Revelation 16

1. What does the 1st bowl represent?
2. What does the 2nd bowl represent?
3. What does the 3rd bowl represent?
4. What does the 4th bowl represent?
5. What does the 5th bowl represent?
6. What does the 6th bowl represent?
7. What does the 7th bowl represent?

Futurist-Prophecy yet to be fulfilled
1. Prior to the 2nd coming, a plague of sores will infest sinful humanity. The sores may be literal, symbolic, or both. God will cause them directly or indirectly.
2. This bowl finishes the job of the 2nd trumpet destroying either the literal sea or the gentiles at the end of the tribulation
3. Some see this as the removal of all pleasure while others view it literally
4. Most believe the sun symbolizes the Revived Roman Empire wreaking havoc, but others view this as a literal, natural, and direct judgment from God
5. This may be, symbolically, God’s wrath overcoming the antichrists kingdom OR it may be literal darkness (allowing the 200,000,000 million man army to move undetected)
6. The world (probably initiated by China/Japan/India, but later spreading to Europe and the world) will unite for one final battle against its opposition at the plain of Megiddo.
7. Perhaps a literal earthquake or the results of a worldwide nuclear exchange bring about the fall of Rome and/or Babylon. The next event to occur, chronologically, is the return of Christ to establish His millennial kingdom

Historicist-Prophecy fulfilled throughout the church age
1. The majority equate the bowl with the French Revolution in which 2 million died in 5 years and the power of the Popes in France was shattered
2. This describes the naval disasters that swept away the fleets of France
3. Napoleon began his career of victories with the invasion of Italy, on the same waters on which the papacy had killed many of its opponents
4. This may represent the power of Napoleon to destroy his enemies
5. As a result of all these attacks, the papacy began to weaken, but they continued to blaspheme with 2 new false doctrines (Immaculate Conception of Mary- 1854 & Infallibility of the Pope when speaking ex-cathedra 1870)
6. The Turkish Empire fell (dried up) in 1918 clearing the way for the Gospel to reach the kings of the east. The 3 spirits are usually identified as some combination of: Paganism, the Papacy, Islam, Communism, and Judaism. The battle of Armageddon may be a metaphor for spiritual conflict, but 20th century historicists interpreted the World Wars as Armageddon. Modern historicists see the final Armageddon as the consummation of the arms age.
7. Modern historicists tend to view this as do futurists (except that they see it specifically as the final overthrow of the Papacy.

Preterist-Prophecy fulfilled in distant past
1. This may be the fulfillment of Deut. 28:27+35. This almost certainly occurred literally in 1st century Jerusalem, but also holds symbolic value.
2. If this refers to judgment on Rome, the parallelism with the 2nd trumpet makes sense. If this refers to judgment on Jerusalem, Josephus seems to give historical support for the imagery.
3. Pollution of the water sources did occur during the siege of Jerusalem. Verse 6 seems to point powerfully to Jews as the guilty party (Matthew 23:31-39)
4. Jewish leadership oppressed its citizens before its demise fulfilling Deut. 28:22. The tyranny of Roman leaders or the ruthlessness of the Goths/Vandals may be in view if Rome is the recipient of this judgment
5. The vast majority of preterists see the throne of the beast as Rome. Even those preterists who see this as a judgment on Jerusalem envision the whole world as participative (3:10). The darkness could refer to Nero’s suicide and the chaos it created in the Roman Empire.
6. The drying up of the Euphrates was already a symbol of defeat (Cyrus vs. Babylon). Armageddon was already a symbol for intense warfare (Deborah, Barak, Ahaziah, Josiah, etc). The coming of Christ in verse 15 isn’t the 2nd coming, but is the fulfillment of Jesus words in Matthew 16:27-28.
7. The old covenant was initiated with an earthquake (Exodus 19:16-19) and so it would end with another (Hebrews 12:26-28). The three parts refers to Ezekiel’s illustration (Ezekiel 5:1-12) and/or the warring divisions within the city. The hail may have been stones hurled by Roman catapults (Josephus).

Spiritualist-Prophecy provides principles applicable many times
1. While God’s trumpets are warnings, His bowls are punishment. This bowl is usually seen as death in general.
2. The sea has been the instrument of death for many individuals through history
3. God has the ability to suit the punishment to the crime of the individual
4. Many have died as a result of natural disasters
5. When worldly powers fall…they tend to take many with them
6. This is viewed as God’s final elimination of various enemies through history
7. Bowl 6 destroyed God’s enemies, bowl 7 erases them