What Are the Seven Last Plagues of Revelation?

 

Revelation speaks of seven last plagues that will come upon the earth at the end of this present age. What are these plagues, and why will God send them?

The end-time prophetic events recorded in the book of Revelation that will occur before and at the time of Christ’s return to earth are outlined by:

• Seven seals.
• Seven trumpet plagues.
• Seven last plagues.

The first four seals represent trends and plagues that have been continuing and intensifying through the years to our day.

All of the events from the fifth seal through the seven last plagues will occur in the final 3½ years before Christ’s return.

After all these plagues in Revelation, Jesus Christ will return to save humanity from self-destruction. Finally, the punishments will produce repentance, and people will turn to our Savior and King. Jesus Christ will bring peace, blessings and a perfect government.

How the seven seals in Revelation are related to the last seven plagues

The first five seals depict consequences for mankind’s sinful behaviors and Satan’s wrath toward the people of God and mankind in general. The sixth seal announces the soon-to-come wrath of God.

The seventh seal includes the wrath of God, which will be dispensed via seven trumpet plagues and then seven last plagues.

The seven last plagues: completing the wrath of God

These seven plagues complete the wrath of God.

As John wrote: “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete” (Revelation 15:1, emphasis added throughout).

The seven last plagues in Revelation are:

First plague: The contents of the first bowl will cause painful sores upon those “who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image” (Revelation 16:2). It appears these painful, open sores will be caused by some sort of skin disease or infection.

Second plague: When this bowl is poured out, the sea will become blood and cause all life in it to die (verse 3). The death of saltwater marine life will destroy a major food source for millions of people.

Third plague: After the third angel pours out its bowl, the rivers and springs of water will become blood (verse 4). This plague will destroy freshwater fish—even further impacting the food supply for millions of people.

Fourth plague: The fourth bowl will cause the sun to become so hot as “to scorch men with fire” (verse 8).

Fifth plague: This punishment will bring darkness, pains and sores (verses 10-11).

Sixth plague: The bowl containing this plague will be poured out on the Euphrates River, causing it to dry up and make land travel easier for the armies of “the kings of the earth and of the whole world” to assemble at Armageddon (the area of Megiddo, which is approximately 18 miles or 30 kilometers southeast of the modern city of Haifa). From this location, the assembled armies will then advance toward Jerusalem for a final battle against Jesus Christ (verses 12-16).

Seventh plague: This final plague will consist of “noises and thunderings and lightnings” and “such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (verse 18). Babylon, a powerful false religion, will fall (verse 19, compare Revelation 18:2) and there will be devastating hail, with hailstones weighing up to a “talent”—approximately 100 pounds (verse 21).

The last plagues of Revelation also called the bowls of wrath

Revelation 15:7 describes these seven last plagues as “golden bowls full of the wrath of God” to be poured out upon the earth. Some translations of the Bible, such as the King James Version and Young’s Literal Translation, use the word vial instead of bowl in this passage and in Revelation 16:1.

Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible states: “The word used here—φιάλη phialē—means properly, ‘a bowl or goblet, having more breadth than depth’ (Robinson, Lexicon). Our word vial, though derived from this, means rather a thin long bottle of glass, used particularly by apothecaries and druggists. The word would be better rendered by ‘bowl’ or ‘goblet,’ and probably the representation here was of such bowls as were used in the temple service. … The allusion seems to be to a drinking cup or goblet filled with poison, and given to persons to drink—an allusion drawn from one of the methods of punishment in ancient times” (comments on Revelation 15:7).

So these bowls (or vials) are imagery God uses to represent the seven last punishments that He will pour out on a sinful humanity.

Why does a merciful God allow these plagues on mankind?

Notice mankind’s response to the seven seals and seven trumpet plagues that will precede these last bowls of punishment. In spite of the severity of the pain and suffering that will be inflicted upon earth’s inhabitants by the seals and trumpets, humanity will still refuse to repent of its sins (Revelation 9:20-21).

Reviewing what will have previously occurred during the seals and trumpets, we note that, in addition to grievous suffering, many people will lose their lives through the first four seals, which are also called the four horsemen of the apocalypse (Revelation 6:8). Many more will die during the third trumpet plague (Revelation 8:11), and then a third of the remaining population will die through the sixth trumpet plague (Revelation 9:15, 18).

Deceived by Satan the devil through an end-time political and religious power called the “beast,” humanity will continue to defy and blaspheme God even as the seven last plagues are poured out.In spite of these truly apocalyptic horrors, mankind will continue to reject God. They will refuse to worship or obey the Almighty, Eternal Sovereign God.

Deceived by Satan the devil (Revelation 12:9) through an end-time political and religious power called the “beast,” humanity will continue to defy and blaspheme God even as the seven last plagues are poured out (Revelation 16:9, 11, 21).

As the first of the seven last plagues is poured out, we are told that it will come “upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image” (Revelation 16:2). Note also that the fifth plague repeats that it will be poured out “on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom” (verse 10).

Being part of the end-time political and religious system called the beast will have serious consequences! For further study, see the articles: “Who Is the Beast?” “666: The Number of the Beast” and “Mark of the Beast.”

How do the seven last plagues parallel other plagues in the Bible?

There are two interesting historical parallels to the seven last plagues.

• First, these seven last plagues are typed by some of the punishments God brought upon the nation of Egypt in order to free the ancient Israelites from slavery. In the 10 plagues preceding the Exodus, water was turned to blood (Exodus 7:17), people had painful “sores” (Exodus 9:9), and the Egyptians experienced darkness for three days (Exodus 10:21-23).
  There are obvious similarities to these punishments in the seven last plagues (note the first, second, third and fifth plagues above). And just as Pharaoh hardened his heart toward God and His plan, so will the people who experience the seven last plagues harden their hearts against God.

It is also interesting to note that in Revelation 15, which introduces the seven last plagues, we find God’s faithful people singing “the song of Moses” (verse 3), a song composed by Moses after God had brought 10 plagues upon the Egyptians and delivered Israel (Exodus 15:1-19).

• Second, the seven last plagues of Revelation 15 and 16 have similarities to the seven trumpet plagues, but with increased intensity.
  Note that the first four trumpets cause a third of the trees to be burned up, a third of the sea to become blood, a third of the creatures in the sea to die, a third of fresh water to become poisonous and the light of the sun, moon and stars to be diminished by a third (Revelation 8:7-12). The seven last plagues will cause all waters (both in the sea and fresh) to become blood, all life in the sea to die and more darkness (Revelation 16:3, 4, 10).

God sends the plagues so that all mankind will turn to Him

Some people have the mistaken idea that God is harsh and cruel—delighting in making people suffer. But this is most definitely not the reason God will bring these seven last plagues upon mankind.

As our loving Father, God always administers punishment to encourage us to turn from sinful conduct to obedience to His holy and beneficial laws so we can be blessed.

Conveying this principle to ancient Israel, God told the prophet Ezekiel: “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11).

This principle that God explained to ancient Israel is true for all peoples—not just Israelites. God loves everyone (John 3:16) and “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

The book of Revelation’s prophecies about the seven last plagues are terrifying and show there will be massive suffering and destruction around the world in the end times. This will be necessary for God to deal with a sinful and rebellious world. But the good news is this will be a temporary period of time. Afterward, Jesus Christ will return to stop the sufferings of the end time, deal with mankind’s sins directly and begin ruling the world with righteousness.

This will result in 1,000 years of peace and prosperity.

To learn more about God’s expectations, we recommend the free downloadable booklet Change Your Life!

Three Woes: What Should We Learn?

 

The prophecies of Revelation can seem complex and even surreal. But here are three practical things we need to know now about the three woes.

The Day of the Lord is the theme of much of Bible prophecy, representing the time when God will step in to end the oppression, corruption, sin and evil of human misrule. The Day of the Lord will be a time of punishment, terrible plagues and the darkest times in human history. But it also will signal the dawn of a new day—the age when God will rule and bring peace and prosperity to this troubled planet.

The events of the Day of the Lord described in Revelation come after the Great Tribulation and the heavenly signs. These events include seven trumpet plagues. Seven angels in turn blow their trumpets, and terrible plagues come on earth because humanity has rejected God and His wonderful laws that He made for our good.

Humanity will be on the verge of destroying itself—and will be so far away from God that most people will not repent or obey. Some will repent—a great multitude will come out of the Great Tribulation and will repent (Revelation 7:9-17). But most people won’t, and it seems the only way God can get their attention is to send plagues, like He did with Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus.

The three woes

The last three trumpet plagues are known as the three woes. Why?

In Revelation 8:13, after the first four trumpet plagues, the apostle John heard an angel warning, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

That’s where we get the name “the three woes.” The Louw & Nida Greek Lexicon describes “woe” as “a state of intense hardship or distress—disaster or horror.” Or as the New Living Translation phrases it: “Terror, terror, terror.” So it could also be called the three terrors or disastrous events.

The first woe

Revelation 9:3 compares this plague to something like locusts with the stinging power of scorpions! Revelation 9:4 says: “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

So the first woe is torment for five months on those who don’t have the seal of God (verse 5). A seal is a sign of ownership. God seals those who are His: those who have repented, who strive to obey Him, who have the Holy Spirit.

We must not quench the Holy Spirit. We must not accept the mark of the beast—a sign that we are willing to compromise. If we are willing to compromise with God’s laws in order to succeed or survive, we will be marked with that terrible mark, whatever it might be, whether a literal visible mark, an implanted microchip or just the spiritual evidence of compromise.What do we need to know now about this first woe? We must have the seal of God.

We must not quench the Holy Spirit. We must not accept the mark of the beast—a sign that we are willing to compromise. If we are willing to compromise with God’s laws in order to succeed or survive, we will be marked with that terrible mark, whatever it might be, whether a literal visible mark, an implanted microchip or just the spiritual evidence of compromise.

So this first woe is some terrible torment that is very painful but does not kill people. The second woe (which is announced by the sixth trumpet) is much different.

The second woe

The second woe involves a 200-million-man army and a third of mankind being killed in terrible world war (Revelation 9:15-16). It seems that the armies of the beast power from Europe will face off against a vast army from Asia.

So, with a third of mankind killed, you would think people would be ready and willing to repent. But Revelation 9:21 says: “And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” “Sorceries” is from the Greek word pharmakeia, which “means the occult, sorcery, witchcraft, illicit pharmaceuticals, trance, magical incantation with drugs” (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, 1992).

In spite of this terrible world war, with billions of people killed, the rest of the people still will not repent.

What is the message for us? We must not go along with the sex and drugs mentality of this world. We must always be receptive to God’s correction.

We must always repent of our sins and draw close to God.

The third woe and the good news

The third woe involves the seven last plagues (Revelation 16). It also includes those who are left of earth’s armies who are deceived into fighting against Jesus Christ as He returns! But this seventh trumpet ends with Christ easily winning that battle and setting foot on the Mount of Olives. Revelation 11:15 describes what happens during the time the seventh angel sounds his trumpet:

“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”

After all the woes and terrors, Jesus Christ will return to end all woes and terrors and wars. He will save humanity from self-destruction. Then He and the resurrected saints will help and heal and comfort and teach all people. People will desperately need the help Christ’s faithful followers will give!

What do we need to know now about the third woe? We need to be preparing now to help and teach and serve the people who survive these three woes.

The best of times

The Day of the Lord, pictured in the Feast of Trumpets, truly starts out as the worst of all times. But after Jesus Christ’s return, it will transform into the best of times! All the woes will be forgotten as Jesus Christ will set up the Kingdom of God!

The saints—those who repented and had the seal of God’s Holy Spirit and who prepared in this lifetime to help Christ in the future—will be resurrected and changed! People everywhere will finally be ready to repent and learn the way of peace!

May God speed that day! Let’s fervently pray, “Thy kingdom come!”

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT

 

In Revelation 17, we read about “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” called a “great harlot.” What is it, who is it, and is there a warning message for us today?

The phrase “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” appears only once in the Bible. It is in Revelation 17:5: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

What is MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT?

Who or what is this mystery that is written in all capital letters in many English Bibles? Does God’s Word reveal the answer?

The Greek word mysterion denotes “a divine mystery or allegory that is now revealed” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12, p. 556). The passage in Revelation 17 is thus a revealing of the mystery about an end-time entity that is also referred to elsewhere in the book of Revelation as “great Babylon” (16:19) and “Babylon the great” (18:2).

This article will explore the following about MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT:

• What does a harlot, or whore, symbolize in the Bible?
• Why does a woman represent the faithful Church?
• Who exactly is Mystery Babylon?
• Why is Mystery Babylon called the mother of harlots?
• Why is Mystery Babylon also called the mother of abominations of the earth?
• The fall of Babylon the great.
• Jesus’ warning for us.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, not of private interpretation

A mistake that some have made is to read their own interpretation into the Scriptures, particularly when it comes to prophecy. The apostle Peter said, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20).

This scripture makes a very important point; we must let the Bible explain itself and its symbols.

We must also remember the beginning verse of the book of Revelation, which states, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John” (1:1).

This makes it plain that this is not John’s personal writing or opinion, but it is the revelation of Jesus Christ.

What does a harlot, or a whore, symbolize in the Bible?

Christ’s explanation of Babylon the great begins in Revelation 17:1: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.”

This “great harlot” is about to receive her judgment from Jesus Christ for her many sins. She is also called “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS” (verse 5), meaning that other harlots have come from her. The “waters” that the harlot sits on (mentioned in verse 1) are explained in verse 15 to be “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”

Four times in chapter 17 this Babylon is called a harlot (verses 1, 5, 15, 16). Six times she is called a “woman” (verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 18).

What is the symbolism of a “harlot” in the Bible?

In the Bible, a harlot or whore is often used symbolically to illustrate religious unfaithfulness to the true God. We see many examples of God using this imagery in the Old Testament:

• In Exodus 34:15-16 God warned Israel not to “play the harlot” by worshipping and sacrificing to false gods.
• In Judges 2:17 God commented on how the people “played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them” during the period of the judges.
• In 1 Chronicles 5:25 we read that specific tribes in the northern kingdom of Israel were “unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land.” This led to their being sent into captivity to Assyria (verse 26).
• In Hosea 1:2 God revealed to the prophet Hosea that “the land [of Israel] had committed great harlotry by departing from the LORD.” (See also Hosea 2:4-5.)
• Later, in Jeremiah 3:8-9, God said that Judah followed the lead of the northern kingdom of Israel and also “did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.” God considered their worship of carved stone images and trees (see Jeremiah 10:1-5) to be national adultery.

The above scriptures make very clear the Bible’s definition of spiritual harlotry: adopting the false worship practices of pagan religions.

However, in Revelation 17 the harlot is not identified with Israel—but with Babylon. This shows that Revelation 17 is talking about a gentile religious entity. In the Bible, Babylon is a symbol of defiance against God—going all the way back to the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).

The symbolism of a whore in Revelation thus represents a sinful and fallen religious system—which is unfaithful to God and to His Word. This woman is in contrast to the woman described in Revelation 12, who is described as being faithful to God.

To learn more about the significance of the whore of Babylon in prophecy, read “Revelation 17: Who Is the Scarlet Woman?”

The faithful Church is also symbolized by a woman

To identify the great whore of Babylon in Revelation 17, we have to explore her opposite. Throughout the New Testament, God’s faithful Church is pictured by a contrasting image—a chaste, pure female virgin.

In 2 Corinthians 11:2 Paul calls the Church at Corinth a “chaste virgin” that is “betrothed to Christ.” In this verse Paul refers to the Church of God at Corinth as a pure and righteous woman who will become the bride of Christ.

The apostle John used a similar description in 2 John 1:1, where he used the term “elect [meaning chosen] lady” in reference to the Church. The term is used again in verse 5. In verse 13, the phrase “your elect sister” likely refers to a neighboring congregation. In these three verses John symbolically calls the Church of God an “elect” woman.

In Revelation 12:13-14 we see a righteous “woman” persecuted by Satan, but taken into a wilderness for protection at the time of the end. In verse 17 Satan goes to “make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This woman is the Church that Jesus Christ built (Matthew 16:18).

The Bible uses a faithful, chaste woman to picture God’s Church and a whore to picture disobedience to God, or a false church.These scriptural examples portray the faithful Church of God (founded by Jesus Christ) as a chaste woman. Just as a chaste woman is pure and practices fidelity to God and her future husband, the true Church remains doctrinally pure and is faithful to God the Father and Jesus Christ.

In summary, the Bible uses a faithful, chaste woman to picture God’s Church and a whore to picture disobedience to God, or a false church.

Who is Mystery Babylon?

Now that we understand that the whore of Revelation 17 represents a false church, let’s examine what else Revelation 17 tells us about her.

She has global influence. We have already seen that she “sits on many waters” (verse 1), representing her influence over many people around the world. Revelation 17:2 continues: “With whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

So this religious entity not only influences ordinary people, but has a history of influencing political leaders. The statement that people have been made “drunk” by her is a reference to the spiritual confusion she causes by her false teachings and practices.

She has a history of persecution. Revelation 17:6 says, “I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” This describes religious persecution directed against the saints of Jesus Christ.

She “rides” a powerful political system. The next verse says, “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her.” This verse reveals that this woman rides a political beast. This political beast is described in verses 8-17. It is also spoken of in Revelation 13:3-8 and Daniel 7:7-8, 19-25.

Considering all the biblical clues, many students of history and Bible prophecy have concluded the woman of Revelation 17 represents the Roman Catholic Church, which led the Holy Roman Empire to bring great persecution and martyrdom on Christians who held to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles.

Christians who continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath and the festivals of God, such as Passover, were seen to be in opposition to the changes made by the established church. This church labeled faithful Christians heretics because they refused to come under its authority and practice its teachings, such as observing pagan celebrations and customs like Sunday, Easter and Christmas, which it adopted.

Centered in a city with global influence. In Revelation 17 we are given the location where Babylon the great is centered. “And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (verse 18, emphasis added). When John wrote this at the end of the first century, there was only one city on earth that reigned over the kings of the earth—and that was Rome.

Of course, the Roman Catholic Church is inseparably connected with that great city of Rome. It carries the name of Rome in its own name, teaches that Rome is the leading city over all of Christendom, and continues to be headquartered from that city today. (Vatican City, located in Rome, is technically the world’s smallest sovereign nation.)

In contrast, the faithful woman in Revelation 12 did not reign over any kings on the earth, and it began in Jerusalem.

For further study of this false church, see the articles “What Is Babylon?” and “Revelation 17: Who Is the Scarlet Woman?”

Mother of harlots

In Revelation 17:5 this religious system is called: “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS.” This means that this large church has given birth to other smaller false churches. The fact that they also are called “harlots” means that they also are unfaithful to the teachings of God in the Bible. Once we have identified this false church, it is not difficult to identify her daughters.

She is the mother of all those churches that have separated from her, but who continue to teach many of the false doctrines and practices that originated with her centuries ago (Revelation 17:5).

There have been two major schisms from the Roman Catholic Church in history. First was the “Great Schism” of 1054, when the Eastern churches broke from Rome to become the Eastern Orthodox churches. Second was the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, which led to the creation of multiple new denominations throughout Europe and the world.

Though hundreds of denominations of Christianity exist today, most of them trace their roots back to Rome through either the Great Schism or the Protestant Reformation.

Nearly all of them continue to teach and practice many of the false doctrines that originated from the Roman Church (such as observing Sunday as the day of worship, teaching that God is a trinity and celebrating holidays based on paganism).

Abominations of the earth

“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” is not only called the “MOTHER OF HARLOTS.” The same verse also calls her the mother of “the abominations of the earth.” The previous verse says the woman has “in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication” (verse 4). Why does Jesus Christ use such strong language against this church?

The answer can be found in what Jesus said to the Pharisees, “For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).

This woman, “highly esteemed” in the eyes of many in this world, has become an “abomination in the sight of God” for perverting the truth of God and teaching people to worship God in ways He never intended to be worshipped and to believe doctrines Jesus Christ never taught.

The fall of Babylon the great

Jesus Christ tells John through His angel, “I will show you the judgment of the great harlot” (Revelation 17:1). The final judgment is revealed in the next chapter, which says, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit” (Revelation 18:2).

Interestingly, God inspired the prophet Isaiah to use similar language to describe the fall of the Babylonian Empire (Isaiah 21:9; 47:9). This civil government, which also forced people to practice false religious worship (Daniel 3:1-6), was a forerunner or type of the false religious power also called Babylon in Revelation 17-18.

When God’s judgment on Babylon the great—the powerful, false church—occurs during the end times, it will be swift. As the scriptures note, it will take place “in one day” (Revelation 18:8) and “in one hour” (verses 10, 17, 19) of that day. “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore” (verse 21).

It will be God’s vengeance for all His saints who were martyred by her over the centuries (verses 20, 24).

Judgment with a warning

Jesus Christ gives us all a warning in His judgment against this woman and the ungodly society that will exist at the time of the end. John writes, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues’” (verse 4). This warning includes two important lessons for us.

First, we are to completely come out of all doctrines and practices that are not from God’s Word—the Bible. Christians must “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). This means seeking to follow the doctrines and teachings of the faithful woman of Revelation 12.

Second, Christians are not to return to the false doctrines and teachings of this false woman after they have come out of her. Christians have made this mistake of compromising and returning to false doctrines in the past, and the Bible indicates that some will make this mistake again in the future (Revelation 2-3). Christians cannot worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) by mixing in or returning to false doctrines.

Jesus Christ has revealed to the reader the mystery of who “BABYLON THE GREAT” is. She is no longer a mystery. Will you heed your Savior’s instruction to “come out of her” so you don’t receive the punishment destined to come upon her and all who follow her misguided teachings?

For further study on Babylon, see the article “What Is Babylon?”