After the Rapture – The Seven Bowl Judgments
This third and final set of seven events is called the Vial or Cup Judgments. These world-altering events occur during the second half of the Great Tribulation. One disturbing fact that I came across while reading about these judgments is the reaction of the unsaved to God despite His amazing display of His Power. After witnessing the amazing events unleashed on the world in the first three and a half years of the Great Tribulation, the surviving unbelievers still see opposition to God.
The bowl/vessel judgments are similar to the trumpet judgments with three key exceptions.
- The cup/cup judgments focus on the entirety of unbelieving mankind taking the mark of the beast.
- These judgments are unleashed for the purpose of total devastation.
- These judgments do not offer the opportunity for redemption. Anyone who takes the mark of the beast is lost forever.
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Judgment of the first vial/bowl
Revelation 16:2: And he was the first, and poured out his vial on the earth; and there came a noise and a sore sore on the men who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshiped his image.
Painful sores or boils will break out on the bodies of human beings who have accepted the mark of the beast.
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Judgment of the second vial/bowl
Revelation 16:3: And the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea; and he became like the blood of a dead man; and he died in the sea every living thing.
This judgment falls on the world’s oceans (the remaining two-thirds). I believe the oceans will be stripped of their life-sustaining oxygen, causing all living things to die. Imagine all living things dying and floating on the surface of the oceans, decomposing and causing an unbearable stench and, with it, disease. This will also further cripple the world’s water supply and perhaps wipe out what’s left of the fishing industry.
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Judgment of the third vial/bowl
Revelation 16:4: And the third angel poured out his vial on the rivers and on the springs of waters; and they turned to blood.
The remaining water sources in the world will be corrupted, turning into blood. Some will argue that it is not a literal blood change. However, it has happened before during the plagues that were unleashed on Egypt during the time of Moses. If it wasn’t a leap for Jesus to turn water into wine, turning water into blood shouldn’t be discounted.
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Judgment of the Fourth Vial/Bowl
Revelation 16:8 – 9: And the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun; and he was given power to burn men with fire. And men burned with the great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent to give him glory.
A heat wave of unimaginable proportions will sweep across the land, burning people as if “set on fire.” This is just a taste of hell for the planet, as there is no water and there is a great deal of fire-like heat. This also echoes Jesus’ description of hell in Luke 16:23-24 where they will be without water to quench their thirst.
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Judgment of the Fifth Vial/Bowl
Revelation 16: 10 – 11: And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the beast’s seat; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they bit their tongues in pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of his works.
Have you ever been in total darkness for an extended period of time? I have it and it scared me. Not in the sense that he was scared though, but rather that being in total darkness does something terrible to the senses. You can’t see anything at all. Combine that with an unquenchable thirst and searing heat. No wonder men bit their tongues! It starts to look like the description of hell itself; total psychological and physical torment.
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Judgment of the Sixth Flask/Bowl
Revelation 16:12: And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates; and the water of it dried up, so that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
This passage describes the setting of the Battle of Armageddon.
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Judgment of the seventh cup/bowl
Revelation 16: 17 – 21: And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying: It is done. And there were voices, thunder and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as there has not been since there were men on earth, such a strong earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and Babylon the great came in remembrance before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled, and the mountains were not found. And great hail fell upon men from heaven, each stone weighing a talent; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; because his plague was very great.
This is the worst of all God’s Judgments. The largest earthquake in the history of the world will occur after God proclaims “It’s over!” Babylon, the capital of the world will be divided in three and all the cities of the world will be devastated. The mountains will be flattened and the islands will disappear. Island nations like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and places like Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam, and Cuba will likely cease to exist. The landscape of the world will be ugly and bare. There will be no hiding places for the rest of the beast’s worshippers, no caves, no buildings… nothing. Then the worst storm in the history of mankind will break loose. Hail weighing approximately 75 pounds (one talent) will fall from heaven. This is where terminal velocity comes into play. The terminal velocity is called the constant maximum velocity attained by a body falling through the atmosphere under the pull of gravity. Without doing the algebra here, the terminal velocity of a 75-pound object falling through the atmosphere is 370 miles per hour! Imagine if you can, the total demolition that occurs when these objects reach the bare surface of the earth. Consider the wind speed required to create and sustain hail of this magnitude. The wind speed has been calculated to be about 3,170 miles per hour! There is no doubt that this will be a storm like no other in history.
