(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.)
In Part 4 of this series, we reviewed the Merchants of the Earth, the Persecution of the Saints, and the Harvests of the Righteous and of the Unrighteous) In this concluding installment, we will study the Bowl Judgments, Earthquakes on the Rise, and the Second Coming of Jesus.
The Bowl Judgments
The Seal and Trumpet Judgments have passed. Now God pours out His wrath on the unbelievers with the Bowl Judgments:
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” (Revelation 15:1,5-8 KJV)
Previously, we saw how the Saints were harvested or raptured up, where they now play harps in heaven. As they play, they sing this wonderful song of Moses, praising God for all He has done. It must be a truly blessed feeling to arrive in heaven after all the tribulation one has gone through. But now, God sends seven angels with seven bowls of his wrath, containing seven plagues to complete the punishment of the unbelievers, and especially those who accepted the Mark of the Beast and worshipped the Antichrist. This is the wrath just announced by the angel with the sickle and the grapes.
The 1st Bowl: Sores
“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. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; 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.” (Revelation 16:1-2 KJV)
The First Bowl plague directly strikes those who have the Mark of the Beast. This is again a stern warning the Lord gives us to never allow ourselves to be marked in any way, especially when it is also accompanied by worship to anyone other than the one true God.
LIFE APPLICATION: If you want to avoid this and other plagues, DON’T take the Mark of the Beast.
The 2nd Bowl: The Sea of Blood
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.” (Revelation 16:3 KJV)
The second Bowl affects the ocean, most likely impacting the sea life. If the water turns into actual blood, it is difficult to see how any sea creature would be able to survive. Since the saints are believed by many to now be in heaven, this is a serious plague, adding to the famine already suffered by the unbelievers.
The 3rd Bowl: Rivers and Springs of Blood
“And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, 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. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.” (Revelation 16:4-7 KJV)
Here is an irony: The unbelievers “have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink” (v. 6). This brings to mind a verse in Galatians: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7 KJV) The second angel caused the oceans to become bloody. Now, this third angel does the same thing, but polluting the sources of fresh water, rivers and springs.
LIFE APPLICATION: Water purification is a critical element to survival. As conditions continue to worsen in our world, especially wars and uprisings, we could see interruptions in the delivery of water to our homes. Those with property in the country with a well and the means to draw water without electricity will greatly increase their chances of survival.
The 4th Bowl: Fire from the Sun
“And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.” (Revelation 16:8- 9 KJV)
Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are well-documented. In 1859, the Carrington event, thought to be a major X-class coronal mass ejection, caused telegraph wires to burn up in many areas of the United States. But this 4th bowl is apparently a supernatural event, caused by God to punish the unbelievers for their sins. This plague may also relate to a verse from the Old Testament: “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.” (Isaiah 30:26 KJV)
LIFE APPLICATION: Coronal Mass Ejections/Solar Flares, along with Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) nuclear weapons are a real possibility. There are many articles on this website regarding measures you can take to prevent damage to your car and electrical appliances.
The 5th Bowl: The Plague of Darkness
“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” (Revelation 16:10-11 KJV)
The absence of light will no doubt cause panic, and we are told, also physical pain. The fact that this is a supernatural event will be extremely disturbing. Most people nowadays are totally dependent on electricity, especially for lighting their homes at night. It is obvious that the power will be unavailable during the plague of the fifth angel. This judgment is also similar to the plague of darkness in the book of Exodus 10:21-23. Some of the plagues in Exodus and Revelation are similar.
LIFE APPLICATION: How well prepared are you for an extended power outage? Well before this plague happens, there will probably be future outages, some of which could last days, weeks or months. Be sure to have portable lanterns, batteries, and other battery-powered devices. Solar generators with solar panels are also a great way to harness electricity from the sun, and to power small appliances.
The 6th Angel: The Euphrates River and the Kings of the East
“And 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. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs 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. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16:12-14 KJV)
A similar reference to the Kings of the East is found in in the Sixth Trumpet in Revelation 9:13-19. In that verse, the Euphrates River is mentioned as well as an army of 200 million. This huge army could be made up from the combined armed forces of China, North Korea, and other nations in Asia. The Euphrates River having dried up would clear the way for such an army to invade without any impediment. Many have speculated that the object of the attack will be Israel, possibly in the battle of Armageddon. The prophet Daniel refers to a “king” who many think is the future Antichrist. Of this king, he states:
“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Daniel 11:44-45 KJV)
Many Bible experts believe the “tidings (or reports) from the east” may well refer to these “Kings from the East” in Revelation 16:12. Though the Antichrist will be powerful, he will meet resistance from some countries. It is apparent that there will be some type of motivation for many different countries to attack Israel. Some Bible commentators have speculated that oil, natural gas, a source of food or something else of great value will motivate these armies to attack the Holy Land.
The attack may have something to do with the temple. Many countries already are motivated to eliminate Israel from the map. The reference to the king pitching his tents “at the beautiful holy mountain” refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where the reconstructed temple will probably be located.
UPDATE: Iran is experiencing severe drought, which has led, in part, to recent demonstrations against the government. Some of the tributaries of the Euphrates River originate in Iran. Even in some of these areas, the water table and lake levels have dropped significantly.
Armageddon and a Mighty Earthquake
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath…” (Revelation 16:16-19 KJV)
The Bowl Judgments conclude with the Battle of Armageddon and the worst earthquake in history. After this brief mention of Armageddon, the details of the battle are covered in Revelation 19:11-16, with the Second Coming of Christ. Some say “Babylon” is Jerusalem, others claim it is Rome, still others point to New York City or even Baghdad in Iraq. Others say “Babylon” represents the one-world government, economy and religious system headed up by the Antichrist and the False Prophet. It is notable that this earthquake will affect the “cities of the nations” which “fell,” or suffered catastrophic damage (v. 19). So, this will be an event with worldwide impact. Jesus also said earthquakes will be a sign of the end of the age: ”For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matthew 24:7 KJV)
Note that an earthquake is also mentioned in the Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12), so some people again see the overlap of seals and bowls as mentioned in an earlier article in this series. Also, in the Seventh Trumpet, (Revelation 11:19) an earthquake and hail are both mentioned—so these are two more points of correlation showing that at least towards the end of the tribulation, the seals, trumpets and bowls may share some common events.
Earthquakes are on the Rise
Jesus told us that one of the signs of the end of the age are earthquakes, and in “diverse” or various places. Scientists have identified certain areas of the world where the likelihood of temblors is strong. Among these is the “Ring of Fire,” a roughly circular area around the Pacific Ocean with a history of earthquakes.
There have been many “major” (6.0-6.9 on Richter Scale) temblors, along with “great” quakes (7.0 and higher). The most earthquake-prone areas include Japan, Indonesia, China, Chile, Mexico, Alaska, and the West coast of the U.S. The San Andreas Fault in California has caused “great” earthquakes, which includes the 1906 temblor in San Francisco, with a magnitude of 7.8, causing devastating damage. Many scientists believe California is overdue for another great quake, called “the Big One.”
Another area of concern is the Cascadia Subduction Zone, off the coast of the state of Washington. Geologists have identified over 40 major or great earthquakes in this region in the past 10,000 years. Not all quakes are limited to the Ring of Fire. Between 1811-1812, there were several temblors ranging between 7.2-8.2 in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This area is located roughly at the intersection of the states of Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Many scientists believe another quake could strike this area, possibly even affecting the Mississippi River.
Jesus also told us that these earthquakes are the “beginning of birth pains.” When a pregnant woman goes into labor to give birth, the contractions, or pains, come once in a while. As the birth nears, the pains occur more often. So it also will be in the future, with earthquakes increasing in frequency and intensity.
The Second Coming of Jesus
“And 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. His 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. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And 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. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16 KJV)
This is the long-anticipated Second Coming of Jesus! In His first coming, He was the Suffering Servant, teaching us his ways, working many miracles, then dying on the cross for our sins. But Jesus rose from the dead, proving once and for all time he is God! Now, in His Second Coming,
Jesus is the Conquering King, defeating all His enemies and ruling with a “rod of iron.” This appears to occur in the Battle Armageddon mentioned in Revelation 16:16.
His vesture, or robe is “dipped in blood” because Jesus shed his blood on the cross. His name is the “Word of God,” similar to John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (KJV). The Word is Jesus. The “sharp sword” will be used to strike all those unbelievers who rejected His offer of redemption and eternal life.
LIFE APPLICATION: Be ready for the return of Jesus at all times, regardless of the timing of the rapture. Be ready physically and supply-wise for hard times in case you have to endure any part of the tribulation and/or coming collapse. Be ready emotionally for whatever trials may come. And finally, be ready spiritually, asking the Lord to come into your life—before it’s too late!
Editor’s Closing Note: This article series is excerpted from the author’s recommended book “Revelation: Illustrated and Explained.”
About The Author: Peter Cannon is an author and jail/prison chaplain in California. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor, filmmaker and currently a preacher and teacher.