The Bible Says
Revelation 16:1-2 Meaning

In Revelation 16:1-2, the Apostle John gives us a dramatic window into the outpouring of God’s final judgments which are seven bowls poured out by seven angels. We have already seen in Revelation 15:1, that “seven angels who had seven plagues” represent the completion of God’s wrath-His judgment against the rebellious systems of the earth:

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.”
(Revelation 15:1)

The Greek word translated as “is finished” in Revelation 15:1 is “teleo,” which signifies something brought to its fullness. We saw that Chapter 15 began and ended by asserting that the seven plagues from the seven bowls poured out by the seven angels would bring God’s judgment to an end, as the last verse explains that no one was able to enter the temple “until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished” (Revelation 15:8).

We saw in the last verses of Chapter 14 that what is sometimes referred to as the “grapes of wrath” are now fully ripened for the harvest of judgment; the evil deeds of those living on earth are complete and will now be judged. Then, at the end of Chapter 15, we saw the heavenly temple filled with God’s glory and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were “teleo” (“were finished,” Revelation 15:8).

Now Chapter 16 brings us into the actual pouring-out of these seven bowls, of the seven plagues by the seven angels. The number seven in scripture pictures completion, as in the end of creation occurring on the seventh day. Chapter 15 began and ended with “teleo”-that this event would mark completion, and the trio of sevens also says, “This is the end.”

The bowl judgments are the third of a set of three sevens. The seventh seal from the seven seal judgments revealed the seven trumpet judgments (Revelation 8:1-2). At the seventh trumpet, the messianic kingdom was proclaimed. Now is revealed the seven bowl judgments which will bring God’s wrath to its fullness (Revelation 11:15, 16:1).

In verse 1 of Chapter 16, John writes

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

Together with the previous verse, Revelation 15:8, we see another trio of sevens. We see in verse 1 seven angels pouring out seven bowls of God’s wrath. This would bring about “seven plagues,” as we saw from the previous verse (Revelation 15:8).

We can note that the command to the seven angels comes directly from the temple (v.1), underscoring that this action is initiated by God Himself. The temple here is best understood as the heavenly temple (Revelation 11:19). This is the real temple in heaven upon which the earthly tabernacle was based (Hebrews 8:5). This is where God’s presence resides in heaven, and from His presence comes this loud voice with the authority to instruct the seven angels-spiritual messengers charged with delivering His judgments.

The comprehensive scope of God’s wrath is emphasized in the phrase, on the earth (v.1). Later, bowls are poured out upon the sea, the rivers, and the sun, indicating that no part of creation remains untouched by these final judgments. This echoes the plagues against Egypt (Exodus 7-10), where God demonstrated His sovereignty over all domains-land, water, and sky-in His opposition to Pharoah and the vast power of his empire. Except in this case, God’s judgment is global.

Now God performs the same basic exercise He performed in Egypt upon the kingdom of the beast, which spans the entire earth. God performed ten plagues on Egypt, but with these bowl judgments God will have performed a trio of sevens upon the entire earth. This again indicates that the deliverance of Israel from Egypt foreshadowed the deliverance of God’s people at the end of the age. The number seven symbolizes completion, as in seven days of creation. The trio of sevens emphasizes that this is the final judgment.

We saw in Revelation 6:16 that the leaders of the beast’s global order recognize the power and majesty of Jesus, the Lamb. But rather than submit to Him, they hardened their hearts in the same manner as Pharoah (Exodus 8:15, 32, 9:34). Although God is patient, willing that none should perish, eventually human iniquity reaches a tipping point and God brings His judgment (2 Peter 3:9).

We saw this in Genesis when God judged the earth with the flood only after it filled with violence, and after He “gave notice” for a period exceeding a century (Genesis 6:3,13). We saw in Genesis 15:16, that God waited over four hundred years to bring Israel into the land because “the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

Now the judgment that His people have been praying for is about to occur (Revelation 6:10). Typically, God’s wrath is giving people over to the natural consequences of their choices, as described in Romans 1:18, 24, 26, 28. In this case, God’s wrath is pouring out judgment on evil and wickedness. Those who are persecuting and killing His people will soon have delivered upon them what they delivered on others.

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. (v.2)

Like the Egyptian plague of boils (Exodus 9:8-11), this bowl causes physical agony in the form of a loathsome and malignant sore (v.2). Just as the plagues of Egypt were selective, focusing on the Egyptians, so it is here. The first plague applies on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image (v.2). The people who surrendered themselves to the beastly system reaped its consequences.

In Revelation 14:6-7, an angel pronounced the “everlasting gospel” and warned the people of the earth that “the hour of His judgment has come,” giving each person the opportunity to fear God and decline to take the mark of the beast. Those who did not listen are now reaping what they sowed. They were warned, but they chose to follow the beast.

Historically, there have been many foreshadowings of the beast of Revelation. The Pharaoh of Exodus had similarities. Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not heed the plagues, as it appears will be the case for the leaders who follow the beast. As has previously been discussed, the Assyrian king Sennacherib is a type of the beast, and his sidekick, the Rabshakeh, is a type of the boastful and arrogant false prophet (Revelation 13:11-18). Sennacherib’s armies and the Rabshakeh assaulted Jerusalem during the time of King Hezekiah, but were defeated when God intervened, as He will again (Isaiah 37:36-38). The prophecy of Micah 5:5 appears to apply this picture of Sennacherib, “the Assyrian,” also to the beast.

In the era of the Roman Empire, emperors Nero and Domitian persecuted Christians much like the beast will do. The German dictator Adolph Hitler hatched a plan to exterminate all Jews and launch a thousand-year reign, a false substitute for Christ’s messianic kingdom (Revelation 20:1-4). Scripture calls these episodes “birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8). These types are pictures that will lead to an ultimate conclusion. Jesus said that neither He nor the angels know the day and hour of His return. So it could be that Satan is constantly preparing agents to be the beast, and he himself does not know which one will actually be the one to reign over the earth.

We saw in Revelation 13:7 that the beast was granted power to overcome God’s people, and in Revelation 13:14 that the false prophet gives power to an image of the beast that slays people who do not bow down and worship that image. Further, we saw in Revelation 13:17 that no one without the mark of the beast is allowed to transact in any commerce.

It is inferred that the fear of death and loss of commerce caused people to receive the mark of the beast and join the ranks of those who worshiped his image. We saw in Revelation 14:6-7 the angel proclaiming the “eternal gospel,” urging people to “fear God” and not take the beast’s mark because God’s judgment was about to be unfurled. Now the time for the promised judgment has come. Those who did not listen, who spurned the “eternal gospel” and took the beast’s mark will now endure the seven plagues.

These sores are a vivid picture illustrating that no allegiance with worldly or demonic powers can ultimately save us from God’s judgment. Like the plagues in Egypt, which targeted Egypt’s idols and the pride of Pharaoh, so these final plagues target those who worshiped his (the beast’s) image. Believers who resist the beast and remain faithful need not fear these sores. Just as the Israelites were spared in the Egyptian plagues (Exodus 9:26), so will the faithful be protected by God’s grace in this final hour.

When we step back and observe verses 1 and 2, we see that God’s wrath is measured and just. He has patiently called humankind to repentance (Revelation 14:6-7). Now, with these bowls, God’s completion (“teleo”) of His righteous anger against evil and the corruption of His creative design is fully at work.

The stage is set for the subsequent bowls, which focus on the sea, the rivers, the sun, the throne of the beast, the Euphrates River, and finally the air, leaving no aspect of creation untouched. Yet for believers, the promise is one of hope: evil is on borrowed time. It will be removed so that righteousness can flourish, as we see fulfilled in Revelation’s final chapters (Revelation 21-22). That reality echoes Daniel 9:24, where God’s plan is to “bring in everlasting righteousness.” Judgment must precede restoration, and these first two verses are the opening notes of the final crescendo of God’s redemptive symphony.