Chapter 16: The Seven Last Plagues (Vials) Are Poured Out
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Chapters 16 describes these plagues (called vials here—Rev 16:2-4, 8, 10, 12, 17). They reflect God’s final judgment against the false system, called “Babylon the Great” (Rev 17:5; 18:2, 8, 10)!
The first vial is poured out upon the earth, “…and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them who worshipped his image” (Rev. 16:2). These individuals belong to the great, false church-state system.
The second plague is similar to that suffered by the Egyptians just prior to the Exodus (Ex. 7:14-25). “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” (Rev. 16:3).
Read for yourself the next three plagues. The rivers and fountains will turn to blood; the sun will become so hot that it will scorch men with fire. Darkness and pain will become unbearable. Now look at Rev 16:11. After all these plagues from God, men continued to “blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”
This last generation is so vile, corrupt and contemptuous that God will subject them to the worst punishment possible—and they still will not understand—or repent!
Christ compared these days to Noah’s time: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark” (Matt. 24:37-38).
How did God view that time? “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). We are entering that time again!
The Important Sixth Plague
The sixth of these last plagues sets the stage for the final battle to resist Christ at His Return. Forces of spiritual wickedness are released to force destruction and devastation on the inhabitants of the earth. Notice how these forces are allowed to gather: “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” (Rev. 16:12).
The Euphrates River begins in Turkey and flows south through Syria and Iraq, finally reaching the Persian Gulf. God will cause this river to dry up, enabling the “kings of the east” (leading the 200-million-man army) to easily cross over into the Holy Land. This is just a prelude—the setting of the stage—of even more significant events to come.
Rev 16:13 continues, “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [devil—Rev. 12:9], and out of the mouth of the beast [civil end-time ruler influenced by the devil], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [religious leader associated with end-time ruler].” In Revelation 17:5, this system is called “Babylon the Great.”
Rev 16:14 states, “For they are the spirits of devils [demons], 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.” These “spirits of devils” are the fallen angels who followed Lucifer (now Satan) in his insurrection against the Creator (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-17; Rev. 12:4).
Notice! This leader will be accompanied by a charismatic religious leader, who will perform miracles with the power of the devil (Rev. 19:20; 13:11-14). When the peoples of the earth witness these miracles, they will be deceived into thinking that this false system is of God, and that they are able to successfully fight what they will perceive as supernatural invaders! These two men will no doubt be possessed by demons (16:13) or the devil himself, driving this religious-political-military system toward the final battle.
Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty
The final, seductive False Prophet will lead the world to worship the beast as God (II Thes. 2:3; Rev. 13:4, 16:2 and 19:20)! This deception will be so great, so widespread, that they will even deceive mankind into fighting Christ at His Second Coming (Rev. 16:9, 13-16; 17:13-14).
The seventh plague (vial) is commonly referred to as the Battle of Armageddon. This is a misnomer. Revelation 16:16 records that they gather at “a place called” Armageddon. At this time, the Beast and False Prophet are feverishly working their final miracles to delude the masses (Rev 16:13).
Rev 16:14 reveals that the proper name of this battle is “the battle of the great day of God Almighty”—not Armageddon! This is GOD’S battle. It is not like so many famous battles today that are named after a location—such as Gettysburg, Waterloo, Verdun or Stalingrad. The battle takes place 30 miles away, outside Jerusalem. The location is not important—but God’s purpose IS!
Two major forces (the Beast and the men of the East) will see Christ coming out of the clouds (Acts 1:11-12). Considering Him their greatest threat, they will unite, forming an alliance to fight what they perceive to be their common enemy. These men will be angry. They will not submit to God’s government. They will think the true Christ is actually the “Antichrist” and will “make war with the Lamb” (Rev. 17:14).
There is no battle prophesied to occur between human armies! This last decisive battle will be fought by armies outside Jerusalem (those who gathered at Armageddon) against Christ and His saints!
One Final Greatest Earthquake
There is one final earthquake that signals that God is going to battle! This earthquake will be the most powerful earthquake of all time. Revelation 16:17-18 states, “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. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning's; and there was A GREAT EARTHQUAKE, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
This earthquake changes the entire topography of the earth. Notice Rev 16:20: “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” It appears to complete the process begun by the earthquake of Revelation 6:12-14, in which “every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” It is mentioned in Zechariah 14:1-21.
Zech 14:4 states, “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” There, Zech 14:9 states, “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth…”
At least three of the five earthquakes of Revelation are accompanied by voices, lightning, and thunder. These occur at the time of Revelation 8:5 (at the beginning of the Day of the Lord),Revelation 11:19 (after the Return of Christ), and the final earthquake of Revelation 16:18 (at the end of the seven last plagues). (Revelation 6:12 and 11:13 describe the other two earthquakes.)
For voices to be heard in the midst of an earthquake, especially when accompanied by lightning and thunder, they would have to be those of mighty angels. (Read our free bookletEarthquakes and Volcanoes in Prophecy to learn more.)