Revelation 16

This chapter records the outpouring of the seven bowl judgments prepared in Revelation 15. It is the last of three series of judgments, following the seven seals and the seven trumpets (see seven seals, trumpets, and bowls). The judgment of the great city Babylon mentioned in verse 19 is treated in detail in Revelation 17 and 18.

Outline

• Verse 1 A great voice out of the temple commands the seven angels to pour out the bowls of wrath upon the earth.
• Verse 2 The first bowl is poured out upon the earth. A "noisome and grievous sore" falls upon those who have the mark of the beast.
• Verse 3 The second bowl is poured out upon the sea. The sea becomes "as the blood of a dead man," and every living creature in the sea dies.
• Verses 4–7 The third bowl is poured out upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they become blood. The angel of the waters and the altar declare that God's judgments are righteous.
• Verses 8–9 The fourth bowl is poured out upon the sun. The sun scorches people with fire, yet they blaspheme God and do not repent.
• Verses 10–11 The fifth bowl is poured out upon the seat of the beast, and his kingdom is filled with darkness.
• Verses 12–16 With the sixth bowl the Euphrates River is dried up, preparing the way for the kings of the east. Three unclean spirits like frogs gather the kings of the whole world to Armageddon.
• Verses 17–21 The seventh bowl is poured out into the air. After a voice declares, "It is done," a great earthquake occurs, the great city Babylon falls, and hailstones "about the weight of a talent" fall from heaven.

Key Verses

• Revelation 16:9 "They repented not to give him glory." The image of people who refuse to repent even in the midst of the plagues recurs in verses 9, 11, and 21.
• Revelation 16:15 "Behold, I come as a thief." These words of Christ interrupt the scenes of judgment. The verse contains one of the seven beatitudes found in Revelation.
• Revelation 16:16 This is the only verse in the Bible in which the name "Armageddon" appears.

People and Places

• The seven angels: The angels who pour out the bowls.
• The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet: The dragon is identified as Satan in chapter 12. The beast and the false prophet are commonly linked with the two beasts of chapter 13.
• The Euphrates: The great river that flows through Mesopotamia.
• Armageddon: Commonly explained as the Hebrew Har Megiddo ("mount of Megiddo") and thus associated with Megiddo.
• The great city Babylon: A symbol that borrows the name of ancient Babylon.

Interpretive Considerations

• The sores, the waters turned to blood, the frogs, the darkness, and the hail recall the ten plagues of the Exodus.
• The order of the objects struck by the plagues (earth, sea, rivers, sun, Euphrates) resembles that of the trumpet judgments in chapters 8–9. Interpreters are therefore divided between those who see the two series as successive events and those who see them as depicting the same events from different perspectives.
• Interpretations of Armageddon also differ. Futurist readings such as dispensationalism understand it as a literal war that will take place in the last days, while symbolic readings see it as a portrayal of the final confrontation between God and the forces of evil.
• The expression "as a thief" in verse 15 echoes the teaching on the Second Coming in Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.

In the Korean Church

Armageddon is a frequent subject in eschatological preaching and in expository sermons on Revelation. Some sermons have directly linked current events, such as the political situation in the Middle East, to Armageddon, but such readings have also been criticized as going beyond the text.