Skip to content

Topics Research

Question

How do the seven bowl judgments of Revelation 16 correspond to the Day of Atonement's judgment phase? What is the relationship between the bowls and the trumpets? How does the altar's speech at Rev 16:7 complete the altar vindication arc? What is the significance of "It is done" (gegonen) at Rev 16:17?

Topics

PLAGUE

  • As a judgment on the Egyptians: PSA 105; 135:8,9; ACT 7:36
  • Plague of Blood: EXO 7:14-25 — parallel to bowls 2-3 (sea and rivers become blood)
  • Plague of Boils: EXO 9:8-12 — parallel to bowl 1 (noisome sores)
  • Plague of Hail: EXO 9:18-34 — parallel to bowl 7 (talent-weight hail)
  • Plague of Darkness: EXO 10:21-23 — parallel to bowl 5 (darkness on beast's kingdom)
  • Plague of Frogs: EXO 8:1-15 — parallel to bowl 6 (three frog-spirits, Rev 16:13)
  • Foretold: REV 11:6; 15:1,6-8; 16; 22:18,19
  • Cross-reference: See JUDGMENTS, PESTILENCE

BLASPHEMY

  • General scriptures: EXO 20:7; LEV 19:12; 24:10-16; DAN 7:25; 11:36,37
  • Prophecy of: REV 13:1,5,6 (beast blasphemes God); REV 16:9,11,21 (humans blaspheme under bowls); REV 17:3
  • Key pattern: beast blasphemes (13:6) -> humans follow (16:9,11,21)
  • In bowls: 16:9 "blasphemed the name of God"; 16:11 "blasphemed the God of heaven"; 16:21 "blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail"
  • Three-fold escalation: each bowl blasphemy targets a progressively direct reference to God

EUPHRATES

  • River in Eden: GEN 2:14
  • Eastern limit of the kingdom of Israel: GEN 15:18; EXO 23:31; DEU 1:7; 11:24; JOS 1:4
  • Symbolical: extension of Assyrian empire (ISA 8:6-8); Jeremiah's prophecy against Babylon (JER 51:59-64)
  • In Apocalypse: REV 9:14 (sixth trumpet — angels bound at Euphrates); REV 16:12 (sixth bowl — water dried up)
  • Domain correspondence: Euphrates in BOTH sixth trumpet AND sixth bowl confirms SP055

ARMAGEDDON

  • A symbolical name: REV 16:16
  • From Hebrew har (mountain) + Megiddo
  • OT background: Judges 5:19 (battle at waters of Megiddo); 2 Kings 23:29 (Josiah killed at Megiddo); Zech 12:11
  • NT hapax — appears only in Rev 16:16

ALTAR

  • OF INCENSE (Golden Altar): EXO 30:1-5; 37:25-28; pattern and construction
  • Uses: EXO 30:7-10; LEV 4:7,18 (blood on horns); LEV 16:12,18 (DOA altar ministry)
  • SP037 Vindication Arc in Revelation:
  • Stage 1: REV 6:9 — souls under the altar cry "How long?"
  • Stage 2: REV 8:3 — incense ascends; censer transitions to judgment (8:5)
  • Stage 3: REV 9:13 — voice FROM the four horns of the golden altar
  • Stage 4: REV 14:18 — angel FROM the altar with fire authority
  • Stage 5: REV 16:7 — altar SPEAKS: "true and righteous are thy judgments"
  • Stage 6: REV 19:1-2 — vindication proclaimed: "hath avenged the blood"

JUDGMENTS

  • On the Egyptians: EXO 7:14 (plagues); Sodomites: GEN 19:23-25
  • No escape from: ISA 2:10,12-19,21; AMO 5:16-20; 9:1-4; REV 6:16,17
  • Design of judgments: EXO 14:17,18,31; PSA 9:16,20; ISA 26:9; ROM 9:17,22; REV 2:23
  • Executed by human instrumentality: JER 51:2
  • Key principle: judgments reveal God's character and demonstrate justice (ISA 26:9; REV 16:5-7)

SEVEN

  • Seven angels with seven plagues: REV 15:1,6
  • Seven golden vials: REV 15:7
  • Seven trumpets: REV 8:2
  • Seven seals: REV 5:1
  • Seven in the number of completeness — seven bowl judgments = complete/final judgment

REPENTANCE

  • Exhortation to: MAT 3:2; MRK 1:15; AMO 5:4-6
  • Condition of God's favor: LEV 26:40-42; 2CH 7:14
  • In Revelation churches (positive imperative): REV 2:5; 3:2,3,19
  • In trumpets (negated): REV 9:20-21 — "repented not"
  • In bowls (negated with blasphemy): REV 16:9 — "repented not to give him glory"; REV 16:11 — "repented not of their deeds"
  • Pattern: Amos 4:6-12 — five-fold "yet have ye not returned unto me" escalating to "prepare to meet thy God"

HAIL

  • Plague of, in Egypt: EXO 9:18-29; PSA 78:48; 105:32
  • Destroys army of Amorites: JOS 10:11 — "more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword"
  • Figurative: ISA 28:2; REV 8:7 (first trumpet); REV 11:19 (great hail); REV 16:21 (talent-weight hail)
  • TM057 escalation: hail appears at increasing intensity through Revelation's theophany series

EARTHQUAKES

  • As judgments: PSA 18:15; 60:2; ISA 13:13,14; 24:19,20; NAM 1:5
  • Prophecies of: EZK 38:19; ZEC 14:4; MAT 24:7; REV 11:19
  • Symbolical: REV 6:12-14 (sixth seal); REV 11:13 (second woe); REV 16:18,20 (seventh bowl)
  • Seventh bowl earthquake: "such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake"

WRATH

  • See GOD, ANGER OF; JUDGMENT; PUNISHMENT
  • Two Greek terms in Revelation: thymos (G2372, fierce/passionate wrath — 10 of 18 NT uses in Rev) and orge (G3709, settled/deliberate wrath — 6 Rev uses)
  • Convergence at Rev 16:19: "tou thymou tes orges" — vocabulary summit

BOWL (VIAL)

  • No dedicated Nave's entry; referenced under SEVEN as "seven golden vials REV 15:7"
  • All 12 NT occurrences of phiale (G5357) are in Revelation
  • Vessel transformation: Rev 5:8 (prayers) -> Rev 15:7 (wrath) — SP119/SP053
  • BABYLON: REV 16:19 "great Babylon came in remembrance before God" — central to seventh bowl
  • BLOOD: Both the Exodus plague parallel (7:17-21) and the lex talionis principle (16:6)
  • DAY OF ATONEMENT: The bowls as antitypical DOA wrath phase (Rev 15:8 || Lev 16:17)