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Chapter Six
The last few years of this Age. Rev.4v1 to 20v3
The seven vials of God's wrath. Rev 15 and 16
The sign of the Vials is a special wonder.
In Rev.15v1., John records that he saw another great sign, “seemion,” a sign, wonder, token, it is used 7 times in Revelation. Rev.12v1,3. 13v13,14. 15v1. 16v14. 19v20. This sign was very striking for John describes it as, “great and marvellous,” “mega kai thaumaston,” and John does not describe any other wonder with both of these adjectives. “Thaumaston,” is something amazing that causes wonder, it is a verbal adjective derived from “thaumazo,” to wonder. God reveals to John the seven angels with the seven last plagues, “plege.” “Plege” originally denoted a blow, stroke, stripe or wound, but it came to be used of calamities and misfortunes in general; it occurs 14 times in Revelation out of the 20 times that it occurs in the New Testament. Lk.10v30. 12v48. Acts.16v23,33. 2Cor.6v5. 11v23. Rev.9v20. 11v6. 13v3,12,14. 15v1,6,8. 16v9,21. 18v4,8. 21v9. 22v18. The seven plagues are described as, “the last,” they finish, complete, and bring to a conclusion the active judgements of God in the great tribulation; “finished,” is “etelesthe,” the aorist passive indicative of “teleo,” to bring to a conclusion, to complete.
The vision of the murdered martyrs who had been victorious over Antichrist.
John saw the Christians who had “come victorious (the present active participle of “nikao,” to gain a victory, to be victor, to overcome), out of the conflict with the Beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name,” standing on the glassy sea and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. They were rejoicing at the power and grace of God that had given them the victory. The song of the Lamb could be the song of redeeming grace mentioned in Rev.5v9-12., and the song of Moses is probably the song which Moses and the Israelites sang in Exod.15v1-21., which Miriam took up and sang with the women of Israel, of the glorious triumph of the Israelites over Pharaoh. These Christians had chosen death rather than deny Christ and serve and follow Antichrist, they had not been preserved in body from Antichrist's wrath, but they had been victorious and preserved in soul from the defiling and damning influence of the Beast. The “good report” and victory of faith of those who are faithful to death, is every bit as great as the victory of the woman of Rev.12., who is delivered by God's Almighty power. See Heb.11v32-40. Dying for the faith is usually much more trying on our faith, than believing God for deliverance. In the early Church the day when Christians were martyred, it was often called the day of their victory. Christian victory does not consist in avoiding trouble, but, if necessary, being willing to be faithful even unto death. Rev.7v9-17.
The saints attribute their victory to God's amazing dedicated grace and love.
These victorious saints sing a song of exultant praise before God and give Him the glory for their victory. The world had wondered at the beast, but these saints are lost in wonder, love and praise at the “great and marvellous works” of the “Lord God Almighty.” Rev.4v8. Amos.4v13. They rejoice that God's ways are “just and true,” “dikaiai kai alethinai,” and in Rev.16v7., and a voice out of the altar states that the judgements of God are “true and righteous,” “alethinai kai dikaiai.” Rev.6v9.-11. Deut.32v4. They realise that all creation should fear and worship Him, and that His perfect justice will judge the wickedness of the nations, and all the world will come and bow down before Him and worship Him.
These saints acknowledge that only God is truly holy, “for Thou only are holy.” The Greek word for holy is “hosios” and it occurs in the New Testament in Acts.2v27. 13v34,35. 1Tim.2v8. Titus.1v8. Heb.7v26. Rev.15v4. 16v5., and it conveys the idea of perfect purity, it is used differently than “hagios,” which has the fundamental meaning of separated and devoted. “Hagios” is used to speak of the Holy Spirit, the holy angels, the holy city, holy prophets, the holy child Jesus, and saints. The Greek word “hagnos” which is from the same root as “hagios,” is often used to speak of physical purity in the New Testament. 2Cor.7v11. 11v2. Phil.4v8. 1Tim.5v22. Titus.2v5. James.3v17. 1Pet.3v2. 1Jn.3v3. The Greek word “hieros,” which has the meaning of sacred, only occurs in 1Cor.9v13. and 2Tim.3v15.. God is pure and completely dedicated to us, let us be pure and completely dedicated to Him. 1Pet.1v15,16. God is just, holy and true in His character, ways and judgements, and all of Heaven acknowledges this, and worships Him for it. Rev.3v7. 6v10. 15v3. 16v7. 19v2,11.
God's "strange act" of judgement becomes a fact because of men's wickedness. Is.28v21.
John tells us that, “The Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power.” A majestic and awe-inspiring sight. The glory of God was openly manifested in the Tabernacle and the Temple, and many of the prophets had personal visions of the glory of God. This glory usually protected the people of God, but, as in the case of the sons of Korah, it could also be manifested in judgement. Exod.14v18-20. 33v9-11. 40v34-38. Lev.10v1,2. Numb.3v1-14. 16v19. 1King.8v10,11. Is.6v1-6. Ezek.1v4,26-28. 10v1-5,15-19. 44v1-4. We read in Rev.15v8., that no one can enter into the Temple in Heaven until the plagues are finished, which shows that they cannot be stopped. The wicked could individually escape these plagues by repentance, but we read that they do not repent, but blaspheme God to His face. Rev.16v9,11,21.
God is the just judge of the whole earth and of all nations, and He is always righteous in His judgements, and here, as in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, His righteous judgements fall on the people of the nations that follow Antichrist. Gen.18v25. God is stated to be, “The King of the nations,” in Rev.15v3., in Mabcde, A, Hodges and Farstad, and the Critical Texts. See Jer.10v7. 1Tim.1v17. God is the King before whom even the wicked of every nation will be forced to bow the knee, and confess that He is Lord, even when they refuse to repent of their sins. Is.45v21-25. Rom.14v10-12. Phil.2v5-11.
THE OUTPOURING OF THE VIALS. Rev.16.
The Greek word for Vial, “phiale,” means a broad, flat saucer or bowl, which is broader at the top than at the bottom. Several things show that these 7 plagues are poured out during a period of weeks or months at the end of the great tribulation.
These seven plagues are said to be the seven last plagues.
These do not appear to be the plagues that the two witnesses have power to inflict, for these seven plagues are determined in number and time by God, whereas the plagues of the two witnesses occur as often as they desire. The fact that these plagues are spoken of as the last plagues shows that there have been others before them. These seven last plagues are far more widespread and severe than the plagues of the two witnesses, they are God's direct judgements on the wicked.
These seven plagues only cover a short period of time at the end of the great tribulation.
This is proved by the fact that during the pouring out of these plagues, no one is able to enter into the Temple, “naos,” in Heaven, and it is still open well toward the end of the great tribulation; it is certainly not closed throughout the great tribulation. This is the real Temple of which the earthly Tabernacle and Temple was a shadow, and from which judgement also came, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu. Lev.9v24. 10v1,2. During these plagues God will again issue forth out of the sanctuary in judgements, which get more and more severe. However, we know that during this period, whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts.2v17-21.
The large number of martyrs in Heaven proves it is towards the end of the great tribulation.
In Rev.6v9-11., well into the great tribulation, the martyred saints ask God to avenge their blood, and cry for judgement on their evil murderers. In Rev.15v2-4., the martyred saints state that the time for God's vials of judgement on those who kill His saints has come. God's final execution of the wicked occurs at the 7th Vial, and 7th trumpet, on the last day. Rev.16v5,6.
The movement of the armies mentioned in the sixth Vial will take a few weeks.
The sixth vial shows us that the vials must be poured out at least several weeks before the great tribulation ends, the troops mentioned here may already be marshalled and near Euphrates at this time. In Rev.9v13-21., the Euphrates is also mentioned, and the army is said to number 200,000,000, and its murderous activities are said to last for 13 months. From these facts we can ascertain that the Vials are poured out during the last weeks or months of the great tribulation. These seven plagues will be the most severe and widespread plagues that man has ever known, but even these greatest of God's plagues fail to bring the vast majority of the wicked to repentance. Rev.16v9,11,21. Beyond doubt these vials are to be taken literally, many of them are like the judgements that came upon Egypt, and what God has done before to one nation, He can do in a greater measure to many nations. The five plagues of Egypt and the first four trumpet judgements did not directly affect man, but here evil men are directly and severely attacked from the first Vial.
The First Vial. Rev.16v2.
The mark of the Beast will be a visible mark in the forehead, like some Indian religions have on their foreheads. This first Vial is poured out upon, those who follow and serve Antichrist. They had followed Antichrist to escape his wrath, now they experience the seven great plagues in which the wrath of God reaches its climax. The “noisome and grievous sore,” “helkos kakon kai poneron,” is looked upon by the translators as a severe and painful malignant ulcer or sore. This seems to be even more severe than the sixth Egyptian plague of boils, but the followers of Antichrist do not repent. Exod.9v8-12. The curse spoken of in Deut.28v27,35., comes upon the followers of Antichrist.
The Second Vial. Rev.16v3.
The sea is “turned into a fluid like the blood of a corpse,” Phillips, that is, an evil smelling, putrid, and contaminated fluid. This cannot mean that all the seas of the world were affected in this way, otherwise all life would cease in the world in a matter of days. It is probably speaking of a sea that would affect Antichrist and his followers, like the sea of Galilee, or Red sea, it kills all the living things in the sea. It cannot be the Dead sea, which as its name suggests, already has no life in it..
The Third Vial. Rev.16v4-7.
At the fourth Vial the rivers and fountains of waters are turned to blood, like the sea in the second Vial. So in these two Vials we have an effect similar to the first Egyptian plague. Exod.7v17-25. This deprives Antichrist and his armies of food in the form of fish, and causes a severe shortage of drinking water. We are not told if this water is poisonous, as the bitter water was under the third trumpet. The Egyptians either had to drink blood or suffer extreme thirst, and the followers of Antichrist will be in a similar difficult situation, they will have to transport water for a considerable distance if they desire to drink.
Two angels proclaim that God is righteous in His judgements, and that the wicked deserve the plagues they are receiving because of their evil treatment and murder of God’s children. All the inhabitants of God’s kingdom are totally satisfied that God’s judgements are just., this is one of the great themes of Revelation. Rev.4v11. 5v12,13,14. 6v10. 7v9,10. 11v17. 15v2-4. 19v1-6. Judgement and anger is God’s “strange act ,” Is.28v21., and foreign to the beautiful, kind and indescribably lovely character of the God of love, but His judgements are just, necessary, and unavoidable, and spring out of His great love for His creation.
The Fourth Vial. Rev.16v8,9.
Antichrist's followers are blistered and burnt with great heat from the sun, literally, “scorched a great scorching,” a previously unknown plague. These first three plagues fail to bring them to repentance, they blaspheme God to His face, they are irrevocably hardened and unreconcilable, even God cannot bring them to repentance; their attitude to God will be exactly the same on judgement day. Men's hatred of God is very real, continual sin brings a person to the place where they can’t repent. These evil people could escape these plagues by repentance, for Rev.16v9., tells us that God has power over these plagues, they only fall on the wicked, the people of God are safe from them. The faithful Israelites were safe from the wrath of God on the wicked in Egypt, the wilderness and Canaan. Rev.9v4. 11v3-6. Numb.11v1-3.33,34. 16v1-3,28-35,49. Ezek.9v3-6.
The Fifth Vial. Rev.16v10,11.
A darkness falls on the throne of the Beast, like that which covered Egypt in the ninth Egyptian plague. Ex.10v21-29. Antichrist's false claim that he is God, is destroyed step by step, he cannot protect his followers, and the centre of his administration, which seems to be the Temple at Jerusalem, is in darkness. The effects of the first and fourth Vial are still in operation according to Rev.16v10.. We have the picture of the wicked sitting in darkness gnawing their tongues for pain; they know these plagues are from God, but instead of using their tongues to cry for mercy, they use them to blaspheme God to His face. They are irrevocably hardened in sin and rebellion against God.
The Sixth Vial. Rev.16v12-16.
The drying up of the river Euphrates for the armies of the kings of the East.
The drying up of the river Euphrates allows the armies of Antichrist to be gathered from the East to Armageddon for destruction at the great last day. Antichrist gathers His armies in order to win the battle with the nations who oppose him. It seems that God dries up the Euphrates to make it easier for these armies to be gathered to Armageddon for destruction. In Rev.9v13-21., we see that the sixth Trumpet is also linked with the river Euphrates, and the movement of a vast army of 200 million, but the sixth Trumpet starts 13 months before the end of the great tribulation, and this is many months earlier than any of the Vials, never mind the sixth Vial. It is obvious, therefore, that this army has spent much of those 13 months subduing the armies and nations in its path, and that it does not arrive in Palestine until around the sixth vial. Is.11v15,16. 10v20-22. Satan persuades these armies to come to fight for Antichrist by means of three false prophets, who do mighty signs and lying wonders through the power of three unclean spirits. Rev.16v13,14. 2Thes.2v7-12. The Two Witnesses do wonders that lead people to the true and living God, Satan does lying wonders to deceive and destroy mankind. There is no time in Church history when God's wonders are more needed than today, and in the final days of this age.
Here, almost at the end of the great tribulation, our Lord warns Christians to be watchful.
The argument that the Church is already raptured by this time, is refuted by Rev.16v15., which tells us that even as late as this, at the very end of the great tribulation, the Church is still on earth, and still waiting for the coming of Christ. Jesus warns that he will come as a thief, and tells us to watch and be prepared, this warning would be pointless and incorrect if He had already returned. In 1Thes.5v2-4., Paul tells us that though the day of the Lord will come upon the world as a thief, we are not in darkness that it will overtake us as a thief. It will only come upon the backslidden Christian, and the sinner as a thief, the world will not be expecting His return. Some think that this keeping of garments is a reference to the inspection of the temple guard by the captain of the guard, anyone who was found asleep on duty was beaten, or had their garments set on fire. The coming as a thief, certainly does not refer to a secret rapture, for Peter tells us that when the Lord comes, “as a thief,” the heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements will melt with fervent heat, and the earth and its works will be burnt up, this is certainly not a secret rapture. 2Pet.3v10. Lk.12v39. For “garments,” see Rom.13v11-14. 1Cor.3v15. 2Cor.7v1. Eph.4v20-24. 6v10-20. Col.3v8-14. James.1v27. 1Pet.1v13. 1Jn.2v28. Jude.v23. Rev.3v3-5. 7v14. 19v7,8.
Armageddon. Rev.16v16.
“Armageddon,” is derived from “Har,” “valley,” and means the valley of Megiddo.” There have been many battles upon the plain of Esdraelon before Megiddo, and probably all the conquerors of Palestine have fought on this plain. Josh.12v21. Judges.4 to 8. 1Sam.31. 2Chron.35v20-27. Zech.12v11. Joel.3v2. When Jesus lived at Nazareth He was only a few miles from this plain, how He must have meditated as He looked upon this plain, and thought of the things that had happened in the past and would happen in the future. This is where Deborah gained a decisive victory over Sisera. Judges.5v19. Antichrist’s armies defeat the armies of the West in a great battle at Armageddon a few days before our Lord’s return. Armageddon is also the place where Antichrist's armies are destroyed by Jesus at His return. Ezek.39v2-4,11-16. Rev.16v14-16. 19v17-21.
The Seventh Vial. Rev.16v17-21.
This vial occurs at the same time as the sixth and seventh seal and the seventh trumpet.
All these occur on the last day, the great day of God's wrath, and they all stress judgement, for it is the day of vengeance of our God. Is.61v2. In the seventh Vial some of the details of the sixth seal and the seventh trumpet are expanded, and there are several new pieces of information. The words “It is done,” can be translated, “It is all accomplished,” which is the same thought as the words of the angel of Rev.10v6,7., that at the seventh Trumpet, “there will be no more delay,” the kingdom of God has been set up, and the prophecies concerning the coming of Jesus, and the establishing of His kingdom are fulfilled. We read again of “voices,” Rev.11v19.4v5. 10v3,4.; and “thunders,” Rev.4v5. 8v5. 11v19. 14v2. 7v10. 19v6.; and lightnings.” Rev.4v5. 8v5. 11v19. There must be great storms and tremendous winds to keep hailstones in the air which are a talent in weight, i.e. from 45 to 130 pounds in weight, it is no wonder that God says that this plague is exceeding great. Rev.11v19.
There is mention again of the greatest earthquake that the world has ever known. Rev.16v18-20.
This earthquake shakes and moves every mountain and island in the world, and greatly changes world geography; it is mentioned several times in Revelation and elsewhere. Rev.6v12-14. 11v19. Zech.14v4,5. Is.24v17-21. Haggai.2v6,7. This earthquake occurs when the feet of the Lord Jesus touch the Mount of Olives, and the city of Jerusalem is divided into three parts, this is the final fall of Jerusalem, which spiritually is as evil as ancient Babylon, under Antichrist. Zech.14v4. Rev.16v19. This last great earthquake divides the city up and buries the old city beneath the waters of the new river that flows both to the former and hinder sea. Dan.9v26. “The end is determined by a flood.” Zech.14v8,9. Ezek.47v1-12. The new city is built upon the new mountain that is north of the site of the present city. Ps.48v1-3.
Carnal reasoning would say that the judgements of the Vials would make the wicked cry for mercy, but only a remnant do, the vast majority turn and revile God to His face. They are fearful, but are certainly not repentant. Rev.6v14-17. James.2v19. Mt.8v28,29. 27v3-5. 28v1-4,11-15. Acts.24v24-26. The case of Judas reveals to us that remorse is quite a different thing from repentance. The Scriptures also reveal the dreadful truth, that obdurate sinners, like Felix, who trembled in fear as Paul preached to him; can be greatly convicted about their sins, and fully realise the fact and truth about the judgement of God, and yet in spite of this, they refuse to repent. These defiant sinners harden their hearts against God, even though they know that they are going to be judged by the living God, for their evil and selfish lives, and experience His justice and righteous anger. Heb.10v30,31. 1Pet.4v18.
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