After seeing the title, perhaps you’re thinking to yourself, ‘I thought there were seven bowl judgments’? If you are, you are correct. There are seven bowl judgments. But in this blog we are going to look at only 6 for now. We will look at the seventh later.
Before we look at the bowl judgments, keep a few things in mind. First, these judgments are the third and final series of judgments on the world in Revelation, following the seal judgments and the trumpet judgments, and will result in the destruction of the enemies of God. Also, these judgments will occur over a period of three and a half years. We cannot say how long each judgment will last, except that it will take the last half of the tribulation period for them to be completed. Moreover, you need to understand that with these judgments, as with the others, God is demonstrating His glory and sovereignty and power, that the world might know that He, the LORD, is God, and there is no other. Furthermore, understand that some of these judgments are similar to the seven trumpet judgments, however, these bowl judgments are way more severe. In addition, with the trumpet judgments man was indirectly affected; nature was the main target. This is not the case with the bowl judgments; with the bowl judgments, nature will be affected, but man will be the target. What’s more, the completion of these bowl judgments will mark the end of history. And lastly, as we study these bowl judgments you are going to witness God’s sovereignty over creation (He can make creation do as He wills and pleases) and just how hard-hearted man really is (despite suffering God’s judgment, man will continue to reject Jesus and refuse to repent of their sin).
Bowl #1: God’s wrath against those who accept the mark of the beast & worship the image of the Antichrist.
“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image” (Rev. 16:1-2). In Exodus 9:8-12, Moses took soot from a kiln, threw it up in the air, and God changed the soot into boils, which broke out on both man and beast. We call that the plague of boils, which is the sixth plague God did during that time. And God will again perform this judgment on many in the last half of the tribulation period.
God will afflict those with boils who refused to listen to the 144,000, the two witnesses, and the messages of the three angels we read about in Revelation 14:6-13. God will afflict those who rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. He will afflict those who pledged their allegiance to the Antichrist by accepting his mark, the number 666. And now there is wrath to pay.
You may be wondering what a boil is? A boil, according to the Mayo Clinic, is “a painful, pus-filled bump that forms under your skin when bacteria infects one or more hair follicles. And a carbuncle is a cluster of boils that form a connected area of infection under the skin.” Notice that according to the Mayoclinic a boil occurs from a bacterial infection. While I don’t know how God will make this happen, I can tell you as a matter of fact, these boils will not be the result of natural causes like a bacterial infection; they will be the result of supernatural phenomena caused by the wrath of Almighty God aimed specifically at those who have rejected the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and have pledged their devotion to the Antichrist.
Bowl #2: God’s wrath poured out on the ocean.
“The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea” (Rev. 16:3). In Revelation 8:8, in the trumpet judgments, God turned a third of the sea into blood. But notice here, with the bowl judgment, it’s not just a third of the ocean, this time the entire ocean is affected, becoming “like the blood of a corpse”.
But to truly appreciate what’s happening here, we must ask the question: what does it mean that the ocean “became like the blood of a corpse”? It means that the ocean will become like the blood of a dead man, which is a process called Livor Mortis (I’ll spare you the details). But what John is telling us is that every sea creature is going to die as a result of this. That means the sea creatures will rise to the surface of the ocean, decay, send out an unbearable stench, and may even cause diseases, which may result in the death of many. Instead of the ocean being a source of food as it is today, it will become a graveyard of death, which in turn, only worsens people’s living conditions, affects the fishing industry, and even affects trade from country to country.
Can you imagine a world where the ocean, which makes up for 70% of our planet’s surface, has turned to blood? Can you imagine every sea creature that exists dying, floating to the top, and decaying? Can you imagine the site of our beaches? Can you imagine the stench of every dead sea creature? Of course you can’t. This supernatural work of God will be so great, our minds are too limited to truly comprehend its greatness.
Bowl #3: God’s wrath poured out on fresh water.
“The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, ‘Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!’ And I heard the altar saying, ‘Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments” (Rev. 16:4-7).
In Exodus 7:14-15 God turned the fresh water Nile river into blood to afflict the kingdom of Pharaoh. But notice under this judgment, God will turn all fresh water in the world into blood. This is a very significant judgment for three reasons.
First, because healthy, fresh water pouring into the ocean filled with blood could have eventually aided in getting the ocean healthy again from the previous bowl judgment. Now that will not happen because all the freshwater is also blood. Secondly, because God turned all the fresh water into blood, people’s drinking water has been affected; now there is no drinking water to be found in all the earth, which again, only worsen people’s living conditions and will undoubtedly result in death for many. And lastly, because we see that God is just in doing all that He will do. In other words, people are receiving from God exactly what they deserve for killing men and women who professed faith in Christ.
Do you remember with the seven seal judgments in Revelation 6:9-11 seeing the martyrs under the altar calling out to God asking God how long and when God will avenge them for being murdered because of their faith in Jesus? Do you remember that they were told to wait a little longer? Well, this is what they were told to wait for. This is when God avenges them. God avenges every martyr and prophet who has ever proclaimed the gospel right here in Revelation 16:4 with the third bowl judgment by causing all fresh water to turn to blood. And God is righteous and just for doing so.
My friends, think about this for a moment. Can you imagine a planet where every stream, every river, every marsh, and every swamp is turned to blood? Can you imagine a planet without any fresh drinking water? Neither can I. The average human being can only go 2 to 3 days without fresh drinking water. I imagine many will die a horrible death as a result of no water to drink.
Bowl #4: God’s wrath poured out on the sun.
“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire” (Rev. 16:8). This is a plague never before recorded in the Scriptures until this time, where the sun will become so hot the fierceness of its heat will scorch people. To scorch something is to bake, blacken, char, melt, or sear something.
Can you imagine a sun so hot that you could not stand to walk outside? Can you imagine a sun so hot that when you walked outside your skin would bake like an apple pie in a hot oven? Can you imagine a sun so hot your skin would blacken like the skin of a chicken in a frying pan? Can you imagine a sun so hot your skin would char like a marshmallow in a hot campfire? Can you imagine a sun so hot your skin would sear like a sirloin in a skillet?
That’s how hot the sun will get when the angel is commanded to pour out his bowl. One cannot imagine how unbelievably hot the sun will get to manage to do this. Neither will anyone be able to comprehend how this could possibly happen without understanding that God did that.
Now there’s a lot of people today making a big deal about global warming. Some are crying out that the sun continues to get hotter and hotter, and will one day destroy the earth. They are raising the alarm that a day is coming that our world will one day become unbelievably dry, hot, and barren; and I say yes to all that. They have no idea how right they are or how terrible it will truly be. However, while many believe this will come as a result of air pollution and depletion in our world’s ozone layer, I say it will come as a result of God’s judgment on the unbelieving world. And what they do not realize is that no matter what they do, no matter how hard they try, they cannot stop what God has ordained.
Now, do you think this will cause humanity to humble themselves before God? Do you think this act of God’s wrath will cause humanity to repent of their sins? Do you think this supernatural act of God will cause humanity to look to Jesus for salvation?
You would think so, but the answer is no. Verse 9 says, “They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.” Take notice of who they blame for this – God. So understand, they have belief in God. They know God is the source of all this. Yet, they still refuse to repent and give Him glory. Why would they do that?
Again, it’s not because they don’t know who God is, but because of their heard-heartedness and love for sin. My friends, this is a testimony to how hard-hearted a sinful man really is. Man is so hard-hearted, their skin can be scorched by the fierce heat of the sun and still not repent of their sins and give God glory. Sinful, hard-hearted men will have such a hatred for God and love for the devil, and love for their sin, rather than repent of their sin and give God glory, they would rather curse the God who is sovereign over all creation, curse the God who they know can save them, suffer His wrath, and die miserably. Men would rather blaspheme His name than give Him glory.
And by the way, this judgment is just a foretaste of how severe the eternal flames of hell will be for all who reject the gospel. The fierce heat of the sun under this judgment fails in comparison to hell. Hell is so hot the fierceness of the sun under the fourth bowl judgment will look like an ice cream sundae by comparison. And yet, people will still reject the gospel, which is the only means of salvation. That’s how hard-hearted men are, even today. Man is so hard-hearted, God could give men a prelude to hell, and they would still reject him.
Bowl # 5: God’s wrath poured out on the kingdom of the Antichrist.
“The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness” (Rev. 16:10). In Exodus 10:21-29, God afflicted the evil kingdom of Pharaoh with a plague of darkness so great no one could see one another. It was so dark, Scripture says that everyone stayed in place for three days, because they could not see. Many years later God will again use this same plague on the evil kingdom of the Antichrist.
Scholars think that while the before mentioned plagues will be universal, this one specifically, will be isolated to the ten kingdom empire which is the territory ruled by the Antichrist. In other words, the rest of the world will be lit up by the sun, but the territory of the Antichrist will go dark, just like God did in Egypt. And just so you know this is no normal darkness.
How great is this darkness? This darkness is so great according to verse 10, it will cause “people to (gnaw) their tongues in anguish.” According to Dr. Herbert Carter that means this darkness will cause men to go into convulsions. Meaning, people will contort their bodies in violent ways. It’s a darkness that can be felt. It’s a darkness that is evil. It’s a darkness that will cause men to stay in place for however this God sees fit for this judgment to last, because they will not be able to find their way around. It’s a darkness so dark the brightest sun could not penetrate it. Its a darkness that causes pain, agony, misery, grief, sorrow, suffering, torment, distress, torture, and woe. It’s a darkness so great the world has never before seen or felt.
Can you imagine a darkness as great as this? Can you imagine a darkness so dark you can feel it? Can you imagine a darkness so dark the sun cannot penetrate it? Can you imagine a darkness so dark it hurts? I cannot nor do I wish to.
Do you think this caused men to repent of their sins and give God glory? You would think so, especially as this follows God’s judgment on the sun, but no. Verse 11 says that instead men will “curse the God of heaven for the pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.” Again, people will know this is the work of Almighty God. Yet, because of their hardness of heart and their love for their sin, they will curse God and blaspheme His holy name, rather than repent of their wicked deeds. It just shows that the free will of man, given us by God, is a mighty and powerful and stubborn and rebellious thing. And it shows that even when faced with the great and powerful works of God, men will still choose to reject Him.
Bowl #6: God’s wrath poured out the Euphrates river.
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east” (Rev. 16:12). This river is an important one in Scripture. It’s mentioned in Scripture, as far as I know, more than any other river, at least 25 times. And it’s important for the following reasons.
First, the Euphrates river has always been, and is even still today, a natural protective boundary for Israel from their enemies to the east like Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria, who, in ancient times were Babylon, Assyria, and Persia. Secondly, it’s at the Euphrates river that Genesis tells us that the civilization of mankind got its start, for it is here, according to Genesis 2, that God created Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. And lastly, it will be the place where the civilization of man will come to its end.
Verses 13, 14, and 16 say, “And I saw, coming 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. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty…And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” What John is seeing is three demonic spirits being sent out from Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet unto all the world to gather the armies from every nation, and will convince nations to enter into this conflict by deceitful signs and wonders. We see the Euphrates river will dry up for one single purpose: to allow these nations from all over the world to cross, that they may make ready for the great battle of Armageddon. And understand, when this happens, Israel will look helpless because she will have enemies coming from the north, south, east, and west.
Why would God do that? It’s because God is setting them up for defeat. Armageddon, which is actually the valley of Jezreel near the city of Megiddo, is where God will execute His final judgment and defeat evil once and for all. This is a place that Napoleon himself once said, is “the most ideal battleground for all armies of the world.” Remember, this will be a war that will end all wars. Where all the armies of all the nations will come against the army of Christ. An army so vast that it will appear like the number of grains in the sand. It will be so great, it cannot be counted, for it will be an army of millions. But God has already predestined their destruction.
By the way, we are not talking about some of the Euphrates river being dried up here. We’re talking about the whole thing which is 1,740 miles long. Also, we’re not talking about the Euphrates river drying up by natural causes, we’re talking about the Euphrates river being dried up by a supernatural act of God.
I also want to point out verse 15 here. It says, “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed.” This is Jesus speaking directly to people who have come to believe upon him during the tribulation and have survived up to this point. He’s telling them to be ready, because Israel being surrounded by many enemies marks his soon second coming. He is giving believers in the tribulation assurance and hope for their future, and encouraging them to remain persevering as the days of the great tribulation continue. He’s encouraging them to keep running the race of faith, because soon everything believers at that time have experienced will be over.
But he’s also letting those believers know who are surrounded by the nations of the world that help is coming. Remember, Israel will find themselves surrounded from every direction. It will appear as though their end has come. But Jesus is saying to them, help will not come from the north or the south or from the east or west, but from up above. When he does he will return with his the saints and will afflict the armies of the world a deathly blow.