Revelation 15 – 16. In the Book of Revelation, the Spirit of God goes over parts of the prophetic week three or four times. In each section, there is a different focus, but all end with the appearing of Christ.

1. Ch. 6-11 covers the full seven years, focusing on the Beast’s empire (seal and trumpet judgments).
2. Ch. 12-14  covers the last 3.5 years, focusing on Israel (added details of prophecy).
3. Ch. 15-16 covers the last 3.5 years, focusing on the Gentile nations at large (bowl judgments).
4. Ch. 17-19 covers the middle and end of the week, focusing on the judgement of religious and political Babylon.
   Ch. 20-22 cover events after the prophetic week.

Further, I think the objects of these plagues, the earth, sea, etc., are not to be taken in a merely literal way. The language is symbolical. Not that there would be to my own mind the slightest difficulty in believing that God could do these things in a literal way, if this were His will. He has turned the waters of Egypt into blood, filled a kingdom with darkness, and inflicted plagues similar to what we have here: so that there is no difficulty in conceiving such a thing again. But the only question is, whether this is what we are to gather from the chapter before us. I think it is not; and that God here alludes to plagues that were once literal in the land of Egypt, but that are now referred to symbolically, representing certain judgments of God.¹

The martyrs are incredulous that someone wouldn’t fear the Lord. The only thing that will bring about a change in the Gentiles, such that they will “come and do homage before thee”, is the manifestation of God’s righteous acts of judgment. This is one of the great lessons from Dan. 4, and also Isa. 26:9. The martyrs see through the judgment to the coming blessing. And the bowl-judgments are God’s answer to the martyrs’ song.

 

 

v.2 The First Bowl. The followers of the beast are the target of the first bowl-judgment. The “earth” here might represent the organized nations; i.e. it is in contrast with “the sea” in v.2. The judgment results in a “grievous sore”, similar to the sixth Egyptian plague of blisters (Ex. 9:10-11). That was a personal plague on the Egyptians; i.e. a disgusting and loathsome disease (see Deut. 28:27, 35). The grievous sores could be taken predominantly in a moral sense here, although it may be physical as well. It is a moral sore which will cause intense mental suffering. They feel the evil they are under. Perhaps it will be the terrible affliction of a guilty conscience?²

 

v.3 The Second Bowl. In contrast with “the earth” of v.2, the target of the second bowl-judgment is the “sea”, which represents the masses of the Gentiles in a state of turmoil. The seas become blood, which also correlates to an Egyptian plague; when the Nile was turned to blood. Blood represents death, as it says; “and every living thing died”. Everyone will give up the profession of religion. It says, “as of a dead man”; all pretense of moral life is gone. Souls will either believe the gospel of the Kingdom, or they will apostatize.³

 

v.4 The Third Bowl. The target of the third bowl-judgment is “the rivers, and on the fountains of waters”. Rivers represent fixed channels of refreshment. Fountains are the sources of prosperity. The natural sources of joy that attend human life are all affected by the apostasy. The things that define culture become evil through and through. Life will be marked by misery and frustration.⁴

 

vv.5-6 The Angel of the Waters. We now hear the voice of a certain angel speaking to the Lord. The “angel of the waters” may be an angle that God has set to watch over the masses of mankind. This angel has seen the evil done by men down through the millennia, rejecting the prophets, rejecting the pleading of the Lord’s voice. Now these wicked men are going to get what they have got coming. The angel speaks up as a solemn witness; the Lord is righteous for executing this judgment. The Lord has seemed outwardly to slumber for a long time. But now He awakes to avenge the blood of the martyrs. There is a solemn irony to this – blood for blood – this is justice. But there is not doubt whether they deserve this; “they are worthy”. The apostates have earned their awful doom.

 

 

v.7 The Altar Speaks! Now the brazen altar itself speaks to the Lord! The brazen altar represents the righteous claims of God in judgment. Earlier in ch.6 the souls of the martyrs were seen under the altar (Rev. 6:9). Now, that very altar which had witnessed the martyrs’ blood is said to cry out as a witnesses to the righteousness of God’s judgment. From the first book (Gen. 4:10) to the last book (Rev. 16:7) we hear the cry of the blood of the martyrs connected with the altar, which speaks of the righteous judgment of God. See Psalm 19:9.

 

vv.8-9 The Fourth Bowl. The target of the fourth bowl-judgment is the “sun, which represents the supreme government over the Gentiles. No doubt this will be the reign of the beast. This government has already apostatized in the fourth trumpet, but here we find what the effect of this is; oppression of men with intolerable tyranny. The oppression of men, put under pressure from the apostate governments, results in the men lashing out against God, whom they know is in control of these judgments. Compare with the true King, who will arise toward His subjects as the Sun of Righteousness, not with scorching heat, but healing in His wings (Mal. 4:2).

 

vv.10-11 The Fifth Bowl. As with the seals and trumpets, it is evident that the fifth, sixth, and seventh bowls are apart from the preceding four. The judgment of the fifth bowl falls upon “the throne of the beast” and upon his kingdom. Note: it does not say upon the beast himself, who is apparently untouched by these bowls. The judgment of the personal beast is reserved for the Lord Jesus at His appearing. The kingdom becomes darkened. No doubts, the darkness originates from the abyss (see Rev. 9:2), but as a judgment it is of God. Men will become decidedly against God. There will be no more agnostics. Their hearts are hardened against God, rather than softened, and they “blasphemed the God of the heaven”. In the fourth bowl they blaspheme the name of God, here it is the God of the heaven. They know who is responsible for these judgments. But they still don’t own Him as the God of the earth.

 

v.12 The Sixth Bowl. The target of the sixth bowl is the “great river Euphrates”, which was the eastern border of the old Roman Empire. The Euphrates is an ancient geographical barrier, a natural separation between the west and the east. When the water of that river is dried up, the way is now opened for “the kings from the rising of the sun”. The kings of the east in Revelation include the same forces depicted under the king of the north in the book of Daniel, which sweep down through Israel. Once this barrier is removed, pictured by the river, the kings can invade. This will begin the time of Jehovah’s indignation, and there are a number of battles that take place. There are two invasions from the north east, called the first and second attacks of the Assyrian. Each attack is lead by a confederacy of nations who are really united in one great super-confederacy. The first attack is made by the king of the north and his Arab confederacy, but the second attack is made by Gog and is Russian confederacy. The Arab confederacy comes down at 1260 days from the middle of the week, and the Russian confederacy comes down (most likely) 75 days later. Perhaps the river is dried for the first attack primarily, but also for the follow-up attack. Some feel that the expression “from the rising of the sun” indicates kingdoms outside the prophetic earth; China, India, etc.⁵

 

1. The Dragon: Satan’s direct power as antagonistic of Christ
2. The Beast: the power of apostate government, the Beast
3. The False Prophet: the power of false religion, the Antichrist

1. The Beast and his Western Confederacy
2. The King of the North and his Arab Confederacy
3. Gog and his Atheistic Russian Confederacy

(Voice of the Lord “Behold I Come as a Thief!”) (v.15)

 

 

v.17 The Seventh Bowl. The eventual target of the seventh bowl-judgment is a “great city” (v.19), but the bowl is poured first “on the air”. Air represents the moral atmosphere of the world; i.e. the realm of Satan (Eph. 2:2). The seventh bowl is the consummation of judgment on the organized systems of evil. John hears a voice from “the temple and the throne”. This voice is uniting the series of judgments up to this points: Rev. 6-11 are judgments from “the throne” connected with creation, while Rev. 12-16 are from “the temple” connected with the holy character of God. The voice cries, “It is done”, showing that we have now reached the climax of the judgments; we have reached the very moment of the Lord’s appearing.

 

 

v.18 Effects on Earth. John first observed “lightnings, and voices, and thunders”, which are symbols of the judgment of God (see Rev. 4:5; Rev. 8:5; Rev. 11:19). Second, there was a great earthquake. No doubt there will be an abundance of physical earthquakes at this time (Mark 13:8) but this is “a great earthquake”, a vast and unparalleled violent disruption of all government. This coincides with the time when the beast and antichrist will be taken and cast into the lake of fire by the Lord at His appearing. Also, at this time the angels will go out and gather the tares to be burned.

 

 

v.19 Effects on Cities.  A city called “the great city” is divided into three parts. This refers no doubt to the fall of the revived Roman empire; a “great city” compared to the nations’ cities. Also, the fact that there are three parts indicates that the Roman earth is in view, as with the trumpet judgments when “the third part of the earth” was mentioned several times. See also Rev. 17:18. The “cities of the nations” would be the other powers allied with the beast or opposed to him. All comes crashing down. Then, “great Babylon”, another city, is remembered before God to meet out the judgment she deserves. We might wonder, wasn’t Babylon already fallen (Rev. 14:8)? Chapter 17-18 will next be brought in to explain the two aspects of Babylon. The false church has already fallen (Rev. 14:8) and been completely destroyed, but the persons within the organization continue in the political aspect, the beast’s empire (Rev. 17:18), until the appearing of Christ (Rev. 18:20-24). God “remembers” to give her the cup of judgment that he had promised her. A.C. Brown called this “the most perplexing problem of the book”.

 

 

vv.20-21 Effects on Men. All earthly refuges will fail to hide men from the storm of judgment; “islands” picture commerce, or financial refuges, and “mountains” picture political powers, or governmental refuges. This is followed by a plague of hail, which reminds us of the seventh Egyptian plague. This hail represents sharp, sudden, and crushing judgment from heaven. The hailstones are said to be “a talent weight”. The Jewish talent was 125 English pounds! This may not be literal hail. But after all this direct judgment from God because of their sins, men still refuse to repent, and turn around and blaspheme God because of the plague.