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After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15:5-8)
Can you imagine how John felt at this stage of the Lord revealing the judgments He is about to release on the earth and humanity? I cannot! As described in the opening of the revelation of the Seven Bowls of Wrath, John sees the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly temple, the throne of God, the tabernacle of His testimony, where the Law is housed and fulfilled by His beloved Son.
Here is a key factor: the Holy of Holies was the place where judgment took place under the Law. As most orthodox Jews know, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost room, to offer the blood sacrifice upon the mercy seat, the cover of the ark, which housed the presence of God. For the Jews, this satisfied God for the following year. However, this was a temporary fix until Yeshua/Jesus provided the final blood sacrifice on the day of His crucifixion. At which time, His blood poured from His body onto the Holy of Holies ark, covering/paying for the sins of all past, present, and future souls who come unto the Father through Him.
Anyone who refuted this sacrifice and did/does not accept the indwelling Life of Jesus will face the final judgments of the Seven Bowls of Wrath. These Bowls of Wrath are, as depicted, filled with God’s anger. One by one, these seven angels tip the bowls and pour out God’s anger upon designated areas and forms of expressions of His wrath. Before these bowls are emptied, smoke from the Glory of God and His power prevents anyone on Heaven’s side from entering the temple until each of the Seven Bowls of Judgment has been fulfilled. What’s up with all the smoke? Throughout the Bible, God has used smoke to present Himself and His presence and Glory (Exodus 19:18; Isaiah 6:1-4; Leviticus 16:12-13). When God showed up within the smoke, every human soul was prohibited from entering the temple until the bowls of sacrificed blood were emptied onto the ark of the covenant by the high priest.
As Jesus became that final blood sacrifice, as His blood was being poured out for humanity’s sins, if you read your Bible, you know that the temple shook, and the veil between the Holy room and the Holy of Holies innermost room was torn. Proving Jesus was the final sacrifice required by the One, God the Father, who sits upon the ark of His covenant. The ripped veil opened the passageway for Jesus to be united with His Father forever after. After Pentecost, it opened the passageway for all who received the Holy Spirit to gain access to the Heavenly Father as Jesus did.
The story doesn’t end with Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross. It simply opened the door to the privilege of Jesus/Yeshua to be the final judge for all those who refused to accept the indwelling Life of Himself via the Holy Spirit. This is what the Seven Bowls of Wrath are all about. Plain and simple – anyone who refuses to drink the cup of God’s salvation, which is costly, must drink from the bowls of His wrath (Psalm 75:8; 116:13). God’s plan from eternity past has always been either accept the plan of God, through His Son or suffer the consequences of the Seven Bowls of Wrath – eternal damnation. Are you thinking God’s plan is impulsively rude? Think again. He has waited 6,000 years for humanity to accept His loving offer. There is no impulse knee reaction here. At the end of humanity’s 6,000 years of Grace, the LAW will be reenacted through these bowls.
I remind you that the book of Revelation is established around three sets of symbols: seals, trumpets, and bowls. Each represents the triune existence of God the Father, Yeshua/Jesus the Son, and the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. The Seven Seal Judgments present the world ruined by humanity. The Seven Trumpet Judgments present the Earth as ruled by Satan. In our Seven Bowls of Judgment, we see God the Father reclaiming the world through the Second Coming OF His Son. Factually speaking, the seal judgments unfold over several years, while the trumpet judgments come one right after the other – quickly. The bowl's judgments are the fastest of all the judgments – occurring in rapid-fire at the end of the Antichrist Seven-Year Rule.
The Seven Bowls of Wrath are filled with plagues that outweigh the plagues God poured out in Egypt before the Exodus. However, the same reasoning and logic remain in play. The first storyline was to set His Hebrew people free from the bondage of His oppressors of the demonic control of the Pharoah, who represented an antichrist. The second and final plagues through the Seven Bowls of Wrath are to force the revised Pharoah, the ultimate Antichrist, to release God's chosen 144,000 pure bloodline descendants, who derive from the 12 Tribes of Israel. Since the final Antichrist refuses to do so, Yeshua/Jesus comes to the Earth to personally chain Satan and place him in the bottomless pit for their release and to rule the Earth for 1,000 years.
1. FIRST BOWL: Painful sores afflict those who have the mark of the beast and worship the image of the Antichrist (16:2). These are the people who have denied Jesus Christ and His offer for eternal salvation through His sacrificial acts of the Cross. These sores are also noted in a prophetic word in Deuteronomy 28:27, 35; Exodus 9:9.
2. SECOND BOWL: The sea turns into blood, causing every living thing in the sea to die (16:3). Emptying the second bowl cuts off the food supply by killing every living creature in the sea. This isn’t like the earlier killing of one-third of the fish, this bowl terminates all living creatures. This is a mirrored image of God destroying all living things in the Nile when He turned the river to blood and killed all living water-bound creatures (Exodus 7:20-21). This time, it is worldwide.
3. THE THIRD BOWL: All rivers and springs of water turn into blood (16:4-7). Think about it: all lakes, rivers, or any other freshwater supply turns to blood. He did it once in Egypt, and He does it again, but this time globally. Remember, earlier, we talked about the blood sacrifice. Turning the waters into blood fulfills this sacrifice, but this time by the blood of death and consequences. God’s focus is to satisfy the requests of the martyred Saints by requiring a blood sacrifice of those who persecuted them. God has heard their cry and has answered their petitions.
4. FOURTH BOWL: The sun is allowed to scorch people with fire (16:8-9). This is not something the climate obsession masses can fix. The heat from the sun becomes so unbearable on Earth that it scorches the people who did not repent and give Him glory. As we know, God created the sun to provide heat and light for the face of the Earth. Due to the Fourth Trumpet destroying much of the cosmic heavens, the protective field around the earth is damaged, causing the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays to scorch all living matter.
5. FIFTH BOWL: Darkness and pain flood the earth (16:10-11). Satan’s epicenter on earth is the target for the fifth bowl judgment – darkness, pain, and suffering. While most assume the Antichrist will rule from the headquarters of the European Union, Satan himself will most likely house himself in the place of old Babylon. Since Satan was bound to the Garden area, this is likely his place of rule. Contained in this bowl is a pouring out of a level of darkness that humanity has not encountered up to this moment. It is such a dark period of humanity that the masses chew their tongues due to an inability to cope with pain. No human alive in the past, present, or future can define the level of darkness the world will face during this phase of the End Times – not even John, the writer of Revelation.
6. SIXTH BOWL: The great river Euphrates dries up to prepare the way for the kings from the East (16:12-16). This bowl is used by God to prepare for the battle of Armageddon, the second-to-last global war between Satan and God. The battle most likely takes place at the end of the Tribulation. However, this should not be confused with the final battle after the thousand-year reign of Christ when Satan is released from the bottomless pit. Some reference THIS as the time for the battle of Armageddon. In either case, after this bowl had released its wrath, the river Euphrates dried up, allowing the passage of an army of 200 million to cross over to pick a fight with Israel (Rev. 9:16).
7. SEVENTH BOWL: A severe earthquake occurs, and huge hailstones fall from the sky (16:17-21). This is the ‘motherload’ of all earthquakes. The final bowl of judgment shakes the earth, Satan’s foundation, and all his comrades to the point of ending the Seven-Year Tribulation. With an earth-shattering earthquake, thunder, lightning, and fiery hailstones weighing up to 100 pounds crash to the earth – destroying everything in their path. This judgment eradicates every religious, political, and educational institution that Satan established through humanity. Concluding with the same words Jesus said on the Cross (John 19:30), but this time by God the Father saying It is finished! The Seventh Bowl opens the door for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Next, the eternal judgment during the 1,000 years of Christ's reign on earth.
It is important to remember, if you are indwelt by the Life of Jesus Christ, these Seven Bowls have nothing to do with you. However, if you are left behind, they have everything to do with you. Authentic believers are Raptured out before these bowls are poured out upon the earth. On the other hand, any and all left behind will either be executed by the Antichrist, or they will suffer the damnation of these Seven Bowls.
The application of this teaching should motivate you as a believer, not suffer paralyzing fear, but rather launch you into sharing the indwelling Gospel of Christ with family, loved ones, and strangers. If you are one of those who believes the book of Revelation is a fantasy fiction, you might want to reconsider adopting a fantasy worldview – reread it as future fact. If the symbolism confuses you, talk to someone who isn’t. I recommend any of Dr. David Jeremiah’s books on the topic. He is a sound Bible-focused teacher who is easy to read. Make it your goal today to befriend the prophecies of our Lord.
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