Welcome back to our three-part series in our study of Revelation chapters 15 and 16. Last week, we studied the first four bowl judgments. In this third and final installment of this three-part series, we’re going to study the last three bowl judgments. And we’ll wrap it up with the very last outpouring of God’s wrath, which comes in the form of the worst earthquake the earth will have ever experienced! Let’s dive in…

Third in a Three-Part Series
By Karen Thompson

Revelation Chapter 15, 16

The Last Three Plagues and a Final Earthquake
The Fifth Vial Poured Out Which Brings Darkness

Rev. 16:10 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.

The fifth bowl judgment brings forth darkness. Verse 10 says 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….” When it says he poured out his bowl on the “seat” of the beast, he’s saying he poured it out upon the “throne” of Antichrist. When it says darkness covers the “seat” of the beast, it means the nation that Antichrist rules will be in darkness. That means this plague is specific in its application.

The word translated as darkness is the Greek word skotoo, and it can mean actual darkness or it can mean to darken or blind the mind.³ It’s not apparent if the darkness is literal or simply a metaphor for the state of mind. Darkness was one of the plagues the Lord afflicted upon the Egyptians. This was literal darkness and not simply metaphoric. In Exodus chapter 10, the Lord had Moses stretch out his hand toward heaven, and as a result, a thick darkness fell upon all the land of Egypt for three days. (Exo. 10:21–13) This darkness that falls upon the nation of Antichrist most likely will be literal.

But the darkness, whether literal or metaphoric, will cause great torment. Look what the last part of verse 10 says: “and they gnawed their tongues for pain.” They will be so tormented that they bite down on their tongues. And then, sadly, verse 11 says even though they are in so much pain that they chew their tongues, they still do not repent: “And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

Comparison: When the fifth trumpet sounded, the bottomless pit opened up and smoke billowed out to the point that it blocked out the sunlight from shining bringing darkness. When the fifth bowl was poured out, it also brought darkness over the seat of Antichrist. Both the fifth trumpet and fifth bowl judgments bring darkness.

The Sixth Vial Poured Out on the Euphrates River

Rev. 16:12 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. 13 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. 14 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.15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The sixth bowl judgment has to do with the Euphrates River. Verse 12 says, “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.” Drying up the Euphrates River will be for the purpose of preparing the way for the kings of the east to cross it in order to get to the battle of Armageddon. Who are the kings of the east? They are those Middle Eastern nations that are located east of the Euphrates River, nations like Iran, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Now I’m not saying these nations will be part of the ten-nation coalition. I’m just saying they are on the east side of the Euphrates River, and they just might be part of the ten-nation coalition.  I think, probably so.

Then John tells us about a very interesting detail in verse 13; John said he 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.” Three unclean spirits that resembled frogs come out of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. John explained the purpose and mission of these frog-like spirits: “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” (v. 14). This verse confirms to us that the power to perform miracles and wonders by the false prophet will come from demonic spirits. They are the “spirits of devils.” These spirits will go forth into the earth and gather the kings to the place where Messiah will do battle against them at Armageddon.

Although it says, “kings of the earth and the whole world,” it does not literally mean all the kings of the whole world. Currently, there are nearly 200 nations in the world. Obviously, there would not be room for all the kings of the world with their armies to meet in one valley. No doubt, this refers to the ten kingdoms that will be in alignment with Antichrist. The frog-like spirits are sent to entice all ten kings to gather together to do battle against Messiah. Perhaps this will include other rulers of nations that have had enough of the Antichrist beast and will endeavor to stop him through another world war. In any event, this battle will be the battle of Armageddon.

Then in verse 15, Jesus issues a warning to the inhabitants of earth saying, “I come as a thief,” meaning no one will know the exact time when He comes back. They are to keep watch, meaning they must keep expecting Him to come. Don’t let your guard down, always be prepared. They are told to “keep their garments,” so they are not naked and others can see their shame. As discussed before, the term nakedness is an idiom that refers to a backslidden state, a falling away from God. They are being told to make sure they stay close to God and remain obedient to His Word.

Comparison: The sixth trumpet judgment and the sixth bowl judgment both have to do with the Euphrates River. The sixth trumpet judgment was the loosing of the four angels bound in the Euphrates River who were in command of a 200-million-man army. Their purpose was to kill one-third of the men in Antichrist’s kingdom. (This is a measure-for-measure judgment against Antichrist for killing one third of the Jewish people when he invaded Jerusalem in the middle of the 70^th week.) The sixth bowl judgment is poured out on the Euphrates River, causing it to dry up so the armies of the eastern nations can all arrive at Armageddon to do battle against Messiah where all of them, not simply one third, will meet their deaths.

The Seventh Vial Brings a Proclamation

Rev. 16:17 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.

Now we come to the last bowl being poured out into the air, and it has to do with a proclamation. Verse 17 says,“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.” A voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne saying, “It is done.” Who do you think that voice belonged to? Yes, of course, it is God the Father sitting on His throne. He is proclaiming that “It is done.”

If you recall, the pouring out of the sixth bowl caused frog-like spirits to go forth and gather the kings from the ten nations in alignment with Antichrist to meet in the battlefield to do battle with Messiah. Jesus and His army come to do battle with Antichrist and all his armies. This event is the Second Coming of Christ. Antichrist and the ten nations aligned with him will be defeated at the battle of Armageddon. Satan lost his place in the heavens above earth, and now he will lose his place in the earth. He’s over. He no longer has influence anywhere. The seventh bowl announces that it is done!

Comparison: When the seventh trumpet was blown and the seventh bowl was poured out, there came forth proclamations. When the seventh trumpet judgment sounded, there were voices in heaven that proclaimed, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). That is when Satan lost his place in the heavens over earth and was cast out of the heavens and down to earth. When the seventh bowl was poured out, it brought the single voice of God the Father proclaiming, “It is done!” Satan loses his battle with Jesus at the battle of Armageddon.

A Devastating Earthquake

Rev. 16:18 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. 19 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. 20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

In addition to the announcement “It is done,” John said he heard “voices, and thunders, and lightnings” (v. 18). This is the fourth and last time we see this phrase. It indicates that the last phase of judgment is about to be executed. The rest of verse 18 tells us what exactly will be the last phase of judgment: “and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” The way this earthquake is described sends chills down your spine. It will be the worst earthquake in all of history. No one on earth since the beginning of man will have ever experienced an earthquake this devastating.

Verses 19–21 describe the devastation that comes as a result of the great earthquake. Verse 19 says, “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.” This earthquake is so mighty that it breaks that “great city” into three parts. Not only that, but it says the “cities of the nations fell.” What that means is that the span of this earthquake will cover nations! Truly, this will be an earthquake the size no one will have ever experienced.

Verse 19 told us how the earthquake will devastate the cities; now in verse 20, John tells us how the earthquake will devastate the land: “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” The earthquake will be so great that islands and mountains will disappear. They won’t simply move out of place, they will disappear! It sounds like the earth will be shaken to its core. That’s exactly what the prophets Isaiah and Joel prophesied would happen. Joel 3:16 says, “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake.”

In Isaiah chapter 24, Isaiah was transported in his prayer time to the end of days when God’s wrath would be poured out. He described the very earthquake John is describing in Revelation. Isaiah spoke of the earth being violently shaken, of the earth being broken, and staggering like a drunken man. Isaiah describes the great shaking in chapter 24: “Terror and pit [of destruction] and snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! And he who flees at the noise of the terror will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of the heavens are opened [as in the deluge], and the foundations of the earth tremble and shake. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently. The earth shall stagger like a drunken man and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; its transgression shall lie heavily upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again” (Isa. 24:17–20 Amp.). As you can see, Isaiah’s description of the earth being shaken is a picture of violence and destruction.

Let’s continue our study with verse 21 which describes the last bit of destruction connected with the earthquake: “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” A great hail of stones will fall to earth about the weight of a talent. It’s difficult to ascertain what the exact weight of a talent is, but it is said to weigh anywhere between 57 to 114 pounds. What is amazing is that through all this devastation, the wicked will still refuse to repent and will continue to blaspheme God.

Babylon Receives Her Judgment

Now let’s go back to verse 19 again where John talks about Babylon: “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.” What city is the great city? John identified the great city when he said, “and great Babylon came in remembrance before God….” The great city that is broken into three parts by the earthquake is called Babylon. This is the same Babylon that the second angel God sent to warn earth’s inhabitants saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Rev. 14:8). Babylon is about to be given the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath! It’s judgment time. In the next chapters, the identity of the great city, the whore of Babylon, will be revealed.

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