The vials described in Revelation chapter 16 can be considered to be an expansion of Revelation 11 v 18 which says, "thy wrath came ... and (you) should destroy them which destroy the land".

The seven angels who� pour out the vials can readily be associated with the statement in Psalm 79 v 12, "Render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord". The notes on chapter 11 showed� that quotations from Psalm 79 are used there to describe the suffering of the witnesses of Jesus who are slain by the beast. Chapter 16 describes the punishment that is poured out on those who oppress the faithful in the land. The link between chapter 16 and Psalm 79 is shown by the fact that the statement in Revelation 16 v 6 "for they have shed the blood" comes from Psalm 79 v 3.

The vials are poured out on the earth or land, indicating that the oppressors of Israel are in the land when God's vengeance is poured out.

Many similarities exist between the seven trumpets and the seven vials. This can be seen from the following table, which shows there is a common pattern to the outpouring of God's judgement, whether on Egypt, Israel or the oppressors of the land. Although the first six trumpets and six vials seem to represent different events, the seventh trumpet and vial seem to describe the same time, i.e. the establishment of the kingdom of God.
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The trumpets draw heavily on the plagues that came upon Egypt. In view of the similarities between the vials and the trumpets, it is not surprising that a number of similarities exist between the plagues and the vials as well.

Verse 6

Revelation 16 v 6 quotes from Isaiah 49 v 26 "blood to drink". The context of this verse in Isaiah is the manifestation of Messiah (Isaiah 49 v 1 - 7 : v 2 is quoted in Revelation 1 v 16), and the redemption of the righteous (Isaiah 49 v 10, which is quoted in Revelation 7 v 16).

Verses 8/9

The language of the third vial does not seem to be drawn from the plagues of Egypt, but possibly from Psalm 19:
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The sun in the psalm is likened to the bridegroom coming out of his chamber (Psalm 19 v 5). It can be seen that this vial is very descriptive of the manifestion of the bridegroom (Christ) and his judgement on the wicked.

Verses 10/12

Verse 12 says that the sixth vial is to be poured on the River Euphrates, "and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the rising of the sun (AV East) might be prepared".
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The "rising of the sun" occurs again in Revelation 7 v 2 (AV "East"), and is where the angel comes from who is sealing the servants of God. In Isaiah 41 v 2, 25 the rising of the sun is where the righteous one comes from who is to give (kings) "as the dust to his sword" (v 2) and who is to "come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay" (v 25).

It is concluded that the "kings of the rising of the sun" are the saints who are to overcome the forces of the beast and who have the seal of God.

Babylon was located at the Euphrates (Jeremiah 51 v 63, 64), a question is whether the reference to the Euphrates in Revelation 16 should be understood as meaning the location of the beast (the re-emergence of ancient Babylon), or Jerusalem (the Babylon of Revelation). The reference to the Euphrates in Revelation 9 v 14 indicates that it should be understood as referring to the kingdom of the beast, as the army of the 6th trumpet which emanates from there afflicts the inhabiters of the land (8 v 13).

Revelation 16 v 12 can be considered to describe the stemming of the power of the beast that emerged in Revelation 9 v 14.

Verses 13/21

In Revelation 16 v 13 it speaks of three unclean spirits coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. These gather the kings of the earth together (v 14 - see also Revelation 19 v 19) to the "battle of that great day of God Almighty". This can be linked to Zechariah 13 v 2 where it speaks of the unclean spirit (which possibly emanates from the dragon, beast and false prophet) passing out of the land when Christ (the one who Israel pierced - Zechariah 12 v 10) is manifested. The way that the uncleanness passes from Israel is described in Zechariah chapters 12 - 14, and Revelation chapter 16 contains several other allusions to this passage. Revelation 16 v 14 draws on Zechariah 14 v 2, 3 ("gather ... to battle" ; "the battle ... day"), which describes when Yahweh of hosts (in the form of Christ and his armies) stands on the Mount of Olives and fights against the nations which have captured Jerusalem. The gathering of the peoples against Jerusalem is also referred to in Zechariah 12 v 3, with the preceding verse saying that God will make "Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and Jerusalem". Jerusalem becomes a cup of trembling, having first drunk of this cup itself. This process is described in Isaiah 51 v 21 - 23,

"Hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken ... I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury ... I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said ... bow down ... and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street".

This is an important passage in two respects.
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Firstly it shows that Jerusalem's cup passes to the nations, which explains why in Revelation 16 v 19 it states that "great Babylon came in rememberance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath" (quoting Jeremiah 25 v 15). If Revelation 16 describes God's wrath poured out on the nations in the land, it seems curious at first that a Babylonian Jerusalem should be mentioned in this context. However, once it is understood that God's wrath comes on the nations around Jerusalem after it has been poured on it, the reference to Babylon in chapter 16 v 19 is seen as a reminder of the order of suffering (Jerusalem followed by the nations) and that the two phases are linked.

If Jeremiah 25 v 15 - 29 is considered, it shows that the cup starts with Jerusalem (v 18) and ends with Sheshak (v 26). Sheshak can be considered to be the name Babel written in code. (B is the second letter in the hebrew alphabet, whereas SH is the second to last. L is the twelfth letter from the beginning of the alphabet, whereas K is the twelfth from the end. So instead of writing B B L (Babel), SH SH K (Sheshak) could be written. Similarly in the Book of Revelation, God's punishment begins with Jerusalem, and ends with the last manifestation of the Beast (which is another manifestation of the ancient kingdom of Babylon).

Secondly, Isaiah 51 v 23 is important because the reference to body and street in v 23 can be linked to the suffering of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 v 8, 9, establishing the view that Revelation chapter 16 describes the events which happen after the witnesses are stated as ascending to heaven in 11 v 12 (i.e. the resurrection of the righteous).

In Revelation 16 v 16 it says that the nations are gathered together to Armageddon. The name probably means "Mountain (Hebrew Har) of Megiddo". In the light of the similarities which exist between Revelation 16 and Zechariah and the fact that Megiddo(n) is mentioned in Zechariah 12 v 11, it is worthwhile considering the possibility that the Mount (heb HaR) of Olives, which is mentioned in Zechariah 14 v 4 is "Armaggedon".

In Zechariah 12 v 10 it says that there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, when they look upon the one they pierced. The� mourning will be like that in the valley of Megiddo (v 11), which is where the righteous Josiah was killed (2 Kings 23 v 29). Armaggedon could signify a mountain of mourning, the place where Israel realise what they did when they rejected Jesus Christ.

It says in Matthew 24 v 30 that "all the tribes of the earth (land) mourn" when they see the son of man coming with great glory. Jesus spoke these words from the Mount of Olives, the place on which he will stand again, and possibly the mountain of mourning or Armaggedon of Revelation 16.

With links between Zechariah 12 - 14 and Revelation 16 established, the great earthquake (v18) and the dividing of the great city (v 19) can be readily equated with the events described in Zechariah 14 v 4, 5 , 10.

In Revelation 16 v 20 it speaks of every island fleeing away and mountains not being found. On the basis of the sea and land symbology suggested in this study, islands (representing parts of the land surrounded by sea) could be people who are exiled from the land and who live in the midst of the sea of the nations. The change of world government which results in the return of jewish exiles to the land and the removal of the sea of the nations (see Revelation 21 v 1) could be equated to the statement about every island fleeing away.

The disappearance of mountains can be considered to symbolise the removal of the high or exalted kingdoms of men at the time when the humble shall be exalted (see Isaiah 40 v 4). Babylon is likened to a mountain (Jeremiah 51 v 25 - see Revelation 8 v 8 where it is used to describe the fall of Jerusalem) which was to be destroyed. Also Isaiah 42 v 15 speaks of Yahweh making waste "mountains and hills", this chapter was considered earlier in these notes when Revelation 16 v 12 was considered.
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Verses 18 and 21 make reference to the time of the third woe (which is described in Revelation 11 v 19). The following lists the similarities between the passages:
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Verses 17 - 21 seem to be constructed in a similar way to Revelation 11 v 15 - 19. In the passage in chapter 11, a statement is made in verse 15 about the end of God�s purpose (�The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord�), followed by a list of events that lead up to it, e.g. �the nations were angry and your wrath came� (v 18). Similarly, in Revelation 16 v 17 there is the statement �It is done�, indicating the completion of God�s purpose, followed by statements in verses 18 - 21 which describe events leading up to it.

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