Understanding the Book of Revelation: The Seven Bowls

                   Chapter 16 tells us what the seven bowls of God’s wrath are. The seven bowls are the same as the seven plagues mentioned in chapter 15. The first plague is a direction reaction to the followers of the Antichrist. They will receive sores all over their bodies. The second bowl corresponds to the third trumpet. During the second trumpet, in Revelation 8:8, only 1/3 of the creatures in the sea died. During the second bowl, however, every living creature dies. The third bowl corresponds to the third trumpet as well. Here, however, the rivers turn to blood. The water is undrinkable like the first plague on Egypt in Exodus 7:17-19 where the fish in the water die and the third trumpet when the water became bitter. In verse 5 notice how it no longer says and who is to come. That indicates that Jesus has already come to the earth. Verse 6 explains the reason behind the plague. These people allowed the blood of saints and prophets to be shed. This is similar to the Levitical code “life for a life” in Leviticus 24:17-18.

                The eighth bowl is a counterpart to the fourth trumpet. Here, the sun will scorch man and cause them to burn. Compare with Deuteronomy 28:22:

“The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and

drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish.”

                Even after this punishment, the unbelievers that are left still do not want to repent to God. They still curse him. The fifth bowl is actual judgment is against the Antichrist. Not only will the Antichrist be judged but so will his kingdom and territory. No light will shine upon his kingdom, just as the earth was before God said let there be light. The sixth bowl involves the Euphrates River. The Euphrates River is where the four angels were sent out from during the sixth trumpet. Here, the kings of the east will have a travel route to Armageddon.

                There is a vision inserted between the sixth and seventh bowls. Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet are in the form of frogs. The frogs are like the second plague on Egypt in Exodus 8:6. This trinity is the counterfeit of God’s holy trinity. They perform miraculous signs that counterfeit God to cause people to stand in awe of them. In verse 16 Armageddon is mentioned. So, what does Armageddon mean? It is two Hebrew words. Har means mountain and Megiddon (Megiddo) means slaughter. Therefore, it means mountain of slaughter, although there really is no mountain here.

                Everything in God’s plan is happening. The earthquake in verse 18 is the same as the one mentioned in Revelation 11:19. The great city divided into three parts is Jerusalem. Babylon the Great is the material Babylon, which is Rome. Rome gave the wine of her fornication to the nations so therefore God will give the wine of the fury of His wrath in vengeance. The hail will weigh about 100 pounds. 

Understanding the Book of Revelation: Who Are the Two Witnesses?

 The Temple Measured

                 Chapter 11 reveals the two witnesses to us and the seventh trumpet, which produces the seven bowls that we will see further in chapter 16. In verse 1 John is given a reed like a rod to measure the temple. This is most likely meant to preserve the temple during the time of supernatural calamities and physical danger or for the reformation of the temple, while in Ezekiel the measuring of the temple was for the rebuilding of it. The altar mentioned here is the incense altar because the altar of sacrifice is in the court outside of the temple. The court is on earth. The holy city is the earthly Jerusalem. At the end of this age the Antichrist will make a covenant with the Jews for one week (7 years) during the last week of the 70 weeks (490 years) God appointed the Jews in Daniel 9:24-27 to end sin. During the last three and a half years, or forty two months, he will break the covenant and end the worship of God (Daniel 9:27). He will blaspheme God and persecute His people. He’ll destroy Jerusalem. This will be the Great Tribulation. 

               

The Two Witnesses      

          1,260 days is three and a half years. The two witnesses here are Moses and Elijah. The reason they wear sackcloth is because it’s funeral clothes. It’s a warning to mankind not to worship the Antichrist so they can escape eternal damnation. In verses 5-6, the actions are the same as what Moses and Elijah did. Moses had turned water to blood and brought plagues among men. Elijah caused the rain to stop due to his great faith. By saying they have the power to do these things again tells us they won’t do it but it lets us know their identity. Malachi 4:5 predicted Elijah’s mission.

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and

dreadful day of the Lord comes.”

                The prophet Zechariah, in Zechariah 4, received a vision of two olive trees at either side of a golden light stand. 4:13 says they are the two anointed to serve the Lord. In Matthew 17:1-3 both Moses and Elijah appeared before the Lord on the mount of transfiguration. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets (Luke 16:16). Olive trees produce oil for the lamps (like mentioned in Matthew 25:1-13). Oil signifies the Holy Spirit. Lampstands produce light through use of the oil. During the church age the churches are the lampstands for God’s testimony. During the 42 months the witnesses are the source of the Holy Spirit and the testimony. The Antichrist will kill these two witnesses and their bodies lie in the city of Jerusalem. It’s spiritually called Sodom and Egypt because even after the 1948 restoration they’re as sinful as Sodom and as wordly as Egypt. The torment that they brought upon the earth was the testimony that they spoke because mankind didn’t want to accept it. The three and a half days is included in the 1,260 or else it would extend past the Great Tribulation. In standing back on their feet they have been resurrected. Jerusalem then suffers an earthquake.

                The earth is no longer ruled by Satan and God’s judgment will now occur on the dead. The Ark of the Covenant is the center of all God’s accomplishments. The earthquake that then occurs is the fourth quake predicted in Revelation. The first occurred at the sixth seal, the second was before the seven trumpets, the next was at the rapture of the two witnesses, and now there is one during the seventh bowl which is the most sever calamity of the seventh trumpet.