Bowl #1: sores
Bowl #2: the sea dies
Bowl #3: the rivers die
Bowl #4: the sun gets hotter— and the people still don’t repent!
Bowl #5: darkness— In spite of the hot sun there is darkness that, for some reason, makes people miserable. And they still don’t repent!
Bowl #6: ready for war— Probably, China sees an opportunity to start a war, since the dried-up Euphrates is a lot easier to cross now.
Bowl #7: earthquake— hundred-pound hailstones gotta hurt! (And remember, it’s too dark to see the hailstones and there’s no place to hide!)

She sits on many waters, committed adultery with the kings of the earth, sits on a beast, is dressed in royal colors and jewels, is drunk with the blood of the saints, is a great city, and sits on seven hills. As the text itself explains, the waters are many nations. Even though she is a city, she does business with many nations and controls them because of her great wealth. She rides on the beast, meaning she controls the world government for a while, but later it turns on her and devours her*. Only a married person can commit adultery, so she must have once belonged to God (elsewhere in the Bible God describes Israel as committing adultery when they turn away from him to other gods). She has killed more Christians than all other governments combined throughout the church’s history. She is the Babylon of chapters 17 and 18 (compare 18:9 with 17:2, 18:10 with 17:18, etc.).

Who is she? She is none other that the Roman Catholic Church! Who else but the Vatican is a CITY that does things only NATIONS should do? The RCC is incredibly wealthy, with its artifacts, statues, jewels, paintings, and the many "dues" it collects from its subjects. Rome is known as "the city on seven hills". She is known for her crusades and inquisitions, which were designed to wipe out any who opposed her. She pretends to be the one true church, which is why John was so astonished to see her. He knew the church as poor, humble, and clean, but now he can hardly recognize her. No wonder the merchants mourn over her when she is destroyed. She has been responsible for much of the world’s economic activity, and suddenly it is all gone. (Dave Hunt’s book, A Woman Rides the Beast, is a well-documented exposé of the Catholic Church. With over 800 footnotes, and with many quotations from the church’s own archives, he identifies it as the Great Prostitute/Babylon beyond any doubt.)

*The beast has only been tolerating the woman, whom he hates, because he needed her to gain power. Once he has it, he no longer needs her. This shows the global power of the Catholic church and its ability to command and control its subjects.

What is the meaning of Rev. 18:4 "come out of her, my people"? Some will say that it means real Christians have been a part of the RCC and must only now leave, implying that it is possible for a real Christian to practice Catholicism, but look at the context. This is the Tribulation, and many who become believers during this time had never heard the true Gospel. This warning is to those who have come to the place of believing in the one true God and must disassociate themselves from the Antichrist. It is definitely not an endorsement of the RCC.

The judgments are over! The rider on the white horse is obviously Jesus, finally returning to earth as a conquering king. The armies of heaven are probably all the believers, because they are dressed in white linen, the symbol of righteous acts. The Lake of Fire is the ultimate end of all who oppose God. The first residents are the Beast and the False Prophet. Later, Satan is thrown in, and then everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. Hell has been a temporary holding area (as bad as it is, it still isn’t as bad as the lake of fire!). The first resurrection mentioned here is not the entire first resurrection; it started with Jesus, then the Rapture, and last of all the Tribulation saints. It is not clear whether Gog and Magog are actual nations or people, or representative of the forces of evil.

Now we come to the great white throne judgment, where the unrighteous dead are judged according to their deeds. The Book of Life is opened to show that none of their names are in it; the other books contain a written record of their deeds. God is writing down everything we all think, do, and say! The believers’ deeds are tested with fire (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

Now God brings the New Jerusalem down from heaven and apparently moves the center of his existence with it. The bride of the lamb is now composed not only of church-age saints but also the believing Jews. The city is an enormous cube of about 1500 miles! Everything in the new creation is perfect and of the highest quality. Even gold, the best the old earth had to offer, is used as construction material! I think verses 10-11 speak of the fact that there is no longer any opportunity to change one’s moral state. The unbelievers in the lake of fire will be stuck there forever, hating God, his people, and each other. Believers will never again have their faith tested or have any worry about ever being lost.

Knowing the ultimate end of the present universe and our place in the new one should encourage and motivate us to live for heaven, not earth (Matthew 6:20).