Bird's-eye view
In this section of Revelation, we are in the thick of the final, most intense series of judgments, the pouring out of the seven bowls of God's wrath. These are not partial judgments like the trumpets; these are total, representing the final, catastrophic end of the old covenant order centered in Jerusalem. The fifth bowl judgment is uniquely targeted. It is not poured out on the earth or sea in general, but specifically on the "throne of the beast," the very seat of the persecuting political power that has set itself against Christ and His Church. In the historical context of John's writing, this is the Roman imperial power, embodied by Nero, which was in a corrupt alliance with the apostate Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. The judgment results in darkness, pain, and blasphemy, but notably, not repentance. This passage is a stark depiction of judicial hardening. It shows us that God's wrath, when poured out on a rebellious heart, does not soften it but rather intensifies its wickedness, proving the justice of the condemnation.
The structure is straightforward: an angel acts, a target is struck, a consequence follows, and the response of the wicked is recorded. The consequence, darkness, is a direct echo of the ninth plague on Egypt, further cementing the theme of the apostate Jewish system having become the new Egypt, from which God is delivering His new Israel, the Church. The response of the wicked is crucial; their pain leads not to supplication but to intensified defiance. They gnaw their tongues and blaspheme God, demonstrating that their hearts are fully set in their rebellion. This is a terrifying picture of what happens when God gives men over to the logical end of their sin.
Outline
- 1. The Fifth Bowl: Judgment on the Beast's Throne (Rev 16:10-11)
- a. The Target: The Throne of the Beast (v. 10a)
- b. The Consequence: Darkness and Pain (v. 10b)
- c. The Response: Blasphemy and Impenitence (v. 11)
Context In Revelation
The bowl judgments in chapter 16 represent the climax of the covenant lawsuit that God has been prosecuting throughout the book of Revelation. They are the "seven last plagues" (Rev 15:1) which fill up the wrath of God. They run parallel to the trumpet judgments (chapters 8-9) and the seal judgments (chapter 6), but with a heightened intensity and finality. While the trumpets affected a "third" of the earth, the bowls are comprehensive. The first four bowls afflicted the earth, sea, rivers, and sun, echoing the plagues of Egypt. Now, the fifth bowl strikes directly at the command center of God's enemies. This follows the establishment of the beast's authority in chapter 13, where he is given power and a throne by the dragon and is worshiped by the world. This judgment is God's direct answer to that blasphemous authority. The subsequent bowls will target the Euphrates, leading to the battle of Armageddon (the sixth bowl), and finally, the great earthquake and hail that level the whole system (the seventh bowl). This passage, therefore, is a pivotal moment where God demonstrates His sovereignty not just over creation, but over the political powers that defy Him.
Key Issues
- The Identity of the Beast and His Throne
- The Symbolic Meaning of Darkness as Judgment
- The Doctrine of Judicial Hardening
- The Nature of Unrepentance
- The Connection to the Plagues of Egypt
The Hardening of the Wicked
One of the most sobering doctrines in all of Scripture is that of judicial hardening. We see it most clearly with Pharaoh in the Exodus account. God sends plagues, and with each one, the text tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart, and also that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. These are not contradictory statements. God's judgment on sin is sometimes to give the sinner more of what he wants. He removes restraints and allows the rebellious heart to become fully and finally what it has chosen to be.
That is precisely what we are witnessing here. The men who are afflicted by these bowls of wrath are not neutral parties. They are those who have "the mark of the beast" and who "worshiped his image" (Rev 16:2). They have chosen their side. The purpose of these plagues is not primarily redemptive; it is retributive. It is to demonstrate the justice of God's final condemnation. The pain and darkness do not lead them to say, "We were wrong." Instead, it leads them to curse the God who is judging them. Their blasphemy is proof that the judgment is righteous. The wrath of God reveals the depths of the wickedness that was already in their hearts. It does not create the wickedness; it exposes it and solidifies it for all to see.
Verse by Verse Commentary
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
The angel's action is swift and precise. The target is not just the beast, but his throne. In Scripture, a throne represents the seat of authority, the center of power and rule. The beast, as we have seen, is the persecuting civil government, which in John's day was the Roman Empire, with Nero Caesar as its head. This judgment is therefore aimed at the very heart of Roman imperial authority, the source of its decrees and the symbol of its power. This is God striking at the headquarters of the opposition.
The result is that "his kingdom became darkened." This is not talking about an eclipse. As with the plague of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21-23), this is a supernatural and symbolic darkness. It represents confusion, chaos, terror, and the total loss of insight and direction within the leadership of the empire. The lights went out in the corridors of power. The plans of wicked men were thrown into disarray. This political and spiritual blindness is a direct judgment on a kingdom that prided itself on its enlightenment and order, its Pax Romana. God shows that He can turn off the lights anytime He wants.
The response of the beast's followers is not contemplation or repentance, but pure agony. They "gnawed their tongues because of pain." This is a graphic picture of extreme, impotent rage and torment. The pain is not just from the physical sores mentioned in the next verse, but from the terror and frustration of seeing their invincible kingdom plunged into chaos. Gnawing one's tongue is a self-inflicted act of anguish, a picture of men turning their torment inward because they cannot strike out at the God who is afflicting them.
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.
Here the source of their rage is made explicit. They connect their suffering directly to God, but their conclusion is not submission, but blasphemy. They blasphemed the "God of heaven," which is a title emphasizing God's transcendence and sovereignty, the very thing they were defying. They are in pain from their "pains and their sores", the sores being a reference back to the first bowl judgment (Rev 16:2). The judgment is cumulative and unrelenting. But instead of crying out for mercy, they curse the judge. Their suffering simply reveals the venom that was in their hearts all along.
The final clause is the key to the whole passage and the tragic summary of their condition: "and they did not repent of their deeds." This is stated as a simple fact, a final verdict. The opportunity for repentance has passed. Judgment is not purifying them; it is finalizing their rebellion. Their "deeds" are their idolatry, their persecution of the saints, their love for wickedness, everything that identified them as belonging to the kingdom of the beast. God's wrath does not produce repentance in the reprobate heart; it produces more sin, thus vindicating the wrath itself. This is the dead end of all rebellion against God. It is a state of being permanently fixed in a posture of hatred toward the only one who can save.
Application
This passage is a hard word, but a necessary one. It forces us to confront the reality of God's wrath and the profound hardness of the unrepentant human heart. We live in a sentimental age that wants to imagine a God who would never cause anyone pain, and sinners who are simply misguided victims who just need a little more encouragement to do the right thing. This passage demolishes that fantasy.
First, it teaches us that God directly engages and judges the political powers of this world. No throne is absolute. No kingdom is sovereign. God can and does plunge the kingdoms of men into darkness and confusion when they set themselves against His Christ. We should not be surprised when we see chaos and panic in the halls of power; it is often the direct judgment of God.
Second, we must take the doctrine of judicial hardening seriously. Suffering does not automatically make people better. For those whose hearts are set against God, it can make them far worse. This should cause us to tremble. We should pray that God would grant us soft hearts, that He would give us the gift of repentance. We must never presume upon His patience, thinking that we can sin now and repent later. There comes a point where God gives a man over to his sin, and the heart becomes as hard as granite. The fact that you are even concerned about such a thing is a sign of God's grace. Do not trifle with it.
Finally, the only escape from this wrath is to be found in the one who drank the full cup of God's wrath for us. On the cross, Jesus endured the ultimate darkness. He cried out in agony. He bore the full, undiluted fury of God against our sin. He did this so that we would never have to. The choice before every human being is simple: either you take refuge in the Christ who absorbed the wrath, or you will one day have the bowls of that wrath poured out on you. And on that day, it will be too late to repent.