End Times-

putting the pieces in place

by Sonny Bowman

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Appendix C

The Seven Plagues Compared

Revelation 14:9-10 (NKJV) Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation....

The Wrath of God is a time when God punishes the Beast and those people who followed the Beast (Rev. 14:9-11). This punishment primarily includes seven plagues that are poured out upon the earth and its inhabitants. These seven plagues of the Wrath of God are described in detail in two places in the Book of Revelation. In the first description, each plague is initiated by an angel blowing a trumpet (chapters 7-11). In the second description, each plague is initiated by an angel pouring a bowl (vial in King James Version) upon the earth and people (chapter 16).

Even though these two sets of plague descriptions have some differences, the similarities between the two strongly indicate that both descriptions apply to the same set of plagues. The surrounding context of each description set also strongly argues that there is only one set of seven plagues. Finally, the descriptions of the last plague in both sets are almost identical and each claims that it completes the work of God (see Rev. 10:7, Rev. 11:15, and Rev. 16:17).

The following table summarizes the similarities between the two sets of plague descriptions. For example, the first plague is poured out on the earth, the second on the sea, the third on the rivers, the fourth involves the sun, the fifth on men, the sixth on the Euphrates River, and the seventh includes a hail storm and earthquake. In most cases, the plague descriptions initiated by trumpets give more information on the spiritual activities associated with the plagues. The descriptions initiated by bowls give more emphasis to the results of the plagues as experienced by men on earth. This difference in emphasis accounts for at least some of the differences between the corresponding explanations. Following the table is a more detailed description of each of the pairs of plague descriptions.

On the surface, the two sets of descriptions appear to be describing two different sets of seven plagues. This is especially true if the descriptions of only one plague are compared. However, when the descriptions of all of the plagues are compared, it becomes more clear that there is only one set of seven plagues described in the Book of Revelation. There are some differences between the two sets of descriptions that are hard to reconcile if there is only one set of plagues. However, the large degree of similarity between the two sets of descriptions presents a strong case for believing that both descriptions apply to a single set of seven plagues.

First plague:

Revelation 8:7 (NKJV) The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Revelation 16:2 (NKJV) So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

Notice that in both cases, the first plague is poured out upon the earth. Other than this similarity, these two descriptions differ considerably. However, as each of the following plagues are compared, it becomes apparent that there are two descriptions of a single set of seven plagues. Possibly, the foul and loathsome sore that comes upon the men who have the mark of the Beast is a result of the smoke from the burning of such a large quantity of trees and grass. If that is true, the first description explains the immediate effect of the plague while the second description explains the consequences for those who took the mark of the Beast.

Second plague:

Revelation 8:8-9 (NKJV) Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Revelation 16:3 (NKJV) Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.

Both of these descriptions show that the second plague is poured out upon the sea. In both descriptions, the water of the sea becomes blood. This blood is poisonous to sea creatures causing widespread death. It is unclear why one description says that a third of the living creatures in the sea die while the second says that every living creature in the sea dies. (The Greek in 8:9 says, "... and died the third [part] of the creatures in the sea, having souls ...." The Greek in 16:3 says, "... and every soul of life died the things in the sea.")

Third plague:

Revelation 8:10-11 (NKJV) Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Revelation 16:4-6 (NKJV) Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due."

The third plague is poured out upon the rivers and springs of water. This causes man’s drinking water sources to turn to blood (i.e., bitter or poisoned). The contamination of the water sources causes the death of many people. There is no serious discrepancy between these two plague descriptions.

Fourth plague:

Revelation 8:12 (NKJV) Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

Revelation 16:8-9 (NKJV) Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

The fourth plague affects the sun. The sun, moon, and stars will be darkened, yet the sun will produce more radiation which will scorch people. Possibly this is an increase in UV radiation with a greatly increased incident of skin cancer. It may also refer to an increase in surface temperature of the earth accompanied by a darkening of the visible light from the sun. Possibly, the darkness is a result of smoke or ashes in the atmosphere since the stars are also darkened. There is no serious discrepancy between these two plague descriptions.

Fifth plague:

Revelation 9:1-11 (NKJV) Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 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. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. 7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

Revelation 16:10-11 (NKJV) Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

The fifth plague is directed against men. In both descriptions, men are severely tormented by this plague. Darkness will also accompany this plague according to both descriptions. The first description presents a view into the spirit world describing what happens in the spirit realm during this plague. The second description shows what is visible in the physical realm. There is no serious discrepancy between these two plague descriptions.

Sixth plague:

Revelation 9:13-21 (NKJV) Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed; by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. 20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 16:12-16 (NKJV) Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to 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 am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

The sixth plague is poured out on the Euphrates River in both descriptions. In both cases, the way is prepared for armies and war. According to the first description, a third of the people will die in the battle. This is the battle of Armageddon according to the second description. The first description presents a view into the spirit world to show what is happening during this plague. The second description shows what is seen in the physical realm. There is no serious discrepancy between these two plague descriptions.

Seventh plague:

Revelation 11:15-19 (NKJV) 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!" 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth." 19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

Revelation 16:17-21 (NKJV) Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

The seventh plague is accompanied by loud voices in Heaven announcing the end of the reign of men on the earth. Jesus is now the new ruler over all the earth. Also, according to both descriptions, this plague is accompanied by a great earthquake, storms, and a great hail. This is the last of the seven plagues of the Wrath of God. There is no serious discrepancy between these two plague descriptions.

The only major discrepancy between any of the descriptions occurs for the second plague. The basic plague descriptions are the same except that one says a third of the sea creature die and the other says that all of the sea creatures die. However, when the two sets of plague descriptions are considered as a whole, they are too similar to be describing two different sets of seven plagues. Therefore, both sets of descriptions most likely apply to a single set of seven plagues during the Wrath of God.

The chronological relationship of each set of plague descriptions to surrounding events also strongly suggest that both descriptions apply to a single set of seven plagues (see the chronological list). The following table lists the events preceding and following each of the two sets of plague descriptions for ease of comparison.

As shown in this table, each set of plague descriptions is preceded by descriptions of many of the same events. This is even more evident when the chronological sequences of the chapters in the Book of Revelation are charted. In summary, there is very strong evidence to support believing that the two descriptions apply to a single set of seven plagues. That conclusion is assumed in the rest of this book.

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End Times - putting the pieces in place

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

NKJV indicates quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

KJV indicates quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Numbers associated with Greek (italic) or Hebrew (upright) words refer to the corresponding words in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D.

Please make copies of this book to give to your friends. (A searchable and printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is available for download.) Your comments and suggestion are also welcome. Thank you for helping others to understand the Bible teachings on the End Times.

God bless you.

Sonny Bowman

If you have questions or comments, please contact Sonny Bowman.