The Seven Bowls of Revelation 16

Ancient Egyptian cursing bowl

Bowls were used by priests to bless and to curse. The curse or imprecatory prayer was inscribed inside the bowl and the one invoking the curse (offering the prayer) poured water from that bowl on the person, or on an effigy of the person, or on their property. The worst possible curse involved seven bowls or a seven-fold pouring. Cursing or "incantation bowls" such as the one shown have been found in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This one is Egyptian and dates to 3000 B.C.


Alice C. Linsley

The scene in heaven

A sea of glass mingled with fire surrounds the temple of the tabernacle (Rev. 15:2). Out of the temple come seven angelic beings vested as priests. These may be angels created to serve God and man, or they may the deified elders (Houris/Horim) to which the Bible makes repeated reference. If so, these are the ruler-priests of Jesus' priestly line. The context of vindication of the saints and martyrs suggests this latter interpretation.

To each is given a bowl full of God's wrath (Rev. 15:7). The Greek word for wrath is orge, the same word that appears in Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."

Later this is made more emphatic in the phrase: "the wrath of the indignation of God" used in reference to the wine given to the "great Babylon." The Hebrew for this is chêmâh chêmâ' (khay-maw' khay-maw) and is an example of redoubling. Redoubling for emphasis or enhancement is typical of many Afro-Asiatic languages. This is a linguistic equivalent of parallelism in Hebrew poetry. Consider this example from Isaiah 10:5:

                     Woe to Assyria, the rod of My wrath
                     And the staff in whose hands is My indignation.

A manifestation of God's wrath is the smoke that fills the temple (16:8). The divine Presence is such that none can enter the temple, just as none could enter the earthly sanctuary once it filled with the glory of God (2 Chr. 7:2). Even the high priest could not enter, for the time for intercession is past. It is the time of judgment on the earth and upon those with the mark of the beast.

A similar image of the execution of God's wrath in found in Revelation 14. Here John's vision involves an angel who has authority over fire who sends forth another angel with a sickle. The sickle sweeps the earth and gathers the vintage and casts it into the great wine press of the indignation of God (Rev. 14:19). The sickle, the bowls of wrath, and the confrontation at Har-Meggido/Armageddon (Rev. 16:16) speak of the same final judgment on the enemies of Christ. Clearly, John's Apocalypse should not be read as a chronology of final events.


The scene on earth

A voice of great authority commands the angels to "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth." In his book "The Apocalypse of St. John: A Revelation of Love and Power (Conciliar Press,) Fr. Lawrence Farley, notes a parallel to Isaiah 66:6: "A tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that renders recompense to his enemies."

The seven bowls, like the seven plagues bring misery worldwide. There is a difference in the delivery of these miseries, however. The plagues come one after another, whereas the bowls are poured out simultaneously.

Bowl one brings disease; bowl two brings death to the seas; bowl three brings death to the fresh water; bowl four causes the sun to scorch men with fire; bowl five is poured on the throne of the beast and his kingdom turns to darkness. With the fifth bowl humans suffer great pain and "gnaw their tongues." Those marked by the beast blaspheme God repeatedly, but to no effect, for their judgment is certain. The bowls represent the final wrath upon those the enemies of God.


The cosmic symbolism of the seven bowls

The ancients conceived of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn as celestial bowls. From these bowls God poured forth blessings and curses. In Revelation 16, angelic beings pour out curses from the seven bowls. God's wrath is directed against the enemies of God.

In the use of bowls for opposite purposes, we find an example of the binary worldview of Abraham's people. John H. Walton has noted, "Blessing and curse are common terms in Genesis from the initial blessing in Genesis 1 to the curses of Genesis 3, 4 and 9, and then to the juxtaposition of curse and blessing in Genesis 12:1-3."

The Horite Hebrew priests used bowls to pour blessings and curses. To be blessed was to be under divine protection and to be cursed was to be removed from divine protection. This is depicted in the narrative of the twin mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. From Gerizim came the declaration of divine protection for those who follow the path of righteousness. The opposite was declared from Ebal (Deut. 11:26-30).

God's enemies are also the enemies of His chosen ones, as is evident in Genesis 12:3: "The one who curses you, I will curse." God removes from his protection and favor from those who curse Abraham's Seed. The bowls of Revelation 16 represent the full outpouring of God's final wrath on the enemies of Christ and those who belong to Christ.

In the temple dedicated to the Sun in Upper Egypt, at the ruins of Babian, there were seven urns. These represented the seven visible planets. The urns caught blessings from heaven in the form of rain. The six urns at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus Christ turned water to wine, speak of what is yet to be fulfilled in Jesus at the Cross and empty tomb. He who went down also ascended to the heights, taking captives and giving gifts to mankind (Eph. 4:9,10). Perhaps this is what Heraklitus of Ephesus meant when we wrote that "the path up and down is one and the same."

According to Heraklitus the heavenly bowls carried the stars and other celestial bodies. This notion was widespread in the ancient world and was used to explain the diurnal motion of the fixed stars as they revolved around a point above the north pole, and the apparent motions of the sun, the moon and planets.

This perception of the bowls spread with the Kushite expansion to Asia Minor and India. Today it is evident in the Hindu wedding ceremony of the Agharias in Orissa, India. The ceremony begins with the bride’s father delivering seven small earthen bowls to the bride. The bride is seated in the open, and seven women hold the bowls over her head one above the other. Water is then poured from one bowl into the other, each being filled in turn until all the water is poured on the bride's head. This symbolizes the celestial blessing upon the bride.

Though many churches baptize by immersion, use of a bowl to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit is consistent with this ancient practice of blessing.


Double meaning of the number seven

The seven bowls of God's wrath symbolize final judgment. Seven also represents the grotesque appearance of the beast. “And I saw a beast coming up from the sea, having ten horns and seven heads…and upon its heads were the names of blasphemy… And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.” (Rev. 12:18-13:2)

The richness of the number symbolism is found throughout John's Apocalypse. In Revelation 8 we read of the seventh seal, the seven angels, and the seven trumpets. The seventh seal announces divine visitation. The seven angels represent the seven churches, and the seven trumpets represent the fullness of divine mercy extended for the sake of those who might yet repent.

Seven is also a common number associated with weddings. In Jewish weddings the seven marriage blessings (Sheva Brachot) are recited under the huppah and the wedding feast lasts seven days. Seven days was the duration of the wedding feast for Samson (Judges 14:12) and for Queen Vashti (Esther 1:5-11).

The number seven represents God at rest and portrays a peaceful relationship between the Creator and the creation, between heaven and earth, and between husband and bride. Seven in reference to the Sun's coming forth as a bridegroom points to the eighth day, the great wedding banquet of the Lamb and the dawning of the eternal kingdom.


Related reading: Curses in Genesis; Water and Blood; Rev. 12: The Woman, the Child and the Dragon; The Dragon and the Beast; Number Symbolism in Revelation; The Shock of Mohammad Atta's Afterlife

The Signs of Revelation 12

Alice C. Linsley

The Placement of the Vision

The vision of Revelation 12 comes after the proclamation of the Kingdom in Revelation 11:15 made famous by Handel’s Alleluia Chorus:  “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” This sign serves to punctuate the rise and fall of kingdoms much as the following Messianic Psalm is used in Daniel to punctuate the rise and fall of kingdoms: “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” (Ps. 145:13)

This vision comes between the proclamation about the eternal Kingdom of Christ and the vision of the blasphemous Beast who makes war on the Saints. This recapitulates Genesis 3:15, the first promise of Scripture concerning the Woman and her Seed. Her Seed is to crush the Serpent’s head. This was accomplished at Christ’s birth, death, resurrection and ascension (“The Christ Event”) and in the vision is a timeless event described in these words: “The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron rod, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne.” (Rev. 12:5)

The Church has understood Genesis 3:15 to be about the Theotokos and her Son, the only begotten of God. It is not about Eve. Eve is not named until Genesis 3:20. Further, John’s Gospel connects Jesus with the Seed on Genesis 3:15.  In John 12:24, we read that Jesus told his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to die. John’s vision connects the death of the Woman’s Seed with the new life or abundant fruit of the Kingdom.

Sign and Signs

St. John describes this vision as a sign or mark (Greek: σημεῖον - sēmeion). There are two signs actually. The first is the sun-clothed woman in labor and the second is the fiery red dragon. Signs are distinct from symbols in that they point to realities beyond them. The woman points to the Theotokos and the dragon points to her adversary, the devil. The dragon seeks to devour her Son (Rev. 12:4). We recall how Herod sought to slay the Child. By angelic intervention Joseph was led to take Mary and the Child into the desert and on to Egypt where they were safe.

“The woman fled to the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” (Rev. 12:6)

One thousand two hundred and sixty days is three and a half years, a period of time used elsewhere in John’s Apocalypse. Compare to the period of time that the holy city was trampled in Revelation 11:2.  Here the wording is “forty-two months” which is also three and a half years and the period of desolation of the temple described in Daniel. Daniel 8:11-14 reads:

“He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

The Woman

The Woman is the Mother of Christ our God. In Christian iconography she is sometimes shown standing on the earth with the serpent beneath her foot. She brings forth the “Son who was to rule all the nations” (Rev. 12:5).

She is also the Mother of the Church and is invoked as the Mother of the Orthodox. The Orthodox Church holds that the miraculous birth of Jesus left Mary's virginity intact as a sign; therefore she did not travail in bringing forth her Son. However, as the Mother of the Church she travails in intercession for all the saints. This is evident from John’s vision. Revelation 12:17 says that when the dragon could not get to the Mother or her Child, it “went away to make war on the rest of her children who obey God’s commandments and have in themselves the witness of Jesus.”

Many believe that when Jesus gave his mother into John’s care, he was giving Mary to be “mother” to the whole community of early believers. The title “Mother of the Church” was first used by St. Ambrose, the Bishop Milan (A.D. 330 – 397).

Historically Mary was regarded as first among the Apostles and was greatly honored in the Christian community. Such honor had the effect of stirring great animosity against her among the Jews. In the Talmud, ignominious names are given by the rabbis to Mary and be Son. Sanhedrin 106a calls Mary a whore: “She who was the descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters.” In the Talmud Mary is also called "Charia" which means dung or excrement and Jesus is called "Jeschu" which means May his name and memory be blotted out.

Mary is the most honored woman in the Church as the mother of Christ our God and the model of obedient love. She is the blessed Woman of Genesis 3:15 by whom God fulfilled the Edenic Promise. She is the culmination of the expectation that led the ruler-priest lines to intermarry exclusively so that the Promised Son would be born of their blood lines. Analysis of the kinship pattern of Abraham's people reveals a unique pattern of intermarriage between cousins of priestly lines. It is possible to trace these lines because the cousin brides named their first-born sons after their fathers. The genealogies of Genesis trace only male rulers. The naming of the first-born son after the cousin bride's father was a way to trace royal lineage on the mother's side.

The New Israel

In Revelation 12:1 we read: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars…”

The woman clothed with the sun recalls Joseph’s dream (Gen. 37:9-11).  In that dream, Joseph’s father (Israel) is represented by the sun and Joseph’s mother is represented by the moon. Joseph’s eleven brothers are represented by the eleven stars that bow down to him.  In this sign, the woman wears a crown with twelve stars. Joseph, who was sold into slavery, is restored to his rightful place. The New Israel must mean restoration through the Theotokos and her Seed, the Son of God. The New Israel is then the Church into which the faithful ones of the Old Covenant have been brought to safety. Even so, God makes a place of protection for the Woman of Revelation 12.

The Woman represents the New Israel. She is given strength to rise above the Devil’s attacks. She flies with wings of an eagle. This is reminiscent of the promise in Isaiah 40:31: “But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall take wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

The Child

In Revelation 12:5 we read that the Woman brings forth “a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” The Woman is the Woman of Genesis 3:15 whose conception of the Divine Seed was foretold and anticipated by John’s faithful ancestors going back before the time of Abraham.

This sign speaks of the Christ event in relationship to Satan's unsuccessful attempt to thwart God's plan. God has exalted the glorified Jesus to a position of universal authority (Philippians 2:9-11). He is destined to "rule all the nations with an iron scepter" (12:5). He will shepherd the nations with loving, but absolute authority. These words identify the Child as God's anointed Messiah, destined to reign in God's kingdom over all the earth (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 19:15).

Abraham’s Horite Hebrew ancestors expected a virgin from among their people to bring forth the Divine Seed. They were familiar with this text: “My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris and I will put him beneath my feet in my name of Red Cloak." (Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt by R.T. Rundle Clark, p. 216)

Here we find the words of Psalm 110:1, a messianic reference: The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

Daniel 2:44 says, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.”

The Woman’s Seed, as foretold in Genesis 3:15, was to crush the serpent’s head and restore Paradise. Jesus alludes to this first promise of Scripture when describing his passion and resurrection. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). He identifies himself as the "Seed" of Genesis 3:15 and the fulfillment of Messianic expectation.

Horite belief in a deified son who would embody kindness and unite the peoples found fulfillment in Jesus Christ, a descendant of the Horite Hebrew ruler-priests, the divine son of the Virgin Mary, daughter of the priest Joachim of the line of Nathan. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham's ancestors in Eden that a woman of their people would bring forth the Divine Seed. This is why Frank Moore Cross cannot avoid the conclusion that the God of Israel is the God of the Horites.

The Dragon

Revelation clearly identifies the dragon or monster. He is "that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray" (Rev. 12:9, 20:2). Since ancient mythology had many references to antagonistic dragons and sea monsters, John's readers would have recognized the dragon as a cosmic enemy. In Christian iconography the serpent is often shown as a dragon. Many famous paintings depict the serpent's defeat by St. George or St. Michael, the Archangel.

In John's vision the serpent is associated with the serpent of Eden. However, the association goes beyond Eden to the creation narrative of Genesis 1 where the serpent is associated with chaos and the dark abyss. 

In Genesis 1 we read that the primal substance covering the earth was water and it was disordered, that is, it had no boundaries. God’s breath (Ruach/Logos) created order from the chaos, separating the waters above from the waters below, and the dry land from the seas.  The chaotic waters are called Tehom and the ordering word of God is called Tehut.  In the cosmic struggle, Tehut is victorious over Tehom. The oldest known law code is the Law of Tehut (c. 3500 B.C.) and it was said to express the wisdom of God by which boundaries were established. Among Abraham’s Nilo-Saharan ancestors boundaries were not to be violated. Such transgression carried serious consequences.

The ancient Egyptians believed the great serpent that created chaos lived south of Elephantine Island and therefore never wanted to sail that far south. There was a very ancient temple on Elephantine Island at which priests offered sacrifice and prayers daily. Their presence was seen as a restraint against the serpent. Further, Elephantine Island was known as a seat of wisdom and justice whereby divinely established boundaries were honored and enforced.

Elephantine Island was the center of Nubia's international power. Pepinakht-Heqaib (third millenium BC) rendered judgment from Elephantine and waged wars. He claimed that when judging between two brothers, presumably first-born sons, he never deprived a rightful heir of his inheritance. Since he lived before the time of Joseph's rule in Egypt, it appears that he was honoring a long-standing custom among his Nubian/Kushite people. (The practice of Kushite rulers having two first born sons by two wives, as was customary among Abraham’s people, clearly predates the domination of Egypt by the Asiatic Hyksos.)

Revelation 12:17 we are told that “the dragon was angry with the Woman and with her Seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the witness of Jesus.” Here the Woman’s Seed is not only the Son of God but also all who are “in Christ”, the Church.

When the dragon failed to destroy the Woman and her Seed, it called forth an assistant from the deep. “And he [the dragon] stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up from the sea, having ten horns and seven heads…and upon its heads were the names of blasphemy… And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.” (Rev. 12:18-13:2)

The Beast is the Dragon’s first assistant. Others are mentioned in Revelation 16:12-14: “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”

The Serpent and the Tree of Life

There are two trees in Garden, and the serpent led Eve from the right choice - to eat of the Tree of Life - to the wrong choice - to eat of the Tree by which she hoped to become like God. This has been the Devil's approach throughout history. He attempts to lead us away from life by promising what he cannot give - divinity and immortality.

The Church Fathers understood the Tree of Life in Eden as representing the Cross. Satan employs many methods to distract us from the Cross, and today there are more distractions than ever. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that young Americans on average spend over seven and one-half hours a day on entertainment media. This translates into more than 53 hours a week as compared to 30 hours a week in school. Cell phones are used to listen to music, play games, text friends, take photos, and watch TV, even in schools where cell phone use is prohibited during the school day.

Conclusion

The imagery of the Woman, her Son and the Beast, draws on very ancient symbolism that can be traced back to Abraham’s Nilo-Saharan ancestors. The Son’s victory over the beast was foretold from the beginning (Gen. 3:15) and John’s apocalyptic vision makes it clear how things will end.

“And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who in his presence performed signs (sēmeia) by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur” (Rev. 21:8).

“The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

Related reading: The Seven Bowls of Revelation 16; The Dragon and the Beast of Revelation; The Seventh Seal and Silence in Heaven; Christ's Message to the Seven Churches; Mary's Ruler-Priest Lineage; Jesus Fulfills the Horus Myth of Abraham's Nilo-Saharan Ancestors; Peaks and Valleys

The Dragon and the Beast of Revelation

Alice C. Linsley

Since ancient mythology had many references to antagonistic dragons and sea monsters, John's readers would have recognized the dragon as a cosmic enemy. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Apopis was a water serpent and a symbol of chaos.

The Apocalypse of St. John identifies the dragon or monster as "that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray" (Rev. 12:9, 20:2). In John's vision the serpent is associated with the serpent of Eden. However, the association goes beyond Eden to the creation narrative of Genesis 1 where the serpent is associated with chaos and the dark abyss. 

In Genesis 1 we read that the primal substance covering the earth was water and it was disordered, that is, it had no boundaries. God’s breath (Ruach/Logos) created order from the chaos, separating the waters above from the waters below, and the dry land from the seas. The chaotic waters are called Tehom and the ordering word of God is called Tehut. In the cosmic struggle, Tehut is victorious over Tehom. The oldest known law code is the Law of Tehut (c. 3500 B.C.) and it was said to express the wisdom of God by which boundaries were established. Among Abraham’s Nilo-Saharan ancestors boundaries were not to be violated. Such transgression carried serious consequences.

The ancient Egyptians believed the great serpent that created chaos lived south of Elephantine Island and therefore never wanted to sail that far south. There was an ancient temple on Elephantine Island at which priests offered sacrifice and prayers daily. Their presence was seen as a restraint against the serpent. Further, Elephantine Island was known as a seat of wisdom and justice whereby divinely established boundaries were honored and enforced.

Elephantine, the largest of the Aswan islands

Elephantine Island was the center of Nubia's international power. Pepinakht-Heqaib (third millenium BC) rendered judgement from Elephantine and waged wars. He claimed that when judging between two brothers, presumably first-born sons, he never deprived a rightful heir of his inheritance. Since he lived before the time of Joseph's rule in Egypt, it appears that he was honoring a long-standing custom among his Nubian/Kushite people. This suggests that the practice of chiefs having two first born sons by two wives predates the Asiatic Hyksos' domination of Egypt.

Revelation 12:17 we are told that “the dragon was angry with the Woman and with her Seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the witness of Jesus.” Here the Woman’s Seed is not only the Son of God but also all who are “in Christ”, the Church.

When the dragon failed to destroy the Woman and her Seed, it called forth an assistant from the deep. “And he [the dragon] stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up from the sea, having ten horns and seven heads…and upon its heads were the names of blasphemy… And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.” (Rev. 12:18-13:2)


The Serpent and the Tree of Life

Recalling that there are two trees in the garden, we see that the serpent led Eve from the right choice - to eat of the Tree of Life - to the wrong choice - to eat of the Tree by which she hoped to become like God. This has been the Devil's primary approach throughout history. He attempts to lead us away from life by promising what he cannot give - divinity and immortality.

The Church Fathers understood the Tree of Life in Eden as representing the Cross. Satan employs many methods to distract us from the Cross and in these days there are more distractions than ever. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that young Americans on average spend over seven and one-half hours a day on entertainment media. This translates into more than 53 hours a week as compared to 30 hours a week in school. Cell phones are used to listen to music, play games, text friends, take photos, and watch TV, even in schools where cell phone use is prohibited during the school day.

Related reading:  Serpent Symbolism; Answers to High School Students' Questions about the Serpent; The Serpent from Africa to India; The Cosmic Serpent Exposed; The Seventh Seal and Silence in Heaven; Christ's Message to the Seven Churches; Number Symbolism in Revelation; The Signs of Revelation 12