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In this chapter we have an account of the pouring forth of these vials that were filled with the wrath of God. They were poured out upon the whole antichristian empire, and on every thing appertaining to it. I. Upon the earth, Re 16:2. II. Upon the sea, Re 16:3. III. Upon the rivers and fountains of water, Re 16:4. Here the heavenly hosts proclaim and applaud the righteousness of the judgments of God. IV. The fourth vial was poured out on the sun, Re 16:8. V. The fifth on the seat of the beast. VI. The sixth on the river Euphrates. VII. The seventh in the air, upon which the cities of the nations fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God.

Analysis Of The Chapter

The previous chapter Revelation 15:1-8 had described the preparation for the last plagues that were to come upon that mighty anti-Christian power to which this series of prophetic visions refers. All is now ready; and this chapter contains the description of those seven last "plagues" under which this power would reel and fall. These "plagues" are described as if they were a succession of physical calamities that would come upon this anti-Christian power, and bring it to an end; though perhaps it is not necessary to look for a literal infliction of such calamities. The course of the exposition thus far will lead us to regard this chapter as a description of the successive blows by which the papacy will fall. A part of this is still undoubtedly future, though perhaps not far distant; and, in reference to this, and to some portions of the remainder of the book, there may be more difficulty in satisfying the mind than in the portions which pertain to past events.

The chapter comprises statements on the following points:

A command is issued from the temple to the seven angels, to go and execute the commission with which they were entrusted, Revelation 16:1.

The first angel pours out his vial upon the earth followed by a plague upon those who had worshipped the beast and his image, Revelation 16:2.

The second angel pours out his vial upon the sea - followed by the death of all that were in the sea, Revelation 16:3.

The third angel pours out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters, and they become blood. This is followed by an ascription of praise from the angel of the waters, because God had given to those who had shed the blood of the saints blood to drink, with a response from the altar that this was just, Revelation 16:4-7.

The fourth angel pours out his vial upon the sun, and an intenser heat is given to it to scorch people. The consequence is, that they blaspheme the name of God, but repent not of their sins, Revelation 16:8-9.

The fifth angel pours out his vial upon the very seat of the beast, and his kingdom is full of darkness. People still blaspheme the name of God and repent not of their sins, Revelation 16:10-11.

The sixth angel pours out his vial upon the great river Euphrates. The consequence is, that the waters of the river are dried up, so that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared. The writer sees also, in this connection, 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, that go forth into all the earth to gather all nations to the great day of the battle of God Almighty, Revelation 16:12-16.

The seventh angel pours out his vial into the air, and a voice is heard answering that "it is done:" the time of the consummation has come - the formidable anti-Christian power is to come to an end. The great city is divided into three parts; the cities of the nations fall; great Babylon thus comes up in remembrance before God to receive the punishment which is her due. This terrific scene is accompanied with voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake, and with great hail - a tempest of wrath beating upon that formidable power that had so long stood up against God, Revelation 16:17-21. The detail of the actual destruction of this power is carried forward in the subsequent chapters.

The angels are commanded to pour out their vials upon the earth, Revelation 16:1. The first pours out his vial on the earth, by which a grievous sore is produced, Revelation 16:2. The second angel pours out his trial on the sea, and it is turned into blood, Revelation 16:3. The third angel pours out his vial on the rivers and fountains, and they are turned also into blood, Revelation 16:4-7. The fourth angel pours out his vial on the sun, and men are scorched with fire, Revelation 16:8, Revelation 16:9. The fifth angel pours out his vial on the throne of the beast, Revelation 16:10, Revelation 16:11. The sixth angel pours out his vial on the river Euphrates, Revelation 16:12. Three unclean spirits come out of the mouth of the beast, dragon and false prophet: and go forth to gather all the kings of the world to battle, in the place called Armageddon, Revelation 16:13-16. The seventh angel pours out his vial on the air, on which followed thunders, lightnings, earth-quakes, and extraordinary hail, Revelation 16:17-21.

INTRODUCTION TO Revelation 16

This chapter gives an account of the pouring out of the seven vials by the angels; their orders for it are in Revelation 16:1. The first angel pours out his vial on the earth, the effect of which is a noisome and grievous sore upon the followers of antichrist, and the worshippers of his image, Revelation 16:2. The second pours out his upon the sea; the events of it are, the sea became blood, and every living creature in it died, Revelation 16:3. The third pours out his upon the rivers and fountains of water, which thereby became blood; upon which the angel of the waters applauds the justice of God, declaring the righteousness of his judgments, and giving a reason for it; and which is confirmed by another angel from the altar, Revelation 16:4. The fourth angel pours out his vial on the sun, the effects of which are, scorching men with heat, their blasphemy against God, and impenitence, Revelation 16:8. The fifth pours out his on the seat of the beast, the consequences of which are darkness in his kingdom, men gnawing their tongues because of their pains, their blasphemy of the name of God because of them, and their impenitence, Revelation 16:10. The sixth angel pours out his on the river Euphrates, and what followed upon it are, the drying up of that river to make way for the kings of the east; there unclean spirits are seen, described by their original, coming out of the mouths of the dragon, beast, and false prophet; by their form, like frogs; by their internal nature, spirits of devils; by their works, doing miracles; by the errand they are sent, and go upon, to gather the kings of the earth to the battle of God Almighty, which they succeed in; but before this is done, a declaration is made of the suddenness of Christ's coming, exciting the saints to watchfulness, and to keep their garments, that they might not be naked, and exposed to shame, Revelation 16:12 Then the seventh angel pours out his vial into the air, the consequences of which are, a voice from heaven declaring it is done: other voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake; a rupture of the great city into three parts; the fall of other cities; the remembrance of Babylon before God; the flight of every island and mountain, and a great hail storm, which causes men to blaspheme God, Revelation 16:17.

The Seven Vials. Chaps. 15, 16

The series (first three εἰς, last four ἐπὶ) of these plagues as usual consists of four and three; the former, as in the seals, affecting earth (i.e., votaries of the Imperial cultus), sea, waters, and the sun. The special object of the writer in this passage (i.e., to introduce the doom of Rome and the worshippers of the Emperor) leads him to vary the materials drawn from the Egyptian plagues which had been already used in the corresponding series of the trumpet-visions (8–9.) by defining precisely the victims of the first plague as worshippers of the Beast, by substituting the throne and realm of the Beast in the fifth plague for mankind in general, in the sixth by connecting the Parthian invasion with the Beast itself, in the seventh by introducing Rome’s fall among the physical disasters, and in the prologue by making the plagues come from God’s initiative without intercession (as Revelation 8:3 f.). How far these new touches are original or due to the influence of current traditions no longer extant, it is impossible to determine. This series of plagues is simply a free adaptation, with modifications and applications, of that in 8–9.; the prophet wishes to emphasise, by the genuinely Semitic method of recapitulation (cf. Genesis 41:32; Psalm 62:11, etc.), the sure and speedy approach of judgment.

CHAPTER 16

Revelation 16:1. ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ. Although omitted, possibly because of its seeming contradiction to Revelation 15:8, in many documents and editions (even by Tisch. 1854 and IX.), it is guaranteed by A, C, א, al., and is entirely suitable.

Revelation 16:2. Instead of ἐπὶ τ. γ. (Elz., Beng.), read εἰς τ. γ. in accordance with A, B, C (Lach., Tisch. [W. and H.]; cf., already, Griesb.). But, according to the same witnesses and א, read ἐπὶ τ. ανθρ. (Beng., Lach., Tisch. [W. and H.]), instead of εἰς τ. ἀ. (Elz.).

Revelation 16:3. ψυχὴ ζωῆς ἀπέθ., τὰ ἐν τ. θαλ. So also A, C, Lach., Tisch. [W. and H.]. The rec. ψυχ. ζῶσα ἀπέθ. ἐν τ. θαλ. (א: ἐπὶ τ. θ.) makes the text easier.

Revelation 16:5. ὅσιος. So A, B, C, Lach., Tisch. The rec. has interpolated καὶ ὁ. א has the art. without the καὶ (Tisch. IX.).

Revelation 16:7. The interpretation ἄλλου ἐκ before τοῦ θυσιαστ. (Elz.) is rejected already by Beng., Griesb., in accordance with decisive testimonies.

Revelation 16:14. The ἄ before ἐκπορεύεται (Elz., Tisch.) is satisfactorily maintained by A, B. Lach. has deleted it upon the authority of the Vulg. א1 has the inf. indorsed by Ew. ii.; it is corrected: ἐκπορεύεται, without ἂ.

Revelation 16:17. The ἀπὸ before τοῦ ναοῦ (B, Elz., Tisch.) is to be preferred to the ἐκ (A, Beng., Lach., Tisch. IX. [W. and H.]), because the latter appears to be written in order to mark the ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ in distinction from the ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου. א has only ἐκ τ. ναοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ.

Revelation 16:18. ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο. So A, 38, Lach., Tisch. Elz. (Beng., Griesb. [W. and H.]), with B, verss., interpret: οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐγένοντο.

At the command of a voice sounding forth from the heavenly temple, the seven angels pour forth their vials upon the earth; yet the plagues caused thereby not only work no repentance in the inhabitants of the earth worshipping the beast, but have rather the effect of leading them to the open blasphemy of God who has sent these plagues.[3662] The more certainly, therefore, must these hardened men incur the now immediately impending final judgment, to which Revelation 16:15 also expressly alludes.

[3662] Revelation 16:9; Revelation 16:11; Revelation 16:21.

All seven vials are poured forth successively, without interruption; for such does not occur either at Revelation 16:5-7, or at Revelation 16:7. This, as well as the circumstance also that the number seven of the vials appears to be resolved neither into three and four, as the epistles,[3663] nor into four and three, as the seals and trumpets,[3664] nor even into five and two,[3665]—for the separation so prominent in the former series of visions, which could be found here with equal right in Revelation 16:5 sqq., vv., 9, 11, 15, nevertheless dare be exclusively sought in none of these passages,—corresponds to the haste with which now the end itself, before which these last plagues (Revelation 15:1) still lie, draws on. That the vials have their place so directly before the actual end, is expressed also by the fact that the plagues proceeding therefrom are limited no longer to the third of the earth and its inhabitants,—as was the case in the trumpet-plagues, which, however, were already still more violent than the seal-plagues pertaining only to a fourth,—but they are inflicted upon the entire number of the inhabitants of the earth worshipping the beast (Revelation 16:2; Revelation 16:8 sqq.), and all the sea, together with all that lives therein. The special parallelizing of the vials with the trumpets, which occurs in the sense of the recapitulation theory,[3666] divides the progress, so clearly occurring and always accelerated, of the development which presses with great intensity to the catastrophe. Already the first vial has in its effect no analogy whatever with the first trumpet, so that the text of itself presents an obstacle to arbitrary parallelizing. The analogies which occur between vials 2, 3, and trumpets 2, 3, vial 6 and trumpet 6, vial 7 and seal 6, give no basis whatever for the recapitulation-parallelism, partly because the other numbers of the vials, trumpets (and seals) do not agree, partly because the seeming parallels are essentially distinguished from one another also in individual points;[3667] partly, also, because a certain repetition of particular means of plague, which, however, forms also a gradation of the same, was indeed unavoidable, since, for a thrice-repeated sevenfold series of visions, the sphere whence the prophetic contemplation of the plagues must be developed could not always offer new forms,—and such plagues particularly must appear to be repeated, as presented themselves after the type of the Egyptian plagues to the contemplating mind of John.

[3663] Cf. p. 145.

[3664] Cf. pp. 256, 315 sq. So in this passage, Beng., Eichh., Ewald, Züllig.

[3665] Cf. De Wette.

[3666] Cf. Introduction, p. 13 sq.

[3667] Cf., e.g., vial 6 with trumpet 6.