Faith in Jesus is incompatible with partiality, because God is impartial. He certainly doesn’t show partiality to the rich—something that is often done in human societies—and unfortunately by some in the early church as well. Keep in mind that the believers to whom James wrote had been driven from Jerusalem, and thus were financially disadvantaged refugees. If a rich man visited one of their gatherings, they would be tempted to favor him over a poor person, hoping to gain some benefit, and revealing “evil motives” (2:4). There should be, however, no distinctions made. The poor should be treated with the same consideration as the wealthy, following Jesus’ example, who died for all. Moreover, as James points out, generally speaking, it is usually the rich who oppress people and blaspheme Christ’s name. Why should such people be shown favor over the poor, whom God has chosen “to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom” (2:5), by Christ’s people?

Two other items are worth noting in this first passage. First, to be classed among the rich, one only needed to have a set of fine clothing and a gold ring. One was classed among the poor if he had one set of dirty clothing. It is likely most everyone reading these words is in the rich category.

Second, the early church had no church buildings or meeting halls. For the most part, they gathered in homes. Note that the poor man was told by the host, “Sit down by my footstool” (2:3).

James was certainly not shy about quoting old covenant commandments—namely two of the Ten Commandments and one that Jesus said was the second greatest commandment—quoting them as if they were binding upon new covenant believers. James clearly believed that Jesus “did not come to abolish, but to fulfill” the Law and the Prophets, just as He had declared in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:17). Notice that James refers to the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself as the “royal law” and the “law of liberty,” saying that the believer who fulfills it is “doing well” (2:8). According to James, we should live as people who will be judged by that law, a law that, incidentally, is mentioned once in the Old Testament and quoted seven times in the New Testament. With such endorsements, I wonder why it is not more often mentioned in Christian circles?

According to James, keeping that royal law involves showing mercy (2:12-13). If we fail to show mercy, we will receive no mercy at our judgment (2:13). This, again, is just what Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7). Jesus also said that we will not be forgiven unless we forgive others (Matt. 6:14-15).

James has more to say about the poor beyond being impartial on their behalf. It is interesting that in his example of useless faith, he cites the person who does nothing to help a brother or sister who is without clothing or in need of daily food (2:14-17). This is certainly reminiscent of what Jesus taught about the future judgment of the sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31-46). James is quite dogmatic about it. Faith without works is dead, useless, and cannot save. Faith is always accompanied by works, as proven even by demons, who, believing in God, shudder.

It is amazing that a mantra of evangelical Christianity is, “We are justified by faith alone,” when the only place in the entire Bible where the words faith and alone are found in the same verse is James 2:24: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Perhaps the mantra should be changed? Better to say, “We are justified by a living faith that works.”

In regard to faith, works, and salvation, we are not saved by faith alone, because genuine faith is never alone, that is, void of works. If you have faith, you also have works. If you don’t have works, you have no faith. Many pew-warmers are so inebriated with a false understanding of faith that their “assurance of salvation” is really just a “deception of salvation.”

We break from our journey through the book of Acts knowing that James authored his only epistle sometime shortly after the Jerusalem believers were scattered following Stephen’s martyrdom (see Acts 11:19). The church was about ten years old when James wrote to encourage and admonish the Christian diaspora, the “twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad” (1:1), mostly Jewish believers. James wrote to a suffering and questioning church.

It is interesting to think that until this point in church history, there was no reading of any New Testament scripture at any gathering of Christians. There were no sermons in which the apostle Paul was quoted. It is very likely that none of the four Gospels had been penned either. The early Christians had only the Old Testament revelation and the oral teachings of Jesus passed down via the apostles. As we read James’ letter, we’ll see that it draws heavily from the Old Testament and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

In American sermons, James’ “various trials” (1:2) are often described as those days when the washing machine breaks down, the dog gets sick, and it rains at the golf course. But those little inconveniences suffered by the world’s wealthy are not what James had in mind. Having been forced to leave behind their homes and livelihoods, the scattered believers of James’ time were experiencing a genuine “testing of their faith” in Jesus. Their “various trials,” however, were not something outside of God’s control or plan. Thus there was reason to rejoice. Their perseverance validated the sincerity of their faith in Christ, which insured an eventual “crown of life” (1:22)—perhaps not a literal crown, but an expression signifying the glorious time when eternal life will be realized.

We should also “count it all joy” when we suffer persecution for our faith in Jesus! Then our faith is being proved genuine. That means eternal life awaits us!

The scattered Jerusalem believers also naturally experienced financial hardship as a result of being driven far from their homes. If any employment was available, it would have been the least desirable, such as labor in the fields of wealthy landowners. The scattered believers would have been tempted to be envious of those who had much more, and they would have been tempted to abandon their faith in Christ in order to return to their former prosperity. James admonishes them in this regard. The current inequity would one day be reversed, and so the humble brother “should glory in his high position” while the rich man should “glory in his humiliation” (1:9-10). James will return to this theme in tomorrow’s reading.

James also reminds the scattered and suffering flock that, although God may certainly be testing them in the midst of their trials, He is not tempting them. God entices no one to do evil. It is interesting that James doesn’t mention the devil, but blames temptation on the individual who allows himself to be “carried away and enticed by his own desires” (unfortunately translated “lust” in 1:14 and 15). Yielding to temptation results in sin, which James said results in death (1:15). Don’t forget the historical context of James’ words. He was talking about the temptation to abandon one’s faith in Jesus and return to one’s formerly non-persecuted life. This is a warning against apostasy that James will later repeat (see 5:19-20) and one of numerous biblical proofs that salvation can be forfeited through unbelief.

What is the most important thing? Obedience to God’s commandments, or being “doers of the word” (1:22). Those who think themselves virtuous because they simply hear or know God’s Word are deluded, which describes not a few pew-warming Christians. James will later elaborate more fully on the folly of faith that is void of works. Today, however, he focuses on works that demonstrate one’s obedience to “the law of liberty,” which tomorrow’s reading will reveal is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Works of love validate one’s faith. Paul would later write of “faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). James specifically cites caring for distressed widows and orphans as what characterizes “pure and undefiled religion” (1:27). So glad Heaven’s Family does those things!

The river of the water of life mentioned in this chapter is similar to what Ezekiel and Zechariah saw hundreds of years before the apostle John lived (Ezek. 47:1-12; Zech. 14:8). Ezekiel also mentioned seeing the tree of life along that amazing river:

And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing (Ezek. 47:12).

Notice how similar that is to what John wrote:

On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (22:2).

How leaves will heal, and why nations will need healing, we are not told. In any case, it is interesting that the tree of life is found in the very beginning of the Bible (Gen. 2:9), and at the very end. Someday, when we’re permitted to eat from it, we’ll understand it better (22:14).

Amazingly, believers will someday see the face of God, something that God once told Moses that no man could do without forfeiting his life (Ex. 33:20). Our glorified bodies will apparently be able to handle what our old, physical bodies could not.

It also seems that our new bodies may not need to sleep. If they do, we’ll have to sleep in the daytime, as there will no longer be any night in the city that is illuminated by God’s glory (22:5).

It is interesting that the apostle John, perhaps the most spiritual person on earth during his day, twice made the error of worshipping angels during his visions (19:10; 22:8-9). This makes me feel better about my blunders. John was obviously overcome with what he was experiencing. In both instances, the angels told him, “Worship God.”

In light of the fact that it has been almost 2,000 years since John had his vision, it is also interesting that an angel told him that the things which he saw in his visions “must soon take place” (22:6), and that “the time is near” (22:10). We know, of course, that 1,000 years to us is like one day to God (2 Pet. 3:8), so from His eternal standpoint, the things which John saw would take place shortly. It has, however, seemed like a long time to us.

One would expect that the final chapter of the Bible would emphasize the most important themes, and so it is. For the final time we hear that God is holy, yet He freely extends His mercy. In His mercy He offers to all, not a license to sin, but an opportunity to repent of sin, receive forgiveness, continue in obedience, and be rewarded eternally.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying (Rev. 22:14-15).

These truths should guide the affairs of our lives and chart the course of our remaining years on earth.

Although this ends our journey through the New Testament, I don’t have room to share my closing thoughts within my 700-word restricted allotment. So you’ll hear from me one more time! Thanks for reading with me over the past year!

First of all—congratulations for reading through the entire New Testament—chronologically, no less—over the past 12 months. I hope that you’ve been as blessed as I have as we’ve studied the most important part of the most important book ever written. A lovely journey for both of us!

When I first committed myself to this project, I was probably biting off more than I should. I found myself waking up by 5 AM most mornings—without an alarm clock—motivated in my mind to complete one day’s writing before I headed off to work at the offices of Heaven’s Family. During that year’s worth of writing, Heaven’s Family grew from four employees to ten, and we moved our offices from my home’s sunporch to rented commercial office space. I also traveled during those 12 months on ministry trips to Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, England, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Kenya, Burundi, and twice to Myanmar. It was a very full year, to say the least.

In any case, my goal was your and my spiritual growth, and so I hope I’ve succeeded in challenging you to serve the Lord with deeper devotion and greater zeal. I also wanted to expose you to some of the many opportunities available through the ministry of Heaven’s Family to love Jesus by serving “the least of these” among His family around the world. That is why one of our ministry funds was highlighted in the side bar of almost every issue of HeavenWord Daily. Our vision is to serve you by helping you to serve poor believers around the world who are facing very pressing needs. If you haven’t allowed us to do that for you yet, I would like to invite you this final time.

A few readers have asked me if I intend to write HeavenWord Daily devotionals for the Old Testament. The answer, at least for now, is “no” because of lack of time. We are, however, filming a video teaching series that will take viewers through the entire New Testament chronologically that will be a much more in-depth study than HeavenWord Daily. We’re producing two versions of those video teachings: HeavenWord TV, a 30-minute broadcast, and HeavenWord 7, which are seven-minute segments of HeavenWord TV designed for daily devotions. You can subscribe to the podcasts of those broadcasts on our website or view them there.

Please do recommend HeavenWord Daily to your friends and relatives who love the Lord, as it will always be available on our website. They can sign up on any day of the year, and on the very next weekday, Day 1 will be in their inbox early in the morning. You can also purchase hardbound book copies of HeavenWord Daily by clicking here.

Again, congratulations on reaching your goal. I recommend treating yourself to something good and healthy! Personally, I’m treating myself to a strawberry and banana smoothie with a dash of honey! Thank you, Jesus! — David

Peter wrote in his second epistle that one day “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10). Jesus also foretold that “heaven and earth will pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Obviously, the righteous will be far away from earth then, safe from harm. John was blessed to see the new heaven and earth that God will create, and he noted that there will be no sea. Surely there will be lakes and rivers though! (I hope!)

John was also blessed to see the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, which leads us to believe that the New Jerusalem is currently in heaven. It is quite a large city—1,500 miles by 1,500 miles. It would stretch halfway across the United States. Because it is also 1,500 miles in height, some imagine it to be a pyramid in shape (rather than a cube), with God dwelling at the pinnacle. The entire city shines with His brilliant glory.

The walls of the city are over 200 feet high, and they will appear somewhat like a grand encircling rainbow, being constructed with layers of precious stones (21:17-20).

John tells us that “the city was pure gold, like clear glass” (21:18). How gold can be transparent is impossible for us to comprehend, so we’ll have to wait to see it for ourselves. But if the entire city is transparent, God’s glory will penetrate every corner. John tells us that “the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb” (21:23). That doesn’t mean that there will be no sun or moon, but that they will both be unnecessary for illumination.

The New Jerusalem will be the eternal capital of the world, and from there God will rule over the nations. It will be a city that is full of joy, void of death, crying or pain (21:4). Everyone will continually sense the love of God.

Most importantly, it will be a holy city. It is promised only to those who “overcome” (21:7) which are those who persevere in obedient faith, “those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (21:27). God solemnly declared to John:

The cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (21:8).

How tragic it is that so many modern preachers assure their carnal audiences that “carnal Christians” (an oxymoron if there ever was one) are safe under God’s grace, and that it is impossible for any saved person to ever forfeit salvation. John would disagree with both of those lies. Is it possible for a saved person to become an unbeliever, a murderer, immoral, an idolater or a liar? If yes, then it is possible for a saved person to forfeit his salvation. Heaven is not for the unholy, and that message sounds forth strongly, right to the final pages of the Bible (even through the final chapter, which is all that remains for us to read together)!

It will require only one angel to subdue and incarcerate Satan for 1,000 years, giving us insight into how much more powerful God is than the devil. God could easily immobilize Satan right now if it were His will. The devil, however, serves a purpose in God’s eternal plan, namely, as the alternate choice set before free moral agents whom God is testing. This becomes even more obvious when we learn that the devil will be released for a short time at the end of the Millennium, at which time he will deceive the nations into foolishly attacking Jerusalem, from where Christ rules. God will use Satan to reveal those who are inwardly rebellious against Him, and then He’ll judge them with fire from heaven. Keep in mind that Satan will be able to deceive only those who are rebels at heart. Until they are deceived by him, they would never entertain the absurd idea of attempting to overthrow Christ’s global government.

It does seem amazing that anyone would not be happy with Jesus reigning over the world. When you think about it, however, it is amazing that there is anyone who wouldn’t want Jesus reigning over his or her life right now. Most people, however, want nothing to do with Him. And just as it will be with those whom Satan deceives at the end of the Millennium, those whom he has presently deceived are those who want to believe his lies and who refuse to believe the truth. It all comes down to the condition of people’s hearts.

Scripture promises that those who endure in faith will one day reign with Christ (2 Tim. 2:12), and today’s reading affirms that overcomers will “reign with Him for a thousand years” (20:6). Our positions of authority then will be based on our faithfulness now, as Jesus’ Parable of the Nobleman reveals (Luke 19:11-27). It is quite possible that the “thrones” (plural) of which we read in 20:4 are thrones on which we will sit. Paul wrote that we will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3)!

Note that John refers to the resurrection of those who had been martyred under the reign of the antichrist as “the first resurrection” (20:5). One wonders how that resurrection—which obviously occurs after believers have been martyred by the antichrist—could be the “first resurrection” if there was another mass resurrection that occurred globally just before the time of the antichrist at the “pre-tribulational rapture” of the church, as so many believe. If, however, the rapture of the church and the resurrection of the dead in Christ—of which Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:51-55 and 1 Thes. 4:15-17—occurs when Christ returns at the end of the tribulation period, then it is obvious why that resurrection would be called “the first resurrection.”

The bodies of the unsaved dead will not be resurrected until after the Millennium (20:5). The spirits that previously resided in those dead bodies, however, will be very much alive all during those 1,000 years, as disembodied spirits in hell (literally, “Hades”). The only thing they will have to look forward to is their physical resurrection, after which they will stand before the “great white throne” (20:11) of judgment, and then be cast into the lake of fire, which John refers to as “the second death” (20:14).

Words can hardly describe the solemnity of the scene when the book of life is opened and those who stand before the throne of God wait as it is searched for their names. Any hopes of salvation will be crushed. Other books, which describe the deeds of their lives, will be searched as well. Although we are saved through faith in Christ, our deeds reveal our faith or lack of faith. The unsaved will have no defense before God, as their deeds will testify to the unbelief in their hearts.

It seems quite obvious that the most important issue that everyone should resolve is the issue of whether or not one’s name is recorded in the book of life. Everything else is insignificant by comparison. How tragic it is that most people spend their lives playing a daily version of Trivial Pursuit.

We have just read about the battle of Armageddon, where Jesus makes very short work of the great harlot, the beast, the false prophet, and the armies that foolishly gather to do battle against Him at His return. They are truly deluded by the devil to even hope that they might win such a war, and their fate is sealed before the war begins. The birds that will feast on their flesh are summoned in advance (19:17-18).

We are told in today’s reading that, after her judgment, the smoke of the great harlot will ascend “forever and ever” (19:3), one more indication that she represents a wicked city. Keep in mind that the previous chapter ended with a scene of the smoke of Babylon rising (18:18), while this chapter begins with a scene of the smoke of the destroyed great harlot rising, once again leading us to believe that the great harlot and Babylon are one and the same.

We are also told that the kings of the earth and the armies that will gather to battle Christ as He returns will be killed by a sharp sword which comes from His mouth. This, I assume, is symbolic of the fact that He will kill them with just a word. Paul wrote concerning the antichrist: “And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” (2 Thes. 2:8). After the antichrist is slain, he will be cast into the lake of fire along with the false prophet. We will read in the next chapter that they will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” (20:10) along with the devil himself.

It seems quite possible that when Jesus returns to earth riding a white horse, you might also be riding a white horse along with the army that returns with Him! That army does not seem to consist of angels, but of the redeemed, as they are described as being “clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (19:14), and we are told in an earlier verse that those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb will be given clothing of “fine linen, bright and clean” (19:8). I suspect that there will be no casualties among that army at the battle of Armageddon. And with all this in mind, we may have a better idea what Paul meant when he wrote to the Corinthians, “We are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete” (2 Cor. 10:6).

The marriage supper of the Lamb will apparently occur sometime within this same time frame, and we note that the church is the Lamb’s bride. She will be pure and holy, cleansed by His blood, and the fine linen that she will wear will symbolize the “righteous acts of the saints” (19:8). So she will be more than “legally righteous,” but also “practically righteous.” It is possible that it was this supper that Isaiah foresaw when he wrote: “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow” (Is. 25:6). Won’t that be a wonderful occasion?

Today we read a further indication that the great harlot of chapter 17, on whose forehead is written, “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” (17:5), is one and the same as the “Babylon” of which we read today. Concerning the great harlot, an angel describes her as “the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality” (17:1-2). In our reading today, an angel describes Babylon by declaring, “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her” (18:3). Sounds the same, doesn’t it? And as I mentioned in our previous study, both the harlot and Babylon are called great cities, and both will be destroyed. Both are also said to be responsible for the martyrdom of multitudes of believers (17:6; 18:24).

It is also clear that Babylon will be a very wealthy center for global commerce, and for this reason, some suspect that Babylon represents New York City, which is also a place where world leaders often gather (at the United Nations), qualifying it to be a place where “the kings of the earth have committed immorality” (18:3) literally and more figuratively. It can hardly be said, however, at least at the current time, that New York City is full of “the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth” (18:24). The destruction of Babylon will be due, at least in part, to God’s vengeance on behalf of His “saints and apostles and prophets” (18:20; 19:2).

Unlike New York City, Rome, of course, has a reputation for making martyrs, including apostolic martyrs such as Peter and Paul. Millions of Christians were martyred by Roman decree in the first three centuries. Papal decrees from Rome resulted in martyrdom of millions more through the centuries.

Babylon must represent a coastal city, as we are told that the smoke of its destruction will be seen by “every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor” (18:17) as they lament its demise. New York City meets that qualification. In John’s day, the city of Rome was the center of the world’s commerce. Although it was not a coastal city, it was (and is) not far from the Mediterranean Sea, connected to it by the Tiber River.

Addressing the never-ending question of whether or not there will be believers on the earth during earth’s future tribulation, we note that at this point in the chronology of Revelation, God calls His people to come out of Babylon that they may not “participate in her sins and receive of her plagues” (18:4). It would seem odd for God to call His people to come out from Babylon if all of them were in heaven.

In any case, the righteous will rejoice when God finally brings an end to what will apparently be the capital of the world’s wickedness during the antichrist’s time. In fact, the saints are told to rejoice over its judgment (18:20). In the next chapter, the rejoicing really starts!

This chapter has provided more fodder for speculation than perhaps any other in the Bible! What or whom does the great harlot represent? The final verse of this chapter identifies her as “the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” (17:18). So, she is a politically-significant, globally-dominant city, at least in her time.

John tells us that she has a mysterious name written on her forehead that reads, “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” (17:5). So she is clearly associated with the Babylon of which we’ve already read in earlier chapters. Babylon is also mentioned in Revelation as being a “great city” in 16:19; 18:10, 16, 18-19, 21. For this reason, many consider the great harlot to be one and the same with Babylon.

The name across her forehead also reveals that she will possess unsurpassed evil influence around the world. John writes that she will commit acts of immorality with the earth’s kings (17:2). So she will have a harlot-like relationship with world leaders (17:2), perhaps meaning that she performs her wicked services for their pleasure and pay. John also writes that the world will be “made drunk with the wine of her immorality” (17:2), indicating that she will seduce them to love her.

If the beast she rides is the same beast that was introduced in chapter 13 (it also possessed seven heads and ten horns; see 13:1), it would indicate that she has very close ties to the antichrist and his empire. Moreover, she is also very wealthy, “adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls” (17:4). Most significantly, John sees her as “drunk with the blood of the saints” (17:6). The great harlot is a “martyr-making machine.”

Protestants often identify her as representing the city of Rome, seat of the Roman Catholic Church—a church which abandoned her first love and is thus guilty of spiritual adultery, possesses great wealth and world-wide political influence, is rooted in pagan Babylonian customs, has led multitudes astray by means of unbiblical doctrines, and which has been responsible for the martyrdom of millions of Christ’s followers through the centuries. Historically, Rome has been known as “the city of seven hills,” and we note that in John’s vision, she is seen sitting on the seven heads of the beast, which are explained to him as being seven mountains and seven kings (17:9-10). Yet I think we should leave room for the possibility of another city arising to prominence in the future that may better fit Revelation’s description of the great harlot.

We read near the end of today’s chapter that the antichrist and his political allies will ultimately turn against the great harlot, strip her of her wealth and destroy her, unwittingly executing God’s purpose upon her (17:16-17). The reason for their hatred, however, is not explained.

The beast that the harlot rides possesses ten horns, which are explained to John as being ten kings who give their power and authority to the beast for “one hour” (17:12). Those ten horns may well correspond to the ten toes on the famous statue that Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar once saw in a dream that held end-times significance (Dan. 2:31-45), and they may also correspond to the ten horns on the indescribable beast which Daniel once saw in a vision that depicted the antichrist’s empire (Dan. 7:7, 20-24).

The seven heads of the beast also represent seven kings, of which John is told that “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while” (17:10). I’ve read scores of speculations in an equal number of commentaries, but none satisfy me.

I’m so glad that the most important thing for us to understand is quite clear: the antichrist and his allies are definitely doomed for destruction, and Jesus will defeat their armies at His coming (17:14). I suspect that all the other details which have been the subject of speculation for so long will become more clear as they occur.

The seven “bowl judgments,” which are God’s final judgments upon the earth, will surpass the seal and trumpet judgments in their severity. It is difficult to believe that there will be any believers on the earth then, as the judgments seem to be world-wide. However, as I mentioned in the previous commentary, John does specify that the first bowl judgment affects those “who had the mark of the beast” (16:2), perhaps implying that there will be some on earth without that mark. Additionally, between the sixth and seventh bowl judgments, and not long before Jesus’ return, He reminds his readers that He is coming like a thief, and states that those who stay awake and keep their clothes are blessed, as they will not be found naked and shamed when He comes (16:15). It would seem odd that He would warn people to remain ready for His coming if no one who believes in Him will be on the earth when He comes.

Although these bowl judgments seem quite severe, God is just in pouring them out, because they will afflict those who will have served the antichrist in the martyrdom of perhaps millions of followers of Christ. Because they “poured out the blood of saints and prophets” (16:6), God will give them blood to drink by turning the water of the sea, rivers and springs into blood. An angel declares, “They deserve it” (16:6).

Twice we read today the report that those who suffer the bowl judgments will not repent of their deeds (16:9, 11), which indicates that they will possess the capacity to repent. They will, however, blaspheme God and seal their doom.

During the fifth bowl judgment, darkness will cover the beast’s kingdom, and its citizens will experience great pain to the degree that they will gnaw their tongues in anguish (16:10). Amos, Nahum and Zephaniah all foretold the time of darkness during the “day of the Lord.” If you have the time, you might want to read Amos 5:18, Nahum 1:6, 8, and Zephaniah 1:15.

The sixth bowl judgment will result in the drying up of the Euphrates River “that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east” (16:12). This will be a preparation for the battle of Armageddon, when, through the divinely-permitted deception of evil spirits, nations will gather for one final battle in the valley of Megiddo, located in central Israel. When the 1,780-mile Euphrates River is dried up, it will give easier access for any nation east or north of Israel to invade.

When the final bowl judgment is poured out, it will result in the greatest earthquake in human history, so that “the cities of the nations” fall (16:19). Imagine all the world’s cities crumbling at the same moment. Zechariah, Haggai, Joel and Isaiah all spoke of a great earthquake during the time of God’s future wrath (Zech. 14:4-5; Hag. 2:6-7; Joel 3:1-16; Is. 24:18-20). John specifically mentions “the great city” being split into three parts as a result of that earthquake, which is apparently “Babylon the Great,” mentioned in the very next sentence as being “remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath” (16:19). It will become even more clear as we read the next two chapters that Babylon is a reference to a very wicked city, the capital of an empire. Which city might it be? Stay tuned!