Chapter 16 of Revelation is so cataclysmic that you actually start to feel very sorry for the bad guys. The seven angels who received the bowls of God's wrath are now ordered to pour them on the earth.
Bowl #1 - This puts a sore on every person that worshiped the beast. The sores are described as 'loathsome' and 'malignant'. Which means the sores are disgusting and they hurt people badly.
Bowl #2 - This turns the sea waters into blood and everything in them dies. Yipe.
Bowl #3 - This one turns the rivers and springs into blood. This bowl has some commentary because an angel affirms the righteousness of God in this one saying God is right to do so because the people this hurts spilled the blood of saints. For the seven churches this would have shown them that God will bring vengeance to those who harm His own.
Bowl #4 - Fierce Heat. It scorches those who blasphemed God.
Bowl #5 - Darkness specifically on the kingdom of the beast. It causes pain and they gnaw their tongues. Still no repentance.
Bowl #6 - The Euphrates River is dried up to prepare the way for the King of the East. This is interesting because as a bowl of God's wrath it means that the king of the east will be an instrument of that wrath and God is just removing all the obstacles.
At this point the bowls are interrupted in the text to describe and comment on some things (verses 13-16):
1. The unholy trinity send forth three frog spirits to perform signs in order to prepare the nations for the last battle.
2. Verse 15 is a parenthetical note about God coming as a thief and that people should be prepared by having their cloths so people will not see their shame. This is probably directly addressing the seven churches so they will be watchful and ready.
3. Goes back to verse 13 and 14 and makes not of where the unholy trinity was going to gather its army - Har-Magedon in Hebrew. Armageddon in Greek.
Bowl #7 - This bowl marks the end and it does a whole bunch of stuff: 1) It causes massive thunder and lightning 2) It causes a great earthquake such as no man has ever seen which destroys mountains and islands. 3) The earthquake splits the Great City in three parts. 4) Hail comes that is so severe that causes men to blaspheme God. This also is a place where Babylon the Great is mentioned and called 'her' and it is 'her' that is the focus of God's wrath in His remembrance. The details of who she is will be given in the next chapter.
Next: The Whore
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