings to combine with one consent with their allies for their objects, all ignorant of the fact that they are being gathered for the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Jerusalem, as we may learn from the prophets, will be the point to which they will converge (see Isa. 66; Zech. 12-14; with Rev. 19:11-21); and Jerusalem will be the object of their attack. At first victory will seem to be theirs; but just as their prey is about to be devoured, the Lord Himself will appear, and rescue His people; He will “destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zech. 12:9).
Revelation 16:15-21
That this is the event indicated is seen from verse 15. After the description of the action of the three spirits of demons there is a solemn pause, and the Lord Himself speaks: “Behold, I come as a thief.” (vs. 15) This is the known way in Scripture of His coming to the world; that is, of His appearing. (See 1 Thess. 5:1-4; 2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 3:3) This makes it very clear that the battle of that great day of Almighty God is consequent upon the sudden appearing of Christ in His glory as described in the scriptures above given. It is because He will come thus as a thief that He adds, “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (vs. 15; compare Matt. 24:36-37.) This instruction, as well as warning, applies above all to the elect remnant of that day.
One more particular is now added—the name of the place to which the kings and their armies will be gathered. It is called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Some read Harmagedon.) This name has a symbolical import, and means in fact, the hill of Megiddo. Megiddo was the great battlefield of Barak (Judg. 5:19), and had therefore, combined with other events in connection with the same place, (See for example, 2 Chron. 35:20-27, where one of the saddest events, as affecting the Jewish people is recorded.) a peculiar significance in Jewish history. This will account for its application to that awful place where “the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies [will gather] together to make war against Him that sat on the horse [the Lord in His glory] and against His army” (Ch. 19:19).
The consummation is now reached. Together with the pouring out of the seventh vial “into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (vs. 17). God’s preliminary judgments are now completed; and the next thing to follow, not described here, will be the event announced in verse 15, the coming of the Lord as a thief. The effects of this last plague are briefly given. The great city, Rome (Ch. 17:18), “the unified association of European civilization,” for it is the expression of all that the Roman Empire is in its wealth, art, literature, and commerce (see Ch. 18) is “divided into three parts” (vs. 19). Babylon is judged, the details of which are found in chapter 18; “and every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (vs. 20); all the world’s stability and order are utterly subverted, and reduced to chaotic confusion; and finally God’s violent judgments (see Isa. 32:19) will once again descend on men, who still untouched by His repeated scourges, will in their madness respond with blasphemy “because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (vs. 21).