New Testament Commentary - Revelation 16

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 16 God pours out plagues upon the wicked—The nations assemble for Armageddon—Christ comes, islands flee, mountains cease.	These are the plagues of the seven angles spoken of which are poured out upon the wicked—In the course of these plagues the nations are assembled to Armageddon—When Christ comes the islands are moved and mountains laid flat as the land is unfolded and turned back to being one land.
Plagues 1 and 2
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. 2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a ^anoisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. 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.
Plagues 3
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 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 ^ajudged thus. 6 For they have ^ashed the ^bblood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are ^cworthy. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Plagues 4
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and ^ablasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
Plagues 5
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of ^adarkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their ^apains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Plagues 6
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. 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 ^afalse prophet. 14 For they are the ^aspirits of ^bdevils, working ^cmiracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the ^dbattle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a ^athief. Blessed is he that ^bwatcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue ^aArmageddon.
Plagues 7
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. 18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great ^aearthquake, 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 ^aBabylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his ^bwrath. 20 And every island fled away, and the ^amountains were not found^a. 21 And there fell upon men a great ^ahail 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.	20^a every island fled away, and the mountains were not found Once the earth stood as one land, at this time of the plagues leading up to the Second Coming Christ will speak and by the power of his voice shall the lands be 'turned back to their own place' and the land will again be one land 'be like as it was in the days before it was divided. (D&C 133:21-24)