The 7 Vials which contain the "wrath of God". If you have studied with us through the 7 Seals and the 7 Trumpets then you will have no difficulty whatsoever with the 7 Vials, for you will see that they are exactly the same as the 7 Trumpets and are exactly in the same order. You will see! Let's begin!
That which follows in chapter 16 will be the pouring out of the "wrath of God" which as stated in verse 2 will be upon only those who are deceived, i.e. have the "seal of Satan", the mark of the beast, in their foreheads, and who worship his image.Rev. 16:1
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.
We have documented many times what the "mark of the beast" is. It is deception, "the seal of Satan", the lack of the "seal of God", His Word, in your mind. But many have asked "What is the image of the beast"? Some have suggested that his "image" is the Picture on the screens of TV's and Computers as he holds services and broadcasts to the world. And that will happen. But such is his picture and not his image. In fact it will be the "picture" of his "image". Why?
Because the "Image of the Beast" is that which Satan "imagines" himself to be, which is Jesus Christ. In other words the Beast, Satan, "sets himself up" as Jesus Christ and presents that "Image" to the world. It is a deception, a mirage, a smokescreen! It is a mere image! It is his IMAGE and NOT REALITY! And he causes the deceived people of the world to worship his "Imaginary Christ", making them believing that he is Christ, when in fact he is really "the Beast".
You see, no one would worship "the Beast" if they believed he was "the Beast"! "Oh look honey, there's the Beast, that old devil himself, let's worship him as Jesus!" They WON'T KNOW he's "the Beast"! They will IMAGINE that he is Jesus Christ because that is the "Image" he has created! Do you see? That's what it means when we read "they worshipped his image".
Note: Most politicians try to create an image of themselves to the public. Many of them whom the public perceive as great guys and gals, all for the good of the people, are really a bunch of lowlifes. Test their fruit, don't believe their image!
We're now ready for the 1st Vial. As we study these Vials,
which are in the exact same order as the Trumpets, we will first Hear the
Sounding of the Trumpet and then See the Pouring of the Vial.
Here the 1st Trump and the 1st Vial:
These two verses set the stage for what is happening here with the Trumps and the Vials. The hail and fire of the 1st Trump is the wrath (hail) and the Word of God (fire) "mixed with" or cast upon all of mankind (symbolized by blood). And as we've discussed, His "wrath" represented by the Vials, do not affect His children. Were not talking about the mingling, the whole "enchilada", but only the "wrath" portion which is poured out on those who are deceived and worship Satan as Jesus.Rev. 8:7
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.Rev. 16:2 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.
And so God's children are NOT MENTIONED even one time in the 7 Vials, because the Vials do not apply to them. Period!
The Vials then are simply the effect of what the events of the 7 Trumpets will have on those who (in the end) had the mark of the beast and "are worshipping" (as the Companion Bible documents) his image, which we just explained. Actually, the past tense in verse 2 reveals the fact that they already have the mark of beast, i.e. they are already deceived with "apple and snake stories" and "rapture fly-away tales" and the rest of the traditions of men, and they WILL BE seduced by the spurious messiah when he is cast out of heaven in Rev. 12:7-9. They have no idea that there are two Jesus Christs. Mention that to them and they look at you like you're nuts. They think Satan comes to earth as some bad dude who will be going around killing people after they're gone! But they are already gone, gone from the reality of His Word and gone from common sense.
And we have already noted that the wrath of God is not directed, and will NOT BE POURED OUT on His children. So when the "fire" from the altar, the truth of God, is cast upon the earth, it warms the heart of His "ministers of fire" (Heb. 1:7), His children, but it infuriates and scorches and consumes "stubble". You can witness this yourself on TV whenever the liberal left gods and goddesses are confronted with "facts" and "substance" by those who are "right", they become infuriated and usually resort to name calling. It's a hoot to watch!
So whereas when we see the verses depicting the Trumpets aligned with the vials, they will say "the third part" was "killed" (spiritually that is), while the vials will be all inclusive for they concern only those who worship Satan as Jesus AND do not make it before the return of Christ, i.e. they do not repent and will be placed in the "winepress of His wrath" when He returns and they will go through Millennium. Do not confuse the winepress of His wrath with the vials. The winepress occurs at harvest time, when the sickles are thrust in, at the 7th Trump, when as you will see in the 6th Vial, His enemies are gathered at "Harmagedon". We'll discuss this more when we get to the 6th Vial.
One more important point. You will notice that with the rest of the Trumpets and Vials, as they Sound and Pour respectively, that there is an exact parallel in terminology in both, for they are exactly the same. Only the Vials are a "close up" of His wrath upon those who don't make it, upon those who worship the image of the beast!
Keep it simple. There's nothing complicated here at all!
Here's the 2nd Trump and 2nd Vial. Sound the Trumpet and Pour the Vial.
Hopefully you remember what the "sea" is from the times we referred to Rev. 17:15. The sea and waters are the peoples of the earth. As a refresher, here it is again: Rev. 17:15 "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."Rev. 8:8
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;Rev. 16:3 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.
Now notice in 16:3 that it is "every living soul died". Again it is "everyone in Rev. 16:3" meaning it is every living person who worships the image of the beast. And do you know that those who don't "make it" in the first resurrection and who must go through the Millennium, i.e. all those in Rev. 16:3, are and will be called "the dead" during that period. Why? Because they still have mortal souls.
Note: We're not going to go into great detail about what the Vials are since they are the same as the Trumps. If you don't remember what the Trumps are then you should go back to chapter 8 and review each one. The great burning mountain, if you recall, is His Word!
And now the 3rd Vial. Remember it's Hear the Sound, Pour the Vial. What team work!
These are the only two verses containing "rivers and fountains" in Revelation, or in the entire New Testament for that matter, for they speak of the same thing. Again, the detailed explanation of the 3rd Trump will explain this verse to you. But here is some more detail of this Vial which concerns specifically those who are the enemies of His children, i.e. the kenites. You will also notice that we are also told why they "got it coming"!Rev. 8:10
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;Rev. 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
He is righteous because He judged fairly, i.e. they deserved His wrath! They earned it! They had it coming! Why?[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.
"For they are worthy" means "they are worthy of His judgment", i.e. they deserve it. Christ elaborated on this verse 6 for us in Mat. 23 as He addressed the kenites, the descendents of Cain, face to face. Ever done that? Some will get that opportunity when they are delivered up in the synagogues in Mat. 24 and Mark 13! Kenites are real snakes and they will beat on you hard! Here's Jesus talking to the kenites:[6] For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
"They", the kenites, "have shed the blood of the saints and prophets". Our Father is not too happy about that, needless to say. How happy would you be towards those who murdered your kids?Matthew 23:31-36
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
You guys live up to your father's reputation, i.e. you carry Cain's "stigma", his mark.[32] Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
They could if they would repent and accept the Lord as their savior, but it doesn't seem too likely.[33] Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
If you are a true servant of God and teach the doctrines of the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia (Rev. 2:9 and 3:9) concerning those who are of the synagogue of Satan, then expect trouble ahead![34] Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Right in the House of God they murdered a righteous man of God. They have no morals or shame, just like their father Cain, the first murderer, because they are his offspring, his children. Christ said so as He also addressed the kenites in John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."[35] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Christ concludes His address to the kenites with the warning of wrath.
So you can count on it! They are going to get His wrath. And what else do we learn about the pouring out of this 3rd Vial?Mat. 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Even His wrath upon the kenites is an act of love. For in their severe chastisement lies their hope of "how they can escape the damnation of hell". It's called "tough love".Rev. 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Here's Trumpet and Vial number 4, the Sounding and Pouring.
This is real simple concerning the rest of those in verse one who are deceived. God's Word, the light, the truth, the sun, is going to scorch those who aren't "sealed in their foreheads" with it. I think Christ made this point before in His parables concerning trying to plant the seed, the Word of God, in their foreheads:Rev. 8:12
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.Rev. 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Yes He did make that point. So listen up! If you're not founded in His Word you'll be turned into "Christian Crispies" when the sun comes up (I use that phrase because remember they are all worshipping the image of the beast, which is Jesus the Fake.)Matthew 13:6
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.Mark 4:6
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Not only that, but just wait until they start messing with the "heavy hitters", the two flame throwers, i.e. the two witnesses of Rev. 11. They will bring forth some great heat to those who say the two witnesses are not of God, because they are of God! That in itself is blaspheming God's name!Rev. 16:9 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.
This is the true "Scorched Earth" policy!Rev. 11:5
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Now the 5th angels do their thing, sound and pour.
Remember the 5th, 6th and 7th Trumps are "Woe Trumps". What's that make the 5th, 6th and 7th Vials? The 5th Trump releases the locust army and the "smoke" from the pit causes his "kingdom to be full of darkness". And what of these who sit on the seat with the beast, upon whom this vial is poured and truth confronts them? Here's how they react:Rev. 9:1-2
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. [2] And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.Rev. 16:10 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,
They will be blaspheming God by claiming they are of God and will be sore because those darn "bruisers" are a "pain in their ***" (backside)! Will they repent? Not! They will be swarming like a great cloud of crazy locusts![10]... 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.
Next we will see that the 6th and 7th Vials exactly parallel the 6th and 7th Trumps. And you know what? When we are finished with the Vials you will be able look back upon your studies and SEE that the false messiah, Satan himself, is present in the 6th Seal, the 6th Trump, and 6th Vial.
"666" Amazing isn't it!
The Word of God is perfect.
Now we'll we conclude our study of the 7 Vials containing the wrath of God, which is poured out "upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image". We have seen that the Vials are simply another view of the 7 Trumps, focusing on the "recipients of the wrath" and not the children of God who have no part in it other than to witness it.
We are now ready for the 6th Vial. And since the Vials are the same as the Trumps, we have been "Hearing" the Trumpet 1st and then "Seeing" the Pouring out of the Vial. (This allows both your "ears to hear" and "eyes to see" to work together for a better understanding.)
These two verses are the only two verses in the entire New Testament that speak of the great river Euphrates and that is because they speak of the same event. What is that event?Rev. 9:14
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.Rev. 16:12
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.
It is the great river Euphrates upon which Babylon sits, where resides the king of Babylon, who you will recall from the Book of Daniel is a "type" representing Satan. Remember we learned in chapter 12 of Revelation that Satan and his angels are now "bound", i.e. restrain, by Michael and his angels. But Satan and his angels will soon be "loosed" and cast to this earth. It happens at the 6th Trump and the 6th Vial and it is "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth".
So the event of the 6th Trump and 6th Vial is the "un-bounding", the "loosing", the casting out of Satan and his angels upon the earth. It is the event of Rev. 12:7-9.
Who then are the "kings of the east" in verse 16:12? They are simply the kings who reign with Satan during the hour of temptation, when he is cast out. Let's look at the Hebrew definition of "Euphrates" in Strong's Concordance to gain more insight.
Perath, per-awth', Hebrew 6578; from an unused root meaning to break forth; rushing; Perath (i.e. Euphrates), a river of the East :- Euphrates.The kings of the east are of the great Euphrates, a river of the east. We will talk about these kings in the next chapter, chapter 17 of Revelation. Meanwhile, here's a sneak preview:
You know, the continuity of the symbols and the events of Revelation are absolutely astounding. We are going to read of the gathering of "these kings who are going to make war with the Lamb" in the next two verses here in chapter 16. Let's do it.Rev. 17:12-14
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Don't complicate this verse. First of all the dragon, the beast and the false prophet are all names, rolls if you will, of one and the same entity, Satan himself. The three evil spirits that come out of his mouth are just that, "evilness". They aren't real frogs, but frogs are very unclean creatures, i.e. not to be eaten, to which these spirits are likened. The next verse clarifies it and shows what Satan's up to.Rev. 16:13 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.
As Dr. Moffat translates it, they are "demonic-spirits". These two verses simply describe the evilness of Satan, the miracle worker himself, who goes forth and gathers the kings of the earth to prepare to do battle with Christ at the 7th Trump, whom he knows is coming! Verse 16 will tell us where he gathers them to. Of course everyone knows where Christ returns, even Satan, so that will be no new revelation.[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.
The next verse is a parenthetical verse. That means it should have parenthesis around it because it's a break in thought (Many translations do). It is just a little whisper of the voice of Lord, a little hello reminder, to those who are not partaking of the wrath, but who are watching. Are you watching it? Stay on guard!
A thief comes when no one is expecting him, like in the middle of the night when it's dark. (Didn't we read,earlier that at the 5th Trump and 5th Vial, "his kingdom was full of darkness")? Yes we did.[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.)
Now think about it. The whole world will be worshipping the false messiah and will think that Jesus is ALREADY HERE! (They're in the dark all right!) So obviously they won't be looking for Him and they won't be expecting Him! All of a sudden at the 7th Trump, SURPRISE! They will all be caught with their pants down getting seduced by their lover, Satan! But don't you be caught. Keep your gospel armour on!
Also, there's nothing new about this statement describing the surprise of Christ's return to the unsuspecting. Peter, in 2 Pet. 3:10, and Paul, in 1 Thes. 5, both told us that Christ's return will come like a thief in the night to those who aren't watching for Him. Again, why won't they be expecting Him? They will think Jesus has already returned and it's heaven on earth, peace and safety, all is well.
Let's return to Revelation and see what old frog breath is up to!
Whose the "them" he has gathered? The kings of the earth from verse 14! Where's Armageddon? Wrong! It's not the valley of Megiddo! It is a place "called" in the "Hebrew" language "Meggidown" and it means "rendezvous" or "gathering place of the crowd".Rev. 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Do you recall in chapter 11 where Satan's angels are gathered when they are slain? In the temple in Jerusalem. That's where Satan will gather his troops. That's where Jesus Christ is returning.
So the kings are gathered. Sound the 7th Trump and Pour out the 7th Vial!
When this seventh angel pours out his vial into the "air", the flesh age is over. It is done! This word "air" does not mean the sky. Look it up in Strong's Concordance. It means "to breath unconsciously", breath in and out, to respire, blow.Rev. 10:7
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.Rev. 16:17 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.
The apostle Paul very eloquently explained this, which seems to be a mystery to most people, and that is the fact that when Christ returns, AT THE LAST TRUMP, and not a moment before like in some secret whisking away of the "goodie, goodie, two shoes", we are all changed into spiritual bodies, the breath of life body, the "air", INSTANTLY.
So when we gather back to Him, as Paul explained in 1 Thes. 4:17, we will meet Him in the "air", our breath of life body. Again, the word "air" does not mean sky. You must look it up and do your own homework!1 Cor. 15:51-52
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Ok, the 7th Vial has been poured out, which means the 7th Trump has sounded. What else do we see?
Here's more of the 7th Trump:
Here's more of the 7th Vial:Rev. 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
They are identical, except for there is hail listed in the Trump but not listed in the Vial. Well guess what? The hail is listed separately in the last verse of this chapter 16, for it the last "physical" act of wrath in this flesh age, and will destroy the armies of Hamon-gog in Ezek. 39 and Armageddon, which we just read of. The Word of God is so full of wonders!Rev. 16:18 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.
The Mount of Olives has been split in two and the great city, Jerusalem, has been divided into three parts. The grapes are now squeezed in the winepress of Rev. 15:20!Rev. 16:19 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.
What else do we learn from the 7th Vial?
Islands and mountains are symbolic of governments and nations. They're history! They're gone! They belong to Him now! They are all under the "Rod of Iron". This verse is just another way to express this same event of the 7th Trump and 7th Vial. Here's the Trump version:Rev. 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
It's all over, pal!Rev. 11:15
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Oh well! They will have a thousand years to change their attitudes and turn to our Father or their names will simply be blotted out of the books and they will perish with old frog breath in the lake of fire.Rev. 16:21 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.
Leapin' Lizards!