What Are the Seven Bowls of Wrath?
Bible Study Guide
(Verse 1) The seven angels dressed in clean linen and wearing golden sashes have left the temple. They’re lined up holding their seven bowls of wrath. Then they hear the command to pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath upon the remaining inhabitants of earth.
John spoke of this wrath in his gospel account.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)
The wrath that remains on those who’ve rejected God is going to be poured out in full measure upon each of them.
Sin matters. It’s real and it has real and severe consequences. If you take sin casually and make like it’s no big deal and assume the same for God, this is a deadly mistake. God doesn’t take sin casually. God is a Holy God and cannot abide in sin.
The wages of sin are death. The forgiveness of our sins was paid at a hefty cost. God Himself came to be man so He could suffer and face the penalty of death on the cross for our sins. This was not a casual act of forgiveness. It was a price that we could not pay nor can we add to it.
What’s about to occur when the seven bowls of Revelation are unleashed on the world will be nothing short of ‘hell on earth.” This suffering imposed on mankind will still not be enough to atone for their sins.
This is why this time period is called the Great Tribulation. Jesus described it this way in His Olivet Discourse.
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Matthew 24:21)
Pouring Out the Seven Bowls of Wrath
(Verse 2) The first angel pours out the first bowl judgment. John makes it clear in his writing that this judgment is meant for a specific group of people. This judgment will bring sores on those who accepted “the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.”
Remember the very clear warning that was given to those remaining on earth by the third angel in Revelation 14.
“A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:9-10)
Remember, woven within the fabric of God’s Word are the threads of foreshadowing and foretelling of a future time to come of the last days.
The festering sores were foretold of in the days of the Israelites exodus out of Egypt.
“It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.” (Exodus 9:9)
In the story of Job, Satan is allowed by God to afflict Job through his possessions. Then he’s allowed to afflict Job physically without killing him. Job finds himself in deep suffering, sitting among ashes and scraping his sores with broken pieces of pottery. Despite this, Job remains faithful to God in his brokenness and pain.
In this passage, we’ll see the opposite. All the unbelievers who will suffer affliction from the seven bowls of wrath will remain faithful to Satan. They will continue to reject their Creator.
The Second Bowl of Wrath
(Verse 3) Imagine for a moment living on any coastline. Think about the stench that will permeate up from the bodies of saltwater after all life in it has perished.
Today, the most expensive property to purchase is oceanfront. During the Great Tribulation, they won’t be able to give it away. Unfortunately, decreasing coastal property values will be the least of the problems mankind will need to worry about.
A warning was given about this second bowl of wrath in Revelation 8.
“The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation 8:8-9)
Again, this is another echo of the judgment by God on Egypt during the exodus of the Israelites.
“This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’” (Exodus 7:17-18)
The Third Bowl of Wrath
(Verse 4) John watches as the third angel pours out its bowl judgment on the fresh waters of the world. The stench that fills the noses of the coastal inhabitants is now spreading inland as the fresh water creatures die.
The world’s fresh water drinking supply will dwindle down to whatever bottles people have stored at home. It’s possible that those who have wells on their property will have fresh water for a time. But all water systems are interconnected. It won’t take long before the world’s fresh water drinking supply is gone.
People will rush to any grocery store that is still open and hasn’t been vandalized and pilfered to see if they can find any water. They will be met with disappointment.
A Song of Praise and Worship For a Just God
(Verse 5-6) Then John hears a voice from the angel who oversees the waters of the earth. The angel breaks out in a song of worship and praise for the just punishment of the ungodly.
It all began with the spilling of the blood of Abel. It continues with all of God’s people who have proclaimed His word and were persecuted and killed. Vengeance has met them at the threshold of God’s wrath.
The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10)
It’s their blood that mankind has spilled upon the earth throughout the ages, and it’s blood that will be left for them to drink.
God is a Holy God. He’s abounding with love, mercy, forgiveness and faithfulness. God is also a just God and His punishments are just for an ungodly world. Next, John will hear a song for a just God.
(Verse 7) John hears the altar respond to the angel’s song of praise for a just God. These under the altar are the souls martyred during the Tribulation. They’re the ones who prayed for vengeance upon their persecutors.
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” (Revelation 6:9)
The Fourth Bowl of Wrath
(Verses 8-9) We’re barely half way through the seven bowls of wrath and John is likely exhausted and weakened by the suffering he sees being poured out on mankind.
Since I was a child, I’ve always been an outdoorsy type of person. I’ve always and still do like to work and play outdoors. I’ve never been as faithful in wearing sunscreen as I should’ve been throughout the years.
Several years ago I was diagnosed twice with Melanoma. It was caught early and I was blessed. I still remember the painful procedures and surgeries I went through to get rid of it all to make sure nothing was left behind.
The suffering I endured won’t even show up as a bleep on the radar of pain compared to people on earth receiving the contents of the fourth bowl of judgment.
Now comes the most shocking part of the fourth bowl of God’s wrath. The people on earth at this time will have been around since Jesus cracked open the first seal judgment. They will have experienced every single judgment of the Tribulation up to this point.
What do you think their response will be? If we keep on reading as we should always do in order to gain the proper context of the passage, we’re dumbfounded.
What Does True Faithfulness to God Look Like?
Mankind will at this point accept the advice that Job refused to accept from his wife. Remember, when Job’s wife in all his suffering gave Job this advice?
His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
(Job 2:9)
Job refused to heed the advice of his wife. He remained faithful to his God. Job eventually went on to be more blessed and prosperous that he was when Satan first afflicted him.
Unfortunately, the people of the Tribulation will wholeheartedly accept the advice Job’s wife gave to him. They’ll choose not repent and also to curse God in their dire affliction.
We’ve seen a warning about this fourth bowl of Revelation in chapter 8.
“The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.” (Revelation 8:12)
Seven seal judgments, seven trumpet judgments, and four of the seven bowls of wrath and they shockingly refuse to turn to their Creator for help. They’ll instead turn to man for guidance. It’ll be the unwise leading the unwise to eternal damnation.
The Fifth Bowl of Wrath
(Verses 10-11) John is watching the fifth angel pour out the wrath of God on the earth. He sees the same judgment that Moses witnessed that God sent on Egypt. Except, this wrath of Revelation is centered on Satan and his kingdom.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” (Exodus 10:21-23)
It’s not as though there was no warning of this coming darkness. John saw a warning of this in Revelation 9.
“During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.” (Revelation 9:6)
I don’t know about you, but I’ve accidentally bit my tongue a few times in my life. I’ve learned from that experience that the tongue is a very sensitive muscle. Especially when it comes to being squeezed between your teeth. Not just that, but it remains sore for several days.
The people of the Tribulation will be in such great pain during the seven bowls of wrath that it’ll cause them to want to gnaw at their tongue.
It’s almost too difficult for the mind to conceive what people will go through and the suffering they’ll endure. They’ve been brought to this point once already during the trumpet judgments.
“During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.” (Revelation 9:6)
They Have No Heart For God
Despite the sheer affliction that they’ll suffer, it will not bring them to repent of their sins. They’ll likely want to die as they’re gnawing at their tongues.
At this point, any reasonable person would finally give in and turn to their Creator and repent of their sins, ask for forgiveness and to be released from under this wrath. But they’ll do just as they did in Revelation 9 under the wrath of the seven trumpet judgments.
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.” (Revelation 9:20)
They’ll continue not to repent and will curse God as they face the threshold of death but not die in their misery.
There’s a war brewing. It’s not just any war. And it’s going to take place in a not so ordinary place. Let’s go and take a look.
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