1.
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Revelation 16:1. I heard a great voice, &c.— In obedience to the divine command, the seven angels pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth: and as the trumpets were so many steps and degrees of the ruin of the Roman empire, so the vials are of the Roman church. The one, in polity and government, is the image of the other: the one is compared to the system of the world, and has her earth, and sea, and rivers, and sun, as well as the other; and this is the reason of the similitude and resemblance of the judgments in both cases. Rome Papal has [chap. Revelation 11:8.] been distinguished by the title of spiritual Egypt, and resembles Egypt, in her punishments as well as in her crimes, tyranny, idolatry, and wickedness.
2.
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Revelation 16:2. The first went, and poured his vial, &c.— The first vial is poured out upon the earth; and so the hail and fire of the first trumpet, ch. Rev 8:7 were cast upon the earth. it produces a noisome and grievous sore, and in this respect resembles the sixth plague of Egypt; Exodus 9:10. This is inflicted upon the men who had the mark of the beast; which is to be understood of the others also, where it is not expressed. Whether these sores and ulcers are natural or moral, the event will shew.
3.
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5.
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7.
And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8.
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9.
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
10.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11.
And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
12.
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13.
And 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.
14.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Revelation 16:15. Keepeth his garments— This may be an allusion to what that Jewish officer, called the man of the mountain, (that is, of the Lord's house) used to do, when taking his round in the temple to examine the watch: if he met with any asleep, they were beaten by the provost, and had their garments taken away, and burnt; or, according to others, this officer had the liberty to set fire to their garments. Perhaps, in this case, the person might be obliged to appear in the fragments of his burnt garments the next day, which would be a great disgrace. See Ainsworth on Num_18:4-5
16.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17.
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18.
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19.
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21.
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.