Revelation 16:8 - 16

Fourth Bowl: Men Are Scorched

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

The sun was also mentioned in verse 4, it is afflicted here because it normally is a blessing to the welfare of humans on the earth, it is a source of light and heat, we cannot survive on earth without this particular blessing. However in this case it is being used as a torment against the wickedness of the Roman-Catholic empire by increasing the intensity of the sun. It causes them torment so they will curse God for it.

God is the source of spiritual light for mankind. The release of the Bible to mankind caused an intense reaction aimed at the wicked who were in command of the Roman-Catholic empire. This blessing of God's light in an intense manner directed at the wicked, caused them torment because they were not following the word and will of God. They recognized the problem, but blamed God instead of repenting of the evil they were committing.

Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

The throne of the beast is His headquarters in Rome. The darkness represents confusion in the affairs of the church-state government. Biting one's tongue in natural during certain circumstances, but this time it is a symbol used to represent the intense disappointment and humiliation of the leaders in Rome when they see their oppressive power structure tumbling down in ruin all around them.

This is very similar to verse 9, and it shows the effect pride has upon people. They didn't repent because they were too proud of their own stubborn thinking and accomplishments. They could not imagine that they were wrong, so they blamed God for their impending catastrophe.

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

The river Euphrates has played an important part in the history of God's dealing with His people and their relationships with other nations. The city of Babylon was located on the Euphrates river. It actually flowed through Babylon, and the Persians diverted it away so their army could walk in under the gates and defeat the Babylonians. The drying up of the Euphrates is based on the fall of the Babylonian empire, but is used figuratively to symbolize the fall of the great church-state, the Mystery Babylon the Great, based in Rome.

The frogs which are slimy and some find to be loathsome creatures are used to represent three very loathsome powers and individuals. They are the dragon (Satan, Revelation 12:9), the beast (Rome) and the false prophet. The phrase “false prophet” is singular in form but does not refer to any particular individual, but means a group of evil workers who used deceptive methods to mislead all of the subjects of the Roman-Catholic empire.

The demons are the ones of the Roman-Catholic empire which deceived many by use of their abilities to do supernatural miracles. There are beings in the world which are able to create miracles. They are not all representative of God, and things of good. Paul predicted them when he said “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,” (2 Thessalonians 2:9) it also as he said, “ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13 – 15)

These demons are gathering the evil of the world for the last battle or war of which we are now engaged. It is the battle of “good vs evil” and will continue until the day of judgment.

The day of judgment will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. The thief who breaks into people's houses does not send a notice telling them when he will arrive.

The word Armageddon is a Greek word spelled in English letters in our Bible, Thayer says the literal meaning of the word is “destruction”, it is referred to as a “battle” in verse 14 but it really means war and not just a single fight. The war of good against evil and has been going on for many years. At least as long as Satan has been released from the pit, and signs of him deceiving governments again has been in evident as early as 1918 with the Soviet Union restricting Christianity, and maybe earlier.