Completing this series on certain events of seven found in the Revelation are the Seven Bowls of Wrath. These are not cups, but bowls splashing down the righteous wrath of our Heavenly Father. The Seals appear to be against Political Babylon. The Trumpets appear to be against Commercial Babylon. It is only fitting that the Lord’s final Bowls of Wrath be against the harlotry of Spiritual Babylon.
The First Bowl will be poured on any person who has received the Mark of the Beast. Because the Lord allows people to make a choice, I believe these people will have chosen to receive the Mark. The kingdom of the Beast, who is described in the Revelation 11:7 as coming out of the Abyss, will be in the physical world. This Bowl is against the physical world.
The Second Bowl will be poured on the sea. There are parallels between the Trumpets and the Bowls, but when this Bowl is poured out, everything in the sea dies. With the Second Trumpet only one-third of the fish died. The Third Bowl will be poured on the rivers, which become blood. The angel that poured the Bowl said, “You have given them blood to drink, and they deserve it.” These Bowls are also against rebellious man of the physical world.
The Fourth Bowl will be poured on the Sun and it will scorch mankind. Whereas the Third Trumpet caused the Sun to be darkened, this Bowl causes it to scorch men. It is perhaps a lesson to man, who thinks he controls the climate. The first four Bowls are against men who worship Mystery Babylon in one form or another, and live in the physical world. The remaining three Bowls are against the spiritual world of the Beast and the demons.
The Fifth Bowl will be poured over the throne of the Beast, who might be described as the spiritual leader of the rebellion against our Lord during the time of Tribulation. The kingdom of darkness is placed in darkness.
The Sixth Bowl will prepare the way for the kings of the east. Because these three Bowls are spiritual in nature, I suspect that these “kings” are also demonic. Almost all occult mystery religions originate in the east. Perhaps the demons who mislead the people of the east are these “kings.”
Between the Sixth and Seventh Bowls, three evil spirits go out to gather the “kings of the earth” to a place called Armageddon. This is the only place in the entire Bible that Armageddon is found. The “kings of the earth” are apparently different from the “kings of the east.”
The Seventh, and final, Bowl will be poured into the air. This is against Satan. He is the “prince of the power of the air.” (Ephesians 2:2) A great voice will come of the Temple in Heaven (the voice of God?) and say, “It is done!” In the finality of this Bowl there will be an earthquake unlike any earthquake since man has lived on earth. The islands and mountains will disappear. To add to the finality there will be supernatural hailstones weighing 100 pounds, or more.
Pray for the lost, and praise the name of the Lord!