7 Golden Bowl Judgments Summary
In Revelation 15 we then see 7 mighty angels with 7 plagues come out of the Temple in heaven dressed in clean shining linen wearing golden sashes across their chests. One of the four living creatures that surround God's throne gives each angel a golden bowl filled with God's wrath. A voice from the temple then orders the angels to pour out the bowls of God's wrath upon the earth.
The first angel pours out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores break out on the people who have the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
The second angel pours out his bowl on the sea, and it turns into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea dies.
The third angel pours out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they become blood. Then the angel in charge of the waters announces:
"You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."
And then a voice from the altar responds:
"Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments."
The fourth angel pours out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They who are seared by the intense heat curse the name of God, who has control over these plagues, but they refuse to repent and glorify him.
The fifth angel pours out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom is plunged into darkness. People gnaw their tongues in agony and curse God because of their pains and their sores, but they still refuse to repent of what they had done.
The sixth angel pours his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water dries up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then 3 impure spirits that strangely look like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
These frog-like creatures are demonic spirits that perform great deceptive signs to fool the leaders of the world into following the beast into battle against God Almighty. They gathered their armies together to battle God in the valley of Megiddo or Armageddon.
When the seventh angel pours out his bowl into the air, a loud voice from God's throne announces, "It is done!" Then flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and the most powerful earthquake ever rocks the entire planet. Jerusalem splits into three parts, and cities around the whole earth collapse. All islands and mountains sink into the sea and earth. At the same time, huge hailstones weighing hundred of pounds each fall on people who still cursed God because the plague of hail is so terrible.
Then we see Jesus and his heavenly armies arrive on the scene. The Apostle John describes the event beginning in Revelation 19:11:
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small."
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
In Revelation 20 the Apostle John is shown a mighty angel coming down from heaven with a chain and a key to the Abyss in his hands. The angel seizes Satan, called "the ancient serpent" and binds him with the chain and locks him in the Abyss for 1,000 years to keep him from deceiving the nations again until the 1,000 years are up. After the 1,000 years he will be set free for a short time to once again deceive the nations of the world. He gathers the nations in the four corners of the earth "Gog and Magog" to battle God's kingdom. This great army surrounds the camp of God's people at Jerusalem, and this is when fire from heaven falls upon the army and devours them. Satan is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur where the beast and false prophet are. They will be tormented day and night there for ever and ever.
After Satan's final judgment, John sees the great white throne with God seated on it. The earth and heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them before him. Then all the dead, great and small are brought before the throne and books were opened that had recorded what each person had done during their life's. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire which is the second death. Along with the history books, the book of life was also opened. Anyone who's name was not recorded in the book of life was judged guilty and thrown into the lake of fire.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
After the great white throne judgment vision, John is shown a new heaven and a new earth that replaces the former ones. Then John is shown the Holy City, Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. The divine city is cube shaped, measuring 1380 miles in width, length and height. It has a walls 216 feet thick, and foundations made of 12 kinds of precious stones. The city has 12 gates (with 12 angels at the gates), each made of a single pearl. Each gate is named after one of the tribes of Israel. The streets are made of pure transparent gold glass. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. The city will be the light for the world.
God and his Lamb will live together with all whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life in the new earth. He promises to wipe away every tear from his children's eyes and that death, mourning, crying and pain will no longer exist. To his children he will give water from the spring of the water of life. From the Lamb and God's throne a river of the water of life will flow down the streets of the great city. On either side of the river the tree of life will grow bearing twelve crops of fruit, one each month. Leaves from the trees will be used for healing the nations of the new earth which is no longer under a curse. Night will be no more because God lives among them. The people will see His face and his name will be on their foreheads.
This is the future!
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