REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 16.5

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

                                                                           

Chapter Sixteen

The Great Tribulation

The Seven Trumpets

Judgment Resumed

Trumpet Number 7 (Woe Number 3)

 

 

Outline

1. The First Bowl – Boils afflict followers of the beast (v. 2)

2. The Second Bowl – Oceans become a sea of blood (v.3)

3. The Third Bowl – Rivers and springs turn to blood (Vv. 4-7)

4. The Fourth Bowl – Oppressive heat from the sun (Vv. 8-9)

5. The Fifth Bowl – Darkness engulfs the earth (Vv. 10-11)

6. The Sixth Bowl – The River Euphrates dries up (Vv. 12-16)

7. The Seventh Bowl – Hail crumbles the cities (Vv. 17-21)

 

 

(Verse 5)

 

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.

 

The Third Vial (Continued)

Recall: As the third angel poured out the contents of his vial, all freshwaters on the entire planet turned to blood. If anyone’s thirst needed to be quenched, blood was the only drink available.

 

The angel of the waters

Special offices and assignments are given to angels by God in the Bible. Writes David:

Psalm 103:20 - Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word.

 

A variety of angel ministries are seen appearing in the book of Revelation alone. However, interestingly, verse 5 is the only time the angel of the waters is mentioned in Scripture. So presumably this one angel has exclusive jurisdiction over the waters of the earth. Contextually:

1. The previous angel presided over the sea

2. This angel presides over the (fresh) waters

3. The following angel shall preside over the fire (cf. 14:18)

 

Afterward, John the Apostle receives an audible message from the angel of the waters saying…

Thou art righteous, O Lord (Holy One, the existing One), which art, and wast, and shalt be

By acknowledging God’s righteousness, the angel who had authority over the waters reaffirms who Christ is: The One which is (Who are, being), and which was (Who were, having been), {and which is [to] come} (cf. Revelation 1:4, emphasis added). The phrase, shalt be, does not appear in the original Greek, no doubt inserted to express the eternal nature of God. The implication is, however, Christ has already come (cf. Revelation 16:16-17).

 

Because Thou hast judged thus

The verb conjugation, You have (εκρινας), is in the Greek aorist active indicative tense, second person singular. Thus rendering: The Holy One justifiably did inflict these things.

 

 

(Verse 6)

 

For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

In His exorable retributive justice, God interposes on those who have shed the righteous blood of the prophets and saints. For men who take pleasure in sin and unrighteousness must be damned. Scripture references notate:

Deuteronomy 32:41 - If I whet My glittering sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward (repay) them that hate Me.

 

Psalm 19:9b - The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

 

Psalm 119:75a - I know, O LORD, that Thy judgments are right (fair, righteous).

 

Those who have shed the blood of God’s prophets and saints are justifiably worthy to receive punishment in this fashion.

 

 

(Verse 7)

 

And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.

 

Undoubtedly, additional voices coming from the altar are those of martyred saints (cf. Revelation 6:9-10:8:3) affirming the right to vindicate their persecutors. In His graciousness and longsuffering, God hears their cry. Truth and justice belong to God and not to man’s will or understanding. New Testament writers confirm:

Hebrews 10:30 - For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. [cf. Deuteronomy 32:35].

 

Romans 9:28a - For He will finish (execute) the work (His Word, i.e., sentence), and cut it short (thoroughly and quickly) in righteousness.

 

 

(Verse 8)

 

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

 

The Fourth Vial

The fourth angel dispenses the contents of the fourth vial. Since the fourth day of creation (cf. Genesis 1:14-19), the sun, the very source of light, heat, and energy to mankind are given power by God to burn (the) men (viz., those who had the mark of the beast) with its fire. Such a day is foretold in Scripture:

Isaiah 1:31 - And the strong shall be as tow (tinder, the refuse of flax, like straw), and the maker of it (evil deeds) as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none (no one) shall quench them (the matter, destruction, fire).

 

Malachi 4:1 - For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven (firepot, furnace); and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

 

2 Peter 3:7 - But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

 

 

(Verse 9)

 

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.

 

As a result of the judgment of the sun and as the prophets foresaw, its intense heat scorched the skin off (the) men. By blaspheming the name of God indicates earth dwellers knew the God of Israel was directly responsible but refused to repent or credit Him with glory. Likened to the plagues of Egypt, instead of repentance, Pharaoh and the hearts of men were hardened.

 

The Judgment of the Sun

Worshipping the sun originates back to the plain of Shinar, the location of what one day would be called Babylon. Nimrod (נִמְרֹ֑ד: rebellion, rebel) was the great-great-grandson of Noah, great-grandson of Ham, and son of Cush (cf. Genesis 10:8-12). In a sinful rebellion against the Lord and attempting to escape a second deluge, Nimrod commissioned a tower to be built too high for floodwaters to reach. Josephus writes that in doing so he wanted revenge against God for destroying his forefathers before the flood.

 

As the monarch of the postdiluvian kingdom, Nimrod originated idolatry. Being the first temple to the sun, moon, stars, and zodiac, the Tower of Babel (cf. Genesis 11:4) served as a high altar for worship. Nimrod’s key objective was to keep people from worshipping the Creator.

 

Indirectly, Satan was behind the idea of sun-worshipping. Unfortunately, their apostasy persisted and led to the confusion of tongues (cf. Genesis 11:5-9). However, sun worship continued through the ages.

After the Flood, God warned Israel against such idolatry:

Deuteronomy 4:19 -  And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

 

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 - Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

 

Initially, God had appointed the sun to serve mankind but it became corrupted. It appears this is the first kind of idolatry. (cf. Job 31:26). The irony is that the sun people who worshipped since the Tower have now become the very instrument used for their punishment.

The Prophet foresaw this day coming:

 Isaiah 24:6 - Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

 

 

(Verse 10)

 

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat (throne) of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain.

 

The Fifth Vial

Antichrist’s throne, given to Him by Satan (cf. Revelation 13:2), is directly targeted as the fifth angel pours out God’s judgment. Not specifically stated, there are three positions as to where his throne exists at this occurrence:

1.  Rome

2.  Babylon

3.  Wherever the world power is worshipped

 

As a side note, Scripture reveals Satan’s throne is at Pergamum (cf. Revelation 2:13; Revelation Simplified Study 2.12b).

 

And his (Antichrist’s) kingdom was full of darkness

Darkness, confusion, and misery epitomize the chaos of the beast’s kingdom. Setting a precedent, there are three prior major events in Scripture where darkness blackened the earth:

1.  At the beginning of creation when darkness covered the earth (cf. Genesis 1:1)

 

2.  At the ninth plague of Egypt (cf. Exodus 10:21-22)

For three days darkness in Egypt was so thick that it was painful. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings (cf. Exodus 10:23b)

 

3. At the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 27:45) darkness covered all the land for three hours, from noon until 3:00 PM. Coupled with an earthquake and the rented veil of the Temple, surely this was a supernatural event orchestrated by God

 

So now, at the end of time, darkness is used in a specific area on earth (i.e., the throne of the beast), as a punishment for the beast, and the rest of the world suffers from scorching heat and has nothing to drink but blood.  

 

And they gnawed their tongues for pain

Used one time in Scripture, the Greek word massaomai means to chew. Because of the pain, once again, instead of repentance, the people gnawed at their tongues in an agonizing attempt to relieve the pain. Sadly, rather than have joy, they chose to wallow in anguish.

 

 

(Verse 11)

 

And blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

 

Noticeably, there are many false gods to vent their anger upon, however, they specifically blaspheme (defame, revile, or curse) the God in Heaven. Rather than repent of their acts, they deliberately choose to endure miserableness from their infections and torture; thus revealing the true root problem of their afflictions – Sin.

 

John’s Gospel straightway defines the problem:

John 3:19-21 - And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed, rebuked convicted). But he that doeth truth cometh to the Light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

 

The object is salvation through Jesus Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection. There is no stronger truth than in the Gospel. Denial indicates Christ is hated and sin is loved, truly the rejection of repentance and the pursuit of evil is extremely evident.

 

The forthcoming study will elaborate on the sixth vial, the drying up of the Euphrates River, hence preparing the way for armies to cross in readiness for the Battle of Armageddon.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   What is the commendation of the third angel?

2.   What is the irony of the third vial judgment?

3.   What effect does the fourth vial have upon mankind?

4.   What is the irony of the fourth vial judgment?

5.   What is the original significance of the sun?

6.   What is affected by the fifth vial judgment?

7.   In light of judgment thus far, what is mankind’s response?

 

 

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