Seven Vial Plagues
The Father, no one else can be in the temple.
The "vials of the wrath of God" is a description of what the vials are, not the Father referring to himself in the third person. This titling acts much like "the supper of the great God" in 19:17.
The First Vial: Earth Sores
Important Note: The text here takes an immediate turn from the application of the plagues in Trumpet, where we saw those "have not the seal of God in their foreheads," and this time, "which had the mark of the beast" are noted. This seems to signal a pivot of who is on earth, "the 144,000 are no longer on Earth as they were at the 5th trumpet, so we must identify people by the mark of the beast; the seal of God is not applicable any longer. The 144,000 have been reaped." And, the fact that its identification is specifically at the time of the first vial should also tell us something; the text really feels to be driving that point and knows it needs to do so at the first.
Re 8:7, Re 16:2
Re 9:4, Re 16:2 — Seal of God to mark of beast pivot. In Rev 9:4, the 144,000 appear to be present, and in Rev 16:2, they are not because the mark of the beast is the identifiable mark.
The Second Vial: Sea to Blood
Re 8:8, Re 16:3
The Third Vial: Fresh Water to Blood
Re 8:10, Re 16:4
Its not clear what voice is the one from the alter: the alter itself or one by it or over it or under it.
Re 6:9, Re 16:7 — If sounds are coming from the altar, or it is speaking, then it is likely that those under it are still, not yet resurrected.
Re 9:13, Re 16:7
The Fourth Vial: Scorching Sun of Heaven
Re 16:8, Re 19:17 — Soft connection.
Re 8:12, Re 16:8 — In 8:12, we see darkness, and in 16:8, we see great heat. The connection is that these plagues are upon the heavens.
The Fifth Vial: Pain of Darkness
Re 13:1-7, Re 13:12, Re 13:14-15, Re 13:16, Re 16:10, Re 16:13, Re 19:19-20, Re 20:10 — The sea beast, not the red dragon. In Revelation 16:13 the beast is distinct from the dragon.
Re 9:2, Re 16:10
The Sixth Vial: Gathering of Kings by Unclean Spirits
Important Note: Genesis 15:18 says, "In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates" so it seems God is removing the boundary line of the covenant land to judge the kings in His people's land. Further, there is an image here of those in Genesis 10:10, "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." And then speaking of Shinar/Babylon, Genesis 11:2 "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there." So, it might be the intent of the text that the eastern (rising sun) kings of Babylon cross the boundary line into the promised land, and God will judge them there.
“The rising” (ἀνατολή) is the common Greek expression for “east,” taken from the place of the sun’s rising. Hence “from the rising of the sun” (ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου) is but a fuller and more literal form of saying “from the east.”
Re 9:14, Re 16:12
Re 16:13, Re 16:14
For the "great day" in Revelation 6, we might be tempted to link this verse to that time. This would be a mistake to think of "the great day" as a 24-hour day. This "great day" is titled, not "a day." Revelation 6 shows that the kings of the earth know about the wrath of the Lamb and are stricken with fear for what is coming but not yet. In Revelation 6, like they are saying, "The great day is at the door! Hide!"
Re 16:13, Re 16:14
Re 6:17, Re 16:14 — The phrase “the great day” appears explicitly in Revelation 6:17 and 16:14. In 6:17, it is spoken by the nations in fear as they perceive the onset of divine wrath, "the great day of their wrath is come," whereas in 16:14 John uses it narratively to describe the gathering for its climactic outworking, "to gather them (the kings of the earth) to the war of the great day". This suggests not a mere looming concept in the minds of the nations throughout the book, but a thematic thread that begins with human recognition of impending judgment (6:17) and culminates in the final confrontation orchestrated by God (16:14 onward).
I Come as a Thief
Important Note: In 1 Thessalonians 5:4, "But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief." Paul speaks about the church not being in darkness for this point in time, further confirming the pre-vial reaping before the vial plagues.
Re 3:3, Re 16:15 — Keep in mind this is an idiom for a time that is not expected.
Har-Magedon is a debated location: Megiddo or Mount Zion.
If Har-Magedon is understood as “Megiddo,” a difficulty arises, since Megiddo itself is not a mountain but a tell (an elevated mound) situated in the Jezreel Valley. There is no place in Scripture where הַר (har) is clearly and explicitly used for an archaeological mound such as this.
While har most often denotes a mountain, it can also refer more broadly to hill country or a regional highland rather than a single peak (Joshua 17:15; Judges 2:9; 1 Kings 20:23). However, it is not naturally applied to a site like Megiddo in the biblical record.
For this reason, the expression “mountain of Megiddo” is not a straightforward geographical designation. It could be argued that Megiddo might become a literal mountain in the future, but this would be a stretch, as the text appears to present the name as something intelligible to its original audience rather than a wholly future geographical transformation.
Megiddo is consistently associated with decisive conflict and national tragedy—most notably the death of Josiah (2 Kings 23:28–30; 2 Chronicles 35:20–25), later echoed in the imagery of great mourning (Zechariah 12:11). Thus, the term may carry symbolic or theological weight rather than strict topographical precision. At the same time, any attempt to define it as a specific “spiritual name” (e.g., a direct identification with Jerusalem or Mount Zion) moves beyond what the text itself explicitly supports and should be held with interpretive caution.
Some scholars read Har-Magedon here as "Mount Zion," which is possible, as we see in 16:19, "the great city" (11:8, 16:19) is divided into three parts. And, "great city" in Revelation (11:8, 16:19, 17:18, 18:10, 18:16, 18:18, 18:19), under the Critical Text, is reserved only for the typology of Babylon.
If Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17 is this Jerusalem where the kings gather here to burn her with fire and she is completely removed and seen no more at all by the 10 kings, as 17 makes clear, then how does Jesus come to the mountain to fight them in a place completely removed? The simple answer is that Mystery Babylon is not the same place we are reading about the kings gathering to.
This study suggests that the beast and kings are gathered together in this place (Jerusalem), well after the fall of Mystery Babylon. They gather in 16:14 to fight against the Lord of Lords, and he will overcome them. If Jerusalem is the symbol of Jesus rightful land, these kings seem to gather to war with Jesus over it.
The Seventh Vial: Voices, Thunders, Lightnings, & Earthquake
Important Note: We know this version of "the great city" (16:19) is very likely Jerusalem. The first time we encounter "great city" is in Jerusalem in 11:8. Jerusalem held the title of "great city" until 16:19. When we see "great city" applied again, it is to Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17. However, when Mystery Babylon falls, the cities of the nations are still standing and lament her fall. Here in 16:19, all the cities have fallen, which suggests none are left to mourn for the "great city" in 16:19. Also, speaking of Mystery Babylon, in Revelation 14, we see the "is fallen, is fallen" of Mystery Babylon before the middle of the tribulation and before the temple in heaven is closed. Placing Mystery Babylon of Revelation 17 earlier in the timeline. And, here in 16:19, the "great city" falls after the temple in heaven is closed, and none can enter. This leaves Jerusalem as the only listed "great city" remaining. Mystery Babylon is already gone forever by this point, so the city of 16:19 is very likely Jerusalem (if not certainly given, there are no other options in the text).
Further, Jesus judges this “great city” directly in the winepress of wrath. Mystery Babylon, however, is judged by the ten kings through God's authority. Mystery Babylon "shall be found no more at all" in a physical sense, not allegorical, but the “great city” in 16:19 is only divided into three parts. Numerous other differences make it very hard to justify Jerusalem as Mystery Babylon without many paradoxes or contradictions.
The Father is the only one in the temple still, none can enter until all the vials are poured out and its events are not finished until 16:21.
Re 16:17, Re 21:5
The phrase "of such magnitude an earthquake, so great" declares twice that the earthquake is great by "magnitude/mighty" and "so great". In Greek is "τηλικοῦτος σεισμὸς οὕτως μέγας" (NA28), intensifying the description beyond the simple adjective μέγας (“great”). The term τηλικοῦτος (tēlikoutos) denotes “of such magnitude” or “so great in extent,” functioning as a demonstrative of degree rather than a synonym for greatness itself. Thus, the construction is deliberately emphatic, yielding a hyper-literal sense: “an earthquake of such magnitude, so great.” The repetition is rhetorical, underscoring the event's unparalleled nature rather than introducing a new descriptive category. This is important because we see a great earthquake (σεισμὸς μέγας) in many places, such as the 6th seal, but none of them are as distinguished as the earthquake in 16:18.
This story about the winepress will pick back up in 19:15. The parenthetical about Mystery Babylon and the wedding supper of the Lamb will interrupt the story about "the wine of the fierceness of his wrath".
When the text says "great Babylon came in remembrance before God", it does not require that it is referring to Mystery Babylon. The text only appears to connect this "great city" with the typology of Babylon.
Re 11:8, Re 14:20, Re 16:19 — This "great city" (Revelation 16:19) is very likely Jerusalem in location, but there appear to be many locations of a great city, such as Babylon in Mesopotamia (Daniel 4:30), Sodom and Egypt (Revelation 11:8, Isaiah 13:19-20), and, in Revelation 17, a mystery location. All Babylons appear to be the center of power of man. Do not confuse Jerusalem, where the sea beast appears to rule, with Mystery Babylon. We know Jerusalem is where Jesus was crucified, which is NOT a mystery. Mystery Babylon is not named in its location.
Re 11:8, Re 16:19, Re 17:18, Re 18:10, Re 18:16, Re 18:18, Re 18:19 — The phrase "the great city" (ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη) appears to function as a theologically loaded designation in Revelation, used predominantly for Babylon (Rev 17:18, 18:10, 18:16, 18:18, 18:19), yet applied to Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8—"where also our Lord was crucified." In that context, Jerusalem is "spiritually" called Sodom and Egypt, indicating a transformation from its identity as the "holy city" (Rev 11:2) into one aligned with paradigmatic centers of rebellion and judgment. This suggests that Revelation is not using the term merely geographically, but associating it with a city's spiritual condition and opposition to God.
Because Revelation 17:18 defines "the great city" as the one that "reigneth over the kings of the earth," it may be inferred that the designation corresponds to a center of dominant, God-opposing power. When read alongside Revelation 11:8, this raises the possibility that Jerusalem, in its corrupted state and in connection with the rise of the beast, temporarily participates in that same category (It is possible to infer from Daniel 11:45 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that Jerusalem becomes a focal point of the final ruler's activity). However, while this pattern allows for a typological relationship—because Babylon is "the great city"—the text does not explicitly state that the title transfers sequentially or that Jerusalem becomes identical with "Mystery Babylon." Thus, "the great city" may function as a theological marker for a ruling, rebellious center.
As for Revelation 16:19, also marked as "the great city", it does not automatically become Jerusalem or Mystery Babylon; such a claim must remain a reasoned inference drawn from the book's patterned language rather than an explicit textual claim. But, because we know Mystery Babylon is the only other "great city" in Revelation, and it falls well before the events of Revelation 16, the only "great city" left is that of Jerusalem from 11:8. Meaning, 16:19 is pointing to the only remaining great city we ahve seen and the only one we have read about prior to this moment without explicitly naming this "great city" in 16:19 as Jeruselem.
Again, this is very distinct from the earthquake and judgment from the 6th seal. In the 6th seal, the mountains are moved, but not utterly removed. And if the mountains are removed in the 6th seal, how do the kings hide in the rocks? It seems simple; the 6th seal and this plague are not linked. The intensity of judgment grows from the 6th seal to now at the vials.
Linear Scene 1.5a: Only the Father is in the temple now. These vial or bowl plagues occur after the tribulation's pre-vial reaping and before the resurrection of those that died in the tribulation, which will happen in 20:4.