Thematic Bible: The seven vials of wrath


Thematic Bible



Then I saw another great, marvelous portent in heaven. There were seven angels with seven plagues which are to be the last, for they complete the expression of God's wrath. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and standing upon the sea of glass those who had come off victorious from the animal and its statue and the number corresponding to its name. They had harps that God had given them, and they were singing the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your doings, Lord God Almighty! Upright and true are your ways, King of the Ages! read more.
Who will not fear and give glory to your name, Lord? For you alone are holy. All the heathen will come and worship before you, for the justice of your sentences has now been shown." Afterward I saw the temple, that is, the tent of the testimony, thrown open in heaven, and the seven angels with the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were clothed in clean, glistening linen and had gold belts around their breasts. Then one of the four animals gave the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were over.

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple say to the seven angels, "Go and empty the seven bowls of God's wrath upon the earth!" So the first angel went and emptied his bowl upon the earth, and loathsome, painful sores attacked the men who bore the mark of the animal and worshiped its statue. The second emptied his bowl upon the sea, and it turned into blood like a dead man's, and every live thing in the sea died. read more.
The third emptied his bowl upon the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. Then I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are just in pronouncing this sentence, you who are and were, the Holy One; for they shed the blood of your people and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, as they deserve." And I heard the altar answer, "Yes, Lord God Almighty! Your sentences are true and just." The fourth emptied his bowl upon the sun, and it was allowed to scorch mankind with its heat, and they were dreadfully scorched, but they reviled the name of God who had control of these plagues, and would not repent and give him glory. The fifth emptied his bowl upon the animal's throne, and its kingdom was plunged in darkness, and men gnawed their tongues in anguish and reviled the God of heaven for their sufferings and sores, but they would not repent of what they had done. The sixth emptied his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its waters dried up to make the way ready for the kings from the east. Then I saw three foul spirits like frogs emerge from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the animal and from the mouth of the false prophet. They are demon spirits that perform wonders, and they go out to the kings all over the world to muster them for battle on the great Day of God Almighty. (See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who keeps awake, and keeps hold of his clothes, so that he will not have to go naked and be put to shame!) So they mustered the kings at the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. The seventh emptied his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is all over!" Then there were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, and there was a great earthquake; there has never been such an earthquake since man first existed upon the earth, it was so great. The great city broke into three pieces, the cities of the heathen fell, and God remembered to give mighty Babylon the cup of the wine of his fierce anger. Every island vanished, the mountains disappeared, huge hailstones of immense weight fell on mankind from heaven, and men reviled God because of the plague of hail, the plague of it was so terrible.