Revelation

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Revelation 16 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Revelation 16 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

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.

(16:1) "Pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth."

The reason these vials were poured out was because these men persecuted the saints, see verse 6, it is a righteous punishment for the misdeeds they had done.

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.

(16:2) "There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast."

The mark of the beast is doing what the beast wants them to do, they had given them their time and their money. On what they did, see verse 6.

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.

(16:3) "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."

See verse 1.

4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

(16:4) "The third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood."

See verse 1.

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.

(16:5) "Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus."
The angel says God is righteous for turning rivers into blood. Well, it's an interesting point of view. But I'd say he's a raving lunatic.

Maybe the author of the SAB should read the next verse: these people were murderers, having killed the blood of innocents.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

(16:6) "Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy."

The meaning of “given blood to drink” is that they, the perpetrators, received what they had doled out. Also “they are worthy” means:

deserving, to have their blood shed by the law of retaliation.

7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

(16:7) "Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."
Another angel tells God how righteous he is because he gives saints blood to drink.

The author of the SAB has not read these verses correctly: those who drank blood, i.e. who were punished, where murderers, and were punished for their deeds, see the previous verse (verse 6).

8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

(16:8) "Power was given unto him [the fourth angel] to scorch men with fire."

As punishment, see verse 1, and because they repented not.

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.

(16:9) "And men were scorched with great heat ... and they repented not to give him glory."
Those who were being burned to death by God didn't repent "to give him glory."

They were punished for their misdeeds, see verse 1.

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,

(16:10) "The fifth angel poured out his vial ... and they gnawed their tongues for pain."

See verse 1.

11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

(16:11) "And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."
Even after being burned alive, those nasty people wouldn't repent!

See verse 9.

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.

(16:12) "The great river Euphrates ... was dried up."
The sixth angel dries up the Euphrates river.

This is a book of symbols. The river Euphrates is a symbol of the income, riches and protection these shedders of the blood of the saints possessed. That will be taken from them.

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.

(16:13-14) "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."
Three frog-like unclean spirits come out of the mouths of the dragon, beast, and false prophet. They are miracle-working devils that gather kings to fight in God's upcoming war.

Unclean spirits are the fruit of false religion.

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.

(16:15) "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."

A warning from Christ to his Church, that he will return most unexpected.

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.

(16:17-21) "The seventh angel poured his vial into the air ... and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake."
The seventh vial: voices, thunders, lightnings, earthquakes, hail.

These vials were poured out as punishment, see verse 1. The symbols indicate great destruction as hail and earthquakes tend to bring.

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.

(16:20) "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found."
God destroyed every island and mountain (just for the hell of it).

With the seventh vial we again have arrived at the end of history here in this fifth scene. Literal islands or mountains are not meant, but kingdoms and nations.

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.

(16:21) "A great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent"
Since a talent was about 33 kilograms, this would be a new world record. (The current record holder weighed only 0.75 kg.)

This is clearly a book of symbols, so it is very unlikely that the event described here is about literal hail weighing a talent. This verse uses hail to describe how great this plague was as it was the last vial that was poured out, it was the final judgement.