Revelation 16:1-11 Lesson 489

Revelation 16:1-11
Lesson 489

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The first five of the seven plagues begin.

The sixth and seventh plagues will begin in lesson 490.

Study Tip:

"Begin your study with prayer. Open by addressing God.  Then ask him for wisdom and understanding as you read. Ask for specific guidance.  When you're done, end your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

C. S. Lewis  (1898-1963)

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 16:1-11
God's wrath

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

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.

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

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

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

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.

10 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,

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

Margin notes:

"I heard a great voice." (16:1) - This is the voice of God!

"Pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." (16:1) - "Pour out the (seven) bowls of the wrath of God on the earth." These seven plagues resemble the ones that befell Egypt (Exodus 7:14-11:9) for holding the Israelites in bondage. Many Bible scholars believe those original plagues foreshadowed things to come.

"There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast." (16:2) - "The people who wore the mark of the beast were struck with repulsive evil sores." Only the followers of the beast will be affected.  This plague brings to mind the sixth plague brought down on the Egyptians in Exodus 9:8-11.

"Every living soul died in the sea." (16:3) - This is similar to the earlier judgment that killed a third of all marine life (Revelation 8:9). Then, there was still time to repent, but now there isn't.

"The third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood." (16:4) - Again, this is similar to the earlier judgment that poisoned a third of all freshwater (8:10). It also reminds us of the first plague that struck Egypt in Exodus 7:19-21.

"They have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." (16:6) - "Because they shed the blood of Christians and prophets you gave them blood to drink, and they deserved it."

"I heard another out of the altar say." (16:7) - "I heard a voice from the altar say." This voice could be that of an angel or the voice of the martyrs killed for their faith (6:9).

"Power was given unto him to scorch men with fire." (16:8) - "The fourth angel was given the power to burn people with fire."

"Men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not of their deeds." (16:9) - People will suffer from the plagues and know they are from God. Still, they will hate and curse Him and refuse to repent. Remember, despite plague after plague, Pharaoh also refused to repent in Exodus 7:22, 8:15, and 8:19. And when he finally repented, it was only temporary (Exodus 14:5-9).

"The fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness." (16:10) - "The fifth angel poured out his bowl onto the throne of the beast, and his kingdom went dark." Remember, the dragon (Satan) gave the beast his power (13:2). We see in this verse that God easily overcomes Satan's power. Additional note: Some scholars believe "the seat of the beast" refers to his capital city. This plague resembles the Egyptian plague recorded in Exodus 10:21-23.

"Some think that the sun (16:8) was Vitellius, the Roman emperor (who ruled for only eight months), and that his throne (16:10) means Rome; and the darkening refers to the injuries she (Rome) sustained in her political consequence by the civil wars which then took place, from which she never entirely recovered." (From Adam Clarke's commentary)

New Living Translation

Revelation 16:1-11

1 Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, "Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God's wrath."

2 So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.

3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood.

5 And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying,

  "You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was,
      because you have sent these judgments.

6 Since they shed the blood
      of your holy people and your prophets,
   you have given them blood to drink.
      It is their just reward."

7 And I heard a voice from the altar, saying,

  "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty,
      your judgments are true and just."

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire.

9 Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory.

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish,

11 and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. How will people respond to the first five judgments? (16:11)

These lessons cannot convert unbelievers. We do not have that power.
These lessons aim to introduce people to Jesus so He can work on their hearts and minds.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. People will know these five judgments are from God. Still, they will curse Him and refuse to repent.

Application thought for the day:

Think of the similarities between God freeing His people from Egyptian slavery in Exodus 7:14-12:36 and God rescuing His people from the evil of this world in Revelation.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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