The First Five Bowl Judgements

Having presented a number of interludes describing conditions in the future Tribulation Period, John returns to the sequential series of twenty-one judgments. The first series of seven judgments were termed Seal Judgments because Jesus, one by one, opened the wax seals on a book of judgment. The second series of seven judgments were described as Trumpet Judgments because they were each announced by an angelic trumpet blast. The final series of seven judgments, introduced in chapter 15, is now revealed in chapter 16. These seven Bowl Judgments describe the rapid outpouring of God's final judgments on the earth immediately prior to the return of Jesus Christ. While the previous series of judgments were divided into four judgments followed by three more judgments, the Bowl Judgments show no such break in the sequence, indicating the rapid nature of their release. Arbitrarily, it's convenient to address the first five Bowl Judgments as a unit, followed by the final two Bowl Judgments. The first five Bowl Judgments, while similar in many ways to the Trumpet Judgments, are more extensive and therefore should be viewed as sequentially distinct. These judgments once again remind us that sin is horrendous, God's judgment is just, and Christ's redemption is essential.