1 Then I heard a loud voice from the sanctuary saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth." 

• The angels have come out of the sanctuary, "received" their bowls, and are now being instructed to pour them out (apparently directly from God).

2 First of these he went and poured out his bowl on the ground, and on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshipped his image, ⁽evil and malignant ulcers came⁾.

• ř.: a bad and malignant ulcer has set in;
• Those who were branded by the beast were already afflicted in chapter 14: they were given a drink of the undiluted wine of God's wrath, and they were afflicted with the flames of fire and brimstone forever and ever.
• This punishment is so ultimate that it could not be worse - it is hard to imagine anything else being added to it.
• The situation is probably such that we are talking here about partial punishments to be inflicted on the branded people - probably with the aim of making people recover and discouraging them from accepting the brand while they are still alive.
• Whereas chapter 14 describes the ultimate fate of those who are not discouraged and choose to worship and serve the beast against all odds.
• Disabilities are bad and malignant ulcers.
  • Usually there is talk of some kind of "chipping complication" - in the sense of an adverse reaction to the implanted material. The implanted chips may have their own battery or other power source, which could theoretically fail and irritate the surrounding tissue.
  • This is not very likely given that there are already many completely inert and well-tolerated implantable materials and electronic devices.
• However, we can see that people who have bowed to the image and accepted the mark will have persistent skin problems.
• Theoretically, for some people this could be a chance to avoid being tagged - in the sense of: I have a doctor's note saying I can't tolerate this type of implant. Or: I have a skin disease that does not allow implantation, etc.¹.
• In general, skin diseases are some of the most unpleasant ever - the Egyptians experienced it at the sixth plague (sores with festering blisters on both people and cattle), Job experienced it, Lazarus the beggar experienced it, the Philistines apparently experienced it after capturing the ark; now the unfortunates who have entered into an affair with the beast are experiencing it.
  • Skin diseases are also part of the curses in Deuteronomy 28,27.35 "The Lord will wound you with Egyptian sores, with tumors, with scabs, and with scabs, of which you will not be able to be healed..."
• It is quite likely that this "early" punishment is intended to have a deterrent effect in order to save people from "eternal" punishments - the aim is to bring people to their senses and allow them to reconsider or back off from branding.

3 Second Angel poured his bowl into the sea, and ⁽turned into⁾ blood as blood of the dead and all living souls that was in the sea, she died. 

• ř.: happened/became (appeared);
• Water turning into blood is also a familiar concept - it was the first Egyptian plague.
  • Something similar also happened after the blowing of the second angel's trumpet in Rev 8: The second angel sounded. Something like a great burning mountain ^[by fire^] was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,9 and a third of the living creatures in the sea perished, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
  • But there it was the result of something falling into the ocean and the destruction of aquatic life was not complete.
• We can think of some kind of collapse of the ocean ecosystem. As humans, we have extensive experience in turning a vibrant aquatic ecosystem into a rotting stinking "pond" uninhabitable by life.
• The ocean may be vast, but even its capacity for regeneration is not infinite.
• The extinction of marine life would be a catastrophe non plus ultra.

4 The third poured out his bowl into the rivers and fountains of waters, and ⁽appeared in them⁾ Blood. 

• var.: changed to;
• If the destruction of the oceans were accompanied by the collapse of freshwater ecosystems, this would be a problem of unimaginable proportions.
• People have experienced what it is like when rivers turn into sewers repeatedly since the Industrial Revolution. In many countries in Africa and Asia, this is the reality of today.
  • In some cities of the "developing world", the water in the river is still not visible at all through the layer of garbage.
  • I have a personal memory of the extreme river pollution in Ostrava during the socialist era - the progress in this direction is extraordinary: today Ostrava is a city with abundant greenery, clean rivers and good air.
• While thoughts of an "ecological" origin for the spoilage of salt and fresh waters are offered, it is quite possible that it is a supernatural divine intervention unrelated to human activity.
  • Similarly with "global warming" - although humans may well be "trying" to warm the planet through their actions,² it is likely that the fourth bowl bringing the devastating heat (v.8) will not be caused by the greenhouse effect, but by an increase in solar activity.

5 I heard the angel of the waters say, "Righteous are you who are and who were, you Holy One, that you have pronounced this judgment; 6 for they have shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have made them drink blood. They deserve speech,!"

• They are worthy of such punishment;
• Apparently the third angel that has corrupted freshwater flows is speaking. He assures us that the horrors he inflicted were justified and just, and that they corresponded to the degree of the guilt of the people.
• He talks about people now having blood instead of water because they themselves have shed the blood of Christians (saints) and prophets.
• Which is new information for us - does it imply that the punishment for the corruption of the waters was selective, punishing only those who were hostile to the faithful?
• In other words, is it only possible for water to turn to blood where people are hostile to God?
• Certainly there are countries or areas notorious for their hatred and persecution of Jews and/or Christians. Could it be that the "drinking water problems" primarily affect them?
  • This could be the case - the ranking of states most suffering from or at risk of water shortages seems to overlap quite a bit with the list of anti-Jewish and anti-Christian states³:
    • Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Jordan, Yemen, Qatar, Iran, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Syria.
    • We can either remove Israel from the list (it is solving the lack of fresh water quite successfully by desalination, among other things) or we can keep it on the list, considering it an anti-Christian state (there is a ban on evangelism). But this is walking on very thin ice - Israel is a free democratic state, quite incomparable to the totalitarian regimes in the other countries on the list above.
• Could it be that even for the "executive" third angel himself, the punishment of the lack of water was too severe and that he needed to justify to others or even to himself that the punishment was just? Hardly - it is more a reminder to all around of the horrors they were carrying out in their respective countries.
  • When one sees, for example, the execution of a Nazi leader, one tends to feel pity. In such a case it may be useful to remind oneself of the offence.
  • In general, the problem is that all the described punishments are collective - the lack of water will fall not only on the perpetrators of the evil, but also, for example, on the children living in the area.

7 And I heard the altar say, "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous. are your judgments."

• var. (weakly attested): another from the altar; 
• None of the angels invented all the events of the book of Revelation - they are all merely executors of God's will, His plans.
• It is quite possible that they are sometimes surprised by them themselves.
• The angels are given a task they try to fulfil, e.g. My task is to spoil salt or fresh water, so I have to think how best to do it.

8 And the fourth Angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.

• This may be an increase in solar activity in the sense of an increase in the amount of heat hitting our planet.
• But it is also a burst of solar activity, an eruption that sends a massive cloud of charged particles hurtling towards the Earth - which can then manifest itself in geomagnetic storms, auroras, technical interference and more.

9 The people were scorched with great heat, and cursed the name of God, who had power over these plagues. ⁽they didn't turn⁾to give him glory

• ř.: disgraced;
• n.: have not repented; 
• We see that the aim of all the wounds is to bring people to Repentance.
• By what mechanism is this supposed to happen? When people see their vulnerability, their helplessness to the world around them - their wretchedness in the face of the universe and the forces of nature, it should cause them to reflect on the Creator. It should dawn on them that there is a Creator who made them and cares for them. They should reflect on their relationship to Him and their attitudes. They should realize how senseless their pride, self-will and self-reliance are.
• They should turn away from their attitudes, apologize for them, and establish a relationship with the Creator.
• This is the purpose and meaning of God's punishments.
• But as we can see, the result was just the opposite - even when people may have realized that a Higher One was behind the series of disasters, their reaction was hatred.
• How is that possible? That approach doesn't make sense? Why, if I don't give a damn about the Creator, should I at the same time expect Him to take care of my living conditions? That's not logical.
• Either I have a relationship with the Creator, on the basis of which I can perhaps (under some conditions) consider His support; or I do not have a relationship - and there is no reason to expect anything from Him.
  • People's reasoning is mostly as follows: Since you created us, you are obligated to take care of our good life. But this is logical nonsense stemming from pride and an unwillingness to acknowledge our inferiority - after all, why should it be so?
• However, there is no doubt that the purpose of God's punishments is repentance - if people would respond to any of the disasters: God, I'm sorry that we were arrogant and ignorant towards You, forgive us and help us - we would be "off the hook". The reason for punishment would be gone.
• In general, it can still be concluded that concerns about global warming are justified. Rather than a new ice age, humanity is indeed facing a devastating heat wave.
  • No matter how much human activity contributes to the warming of the planet, efforts to reduce the ecological burden on the planet certainly make sense⁴. (We are supposed to be good stewards of the planet we are entrusted with, not unscrupulous exploiters of it).
  • But the root of the problem is ecology (not even "zero emissions") - the root of the problem is human pride and sin.

10 Fifth Angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was darkened; People biting their tongues in pain 

• n.: of hardship;
• The Fifth Angel directs his catastrophe in a purposeful way, and it is directed at Throne of the Beast, on her ..
• It was a wound that was a combination of a first bowl wound (ulcer) and Darkness.
• Darkness appears occasionally in eschatological imagery (and it is the ninth plague of Egypt):
  • the fourth trumpet obscures a third of the sun and a third of the lights of heaven.
  • Jesus (Matthew 24:29-30) says that "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her brightness, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven..."
  • It's quite possible that The darkness Jesus speaks of (just prior to His return) is identical to the darkness of the fifth bowl.
• Like the ninth plague of Egypt, this darkness is selective - it affects only the devil (Pharaoh, the beast) and his worshippers.
• Like the wound of the first bowl, this wound is Painful and associated with ulcers.
• About the blow of the fifth bowl, then, we can summarize:
  • is selective to people serving the beast
  • is associated with darkness and painful skin ulcers

11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pains and for their sores, but they did not turn from their works. 

• ř.: disgraced;
• n.: have not repented;
• As with the heat, this terrible catastrophe did not have the desired effect on the people; on the contrary, instead of repentance, cursing followed.
• It is not uncommon for people to turn their remorse toward God (or toward other people) when they are not doing well, however caused by their own sin.
• This is unfair and arrogant - as we have mentioned many times, God has never promised people anything, nor does He owe them anything.
  • People believe that by being born, they have automatically acquired the right to health, 3+1 with accessories, a colour TV, a car, regular sex and a holiday twice a year.
  • And if they don't get any of it, they are furious with God. Not rational or fair, but common nonetheless.
• God doesn't even need to actively punish people⁵just by letting them suffer the consequences of their actions, of their turning away. If God does not actively protect us, disasters will inevitably follow - we will bring them upon ourselves.
  • But God is not obligated to actively protect someone who is not interested in Him or who speaks out against Him.

12 Sixth Angel He poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its waters were dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the rising of the sun. 

• Why the Euphrates River? What do we know about it?
  • Length: approximately 2 800 km
  • Sources: in the mountains of eastern Turkey
  • It flows through Turkey, Syria and Iraq, where it joins the Tigris River to form the Shatt al-Arab, a common stream that flows into the Persian Gulf.
  • In ancient Mesopotamia (between the Euphrates and the Tigris) the first urban civilizations arose - Sumer, Akkad, Babylon and Assyria. On its banks lay famous cities such as Ur, Mari and Babylon.
  • It is often mentioned in the Bible:
    • it is one of the four springs flowing out of Eden
    • God promises Abraham a land "from the river of Egypt unto the Euphrates."
    • It formed the border of the promised land.
    • The four angels were bound with her in Rev 9.
  • In general, the Euphrates can mark the boundary between God's people and the pagan powers.
• The drying up of this river would certainly have a catastrophic impact on large areas (Turkey is already reportedly causing problems for its neighbours with a cascade of dams upstream).
• But here the drying up of the Euphrates due to the intervention of the sixth angel opens the way.
  • Nowadays, river flows are usually no longer a major obstacle (only in wars, where they still form natural barriers that are difficult to overcome). So it will be more of a symbolic statement.
  • Something along the lines of: Will the barrier between God's people and the Eastern nations disappear? Since the punishment is more of a protective barrier - will God's people become the object of aggression by the eastern empires as well? Which ones?
  • In the Roman Empire, the Parthians were supposedly seen as kings from the east, but it could also be the Chinese (who would probably have been able to raise an army of two hundred million).
  • Some interpreters supposedly understand the King from the East positively - in the sense of a leaning towards the Gospel, as we see in China, for example, which is becoming one of the largest "reservoirs" of Christians on the planet.
• It may be that anti-Semitism will spread to other countries - hatred of Jews and Israel has so far been more a question of Western civilisation and the countries of Islam. China seems to have been relatively resistant to anti-Semitism so far - if that were to change, it would be a major complication for Israel.

13 And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. go to three unclean spirits like frogs.

• Every time something comes out of your mouth, it's clear that it's words.
• In this case, they come together from the mouths of the whole "unholy trinity" - the dragon (the devil), the beast (probably a political or other system) and the false prophet (a religious system). All three are united, moving in the same direction, seeing things the same way, pushing the same agenda.
  • In a way, the frog here is a symbol of something ugly, disgusting - some perverted ideology that these three are promoting.

14 They are speech, The spirits of demons, making signs, go out to the kings of all the inhabited earth, to gather them to battle on the great day of God Almighty.

• We are given some explanation of what frogs are - they are demons.
• Thus, from the dragon, the beast, and the prophet, it will not be mere words, but what they say will be backed by supernatural power.
• This is quite easy to imagine - some people have an almost supernatural ability to captivate or "enchant" their listeners.
  • Strictly speaking, Hitler (and many others) did not say anything amazing, yet he fascinated his listeners and the impact of his words was enormous, This was certainly due to the fact that his words were supported by impure demonic forces.
• What will this trio talk about? What direction will they take their propaganda? Will they work together to unleash fight against God.
  • Start a fight against the Almighty is a contradiction in terms, or at least stupid.
  • But there is no rationality at play here - the devil knows he will lose, yet he fights God with all the hatred and intensity he is capable of.
• The aim is to gather the kings of all the inhabited earth into an anti-God military coalition.
• The propaganda of the dragon, the beast and the prophet will therefore focus primarily on those who hold military or political power.
  • They will succeed in convincing more and more politicians that it is imperative to join the "holy" war against God.
  • You can't fight God directly - firing missiles into the sky won't hurt God - so the war will be prepared against something that belongs to God here on earth, i.e. against one of His people.

15 Behold, I come as a thief: blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his nakedness.

• r.: indecency;
• It is an insertion into the text about the upcoming general "attack on God". The author is probably Jesus.
• Jesus sees it as important at this point to emphasize Readiness. It's obviously about a critical moment in world historywhen everyone and everything that represents God on this planet will stand together against God.
  • Whether some states will resist joining the coalition, we do not know.
• What are those who belong to God, who claim to belong to Him, to do in a desperate situation?
  • They are to keep watchA: They will need to be as sane as possible and ready to respond as best they can. Any passivity or indifference will be disastrous.
  • They're supposed to guard their clothes: To guard one's clothes usually means to keep them from being stained, from being polluted by sin. In a critical situation, there will be great pressure for the saints of God to slacken their efforts at godly living and to pollute themselves with sin.
  • But here it's worse - it's not just about pollution, but the saints seem to have to guard their clothes so they don't lose them completely and be left naked. Surely in that case it is the robe of imparted righteousness - how can one lose imparted righteousness? By losing faith.
    • A man without faith in Christ is hopelessly naked before God. His sins remain on him and are shamefully visible to God.
  • At this time in history, therefore, men will be in urgent danger of losing their justifying faith in Christ. The pressure that Christianity is harmful nonsense will be universal; the current of majority opinion, political, cultural and religious, will be so strong that it will be very difficult for Christians to swim against the tide.
• Jesus warns in advance in this direction - prepare for this period of general opposition to God.
• And he states that comes in like a thief - that is, unobtrusively, without prior warning, without any hype.
• The number one task for all Christians is to wait for His coming. We all know this in principle (this is not the only place where Jesus warns in this regard), and we also know that the wait for Christ's return will be "drawn out."
• Christians during these difficult times will not have no encouragement, no signs of impending deliverance. The days will be hard, day after day of hardship, no light at the end of the tunnel.
  • How does a typical burglar break into a house actually work? Of course, the owner wants to protect his house and takes the necessary measures in the direction of burglary prevention: day after day he carefully locks the door, checks the shutters, lets the dog into the yard, turns on the security system. But as the days go by, his vigilance weakens, the measures become routine, the zeal and care fades.
  • Then one morning the owner wakes up to find it has been burgled.
  • But how come
• Jesus' warning says: With you, my people, it must not come to this. Again and again you must kindle your zeal, again and again you must be careful to live a holy and pious life, again and again you must add oil to your lamps. On no account must you allow yourself to wake up one day and be horrified to find that I am back and you are naked and unprepared..

16 And he gathered them together into a place called in Hebrew Harmagedon.

• [probably from h. har / 'îr maggedon - i.e. the mountain / city of Megiddo;
• Jesus' cautionary interjection ends and we return to the action. Who gathered who? The "frog" demons coming out of the mouth of the unholy trinity are gathering the kings of the inhabited earth. What for? For a final battle against God.
• Here we learn where the battle is to take place, where the gathering place of the anti-God armies is to be.
• It is a Hebrew proper name - Harmagedon. This is the only occurrence of this name in the Bible.
• Interpretationally, this is a tricky one for several reasons:
  • Translation as mountain or city Megiddo (as mentioned in the CSA note) is allegedly problematic - Megiddo exists (it is west of the Sea of Galilee, southeast of Haifa) - but there is supposedly no mountain there.
  • It is a strategic place where historically several important battles took place.
  • It can also allegedly be understood as "mountain of assembly". It could therefore be a symbolic title in the sense of "the battlefield of all battlefields", instead of the final culmination of the struggle between good and evil.
• In general, the war of good and evil (God and Satan) before Christ's return culminates in the final rise of the forces of evil.
  • Just as an aside, it is worth remembering that this is not a battle between two equal opponents, as some imagine - Satan is a mere creature. God, for some reason (and He has good reasons), gives him the opportunity to express himself, but He always sets limits.
• Everything anti-God, the devil, the beast, and the Antichrist will be persuaded to wage war against the Creator. All the forces of evil will be concentrated in one place - the goal will be the destruction of both God's "people" Israel and Christians.
  • If Satan had succeeded in destroying Israel and Christians, God's plan to create and save people would not have succeeded. It would have been the devil's "victory" (even Satan's end in the lake of fire would not have made any difference).

17 Seventh Angel he poured out his bowl on the air, and a mighty voice came out of the sanctuary from the throne, saying: "It is done!"

• Finally, we are at the seventh and final bowl - the series of three times seven disasters should be over by now. Let's see if it really is.
• In any case, history is culminating - birth pangs are intensifying and thickening, Christ's return is imminent.
• This is confirmed by the voice from the throne and the sanctuary, which apparently says something like "The dice are cast", "There is no turning back". It sounds very ominous. What's next?

18 And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and a great earthquake, such as was not since man was upon the earth. . strong it was the countryshaking.

• Earthquake accompanied by "storm" symptoms and noise.
• Earthquakes are not rare in the Bible:
  • appeared during God's presence at Sinai
  • took place under King Uzziah in the 8th century BC (Amos prophesies "two years before the earthquake". Zechariah reminds them ("you fled as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah").
  • the wrath of God in more than one place
  • the earth swallowed Korach
  • Ezekiel prophesies an earthquake in a prophecy against Gog
  • Joel talks about him
  • accompanied Jesus' death and resurrection
  • took place at the opening of the prison in Philippi
  • Jesus speaks of it as the beginning of sorrows
• In the book of Revelation, earthquakes are numerous: at the opening of the 6th seal, at the casting of the censer to the earth, at the raising of the two witnesses, at the opening of the temple in heaven.
• But the revelation here is the greatest and worst of all.
• The sky will be dark, stormy and accompanied by noise.
• What will be the consequences of this mega-earthquake?

19 And the great city was rent in three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, and God gave him a cup of the wine of his burning anger. 

• The consequences of the mega-earthquake were multiple and worldwide:
• Firstly, there was tearing a great city into three partsA: The city of Babylon is meant, rather than Jerusalem, for example, although the wording is not clear - it could be that a great city is torn apart first and then Babylon comes next.
  • How can a city tear itself apart? Perhaps by creating large cracks in it that separate the parts.
• Secondly, there has been demolition many cities around the world.
• Thirdly, there was Babylon - This means either a specific city concentrating anti-God activities (e.g. New York, Rome, etc.) or Babylon is the anti-God system as such.
  • In any case, God remembered him and his unfair activities and intervened against him.
  • Just as God at some point stopped tolerating the sins of Sodom or the Canaanite nations.
  • God had long been irritated by Babylon's actions, and now He decided to give vent to His anger.

20 ⁽All the islands have disappeared⁾ and the mountains weren't by to find.

• R: And every island ran away; 
• Fourth, the earthquake was apparently accompanied by a mega-tsunami, the wave of which overwhelmed most of the normal islands.

21 Big hailstones as weights fell from heaven upon men; and men cursed God for the hailstorm, because the hailstorm was very great. 

• ř.: the weight of the talent [i.e. about 36kg];
• ř.: disgraced;
• On the heels of the megagroups.
• If we consider the real and not the symbolic significance of this blow, the destruction of the affected areas would have been total - most roofs, buildings, bridges, and all infrastructure would not have withstood the impact of ten kilograms or more of ice projectiles. Not to mention the amount of water that fell, etc.
• The earthquake did not lead to conversion or repentance, but rather stirred people up to hate God again (How could He allow or even cause such a thing).
  • People reacted similarly hostilely to heat and to ulcers.
• We see that at the final climax of history men will rather fortify their positions--God's enemies will be the more bitter in their rebellion the greater the difficulties they go through.

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1. Similarly, people obtained medical certificates that they could not wear the veil during the coward's pandemic. Just as an aside, I'm a fan of balaclavas: while the protective benefit is not great, against a little discomfort they are definitely worthwhile. ︎
2. How much of a contribution human activity I actually have, I leave aside - opinions vary widely. ︎
3. According to AI, adjusted according to World Resources Institute (WRI) analysis (2023-2024): ︎
4. I am not going to get into a discussion now about how rational the anti-carbon movement is. ︎
5. But here God does so - His chastisement is active here. ︎