1 AND I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

1And I heard a great voyce out of the Temple, saying to the seuen Angels, Goe your wayes, and powre out the vials of the wrath of God vpō the earth.

2And the first went, and powred out his viall vpon the earth, and there fell a noysome and grieuous sore vpon the men which had the marke of the beast, and vpon them which worshipped his image.

3And the second Angel powred out his viall vpon the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man: and euery liuing soule died in the sea.

4And the third Angel powred out his viall vpon the riuers and fountaines of waters, & they became blood.

5And I heard the Angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast iudged thus:

6For they haue shedde the blood of Saints and Prophets, and thou hast giuen them blood to drinke: for they are worthy.

7And I heard another out of the altar say, Euen so, Lord God Almightie, true and righteous are thy iudgements.

8And the fourth Angel powred out his viall vpon the Sunne, and power was giuen vnto him to scorch men with fire.

9And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the Name of God, which hath power ouer these plagues: and they repented not, to giue him glory.

10And the fift Angel powred out his viall vpon the seat of the beast, and his kingdome was full of darkenesse, and they gnawed their tongues for paine,

11And blasphemed the God of heauen, because of their paines, and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

12And the sixt Angel powred out his viall vpon the great riuer Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried vp, that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared.

13And I saw three vncleane spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, & out of the mouth of the beast, & out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14For they are the spirits of deuils working miracles, which goe forth vnto the Kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battell of that great day of God Almighty.

15Behold, I come as a thiefe. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, least hee walke naked, and they see his shame.

16And hee gathered them together into a place, called in the Hebrewe tongue, Armageddon.

17And the seuenth Angel powred out his viall into the ayre, and there came a great voyce out of the Temple of heauen, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18And there were voices and thunders, and lightnings: and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were vpon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19And the great Citie was diuided into three parts, and the Cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to giue vnto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of his wrath.

20And euery yland fled away, and the mountaines were not found.

21And there fell vpon men a great haile out of heauen, euery stone about the weight of a talent, and men blasphemed God, because of the plague of the hayle: for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

 

1 I heard a loud voice speaking from the temple to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of God's fury upon the earth." 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Festering and ugly sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast or worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. The sea turned to blood like that from a corpse; every creature living in the sea died. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water. These also turned to blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: "You are just, O Holy One, who are and who were, in passing this sentence. 6 For they have shed the blood of the holy ones and the prophets, and you (have) given them blood to drink; it is what they deserve." 7 Then I heard the altar cry out, "Yes, Lord God almighty, your judgments are true and just." 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. It was given the power to burn people with fire. 9 People were burned by the scorching heat and blasphemed the name of God who had power over these plagues, but they did not repent or give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. Its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and people bit their tongues in pain 11 and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their works. 12 The sixth angel emptied his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East. 13 I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet. 14 These were demonic spirits who performed signs. They went out to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God the almighty. 15 ("Behold, I am coming like a thief." Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his clothes ready, so that he may not go naked and people see him exposed.) 16 They then assembled the kings in the place that is named Armageddon in Hebrew. 17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." 18 Then there were lightning flashes, rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake. It was such a violent earthquake that there has never been one like it since the human race began on earth. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the gentile cities fell. But God remembered great Babylon, giving it the cup filled with the wine of his fury and wrath. 20 Every island fled, and mountains disappeared. 21 Large hailstones like huge weights came down from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because this plague was so severe.

The last half of Tribulation is starting. The seven angels are prepared to proclaim judgment. Probably no more will be saved. The Jewish remnant has fled. Purge is going on and those refusing the mark of the beast are hiding. Drouth and famine continue.
v 1. No one else is in the temple for the smoke, so this is the voice of Christ. In previous judgments the orders went out one at a time, but here the command goes to all seven angels at once. This would be near the close of the Tribulation, and while there are similarities to some trumpet judgments, there are notable differences. Some affected one third of the world, these will affect the entire world and in greater intensity. Some of them also have similarity to the judgments on Egypt through Moses.  The bowls are probably not all poured out at once, but in rapid succession and in proper order for His purpose. Whereas destruction under the seals was basically from man and under the trumpets from Satan, these judgments are direct from God.
v 2. First Bowl The angel may fly around the earth, but at least the content of the bowl covers the earth. Unprecedented infectious ulcers afflict everyone who took the mark of the beast or worshiped his image, but somehow believers will be spared. This was either an outright plague, or the angel released something that reacted to the chemical making the mark. These putrid sores are worse than any thing ever experienced and cannot be healed.
v 3. Second Bowl  This falls on the sea causing the water to either congeal like blood or appear so in a toxic condition. All marine life in the sea dies. Imagine the stench of the sea itself, even more so with all the dead creatures washed up on shore. Also what this may do to ship traffic. 
v 4 Third Bowl  This angel is called the angel of waters, so God has an angel that watches over our water supply, or this is simply the angel who dumps his bowl on the rivers and fountains of water. The effect of the third bowl is to cause all rivers and fresh water sources to become blood, or like blood. It will not be as toxic as the seas, and people can drink it to survive.
v 5,6. The angel reports to God that this is righteous judgment, the people got what they were worthy of. Jesus had told the Jews they were responsible for blood of righteous from Abel to Zacharias.  Men had not only rejected the blood of Christ, but shed the blood of prophets and believers for centuries.  The angel considers it  fair that those who have shed the blood of God’s people be given blood to drink.
v 7. The unidentified voice from the altar agreeing with the angel of waters was possibly a martyr, whose blood has been avenged.
v 8,9. Fourth Bowl This is cast upon the sun, and the heat is intensified so that men are scorched by it. This is when the sun and moon are seven times brighter, burning men, Isa. 24:6. Christ said in Luke 21:25 that among other things there would be signs in the sun, perhaps this is part of it. There would be rapid evaporation, but great ice caps would melt and temporarily flood all coastal cities, which may be the flooding in Amos 9:5,6. Like people who strike their thumb blaspheme, none of the unsaved repent, they just blaspheme the God who could help them. Again we don’t know how believers survive, but we remember the three Hebrew young men in the fiery furnace.
v 10.  Fifth Bowl The effect of the fifth bowl is darkness poured on the very seat of the beast, which would be Babylon. The two major cities concerned, Jerusalem and Babylon, are high enough not to be affected by the coastal flooding or the rivers leading to the coast. The result would be thick darkness in his buildings and throughout the city area, but not all the world. This would be thick darkness like Moses called down upon Egypt.  (Some would say the darkness upon the throne of the prince of the power of the air and kingdom of the beast affected the entire world of unbelievers.) With the combination of the heat, sores and other plagues, they will gnaw their tongues for pain.
v 11. Their hearts are so hardened they prefer to blaspheme God and the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable sin, rather than repent. In fact, along with the beast, they may be eager for confrontation with the One who hurt them.
v 12. Sixth Bowl This is poured on the great river Euphrates, which has been navigable for about half of its 1800 miles. Due to dams which have been built, it is now dry or nearly so at times. The effect of long drouth, melted ice caps and direct divine intervention causes the Euphrates to go completely dry. Perhaps effects of the earthquakes will draw the water underground. Hydroelectric plants, water systems and sewage will all be shutting down. Noah’s ark may be revealed, but not concern men.
False religion and demonic activity is profuse around and east of Babylon, so the kings of the east will readily gather to fight the One who is causing all this trouble. The drying of the Euphrates is not necessary for the armies to cross. Psychologically the barrier between east and west is broken. More important, the demonic horsemen had come from the Euphrates, and now it is dry sand and no demons. The mark of the beast was worldwide, and when he beckons, they are quick to respond.
v 13-16. Preparation For Armageddon
v 13. John sees back into darkened Babylon, and an amazing thing takes place. Unclean spirits resembling frogs come from the mouth of each one of the Satanic trinity as they plan lies and strategy to draw all nations in a grand attempt to defeat the forces of Christ. People will listen to their deception.
v 14. Historically, leaders are often  led astray and people follow. Apparently through the miracles they persuade the leaders of all the world to bring their armies to the battle, actually war, of Armageddon. They are deceived into thinking they are coming to Israel to gain political advantage, but Satan plans to unite them in one large force against Christ. They want to defeat Him before He becomes their Judge. Satan certainly knows what the Scripture says will be the outcome of all this, so why does he continue?. He is not a believer, and cannot believe he will be defeated. I have a friend that can not believe his favorite team on TV will be defeated, no matter what the score, till the game actually ends. Yet from what Satan does believe, he is lashing out in wrath because he knows his time is short, Rev. 12:12.
v 15. This verse seems almost out of place, but it is addressed to believers or anyone else on earth who has refused the mark of the beast and managed to survive. Christ’s coming to earth will be as a thief, that is unexpectedly, upon those gathered for battle. If an officer of the temple caught a guard sleeping, he was struck with a stick and his garment burned as discipline. The remnant of believers on earth need to be watchful and living pure lives so they can keep their garments. Some think that from Ps. 50:5,6  believers on earth may be translated to Jerusalem to join the returned Jewish remnant there just before the Lord returns,
v 16. After the word of comfort to Tribulation saints, John goes back to the drawing of the unsaved to Armageddon for battle. Satan’s forces are successful in gathering these armies to Armageddon or hill of Megiddon, near the town of Megiddon, or Har (Mount) Megiddon. This is about 60 miles north of Jerusalem, overlooking the plain of Megiddo on the west and plain of Esdraelon (valley of Jezreel) on the northeast. Since those plains can not hold the 100’s of millions of soldiers of the earth converged upon Israel, they will be deployed throughout the following areas:
Megiddon - North Palestine                          Zech. 12:11
Valley of Jehoshaphat - N.E. near Jerusalem  Joel 3:2,12
Idumea, Edom - S.E.. of Jerusalem                    Isa. 34:6
Jerusalem and Juda                               Zech. 12:2; 14:2
Troops will probably also arrive from the gulf ports and the Mediterranean ships.
The beast thinks he has persuaded the armies to assemble, but the Lord is drawing them. The immense forces lay siege to Jerusalem, Zech. 6:2, for a while. They finally overcome part of the city and do damage, Zech. 14:2; Joel 3:3; Isa. 10:38-31. (But the Lord’s victories, Zech. 14:3; Joel 3:16; Zeph. 3:8).
Daniel 11:45 tells us that that the Antichrist will set his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. In other words he makes the area around Jerusalem as his base of operations. Zech. 14:1-4 indicate the nations will gain partial victory over the city, but then Christ will come and destroy their armies.
v 17. Seventh Bowl This bowl is the last judgment before the coming of the Lord, and greatest of the seven plagues. It is poured out into the air, the domain of the prince of the power of the air, and affects the entire system which he had claimed as his, see Matt. 4:8,9. As Christ called out from the cross regarding redemption, “It is finished”, now He calls out from the temple, “It is done”, there is no escape from judgment. Notice the six “greats” in this portion. Great voice, earthquake, city, Babylon, hail and plagues.
v 18. John had heard voices thunderings and lightnings Rev. 4:5; 8:5 and 11:19 before the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments. At the last two there had been earthquakes. This great judgment is preceded by all of them and is world wide.  These are the greatest storms and earthquakes the world has ever known Hag. 2:6,7. Isa. 24:17-21; Joel 3:16.
v 19. The topography of the earth will be changed, large cities destroyed, Babylon specifically, and Jerusalem divided into three parts. Christ’s feet will touch the Mt of Olives and it will split from east to west , half of the mountain going north and half going south, and there will be a great valley, Zech. 14:4. (More about this and Babylon in later chapters.) Mt Zion remains untouched. The quake has opened an aquifer which becomes a river from Jerusalem, Zech 14:8.
v 20. Under the sixth seal mountains and islands were moved out of their places. Now great mountains and islands of the world will vanish. With the change of land mass and build up of atmospheric moisture during the time of no wind, things will be preparing for the beautiful earth of the millennium, more like before Noah’s flood.
v 21.  Job 38:22,23 says God has treasuries of hail reserved for days of trouble, battle and war, and this is one of those times. The earthquakes and mountains shifting will be horrifying to the millions amassed for battle, but even more horrifying will be the stones from heaven weighing around 75-100 pounds, and from which there is no escape. This hail is not just frozen water, but the word in Rev. 8:7; 11:19 means anything falling. So these are also stones spued from volcanos or meteorite debris. Men’s last minutes will be of terror, but it only causes these hardened sinners to blaspheme God more