17. What does John tell us about the sanctuary, and how does that remind us of the sanctuary in ancient Israel?

¹⁷ Finally, completing this part of the vision, John tells us: “And the sanctuary became filled with smoke because of the glory of God and because of his power, and no one was able to enter into the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.” (Revelation 15:8) There were occasions in Israel’s history when a cloud covered the literal sanctuary, and this manifestation of Jehovah’s glory prevented the priests from entering there. (1 Kings 8:10, 11; 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14; compare Isaiah 6:4, 5.) These were times when Jehovah was actively involved with developments on earth.

18. When will the seven angels return to make a report to Jehovah?

¹⁸ Jehovah is also deeply interested in things happening on earth now. He wants the seven angels to complete their assignment. It is a climactic time of judgment, as described at Psalm 11:4-6: “Jehovah is in his holy temple. Jehovah​—in the heavens is his throne. His own eyes behold, his own beaming eyes examine the sons of men. Jehovah himself examines the righteous one as well as the wicked one, and anyone loving violence His soul certainly hates. He will rain down upon the wicked ones traps, fire and sulphur and a scorching wind, as the portion of their cup.” Until these seven plagues are poured out upon the wicked ones, the seven angels will not return to Jehovah’s lofty presence.

19. (a) What command is issued, and by whom? (b) When must the pouring out of the symbolic bowls have begun?

¹⁹ The awesome command thunders forth: “And I heard a loud voice out of the sanctuary say to the seven angels: ‘Go and pour out the seven bowls of the anger of God into the earth.’” (Revelation 16:1) Who issues this command? It must be Jehovah himself, since the radiance of his glory and power prevented anyone else from entering the sanctuary. Jehovah came to his spiritual temple for judgment in 1918. (Malachi 3:1-5) It must, then, have been shortly after that date that he gave the command to pour out the bowls of the anger of God. In fact, the judgments contained in the symbolic bowls started to be proclaimed with intensity in 1922. And their proclamation is increasing to a crescendo today.

The Bowls and the Trumpet Blasts

20. What do the bowls of Jehovah’s anger reveal and warn of, and how are they poured out?

²⁰ The bowls of Jehovah’s anger reveal features of the world scene as Jehovah views them and warn of judgments that Jehovah will execute. The angels pour out the bowls through the agency of the congregation of anointed Christians on earth, the ones singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. While proclaiming the Kingdom as good news, the John class have boldly revealed the contents of these bowls of anger. (Matthew 24:14; Revelation 14:6, 7) Thus, their twofold message has been peaceful in proclaiming liberty to mankind but warlike in warning of “the day of vengeance on the part of our God.”​—Isaiah 61:1, 2.

21. How do the targets of the first four bowls of God’s anger correspond to those of the first four trumpet blasts, and wherein do they differ?

²¹ The targets of the first four bowls of God’s anger correspond to those of the first four trumpet blasts, that is, the earth, the sea, the rivers and fountains of water, and the heavenly sources of light. (Revelation 8:1-12) But the trumpet blasts announced plagues on “a third,” whereas an entirety is afflicted by the pouring out of the bowls of God’s anger. Thus, while Christendom, as “a third,” has received first attention during the Lord’s day, not one part of Satan’s system has been exempted from being plagued by Jehovah’s vexatious judgment messages and the sorrows they bring.

22. How were the final three trumpet blasts different, and how do they relate to the final three bowls of Jehovah’s anger?

²² The final three trumpet blasts were different, for they were called woes. (Revelation 8:13; 9:12) The first two of these consisted particularly of the locusts and the armies of cavalry, while the third introduced the birth of Jehovah’s Kingdom. (Revelation 9:1-21; 11:15-19) As we shall see, the final three bowls of his wrath also cover some of these aspects, but they are somewhat different from the three woes. Let us now pay close attention to the dramatic disclosures that result from the pouring out of the bowls of Jehovah’s anger.

1. What will have taken place when the seven bowls have been poured out to a finality, and what questions now arise regarding the bowls?

JOHN has already introduced the angels commissioned to pour out the seven bowls. He tells us that “these are the last ones, because by means of them the anger of God is brought to a finish.” (Revelation 15:1; 16:1) These plagues, revealing Jehovah’s sanctions for wickedness in the earth, must be poured out to a finality. When they are over, God’s judgments will have been executed. Satan’s world will be no more! What do these plagues portend for mankind and the rulers of the present wicked system? How can Christians avoid being plagued along with this doomed world? Vital questions, these, and now they are to be answered. All who long for the triumph of righteousness will have keen interest in what John next sees.

Jehovah’s Wrath Against “the Earth”

2. What results from the first angel’s pouring out his bowl into the earth, and what is symbolized by “the earth”?

² The first angel goes into action! “And the first one went off and poured out his bowl into the earth. And a hurtful and malignant ulcer came to be upon the men that had the mark of the wild beast and that were worshiping its image.” (Revelation 16:2) As in the case of the first trumpet blast, “the earth” here symbolizes the stable-looking political system that Satan began to build here on earth back in Nimrod’s time, over 4,000 years ago.​—Revelation 8:7.

3. (a) How have many governments demanded what amounts to worship from their subjects? (b) What have the nations produced as a substitute for God’s Kingdom, and what is the effect on those who worship it?

³ In these last days, many governments have demanded what amounts to worship from their subjects, insisting that the State must be exalted above God or any other loyalty. (2 Timothy 3:1; compare Luke 20:25; John 19:15.) Since 1914 it has become common for nations to conscript their youth in order for them to fight, or be ready to fight, the kind of total warfare that has so bloodied the pages of modern history. During the Lord’s day, the nations have also produced, as a substitute for God’s Kingdom, the image of the beast​—the League of Nations and its successor, the United Nations. What blasphemy to proclaim, as recent popes have done, that this man-made body is the nations’ sole hope for peace! It staunchly opposes God’s Kingdom. Those who worship it become spiritually unclean, ulcerated, just as the Egyptians who opposed Jehovah in Moses’ day were plagued by literal sores and ulcers.​—Exodus 9:10, 11.

4. (a) What do the contents of the first bowl of the anger of God strongly emphasize? (b) How does Jehovah regard those who accept the mark of the wild beast?

⁴ The contents of this bowl strongly emphasize the choice that lies before humans. They must suffer either the world’s disapproval or Jehovah’s indignation. Mankind has been put under compulsion to accept the mark of the wild beast, with the intent that “nobody might be able to buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name.” (Revelation 13:16, 17) But there is a price to pay for this! Jehovah regards those who accept the mark as being stricken with “a hurtful and malignant ulcer.” Since 1922 they have been marked in public as having rejected the living God. Their political schemes have no success, and they suffer anguish. Spiritually, they are unclean. Unless they repent, this “hurtful” illness will be terminal, for it is now Jehovah’s day of judgment. There is no neutral ground between being a part of the world’s system of things and serving Jehovah on the side of his Christ.​—Luke 11:23; compare James 4:4.

The Sea Becomes Blood

5. (a) What takes place when the second bowl is poured out? (b) How does Jehovah view those who inhabit the symbolic sea?

⁵ The second bowl of God’s anger must now be poured out. What will it mean for mankind? John tells us: “And the second one poured out his bowl into the sea. And it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died, yes, the things in the sea.” (Revelation 16:3) Like the second trumpet blast, this bowl is directed against “the sea”​—the seething, rebellious mass of humanity alienated from Jehovah. (Isaiah 57:20, 21; Revelation 8:8, 9) In Jehovah’s eyes, this “sea” is like blood, unfit for creatures to live in. That is why Christians must be no part of the world. (John 17:14) The pouring out of the second bowl of God’s anger reveals that all of mankind who inhabit this sea are dead in Jehovah’s eyes. By reason of community responsibility, mankind is guilty of gross shedding of innocent blood. When Jehovah’s day of anger arrives, they will literally die at the hands of his executional forces.​—Revelation 19:17, 18; compare Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13.