From the Book of Revelation    177 

    This punishment differs from the punishment of the second trumpet (Rev 

8:9), when only a third of the creatures in the sea died. Now everything in 

the sea dies; the oceans will be full of death. Notice that these punishments 

at the end of Antichrist's reign are even more severe than the punishments at 

the end of the Forty Years (i.e. the first six trumpets of the seventh seal). 

The Third Bowl of God's Wrath (Rev 16:4 7) 

     The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of 

water, and they became blood.  (Rev 16:4). 

    This punishment is again more comprehensive than the previous 

punishment of the third trumpet (Rev 8:10 11), which affected only a third 

of the fresh water on the earth. Also, the cause of these changes to the seas 

and the waters is different now. In the earlier afflictions, the cause of the 

change seems to be most likely from nature or human actions, under God's 

Providence. But now the cause of these changes to the waters cannot be 

explained, except in that they come from God and His angels. 

    This punishment was also foreshadowed by the plagues of Moses and 

Aaron. They changed the waters of Egypt to be like blood (Exodus 7:20 24). 

Here also the waters will become undrinkable, so that people will thirst 

greatly all over the earth. 

The Fourth Bowl of God's Wrath (Rev 16:8 9) 

     The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to 

scorch men with fire; men were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed 

the name of God who had power over these plagues, and they did not repent 

and give him glory.  (Rev 16:8 9). 

    This plague of intense heat is made worse by the previous two plagues. 

The fresh waters have been made undrinkable. And probably the waters of 

the oceans cannot now be used by people to cool themselves off. 

    Even with all of these sufferings, the wicked do not repent of their sins. 

Yet they realize that these punishments come from God, just as the 

Egyptians realized (Ex 8:19; 9:20) and just as people realized during the time 

of the sixth seal (Rev 6:16). 

The Fifth Bowl of God's Wrath (Rev 16:10 11) 

     The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its 

kingdom was in darkness; men gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed 

the God of heaven for their pain and sores, and did not repent of their 

deeds.  (Rev 16:10 11).