| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index |

 

Revelation Chapter Sixteen

 

I. Content of the Chapter

 

The Plague of Seven Bowls

I. Asking the angels to go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth (v.1)

II. Pouring out the first bowl---- a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who worshiped the beast (v.2)

III. Pouring out the second bowl----the sea became blood and every living creature in the sea died (v.3)

IV. Pouring out the third bowl----the rivers and water became blood and the blood was given to those who have shed the blood of saints to drink (v.4-7)

V. Pouring out the fourth bowl----power was given to the sun to scorch men with fire (v.8-9)

VI. Pouring out the fifth bowl----the kingdom of the beast became full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain (v.10-11)

VII. Pouring out the sixth bowl----the way of the kings from the east was prepared that they shall be gathered in Armageddon (v.12-16)

VIII. Pouring out the seventh bowl----there was a mighty and great earthquake and the cities of the nations fell and great hail fell upon men (v.17-21)

 

II. Verse by Verse commentary

 

Rev. 16:1 “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."

   YLT: “And I heard a great voice out of the sanctuary saying to the seven messengers, `Go away, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God to the earth;'”

   Meaning of Words: “go”: go away, depart; “wrath”: fierceness, indignation; “pour out”: gush out, shed abroad.

   Literal Meaning: “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels” “a loud voice from the temple” this voice should refer to the voice of God or Christ and the reasons are as follows: 1) at this time no one was able to enter the temple (See 15:8); 2) according to the structure of the sentence in the original, it stresses on the authority of “the loud voice”.

“‘Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.’” “Pouring out on the earth” at this time the majority of men of God on the earth (the harvest of the earth) have become mature and been carried up into heaven (See 14:14-16). And therefore the targets of the punishment of the seven bowls are mainly the monarch and his subjects and the people in the kingdom of the beast.

 

Rev. 16:2 “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

   YLT: “and the first did go away, and did pour out his vial upon the land, and there came a sore -- bad and grievous -- to men, those having the mark of the beast, and those bowing to his image.”

   Meaning of Words: “foul”: noisome, worthless; “loathsome”: grievous, harmful.

   Literal Meaning: and a foul and loathsome sore” it iterated the plague of boil when the children of Israel went out of Egypt (See Exod. 9:8-12), however, the degree here is much greater than the degree of that time and therefore “foul and loathsome” is used to describe the sore.

“Came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image” it shows that the sore did not come upon others, as the boil was upon all the Egyptians and their cattle during that time (See Exod. 9:11) with the purpose of letting men know that it is the work of God.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) First something is wrong with men’s hearts and then the difficulties of their health are brought in. The health of men whose hearts are healthy is kept and they are much healthier generally. It is said in the Bible that a merry heart does good like a medicine (Prov. 17:22). And it conforms to this opinion. 

2) Men must be responsible for their choice----men who chose to worship the beast seemed to have the privilege of existence in the beginning (See 13:17), but actually they brought themselves the plague “worse than death”. Believers should also be responsible for our way of life today----whether we fear God or let our hearts be attracted by idols.

 

Rev. 16:3 “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.

   YLT: “And the second messenger did pour out his vial to the sea, and there came blood as of [one] dead, and every living soul died in the sea.”

   Meaning of Words: “became”: cause to be, be made, be performed; “living”: animate; “creature”: soul.

   Literal Meaning: “the sea became blood as of a dead man;” it describes that the seawater corrupted and went bad and not only the color was unsightly but also the smell was stinking.

“And every living creature in the sea died.” In the generation of Noah, the living creatures in the water had not been judged by God when every living creature of the land was killed by the flood (See Gen. 7:23). And now they were also included because the first bowl and the second bowl brought plagues to the living creatures in the water first and then men who needed to drink water were affected (See v.6).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) “Blood” is originally the symbol of life (See Lev. 17:11), however, it now becomes the symbol of judgment and death. If men do not respect the effect of redemption of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, they bring themselves the consequence of judgment and death.

2) As “while water can carry a boat, it can also overturn it”, “blood can make man live and it also can make them die”. Believers should abstain from   any blood (See Acts. 15:20, 29) except the blood of the Lord Jesus. We have to receive the salvation of the cross and should never rely on any other religious way.

 

Rev. 16:4 “Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

   YLT: “And the third messenger did pour out his vial to the rivers, and to the fountains of the waters, and there came blood,”

   Meaning of Words: “water”: rainwater; “spring”: source, fountain.

   Literal Meaning: “the rivers and springs of water” refers to all the sources of water. Originally the seawater evaporates and then rains and becomes clean water, but now the circulatory system in the nature has been broken.

“And they became blood.” It shows that the essential water for men’s daily life is probably gained by filtration (See Exod. 7:24), however, not everyone can enjoy it.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) When God creates men in the beginning, He has planed the perfect living environment for us and even various kinds of “chains of life” in the sea and on the land are complete. Unfortunately, men do not know how to maintain the “environment” and destroy the ecological environment increasingly which is essential for their existence.

2) Today the plague that “water becomes blood” also warns us: those who only concern themselves and never concern others in their life and only concern today and never concern future will eat their own bitter fruit. 

 

Rev. 16:5 “And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.

   YLT: “and I heard the messenger of the waters, saying, `righteous, O Lord, art Thou, who art, and who wast, and who shalt be, because these things Thou didst judge,”

   Meaning of Words: “righteous”: just, reasonable; “judge”: make a judgment, condemn.

   Literal Meaning: “the angel of the waters” We have seen the angels that hold fast the winds (See 7:1), the angel which has power over fire (See 14:18) and the angle of the waters so far.

  The One who is and who was and who is to be” The appellation implies that God’s judgments towards men today are based on men’s past works because He is “the One…who was”. And therefore He is perfectly clear.

You are righteous Because You have judged these things” “You have judged these things” refers to making all the waters of the earth become blood. “Righteous” refers to being fair, just and reasonable.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Our God is “the One who is and who was” and our deeds are not beyond His attention all the times. He is perfectly clear and therefore we should be careful and not disobey His disposition of “holiness”.

2) God’s judgments are absolutely righteous and everything conforms to our situations: just as we do to others, they also do to us likewise; we shall be condemned if we condemn others and we shall be forgiven if we forgive others (See Luke 6:31, 37).

 

Rev. 16:6 “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.’”

   YLT: “because blood of saints and prophets they did pour out, and blood to them Thou didst give to drink, for they are worthy;'”

   Meaning of Words: “shed”: pour out, gush out, shed abroad; “just due”: worthy, due reward, meet.

   Literal Meaning: “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets” “they” indicates that those who worship the beast persecuted saints and prophets at the instigation of the devil. “Saints” generally refers to believers and the Jews. “Prophets” refers to those who speak for God, including the two prophets (See 11:10).

And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.’” “Giving them blood to drink who shed the blood of others” it means that those who treat human life as if it were not worth a straw shall harm their own life. “Just due” means that this treatment is just.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) A common saying goes like this, a measure for a measure and it is not repaid but the time has not come yet. Believers should not wrong others, however, if we are wronged by others, we should not avenge ourselves, because vengeance is the Lord’s (See Rom. 12:19).

2) The righteous God shall reward men all “their just due”. He will not only pay off our debts but also reward us the achievements we deserve (See Luke. 14:14; Rom. 2:7).

 

Rev. 16:7 “And I heard another from the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.’”

   YLT: “and I heard another out of the altar, saying, `Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous [are] Thy judgments.'”

   Meaning of Words: “true”: authentic, real; “judgments”: judicial decision, discernment.

   Literal Meaning: “And I heard another from the altar saying” the voice from the altar most probably responds to the cry asking God to avenge them “under the altar” (See 6:9-10). The martyrs have been raised up because of the Lord’s second coming and are caught up in clouds to meet the Lord (See 1Thess. 4:16-17). And probably it is their voice from the altar in heaven.

“‘Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.’” “So” means that they did not understand why God had not judged men who dwell on the earth to avenge their blood on them earlier (See 6:10) and now they suddenly saw the light and expressed Amen from the bottom of their hearts. “True and righteous are Your judgments” indicates that God judges according to the righteous and faithful principle (See the note in 15:3).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Believers always misunderstand that God has not listened to our prayers, but actually God walks according to His principle and time. And sometimes His silence is exactly His answer to our prayers. Sometimes His silence does not mean that He does not agree with us but that the time that He answers our prayers has not come yet.

2) If we understand that God cannot deny His righteous and faithful principle, many problems will be readily solved.

 

Rev. 16:8 “Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.

   YLT: “And the fourth messenger did pour out his vial upon the sun, and there was given to him to scorch men with fire,”

   Meaning of Words: “given”: bestow, deliver; “scorch”: burn, bake.

   Literal Meaning: “power was given to the sun to scorch men with fire.” According to the natural principle, the heat of the sun can only get weaker gradually, however, the heat gets stronger contrarily. Probably God gives power to the sun through the pouring out of the bowl or removes the role of the atmospheric layer which cuts off the heat energy, that the heat of the sun increases and men feel that they are scorched by fire.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Fire is usually used to symbolize judgment in the Bible (See Is. 24:6; Mal. 4:1; Matt. 3:10-12). One day in future, all the elements shall melt with fervent heat and therefore “scorching with fire” is only a sign of God’s judgment in future.

2) God makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good (See Matt. 5:45), showing that the sun won’t merely scorch those who worship the beast when “the sun scorches men with fire”. If men of God have not risen up to love and fear God, it will be too late for them to regret.

 

Rev. 16:9 “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

   YLT: “and men were scorched with great heat, and they did speak evil of the name of God, who hath authority over these plagues, and they did not reform -- to give to Him glory.”

   Meaning of Words: “great heat”: burn, flame; “blaspheme”: defame, speak evil of.

   Literal Meaning: this verse shows one thing that how shortsighted men are----they only see their suffering and have not seen the reason for their suffering.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) William R. Newell said that, “if grace cannot make one turn to the Lord, then this man won’t turn to the Lord under any circumstance” (it is translated from the Chinese version).

2) It is men’s nature to blame everyone and everything but themselves. Men merely want to utilize the nature, however, they never thank God from the heart who gives us richly the nature to enjoy and contrarily destroy the nature. They ascribe the blame to God by the time when they suffer the ill effects caused by themselves.

 

Rev. 16:10 “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.

   YLT: “And the fifth messenger did pour out his vial upon the throne of the beast, and his kingdom did become darkened, and they were gnawing their tongues from the pain,”

   Meaning of Words: “darkness”: dimness, blackness; “pain”: suffering.

   Literal Meaning: “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness;” “the throne of the beast” refers to the command center of antichrist, i.e. the place where his capital town is. “His kingdom became full of darkness” indicates that the whole realm of antichrist became darkened, just as all the land of Egypt was darkened on that day (See Exod. 10:21-23). It was not clearly stated in the Bible that where the kingdom of the beast and its capital were. And how the kingdom of the beast became darkened was not clearly interpreted.

“And they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.” “Pain” refers to the pain caused by foul and loathsome sores and the scorching of the sun. And they cannot be cured and became worse because the whole place was darkened. “Gnawing their tongues” describes that they suffered pain to the extreme. 

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Darkness is usually used to symbolize judgment in the Bible (See Is. 60:2; Joel 2:2; Nah. 1:8; Mark. 13:24-25). Darkness can make the antichrist’s system of domination and direction become paralyzed. And men usually do not know where to go in the darkness (See 1John. 2:11).

2) What’s the most terrible is not the outer darkness but the inner darkness of men. When the light that is in men is darkness, the Lord said that, how great is that darkness (Matt. 6:23)!

3) The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day (Rom. 13:12-13).

 

Rev. 16:11 “They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

   YLT: “and they did speak evil of the God of the heaven, from their pains, and from their sores, and they did not reform from their works.”

   Meaning of Words: “repent”: the change of mind; “deeds”: behavior, works.

   Literal Meaning: it is mentioned in this chapter for the second time that tribulation cannot make men repent and contrarily they rebel against God more (See v.9).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) This verse implies that these men obviously knew that these plagues were of “the God of heaven”, however, they were not inclined to repent and contrarily hardened their hearts to blasphemed God. It shows that once men are deceived by Satan, they lose the rationality and become unreasonable.

2) This verse also implies that if men repent of their deeds, they still have the chance of receiving grace to avoid the judgment of God. However, no one can simply repent.      

 

Rev. 16:12 “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

   YLT: “And the sixth messenger did pour out his vial upon the great river, the Euphrates, and dried up was its water, that the way of the kings who are from the rising of the sun may be made ready;”

   Meaning of Words: Euphrates”: fruitful, abundant; “dry up”: wither away; “the east”: the rising of the sun; “way”: route, journey, path.

   Literal Meaning: “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up” “the great river Euphrates” is within the borders of Iraq. It is recorded in the ninth chapter of this book that the sixth angel that sounded the trumpet released the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates (See 9:14-15).

“So that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared” “the kings” refers to the political leaders of the nations. “The way might be prepared” refers to paving the way for military actions.

 

Rev. 16:13 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

   YLT: “and I saw [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, three unclean spirits like frogs --”

   Meaning of Words: “unclean”: dirty; “like”: as, similar.

   Spiritual Meaning: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs” “unclean spirits” refers to evil spirits (See v.14). This word describes its nature and it is opposite to the Holy Spirit. “Like frogs” frog is the symbol of evil spirits, just as the dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The features of frogs are: 1) it is unclean in the Bible (See Lev. 11:41-42) and its nature is dirty. 2) It jumps close to the ground and the objects of its work are men who dwell on the earth. 3) It specially eats the small and weak insects and the objects which it devours are men who are spiritually weak. 4) It cries loudly from time to time and the way it deceives men is speaking various kinds of false-named doctrines. 

“Coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet” “the dragon” refers to Satan the devil (See 12:9). “The beast” refers to the beast rising up out of the sea, i.e. antichrist (See 13:1). “The false prophet” refers to the beast coming up out of the earth (See 13:11).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The evil spirits are good at possessing the heretical false teachers to make them deceive the hearts of the simple by good words and fair speeches through their silver tongues (See Rom. 16:18).

2) The evil spirits can also pretend to be the true God who exists in three persons----the Father, the Son and the Spirit and play the game of the false trinity in order to deceive men who do not seek to understand the truth thoroughly.

 

Rev. 16:14 “For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

   YLT: “for they are spirits of demons, doing signs -- which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to bring them together to the battle of that great day of God the Almighty; --”

   Meaning of Words: “demon”: unclean devil, devil; “sign”: omen, token.

   Literal Meaning: “For they are spirits of demons, performing signs” “spirits of demons” refers to evil spirits. “Performing signs” indicates that they can perform supernatural miracles and wonders.

“Which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world” “the kings of the earth and of the whole world” refers to the political leaders who have power and influence in the whole world.

“To gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” “to them” refers to persuading them. “That great day of God Almighty” refers to the day that God Almighty had established to gather the fully ripe grapes of the earth (See 14:18-20), i.e. the day that all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven come and gather together unto the supper of the great God (See 19:17-18). “Gather them to the battle” refers to the world war in future (See 9: 15-19) and the place is in Armageddon (See v.16).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Today many believers accept some miracles and signs as true and hold that all the miraculous things are of the great power of the Holy Spirit. However, we have to know that evil spirits can also “perform signs” and if possible, they even deceive the elect (See Matt. 24:24).

2) In that great day of God Almighty, the devil’s power of mobilization is quite surprising. And its scale is unprecedentedly and unrepeatably large, however, the consequence is that they come there to lose their life. Today not only the world holds that something is right if many people do it but also believers believe that there must be the blessing of God if there are many people. And therefore there are huge crowds of people in the gathering of famous ones, however, the majority of them only watch the scene of bustle.

 

Rev. 16:15Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.’”

   YLT: “`lo, I do come as a thief; happy [is] he who is watching, and keeping his garments, that he may not walk naked, and they may see his unseemliness,' --”

   Meaning of Words: “watch”: keep awake, vigilant; “keep”: preserve, guard; “walk”: walk about, go; “shame”: unseemliness.

   Literal Meaning: Behold, I am coming as a thief.” “Behold” this verse is the warning to all believers at the present days and it should not be considered as the warning to believers who are left on the earth at that time. “As a thief” implies that: 1) the day of the Lord’s coming is beyond all expectations and therefore we should watch and wait. 2) The Lord raptures overcomers when He comes and therefore we should prepare ourselves.

Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.’” “Keeping his garments” garment here should not indicate that Christ is the righteousness of believers (See Gal. 3:27) because we won’t lose it after we have been justified by faith. And therefore it should refer to believers’ righteous deeds (See Rom. 13:14). “Walk naked and they see his shame” refers to shameful conditions that men make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. “Blessed” refers to being raptured when the Lord comes for the second time.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The Lord is coming as a thief, showing that no one can know when the Lord comes again. If someone declares that he knows the day when the Lord comes for the second time, he must be the false teachers who exaggerates things just to scare people because no man knows of that day and hour and even the Lord does not know it (See Matt. 24:36).

2) If believers put on and keep our garments closely today, we will be raptured before the great tribulation and we won’t experience the great tribulation by ourselves to let others see our shame.

 

Rev. 16:16 “And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.      

   YLT: “and they did bring them together to the place that is called in Hebrew Armageddon.”

   Meaning of Words: “gather”: assemble, collect; “Armageddon”: the mount of slaughter.

   Literal Meaning: Armageddon” is a famous battlefield in the Palestine since ancient times and it is also the place where the final great war will be before the coming of the Lord. At that time, the troops of antichrist will be massed there to fight with Christ and His troops.

 

Rev. 16:17 “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done!’”

   YLT: “And the seventh messenger did pour out his vial to the air, and there came forth a great voice from the sanctuary of the heaven, from the throne, saying, `It hath come!'”

   Meaning of Words: “done”: accomplished, brought, come.

   Literal Meaning: “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air” the plagues caused by the pouring out of the seventh bowl were recorded in v.17-21. “Pouring out into the air” some Bible exegetes held that the reason is that Satan is the prince of the power of the air (See Eph. 2:2) and finally the dragon shall be seized on and cast into the bottomless pit (See 20:1-3).

“And a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done!’” “A loud voice” refers to the voice of God Himself. “It is done” means that the wine of God’s wrath has been poured out completely and all the predestinated things have been accomplished.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) “It is done” has been recorded in the Bible four times: a) on the seventh dad God’s work which He had made was ended, “it was so” (Gen. 1:30); b) when the Lord Jesus was on the cross at the point of death, He said that “it is finished” (See John 19:30); c) when the seventh bowl has been poured out, a loud voice came out of the throne, saying, “it is done”; d) when the heaven, the earth and everything are made new, the voice came out of the throne, saying “it is done” (See 21:6).

2) When we are in the process of things, we really feel that it is hard to understand the things, however, when all the things are accomplished, we suddenly realize the will of God. May believers have the heavenly sight to see that He will accomplish the thing which He has initiated (See 1Thess. 5:24).

 

Rev. 16:18 “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.

   YLT: “and there came voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and a great earthquake came, such as came not since men came upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake -- so great!”

   Meaning of Words: “such”: so; “great”: big, enormous.

   Literal Meaning: “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake” When God began to judge, there were also lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail (See 11:19).

“Such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.” Earthquakes are recorded four times in this book, each more serious than the last. The final one is not only unprecedented but also brings in the change of the landform (See v.20): 1) the time the sixth seal was opened (See 6:12); 2) the time the first trumpet was about to be sounded (See 8:5); 3) the time before the sounding of the seventh trumpet (See 11:13); 4) the time the seventh bowl was poured out (this verse).

   Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord Jesus said that earthquakes are the beginning of sorrows (See Matt. 24:7-8). Earthquakes accompanied the period of the great tribulation and there was the great earthquake at the end of the tribulation. It shows that the earthquake is the symbol of the great tribulation and God wants to shake the hearts of men through earthquakes for the purpose of letting us pursue the kingdom which cannot be shaken (See Heb. 12:26-28).

 

Rev. 16:19 “Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

   YLT: “And it came -- the great city -- into three parts, and the cities of the nations did fall, and Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the wrath of His anger,”

   Meaning of Words: “part”: sector of an area, section; “fall”: fail, fall down; “Babylon”: confusion, cause confusion.

   Literal Meaning: “Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.” “The great city” refers to the city of Jerusalem and it represents the administrative center of the Jews. “The cities of the nations” refers to the cities in various countries in the world and it represents the administrative center of the Gentiles.

And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” “The great Babylon” refers to the real city of Babylon and it represents the administrative center of the kingdom of antichrist.

   Enlightenment in the Word: all the earthly buildings of men are predestinated to fall and be destroyed by earthquakes, no matter how great and how solid they are. It warns us that we should not pay too much attention to every visible or invisible building and we must build the kingdom which cannot be shaken according to the will of God (See Heb. 12:28).

 

Rev. 16:20 “Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

   YLT: “and every island did flee away, and mountains were not found,”

   Meaning of Words: “flee away”: run away, get away, escape; “not found”: not seen.

   Literal Meaning: “Then every island fled away” the great earthquake brings in the crustal movement and every island sank under the seawater.

“And the mountains were not found.” The great earthquake also causes the great change of the landform.

 

Rev. 16:21 “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

   YLT: “and great hail (as of talent weight) doth come down out of the heaven upon men, and men did speak evil of God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague is very great.”

   Meaning of Words: “fall”: descent; “plague”: strike; “exceedingly”: very, greatly.

   Literal Meaning: “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.” “Great hail” there was the plague of hail in Egypt that very year, however, it was not so great (See Exod. 9:22-25). “About the weight of a talent” is about seventy five pounds or thirty-four kilograms.

Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” it means that the hearts of men are obstinate and hard.

 

III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons

 

The Spiritual Lessons of the Plagues of the Seven Bowls

I. The first bowl (v.2):

  A. pouring out the bowl upon the earth----dealing with one of the deceitful trick of the enemy: the earthly deceit

  B. a foul and loathsome sore came upon----exposing the reason why men are deceived: the evil and greed of hearts

  C. those who worshiped the beast----the consequence of their being deceived: worshiping idols and bringing in themselves bitter fruits

II. The second bowl (v.3):

  A. pouring out the bowl on the sea----dealing with the second deceitful trick of the enemy: the religious ways

  B. the sea became blood as of a dead man----exposing the reason why men are deceived: holding fast to the dead regulations

  C. every living creature in the sea died----the consequence of their being deceived: letters and ceremonies make men die

III. The third bowl (v.4-7):

  A. pouring out the bowl on the rivers and springs of water----dealing with the third deceitful trick of the enemy: the physical enjoyment

  B. they became blood----exposing the reason why men are deceived: building their own enjoyment upon the price of others’ blood

  C. giving those who shed the blood of men blood to drink----the consequence of their being deceived: they shall be judged finally

IV. The fourth bowl (v.8-9):

  A. pouring out the bowl on the sun----dealing with the fourth deceitful trick of the enemy: enjoying the nature habitually

  B. power was given to the sun to scorch men with fire----exposing the reason why men are deceived: being ignorant of the nature

  C. men who were scorched blasphemed God----the consequence of being deceived: they ate their own bitter fruits because they were ignorant of self-control, however, they blamed everyone and everything but themselves

V. The fifth bowl (v.10-11):

  A. pouring out the bowl on the throne of the beast----dealing with the fifth deceitful trick of the enemy: heretical teachings

  B. the kingdom of the beast became full of darkness----exposing the reason why men are deceived: the hearts of men were blind and they were in the darkness

  C. men gnawed their tongues because of the pain----the consequence of their being deceived: they bore the consequence for the ignorant speeches

VI. The sixth bowl (v.12-16):

  A. pouring out the bowl on the great river Euphrates----dealing with the sixth deceitful trick of the enemy: the attraction of rights

  B. the way of the kings from the east might be prepared----exposing the reason why men are deceived: taking rights by force

  C. the kings were gathered to Armageddon----the consequence of their being deceived: they shall be destroyed finally in taking force

VII. The seventh bowl (v.17-21):

  A. pouring out the bowl into the air----dealing with the seventh deceitful trick of the enemy: man will triumph over nature

  B. the great earthquake destroyed three kinds of cities----exposing the reason why men are deceived: building the things of men (which are not of the kingdom that cannot be shaken)

  C. great hail fell upon men----the consequence of their being deceived: they shall be punished by heaven finally

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Sharon Ren