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Revelation 16 - Simple English

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Read Revelation Chapter 16

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1Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."

2The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. A foul and painful sore came on the people who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshipped his image.

3The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. It became like the blood of a dead man, and every living soul in the sea died.

4The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.

5And I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are righteous, O Lord, who are, and who were, and who shall be, because you have judged in this way."

6"For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it."

7And I heard another voice from the altar say, "Yes, Lord God Almighty, your judgments are true and righteous."

8The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun. The sun was given power to scorch people with fire.

9People were scorched with great heat. They spoke against the name of God, who has power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.

10The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. His kingdom was full of darkness, and people bit their tongues because of the pain.

11They spoke against the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of what they had done.

12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water was dried up, so that the way might be made ready for the kings from the east.

13And 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.

14They are the spirits of devils, and they work miracles. They go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them for the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15"Look, I come like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes on, so that he does not walk naked and people see his shame."

16And he gathered them together to a place called in the Hebrew language Armageddon.

17The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. A loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done."

18There were voices, and thunders, and lightnings. And there was a great earthquake, such as there had never been since people were on the earth. It was so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God remembered great Babylon, and gave her the cup of the wine of his fierce wrath.

20Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21And huge hail from heaven fell on people, each stone about the weight of a talent. People spoke against God because of the plague of the hail, for that plague was very great.

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Explanation

Revelation 16

In short

Seven angels pour out God's judgment on the earth in rapid succession. Each bowl brings a different plague, growing in scale and destruction, yet those struck down refuse to turn from their opposition to God. The passage ends with the final bowl unleashing cosmic destruction and the gathering of nations at Armageddon.

Context

This chapter continues the visions John received on the island of Patmos. Earlier in Revelation, John saw a scroll sealed with seven seals, and when opened, it led to seven trumpets of judgment. Now, in chapter 16, seven more judgments unfold as seven bowls are poured out. A voice from the temple commands the angels to begin. The text shows the consequences unfolding for those allied with the beast and his system, and also records testimony that God's judgments are righteous.

What the text says

A voice commands seven angels to pour out bowls of God's wrath on the earth (verse 1). The first through third angels bring painful sores on those with the beast's mark, blood in the sea, and blood in all fresh waters. The angel overseeing waters declares God's judgment just because these people shed the blood of saints (verses 2-7). The fourth angel scorches people with heat, yet they blaspheme and do not repent (verses 8-9). The fifth brings darkness and pain to the beast's kingdom, and again people blaspheme and refuse to repent (verses 10-11). The sixth dries the Euphrates to prepare the way for eastern kings (verse 12). Three frog-like unclean spirits emerge from the dragon, beast, and false prophet, gathering the world's rulers for battle at Armageddon (verses 13-16). The seventh angel pours his bowl into the air, a voice declares "It is done," and the greatest earthquake ever recorded splits the great city, topples nations' cities, and hailstones of enormous weight fall on men (verses 17-21).

Takeaways

  • Each plague targets those who refused God, yet refusal deepens rather than breaks.
  • The judgments are framed as righteous response to bloodshed and rebellion.
  • The final bowl signals completion and brings the conflict toward its climax at Armageddon.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.