Chapter 16
Verses 1-11 Read the Bible verses.
A loud voice sounded and it told the 7 angels to go pour out the 7 bowls of wrath.
1st angel’s bowl
A terrible malignant (growing) sore came upon people who had the mark of the Anti-Christ and who worshipped the image.
2nd angel’s bowl
This bowl was poured onto the sea. The water became blood and all the sea animals and plants died.
This could be because of the dead sea animals. This could be a red algae or it could be some other type of pollution that made the water red.
It could be really blood. It happened in Egypt in the Old Testament.
3rd angel’s bowl
This bowl was poured out on the rivers and fresh water. It also became blood. All the fresh water for drinking is blood.
Then the angel said, “God is just. The people killed God’s people and let their blood run. Now if they want blood. Here it is. Blood to drink.”
4th angel’s bowl
This bowl was poured out on the sun. The sun became so hot it burned the people.
The people were angry and they made curses against God. They did not repent. They did not give honor and respect to God.
It seems that the people know there is a God in heaven who is very powerful. But they do not show any respect for him.
You would think they would want to make peace with this power in heaven.
It seems their hearts are so harden by evil that they do not want to change.
5th angel’s bowl
This bowl was poured out on the kingdom of the Anti-Christ . His kingdom is thrown into “darkness”.
The Anti-Christ and his men have great painful sores.
They curse the God of heaven because of their pain–but they did not repent of their sins.
Here again we see “they curse the God of heaven”.
The Anti-Christ, who was given power from Satan, would think like Satan. And so he curses God.
The people of the world curse God ,also. They have lived for so long in this under the influence of evil that they follow the Anti-Christ’s lead.
They seem to know that there is a God in heaven, yet they will not give him honor. They refuse to bow before him.
Verses 12-21 Read the Bible verses.
6th angel’s bowl
This bowl is poured over the Euphrates River. It dries up. The riverbed is dry so that it is ready for the kings of the east to use.
The Euphrates River has been there since creation and the Garden of Eden.
John saw evil spirits coming out of the mouths of the dragon, and the beast and the false prophet.
The dragon is Satan, the beast is the Anti-Christ and the false prophet is the Anti-Christ’s helper.
These spirits were demons. These evil spirits do supernatural things which make the kings of the world want to come to fight a war. This war will be against Israel. Jesus will come in person to save Israel.
This verse is the same as what is found in Matthew 24:43,
Mark 13:35, Luke 12:39. No one knows the day or hour that Jesus will return.
The armies gather together in a place called Har-Magedon or Armageddon.
7th angel’s bowl
The bowl is poured out on the air. A voice said, “It is done.”
There is lightning, thunder and a great earthquake. The greatest earthquake that has ever happened in the world.
“The great city” was split (broken) into 3 parts.
“The great city” is Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:4 “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove to the north, and half of it toward the south.”
Cities of nations around the world fell.
And “Babylon the Great” is remembered. God will give to it his fierce wrath of judgment.
In the great earthquake, every island disappears and every mountain was made flat. Hailstones weighing 100 pounds fall. Men curse God.